CSEC Geography flashcards
CSEC Geography · Build recall with a focused review session.
32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.
- Weather versus climate
- Weather is the short-term condition of the atmosphere at a particular place and time. Climate is the average weather of a place measured over roughly thirty years.
- Convectional rainfall
- Rainfall formed when intense surface heating causes air to rise rapidly, cool and condense, producing heavy afternoon thunderstorms. It is common in tropical regions such as the Caribbean.
- Relief rainfall
- Rainfall caused when moist air is forced to rise over a mountain barrier. The windward slope receives heavy rain while the leeward side lies in a rain shadow.
- Frontal rainfall
- Rainfall produced when a warm air mass meets a cold air mass. The lighter warm air rises over the colder air, cools, condenses and produces prolonged rain.
- ITCZ
- The Intertropical Convergence Zone is a belt of low pressure near the equator where northeast and southeast trade winds meet. Its seasonal migration brings wet and dry seasons to the tropics.
- Tropical cyclone requirements
- Tropical cyclones need sea-surface temperatures of about 26 degrees Celsius or more, low wind shear, abundant moisture, and distance from the equator so the Coriolis effect can spin the system.
- Hurricane season
- The Atlantic hurricane season officially runs from 1 June to 30 November, with peak activity usually between August and October when sea temperatures are highest.
- Convergent plate boundary
- A boundary where two plates move towards each other. Oceanic crust subducts beneath continental crust, forming trenches, explosive composite volcanoes and fold mountains, and generating deep earthquakes.
- Divergent plate boundary
- A boundary where two plates move apart. Magma rises to fill the gap, forming mid-ocean ridges and shield volcanoes, and producing shallow earthquakes and sea-floor spreading.
- Weathering versus erosion
- Weathering is the breakdown of rock in situ by physical, chemical or biological processes. Erosion involves the removal and transport of material by agents such as water, wind or ice.
- River erosion processes
- Rivers erode by hydraulic action (force of water), abrasion (load scraping the bed), attrition (load colliding and breaking up) and solution (chemical dissolving of rock).
- Long profile of a river
- A cross-section from source to mouth showing the gradient. The upper course is steep with rapids, the middle course gentler, and the lower course almost flat with floodplains and levees.
- Dendritic drainage pattern
- A tree-like pattern of streams with many tributaries joining the main river at varying angles. It develops on rocks of uniform resistance such as granite or thick sedimentary beds.
- Population pyramid interpretation
- A wide base with a narrow top indicates a youthful, rapidly growing population. A narrow base with a wide top indicates an ageing or declining population.
- Population density
- Population density is the number of people per square kilometre, calculated by dividing total population by total land area in square kilometres.
- Rate of natural increase
- The rate of natural increase is the birth rate minus the death rate per 1,000 people per year. It excludes the effect of migration.
- Demographic transition model
- A four- or five-stage model showing how birth and death rates change as a country develops, moving from high stationary through early and late expanding to low stationary.
- Site and situation
- Site is the actual ground on which a settlement is built, such as a hilltop or river bend. Situation is its position relative to surrounding features like routes and resources.
- Settlement patterns
- Dispersed settlements are scattered across the land, nucleated settlements are clustered around a focal point, and linear settlements follow a road, river or valley.
- Employment sectors
- Primary involves extracting raw materials, secondary involves manufacturing, tertiary involves providing services, and quaternary involves knowledge-based activities such as research and information technology.
- Human Development Index
- The HDI combines income per capita, life expectancy and education into one score between 0 and 1. It is a broader measure of development than GDP alone.
- Sustainable development
- Development that meets present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs, balancing economic growth, social welfare and environmental protection.
- Ecotourism
- Responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and sustains local communities. Caribbean examples include nature trails, dive sites and marine protected areas.
- Six-figure grid reference
- A precise location on a map given by three digits for easting then three for northing. The third digit subdivides the grid square into tenths.
- Gradient calculation
- Gradient equals vertical interval divided by horizontal distance, with both in the same units. It is written as a ratio, for example 1:10.
- Contour lines
- Lines on a map joining points of equal height above sea level. Closely spaced contours show steep slopes and widely spaced contours show gentle slopes.
- Map scale
- Scale shows the relationship between map distance and ground distance. At 1:50,000, one centimetre on the map represents half a kilometre on the ground.
- Vertical exaggeration
- The factor by which a cross-section's vertical scale is enlarged relative to its horizontal scale. It is calculated by dividing the vertical scale by the horizontal scale.
- Sampling methods
- Random sampling gives every item an equal chance of selection, systematic sampling uses a fixed interval, and stratified sampling selects from defined groups within the population.
- Choropleth map
- A map that uses shading or colour to show the density or value of a variable across defined areas such as districts or countries, making spatial patterns easy to compare.
- Command word: explain
- An instruction requiring reasons, causes or mechanisms, not just description. Answers should use linking words such as because, therefore and as a result to show causal reasoning.
- Case study requirement
- Answers should name a specific place, give its location and include real details such as dates, figures or scale rather than describing a vague or invented example.