Tamil Nadu HSE Second Year Geography key terms

The branch of geography that studies how human activities, cultures, economies and settlements are spread over Earth's surface and how people interact with their physical surroundings.

The idea that the natural environment, especially climate and terrain, decides how people live and how societies develop; humans are seen as mainly shaped by, and passive before, nature.

The view that nature offers a range of possibilities and people, using technology and choice, decide which ones to use; the environment limits but does not dictate human action.

A middle position holding that humans can modify their environment but must respect its limits, so development is a dialogue between natural conditions and human effort.

The study of how and why one part of Earth's surface differs from another in physical and human features; it is the central organising idea of regional geography.

The total population of an area divided by its total land area, usually expressed as persons per square kilometre; a simple measure that ignores whether land is farmable.

Population divided by cultivable or cropland area, showing how many people each unit of farmland must support; a better indicator of population pressure than simple density.

A model describing how birth and death rates change as a country develops, moving from high-high, through a phase of rapid growth, to low-low and a stable population.

A double bar graph showing the number of males and females in each age group of a population; its shape reveals a young, mature or ageing age structure.

The number of children under 15 and adults over 64 for every 100 persons of working age, that is 15 to 64; it shows how many depend on each worker.

A composite measure of UNDP combining life expectancy, education (mean and expected years of schooling) and per capita income to rank countries by overall human well-being.

The economic gain a country can enjoy when the share of working-age people is large and the share of dependants is small, provided enough jobs and skills exist.

Work that directly draws goods from nature, such as farming, fishing, forestry, grazing and mining; these are the earliest and most widespread economic activities.

Work that turns raw materials from primary activities into finished or semi-finished products, including manufacturing, processing, construction and power generation.

Work that provides services rather than goods, such as transport, trade, banking, education, health and tourism; it grows in share as economies become more developed.

Highly skilled work based on knowledge and information, such as research, education, consultancy, software and data analysis; also called knowledge-based or white-collar services.

A manufacturing activity not tied to raw materials or markets because its products are light and valuable, so it can locate almost anywhere, for example electronics, garments or software.

The area that supplies goods, people and raw materials to, and receives services from, a port or city; its size and richness decide the importance of that centre.

A place where cargo is unloaded in bulk from one form of transport and split into smaller loads for onward movement, often a port or rail head where industries then grow.

The largest city of a country or region, far bigger than the second city and dominating its economy, politics and culture; its dominance is a common sign of urban imbalance.

A continuous urban area formed when several towns spread outwards and merge into one built-up belt, even though each settlement keeps its own name and identity.

A general pattern in which the population of the nth largest city of a country is about 1/n of the largest city's population, giving a fairly balanced urban system.

The difference between a country's value of exports and value of imports of goods in a given period; it is a surplus if exports exceed imports and a deficit if imports exceed exports.

Conditions that drive people away from a place (push), such as unemployment, drought or conflict, and conditions that attract them elsewhere (pull), such as jobs, land or better services.

The movement of a large number of migrants between a particular origin and destination during a period; rural-to-urban movement is the most common stream in India.

In India, a settlement not declared a town but treated as urban by the Census if it has over 5,000 people, high density and mostly non-agricultural male workers.

The proportion of a population that is part of the economically active workforce, either employed or seeking work, usually expressed as a percentage of total population.

A development pattern noted for high literacy, low fertility and low infant mortality achieved at relatively low income, though it faces problems of slow industrial growth and job shortage.

The land actually sown with crops in a year, counted once even if the same field is cropped more than once; it excludes fallow land and non-farm uses.

Gross cropped area divided by net sown area, multiplied by 100; it shows how many times a field is cropped in a year and indicates the intensity of land use.

A scheme that uses a river basin for many purposes together, namely irrigation, flood control, hydel power, drinking water, navigation and fish culture, through dams and canals.

The large rise in food output from the 1960s through high-yielding seeds, fertilisers, pesticides and assured irrigation, mainly for wheat and rice in India.

An industry that processes agricultural produce, such as sugar, jute, cotton textiles, rice milling and dairy, and which usually locates near the farming areas that supply it.

The planned care of the land and water of a drainage basin to trap rain where it falls, conserve soil moisture, check erosion and raise groundwater through bunds, ponds and afforestation.

Development that meets present needs without spoiling the ability of future generations to meet theirs, balancing economic growth, social welfare and environmental care.

The National Institution for Transforming India, set up in 2015 in place of the Planning Commission, which advises on policy, monitors schemes and aims to build cooperative federalism.

A demarcated area within a country where firms get tax holidays, duty-free imports and simpler rules mainly for export production, meant to attract investment and create jobs.

The total greenhouse gases, measured in carbon dioxide equivalent, released by a person, product, organisation or country over a stated period, usually a year.