RBSE SS Geography key terms

The branch of geography that studies how human populations, cultures, economies and political systems are spread across space and how people shape, and are shaped by, their environments.

The idea that the natural environment strongly controls or limits human activities and cultural development, so that similar environments are expected to produce similar ways of life.

The view that the environment offers a range of possibilities rather than fixed limits, and that human technology, culture and choice determine how people use or modify those possibilities.

The study of how and why geographical phenomena differ from one place to another, including variations in physical features, population, economy and culture across regions.

The average number of people living in a unit of area, usually expressed as persons per square kilometre; it helps compare how crowded or sparsely settled places are.

A model describing the shift of a population from high birth and death rates to low birth and death rates as a society develops, with rapid growth during the middle stage.

The number of females per 1,000 males in a population; it indicates gender balance and can reflect social attitudes, migration patterns and differences in survival.

The ratio of people outside the working-age group, usually children and older persons, to those of working age, showing how many dependents each 100 workers support.

Conditions that drive people away from a place, called push factors, and conditions that attract them to another place, called pull factors, together explaining migration decisions.

A composite measure of development that combines life expectancy, education and income indicators to rank countries by average human well-being rather than by income alone.

Economic activities that directly extract or produce goods from nature, such as farming, fishing, forestry, grazing and mining; they are closely tied to environmental conditions.

Farming mainly to feed the farmer's household, with little or no surplus for sale; it often involves small plots, family labour and traditional methods.

Large-scale commercial farming of a single crop, such as tea, coffee, rubber or sugarcane, usually for export and often relying on hired labour and processing near the estate.

Economic activities that transform raw materials into manufactured goods, such as textiles, steel, cement, food processing and vehicle assembly, adding value through industrial production.

An industry that can locate in many places because it is not strongly tied to raw materials, power sources or markets, often because its products are light and transport costs are low.

Economic activities that provide services rather than goods, including trade, transport, banking, education, health care, tourism and administration; they support primary and secondary production.

A place where goods are transferred from one mode of transport to another, often requiring unloading, storage and repackaging, so transport and warehousing activities concentrate there.

The use of standard metal containers to move goods by ship, rail and road without unpacking, reducing handling costs, damage and delays in international freight transport.

The difference between a country's earnings from exports and its spending on imports of goods; a surplus occurs when exports exceed imports, and a deficit when imports exceed exports.

The area served by a port, city or transport terminus, from which it collects goods, people and raw materials and to which it distributes products and services.

The increasing share of a population living in towns and cities, usually accompanied by the growth of urban areas and a shift away from rural occupations and lifestyles.

A city that is disproportionately larger than the second-largest city in its country or region and dominates political, economic and cultural life.

A settlement where houses and other buildings are grouped closely around a centre, such as a village around a well, temple, market or road junction.

A settlement pattern in which homes and farmsteads are scattered across the countryside rather than clustered together, often found in areas of plentiful land or rugged terrain.

Development that meets present needs without preventing future generations from meeting their own, balancing economic growth, social welfare and environmental protection.

The maximum population or level of activity that an area can support over time without degrading its resources and environment, given available technology and consumption patterns.

An estimate of the land and water area needed to supply a person, city or country with resources and to absorb its wastes, expressed in global hectares.

A natural resource that can be replenished by natural processes within a human lifetime, such as solar energy, wind, fresh water and biomass, if used within sustainable limits.

The economic growth potential that arises when a country's working-age population is large relative to its dependent population, provided enough productive jobs and skills are available.

The adoption of high-yielding crop varieties, irrigation, fertilisers and pesticides, especially in wheat and rice, which greatly raised food output in parts of India from the 1960s.

A planned zone along a transport route where industries, logistics parks and supporting infrastructure are developed together to promote manufacturing and regional economic growth.

The improvement of economic and social conditions in a particular area through planning, investment and infrastructure, aiming to reduce disparities between regions within a country.

An ancient mountain range running roughly south-west to north-east across Rajasthan and neighbouring states; it influences drainage, climate and mineral distribution and separates the Thar Desert from eastern plains.

A large arid region in north-western India, mainly in Rajasthan, characterised by sandy plains, low and erratic rainfall, high evaporation, sparse vegetation and shifting sand dunes.

A major irrigation canal in Rajasthan that carries water from the Harike barrage on the Sutlej into the Thar Desert, supporting agriculture, drinking water and settlement in dry districts.

The rearing of sheep, goats, cattle and camels across Rajasthan's dry and semi-arid areas, providing milk, wool, meat, draught power and income where crop farming is risky.