European Baccalaureate Geography flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Map scale

The ratio between distance on a map and the corresponding distance on the ground. A scale of 1:50 000 means 1 cm on the map represents 500 m in reality.

Six-figure grid reference

A coordinate locating a 100 m square on a topographic map. Eastings are read before northings, and each 1 km square is mentally divided into ten equal parts.

Contour line

A line on a map joining points of equal height above sea level. The spacing between contours reveals slope steepness, and contours never cross one another.

Choropleth map

A thematic map in which administrative areas are shaded or coloured in proportion to a value such as population density or unemployment rate, allowing regional comparison at a glance.

Population density

The average number of people per unit area, calculated by dividing total population by surface area in square kilometres. It conceals uneven distribution within a territory.

Natural increase rate

The difference between the birth rate and the death rate of a population, usually expressed per 1 000 inhabitants per year and excluding the effects of migration.

Demographic Transition Model

A five-stage model tracing how birth and death rates fall as societies industrialise and urbanise. It moves from high stationary through expanding stages to low stationary populations.

Population pyramid

A paired bar graph showing the age and sex structure of a population. Its shape reflects birth rates, life expectancy, migration and historical events.

Doubling time

The number of years needed for a population to double at a constant growth rate, estimated by dividing 70 by the annual percentage growth rate.

Divergent plate boundary

A boundary where two tectonic plates move apart, allowing magma to rise. It produces mid-ocean ridges and rift valleys, with shallow earthquakes and basaltic volcanism.

Subduction zone

A convergent boundary where a denser oceanic plate sinks beneath a lighter plate. It generates deep earthquakes, volcanic arcs and ocean trenches.

Igneous rock

Rock formed when molten magma or lava cools and crystallises. Slow cooling underground produces coarse crystals such as granite; rapid cooling at the surface produces fine basalt.

Sedimentary rock

Rock formed from compacted and cemented sediments or from chemical precipitation. Limestone and sandstone are examples, and they may contain fossils.

Metamorphic rock

Rock altered by intense heat or pressure without melting. Limestone becomes marble and shale becomes slate, typically recrystallising minerals into aligned bands.

River erosion processes

Four mechanisms by which rivers wear away their beds and banks: hydraulic action, abrasion, attrition and solution, each operating most strongly in different course sections.

River long profile

A cross-section of a river from source to mouth. It is steep and irregular in the upper course and becomes smooth and gently graded towards the sea.

Lapse rate

The rate at which air temperature falls with increasing altitude in the troposphere, averaging about 6.5 °C per 1 000 metres of ascent.

Continentality

The effect whereby locations far from the ocean have greater annual temperature ranges than coastal areas, because land heats and cools faster than water.

Bid-rent theory

A model stating that land value declines with distance from the city centre. Commercial uses outbid housing for central sites, producing land-use zones.

Multiple-nuclei model

The Harris and Ullman model describing cities as growing around several independent centres rather than one core, such as ports, universities or industrial estates.

Urbanisation

The rising proportion of a population living in towns and cities. It results from rural-to-urban migration and from natural increase in urban populations.

Globalisation

The growing interconnection of economies and societies through trade, investment, migration and information flows, often measured by trade as a share of GDP.

Foreign direct investment

Investment by a firm in productive assets abroad, such as factories or subsidiaries, giving it control over operations in another country and shaping industrial location.

Sustainable development

Development meeting present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs, balancing economic growth, social equity and environmental protection.

Sustainable Development Goals

Seventeen global goals with 169 targets adopted by the United Nations in 2015 for the period to 2030, covering poverty, climate, cities and ecosystems.

Climate-change mitigation

Actions that reduce greenhouse-gas emissions or enhance carbon sinks, such as renewable energy, energy efficiency, carbon pricing and reforestation.

Climate-change adaptation

Adjustments that reduce vulnerability to climate impacts, including flood defences, drought-resistant crops, irrigation and early-warning systems, as opposed to cutting emissions.

Isoline map

A map whose lines join points of equal value, such as isobars for atmospheric pressure or isotherms for temperature, revealing gradients across space.

Demographic ageing

A rising median age and growing share of elderly people caused by falling fertility and rising life expectancy. It raises pension and healthcare costs and shrinks the labour force.

Push and pull factors

Conditions driving people from a place (poverty, conflict, unemployment) and attracting them elsewhere (jobs, safety, services). They explain voluntary migration decisions.

Urban heat island

The tendency of built-up areas to be warmer than surrounding countryside because of dark surfaces, heat storage in concrete and limited vegetation and evaporation.

Carrying capacity

The maximum population or level of use an environment can sustain indefinitely without degrading its resources, given prevailing technology and consumption patterns.