AQA GCSE Geography Glossary
1. Physical Geography
1. Abrasion: The process of rocks and sediments grinding against each other, causing them
to become smoother and smaller.
2. Arch: A natural rock formation created by wave erosion, forming a bridge-like structure.
3. Attrition: The wearing down of rocks and sediments as they collide with each other
during transportation.
4. Bay: A body of water partially enclosed by land, typically with a wide opening to the sea.
5. Cave: A natural underground chamber or cavity, often formed by the dissolution of
limestone rock.
6. Cliff: A steep, vertical or near-vertical rock face, often formed by coastal erosion.
7. Constructive wave: A type of wave that deposits more sediment than it erodes, building
up beaches and other coastal features.
8. Destructive wave: A type of wave that erodes more sediment than it deposits, often
causing coastal erosion and retreat.
9. Erosion: The process of wearing away and transporting rocks and sediments by natural
forces like water, wind, or ice.
10. Fetch: The distance over which wind blows to create waves.
11. Floodplain: A flat area of land next to a river, formed by the deposition of sediment
during floods.
12. Headland: A point of land that extends into the sea, often more resistant to erosion than
surrounding areas.
13. Hydraulic action: The force of water itself, causing erosion by compressing air in cracks
and crevices.
14. Levee: A natural or artificial embankment along a river, formed by the deposition of
sediment during floods.
15. Longshore drift: The movement of sediment along a coast, caused by waves
approaching the coast at an angle.
16. Meander: A bend in a river, formed by erosion on the outer bank and deposition on the
inner bank.
17. Oxbow lake: A crescent-shaped lake formed when a meander is cut off from the main
river channel.
18. Stack: A geological landform found on a coastline consisting of a steep and often vertical
column or columns of rock in the sea near a coast, formed by wave erosion.
19. Stump: A geological landform found on a coastline. It is a collapsed sea stack.
20. Wave-cut platform: A flat area of rock at the base of a cliff, formed by wave erosion.
2. Human Geography
21. Birth rate: The number of live births per 1,000 people in a population in a given year.
22. Brownfield site: Land that has been previously developed and is now derelict or
underused.
23. Central Business District (CBD): The commercial and economic heart of a city,
typically with high-rise buildings, offices, and shops.
, 24. Counter-urbanisation: The movement of people and businesses from urban areas to
rural or suburban areas.
25. Death rate: The number of deaths per 1,000 people in a population in a given year.
26. Deindustrialisation: The decline of manufacturing industries in a region or country.
27. Dependency ratio: The ratio of the number of people who are too young or too old to
work, compared to the number of people of working age.
28. Development: The process of improving the quality of life in a country or region, often
measured by economic growth, social progress, and environmental sustainability.
29. Economic migrant: A person who moves to another country or region in search of better
economic opportunities.
30. Emigrant: A person who leaves their own country to settle permanently in another.
31. Globalisation: The increasing interconnectedness and interdependence of the world's
economies, cultures, and societies.
32. Greenfield site: Land that has not been previously developed, often used for agriculture
or recreation.
33. Immigrant: A person who comes to live permanently in a foreign country.
34. Infant mortality rate: The number of deaths of infants under one year old per 1,000 live
births in a given year.
35. Informal sector: The part of the economy that is not regulated or taxed by the
government.
36. Life expectancy: The average number of years a person is expected to live at birth.
37. Megacity: A city with a population of over 10 million people.
38. Natural increase: The difference between the birth rate and the death rate of a
population.
39. Pull factor: A positive aspect of a place that attracts people to move there.
40. Push factor: A negative aspect of a place that encourages people to leave.
3. Environmental Geography
41. Biodiversity: The variety of life in the world or in a particular habitat or ecosystem.
42. Carbon footprint: The total amount of greenhouse gases produced to directly and
indirectly support human activities, usually expressed in equivalent tons of carbon
dioxide (CO2).
43. Climate change: Long-term alteration of temperature and typical weather patterns in a
place.
44. Conservation: The protection and preservation of natural resources and the environment.
45. Deforestation: The clearing or removal of trees and forests, often for agricultural or
development purposes.
46. Desertification: The process by which fertile land becomes desert, typically as a result of
drought, deforestation, or inappropriate agriculture.
47. Ecosystem: A biological community of interacting organisms and their physical
environment.
48. Enhanced greenhouse effect: The increased capacity of the atmosphere to trap heat due
to human activities, leading to global warming.
49. Fossil fuels: Non-renewable energy sources formed from the remains of ancient plants
and animals, including coal, oil, and natural gas.
