VCE Geography key terms

A large-scale natural region defined by its climate, soils and the plant and animal communities adapted to them, such as tropical rainforest, tundra or desert.

A community of living organisms interacting with each other and with the non-living parts of their environment, such as water, soil, air and sunlight, within a defined area.

The variety of living things in a place, measured as the number of species, the genetic differences within species and the range of habitats and ecosystems present.

The benefits people obtain from functioning ecosystems, including clean water, fertile soil, pollination, carbon storage and flood control, often called ecosystem services.

A chart showing average monthly temperature as a line and average monthly precipitation as bars for a location, used to identify its climate type and growing season.

Water falling from the atmosphere to the ground as rain, snow, hail or sleet, a key control on vegetation growth and a major input to drainage basins.

The distance of a place north or south of the equator, measured in degrees, which strongly influences temperature, rainfall and therefore the distribution of biomes.

The permanent removal of forest cover, usually for agriculture, grazing or logging, which reduces biodiversity, releases stored carbon and increases soil erosion.

The process by which fertile land in dry regions becomes degraded and less productive, often through overgrazing, drought and poor irrigation practices.

The breaking up of a large continuous habitat into smaller isolated patches, usually by roads, farmland or settlement, which reduces species movement and genetic exchange.

The removal of topsoil by wind or water, accelerated when vegetation is cleared or land is poorly managed, reducing fertility and causing sedimentation downstream.

The whole area of land drained by a river and its tributaries, bounded by a watershed, within which water, sediment and nutrients move towards a common outlet.

The boundary, usually a ridge of higher land, separating one drainage basin from another, so that rainfall on either side flows in different directions.

The volume of water passing a point in a river in a given time, usually measured in cubic metres per second, reflecting rainfall, runoff and catchment conditions.

A graph plotting river discharge against time after a rainfall event, showing the lag time and peak flow and revealing how a catchment stores and releases water.

The downward movement of water from the surface into soil and rock, influenced by soil type, vegetation cover, slope and how saturated the ground already is.

Water that flows over the land surface rather than soaking into it, common on steep, compacted or saturated ground and a major cause of rapid river rise.

Water stored beneath the surface in pores and fractures of soil and rock, which can feed rivers slowly during dry periods and is tapped by bores.

A body of permeable rock or sediment that can store and transmit usable quantities of groundwater, often recharged slowly over decades or centuries.

The concentration of dissolved salts in water or soil; in dryland catchments rising water tables can bring salt to the surface and damage farmland and ecosystems.

The purpose for which land is managed, such as cropping, grazing, forestry, conservation or urban development, which shapes vegetation cover, runoff and biodiversity.

The alteration of the physical surface of the land over time, for example forest to pasture or wetland to housing, detectable through maps and satellite imagery.

Meeting present needs without reducing the ability of future generations to meet theirs, balancing environmental, social and economic outcomes in resource use.

The way people are spread across an area, from clustered in cities to sparse in remote regions, shaped by climate, resources, relief and economic opportunity.

The average number of people per unit area, usually per square kilometre, calculated by dividing total population by total land area.

A paired bar graph showing the number or percentage of males and females in each age group, revealing a population's age structure and past trends.

The number of live births per 1,000 people in a population in a year, influenced by health care, education, culture and economic conditions.

The number of deaths per 1,000 people in a population in a year, reflecting health care, nutrition, conflict and the age structure of the population.

The average number of years a person is expected to live from birth, given current mortality conditions, often used as an indicator of development.

The growth of a population calculated as the birth rate minus the death rate, expressed as a percentage per year and excluding migration.

The movement of people from one place to another to live, either within a country or across borders, driven by push and pull factors.

Conditions that encourage people to leave a place, such as conflict, unemployment, drought, persecution or lack of services.

Conditions that attract people to a new place, such as jobs, safety, education, family links or better health care and living standards.

A person forced to flee their country because of war, persecution or disaster and who cannot safely return, as defined under international law.

The increasing proportion of a population living in towns and cities, driven by rural-to-urban migration and natural growth of urban populations.

A metropolitan area with more than ten million residents, typically in a developing country and often growing faster than housing and services can keep pace.

A densely populated urban area with inadequate housing, insecure tenure and poor access to water, sanitation and other basic services.

A population in which the proportion of older people is rising, usually because of low birth rates and longer life expectancy, increasing demand for care and pensions.

A composite measure combining life expectancy, education and income per person to compare development levels between countries on a scale from zero to one.

The difference in wealth, health and living standards between more and less developed countries, or between regions within a country.