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GCSE Geography Study Cards


Master GCSE Geography with our interactive study cards designed for effective learning. These flashcards use proven spaced repetition techniques to help you memorize key concepts, definitions, and facts. Perfect for students, professionals, and lifelong learners seeking to improve knowledge retention and ace exams through active recall practice.


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What is the difference between weather and climate?

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Answer:

Weather is day-to-day atmospheric conditions; climate is long-term average weather patterns over 30+ years

What causes the greenhouse effect?

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Greenhouse gases trap heat from the sun in Earth's atmosphere

Name three greenhouse gases

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Carbon dioxide (CO2); methane (CH4); water vapour (H2O)

What is global warming?

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The increase in Earth's average temperature due to human activities increasing greenhouse gases

What is climate change?

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Long-term changes in global weather patterns caused by global warming

What is the enhanced greenhouse effect?

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The strengthening of the natural greenhouse effect due to human activities

Name two renewable energy sources

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Solar power and wind power

Name two non-renewable energy sources

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Coal and oil

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What is sustainable development?

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Meeting present needs without compromising future generations' ability to meet their needs

What causes acid rain?

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Sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides from burning fossil fuels

What is deforestation?

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The permanent removal of forest cover for other land uses

Name three causes of deforestation

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Agriculture; logging; urban development

What is desertification?

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The process by which fertile land becomes desert

What is the water cycle?

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The continuous movement of water between oceans

Name the four main processes in the water cycle

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Evaporation; condensation; precipitation; collection

What is a drainage basin?

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The area of land drained by a river and its tributaries

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What is the watershed?

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The boundary/ridge between two drainage basins

What is the mouth of a river?

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Where a river meets the sea or lake

What is the source of a river?

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The starting point of a river; usually in highlands

What is a tributary?

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A smaller river or stream that flows into a main river

What are the three courses of a river?

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Upper course; middle course; lower course

What landform is created by river erosion in the upper course?

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V-shaped valleys and waterfalls

What landform is created by river deposition in the lower course?

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Floodplains and deltas

What is a meander?

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A bend or curve in a river

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What is an oxbow lake?

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A U-shaped lake formed when a meander is cut off from the main river

What causes flooding?

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Heavy rainfall; snowmelt; dam failure; or deforestation

Name two hard engineering flood defenses

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Dams and flood barriers

Name two soft engineering flood defenses

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Floodplain zoning and afforestation

What is coastal erosion?

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The wearing away of coastline by wave action

What are the four types of coastal erosion?

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Hydraulic action; abrasion; attrition; solution

What is longshore drift?

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The movement of sediment along a coastline by wave action

What is a headland?

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A piece of land jutting out into the sea

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What is a bay?

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A curved indentation in the coastline between two headlands

What coastal landform is created by erosion of headlands?

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Caves

What coastal landform is created by deposition?

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Beaches

What is a spit?

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A long narrow ridge of sand extending into the sea

What are constructive waves?

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Low-energy waves that deposit material and build up beaches

What are destructive waves?

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High-energy waves that erode coastlines

What is a glacier?

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A large mass of ice moving slowly down a mountain valley

How do glaciers form?

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Answer:

Snow accumulates and compresses into ice over many years

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What is a U-shaped valley?

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A valley carved out by glacier movement

What is a corrie?

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A circular hollow carved by glacier erosion in mountains

What is an arete?

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A sharp mountain ridge between two corries

What is terminal moraine?

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Rocky debris deposited at the furthest point of glacier advance

What are the characteristics of oceanic crust?

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Thin

What are the characteristics of continental crust?

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Thick

What are tectonic plates?

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Large pieces of Earth's crust that move slowly

What causes tectonic plate movement?

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Convection currents in the mantle

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What is a constructive plate boundary?

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Where plates move apart and new crust is formed

What is a destructive plate boundary?

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Where plates collide and crust is destroyed

What is a conservative plate boundary?

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Where plates slide past each other

What happens at the mid-Atlantic ridge?

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Sea floor spreading creates new oceanic crust

What is subduction?

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When oceanic plate sinks beneath continental plate at destructive boundary

What causes earthquakes?

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Sudden movement of tectonic plates along fault lines

How is earthquake magnitude measured?

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Using the Richter scale

What is the focus of an earthquake?

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The point underground where earthquake starts

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What is the epicenter of an earthquake?

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The point on Earth's surface directly above the focus

What causes volcanoes?

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Magma rising through weakness in Earth's crust

What is the difference between magma and lava?

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Magma is molten rock underground; lava is magma on surface

What is a composite volcano?

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Steep-sided volcano made of alternating layers of ash and lava

What is a shield volcano?

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Wide

What is the Pacific Ring of Fire?

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Area around Pacific Ocean with many volcanoes and earthquakes

What is population density?

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The number of people living in a given area

What is birth rate?

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Number of births per 1000 people per year

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What is death rate?

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Number of deaths per 1000 people per year

What is natural increase?

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Birth rate minus death rate

What is migration?

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The movement of people from one place to another

What is immigration?

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People moving into a country

What is emigration?

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People moving out of a country

What are push factors?

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Reasons that make people want to leave a place

What are pull factors?

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Reasons that attract people to a place

What is urbanization?

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The increase in proportion of people living in urban areas

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What is a megacity?

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A city with over 10 million people

What is rural-urban migration?

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Movement of people from countryside to cities

What causes rapid urbanization in developing countries?

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Rural-urban migration and natural increase

What are shanty towns?

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Informal settlements with poor quality housing

What is urban sprawl?

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The spread of urban areas into surrounding countryside

What is gentrification?

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The process of renovating urban areas attracting wealthier residents

What is the CBD?

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Central Business District - the commercial heart of a city

What are the problems of rapid urbanization?

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Overcrowding

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What is economic development?

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The process of improving living standards and economic growth

What is GDP?

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Gross Domestic Product - total value of goods and services produced

What is GNI?

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Gross National Income - GDP plus income from abroad

What is HDI?

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Human Development Index - measures life expectancy

What is the development gap?

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The difference in wealth between developed and developing countries

Name three causes of unequal development

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Colonial history

What is aid?

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Help given by developed countries to developing countries

What is trade?

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The exchange of goods and services between countries

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What is fair trade?

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Trade that ensures fair prices and conditions for producers

What is debt?

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Money owed by developing countries to developed countries

What is the North-South divide?

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The gap between wealthy northern countries and poorer southern countries

What is manufacturing industry?

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Industry that makes products from raw materials

What is service industry?

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Industry that provides services rather than goods

What is primary industry?

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Industry that extracts raw materials from the earth

What is secondary industry?

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Industry that processes raw materials into products

What is tertiary industry?

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Industry that provides services to people and businesses

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What is quaternary industry?

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Industry involving research

What is deindustrialization?

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The decline of manufacturing industry in a region

What is industrial location?

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Where industries choose to locate their operations

What factors affect industrial location?

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Raw materials

What is globalization?

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The increasing connections between countries through trade and communication

What are transnational corporations?

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Companies that operate in multiple countries

What is outsourcing?

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Moving business operations to other countries for lower costs

What is carbon footprint?

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The amount of carbon dioxide produced by human activities

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What is food miles?

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The distance food travels from producer to consumer

What is organic farming?

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Farming without artificial chemicals or fertilizers

What is intensive farming?

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Farming that uses high inputs to maximize yields from small areas

What is extensive farming?

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Farming that uses low inputs over large areas

What is subsistence farming?

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Farming to feed the farmer's family rather than for profit

What is commercial farming?

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Farming to sell products for profit

What is the Green Revolution?

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Answer:

The increase in crop yields through new technology and methods

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