1. Physical Geography
1. Abrasion: The process of rocks and sediments grinding against each other, causing them
to become smoother and smaller.
2. Arch: A natural rock formation created by wave erosion, forming a bridge-like structure.
3. Attrition: The wearing down of rocks and sediments as they collide with each other
during transportation.
4. Bay: A body of water partially enclosed by land, typically with a wide opening to the sea.
5. Cave: A natural underground chamber or cavity, often formed by the dissolution of
limestone rock.
6. Cliff: A steep, vertical or near-vertical rock face, often formed by coastal erosion.
7. Constructive wave: A type of wave that deposits more sediment than it erodes, building
up beaches and other coastal features.
8. Destructive wave: A type of wave that erodes more sediment than it deposits, often
causing coastal erosion and retreat.
9. Erosion: The process of wearing away and transporting rocks and sediments by natural
forces like water, wind, or ice.
10. Fetch: The distance over which wind blows to create waves.
11. Floodplain: A flat area of land next to a river, formed by the deposition of sediment
during floods.
12. Headland: A point of land that extends into the sea, often more resistant to erosion than
surrounding areas.
13. Hydraulic action: The force of water itself, causing erosion by compressing air in cracks
and crevices.
14. Levee: A natural or artificial embankment along a river, formed by the deposition of
sediment during floods.
15. Longshore drift: The movement of sediment along a coast, caused by waves
approaching the coast at an angle.
16. Meander: A bend in a river, formed by erosion on the outer bank and deposition on the
inner bank.
17. Oxbow lake: A crescent-shaped lake formed when a meander is cut off from the main
river channel.
18. Stack: A geological landform found on a coastline consisting of a steep and often vertical
column or columns of rock in the sea near a coast, formed by wave erosion.
19. Stump: A geological landform found on a coastline. It is a collapsed sea stack.
20. Wave-cut platform: A flat area of rock at the base of a cliff, formed by wave erosion.
2. Human Geography
21. Birth rate: The number of live births per 1,000 people in a population in a given year.
22. Brownfield site: Land that has been previously developed and is now derelict or
underused.
23. Central Business District (CBD): The commercial and economic heart of a city,
typically with high-rise buildings, offices, and shops.
, 24. Counter-urbanisation: The movement of people and businesses from urban areas to
rural or suburban areas.
25. Death rate: The number of deaths per 1,000 people in a population in a given year.
26. Deindustrialisation: The decline of manufacturing industries in a region or country.
27. Dependency ratio: The ratio of the number of people who are too young or too old to
work, compared to the number of people of working age.
28. Development: The process of improving the quality of life in a country or region, often
measured by economic growth, social progress, and environmental sustainability.
29. Economic migrant: A person who moves to another country or region in search of better
economic opportunities.
30. Emigrant: A person who leaves their own country to settle permanently in another.
31. Globalisation: The increasing interconnectedness and interdependence of the world's
economies, cultures, and societies.
32. Greenfield site: Land that has not been previously developed, often used for agriculture
or recreation.
33. Immigrant: A person who comes to live permanently in a foreign country.
34. Infant mortality rate: The number of deaths of infants under one year old per 1,000 live
births in a given year.
35. Informal sector: The part of the economy that is not regulated or taxed by the
government.
36. Life expectancy: The average number of years a person is expected to live at birth.
37. Megacity: A city with a population of over 10 million people.
38. Natural increase: The difference between the birth rate and the death rate of a
population.
39. Pull factor: A positive aspect of a place that attracts people to move there.
40. Push factor: A negative aspect of a place that encourages people to leave.
3. Environmental Geography
41. Biodiversity: The variety of life in the world or in a particular habitat or ecosystem.
42. Carbon footprint: The total amount of greenhouse gases produced to directly and
indirectly support human activities, usually expressed in equivalent tons of carbon
dioxide (CO2).
43. Climate change: Long-term alteration of temperature and typical weather patterns in a
place.
44. Conservation: The protection and preservation of natural resources and the environment.
45. Deforestation: The clearing or removal of trees and forests, often for agricultural or
development purposes.
46. Desertification: The process by which fertile land becomes desert, typically as a result of
drought, deforestation, or inappropriate agriculture.
47. Ecosystem: A biological community of interacting organisms and their physical
environment.
48. Enhanced greenhouse effect: The increased capacity of the atmosphere to trap heat due
to human activities, leading to global warming.
49. Fossil fuels: Non-renewable energy sources formed from the remains of ancient plants
and animals, including coal, oil, and natural gas.
