European Baccalaureate Geography cheat sheet

Scale types: large-scale maps (1:10 000–1:50 000) show small areas in detail; small-scale maps (1:1 000 000+) show global patterns; a scale of 1:25 000 means 1 cm on the map equals 250 m on the ground.

Grid references: a four-figure reference locates a 1 km square (eastings read first, then northings); a six-figure reference locates a 100 m square by subdividing each 1 km square into tenths.

Contour interpretation: closely spaced contours indicate steep slopes; contour lines never cross; the gap between successive contours is the vertical interval, usually 5 or 10 m on topographic maps.

Population density = total population ÷ area (persons per km²); natural increase = birth rate − death rate (per 1 000); net migration = immigration − emigration.

Doubling time (years) ≈ 70 ÷ annual percentage growth rate; a 2 % growth rate doubles a population in about 35 years.

Demographic Transition Model stages: high stationary (high birth and death rates), early expanding (death rate falls), late expanding (birth rate falls), low stationary (both low), and a possible fifth stage of natural decrease.

Population pyramid reading: broad base = high birth rate and young population; narrow top = low life expectancy; bulges record past events such as baby booms or war losses.

Cartographic conventions: choropleth maps show density or rate data by administrative area; isoline maps join points of equal value (isobars for pressure, isotherms for temperature); dot maps show distribution of discrete phenomena.

Plate boundaries: divergent (constructive) boundaries create mid-ocean ridges and rift valleys; convergent boundaries produce subduction zones, fold mountains and volcanic arcs; transform boundaries produce strike-slip faults such as the San Andreas.

Rock cycle: igneous rocks crystallise from magma (granite, basalt); sedimentary rocks form by compaction of deposits (limestone, sandstone); metamorphic rocks form under heat and pressure (marble from limestone, slate from shale).

River processes: erosion (hydraulic action, abrasion, attrition, solution), transport (traction, saltation, suspension, solution) and deposition; the long profile is steep in the upper course and gently graded near the mouth.

Climate controls: latitude determines solar angle and insolation; altitude lowers temperature about 6.5 °C per 1 000 m; continentality increases annual temperature range; ocean currents and prevailing winds modify coastal climates.

Urban models: the Burgess concentric-zone model, Hoyt sector model and Harris–Ullman multiple-nuclei model describe land-use patterns; bid-rent theory explains why commerce outbids housing for central locations.

Globalisation indicators: trade as a share of GDP, foreign direct investment flows, container port throughput, and the share of manufacturing employment in the workforce.

Sustainable development balances economic growth, social equity and environmental protection; the UN Sustainable Development Goals (2015–2030) comprise 17 goals with 169 targets.

Climate-change mitigation (reducing emissions: renewables, efficiency, carbon pricing) is distinct from adaptation (adjusting to impacts: flood defences, drought-resistant crops, early-warning systems).