BCS Written Geography flashcards
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32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.
- Rock cycle
- The continuous transformation of rock among igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic types through cooling, weathering, compaction, and heat or pressure.
- Karst topography
- Landscape formed where carbonation dissolves limestone, producing caves, sinkholes, and underground drainage.
- Coriolis effect
- Apparent deflection of moving air or water caused by Earth's rotation, to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and left in the Southern.
- Thermohaline circulation
- Global deep-ocean current system driven by differences in water temperature and salinity, which control density and sinking.
- Demographic transition
- A model tracing population change from high birth and death rates through rapid growth to low stationary rates as societies develop.
- Dependency ratio
- The number of people under 15 and over 64 divided by the working-age population, expressed as a percentage.
- Push and pull factors
- Conditions driving people from a place, such as poverty or conflict, versus conditions attracting them, such as jobs and security.
- Population pyramid
- A graph showing population by age and sex, whose shape reveals whether a population is youthful or ageing.
- Von Thünen model
- A land-use model in which farming intensity and rent decline with distance from the market, with perishable goods located nearest.
- Comparative advantage
- The principle that regions gain from trade by specialising in goods they produce at lower opportunity cost than others.
- Resource curse
- The tendency of resource-rich countries to experience slow growth, weak institutions, and dependence on volatile commodity prices.
- Quaternary sector
- The knowledge-based part of the economy, including research, education, and information services, distinct from primary and secondary activity.
- Barind Tract
- An elevated Pleistocene terrace in northwestern Bangladesh with relatively dry conditions and distinctive red-brown soils.
- Nor'wester
- A violent pre-monsoon thunderstorm in Bangladesh, also called kalbaishakhi, bringing hail and strong winds in April and May.
- Sundarbans
- The world's largest mangrove forest, spanning southwestern Bangladesh and India, protecting the coast from cyclones and storm surges.
- Meghna
- A major river of Bangladesh that receives the Padma and Jamuna and discharges into the Bay of Bengal.
- Tropic of Cancer
- The latitude 23.5° north of the equator, the northern limit of the sun's overhead position, crossing Bangladesh near its centre.
- Sahara
- The largest hot desert, spanning North Africa from the Atlantic to the Red Sea.
- Strait of Malacca
- A narrow waterway between the Malay Peninsula and Sumatra, a key shipping route linking the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
- Amazon basin
- The drainage basin of the Amazon River, the world's largest by discharge and area, covered largely by tropical rainforest.
- Map scale
- The ratio between distance on a map and distance on the ground, shown as a fraction, statement, or bar.
- Contour line
- A line on a map joining points of equal elevation; close spacing indicates steep slopes and wide spacing gentle slopes.
- Mercator projection
- A cylindrical map projection that preserves compass direction but greatly exaggerates area at high latitudes.
- Choropleth map
- A thematic map that shades administrative units in graded colours or patterns to represent a value.
- NDVI
- The Normalised Difference Vegetation Index, calculated as near-infrared minus red divided by near-infrared plus red, indicating vegetation density.
- Active remote sensing
- A technique in which a sensor emits its own energy, such as radar or lidar, and measures the returning signal.
- Spatial resolution
- The ground area represented by one pixel in a remotely sensed image; smaller pixels mean finer detail.
- Vector data
- A GIS data model representing features as points, lines, and polygons with associated attribute information.
- Disaster risk equation
- Risk equals hazard multiplied by vulnerability divided by capacity, expressing how exposure and coping ability combine.
- Eutrophication
- Nutrient enrichment of water by nitrogen and phosphorus runoff, causing algal blooms and oxygen depletion.
- Environmental impact assessment
- A formal process predicting the environmental effects of a proposed project before approval and setting mitigation measures.
- Disaster management cycle
- The recurring sequence of mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery that guides action before, during, and after a hazard.