Geography and Demography Glossary
Geography Glossary
Physical Geography
Landforms
Height: Vertical distance from a reference level. Spanish topographic maps reference the average Mediterranean level in Alicante.
Archipelago: Group of islands clustered in a sea or ocean.
Bay: Coastal inlet formed by erosion, larger than coves but smaller than gulfs.
Cordillera: Extensive mountain range formed by orogeny.
Delta: Landform at a river’s mouth created by sediment accumulation.
Sedimentary Basin/Depression: Area below sea level, surrounded by mountains and filled with sediment.
Fault: Rupture in Earth’s crust with displacement of rock blocks.
Karst Morphology: Topography characteristic of limestone areas, formed by dissolution of rock by water. Examples include sinkholes, caves, and troughs.
Meseta: Elevated plain, like the Spanish Meseta.
Peneplane: Flat surface formed by extensive erosion.
Peninsula: Land surrounded by water on three sides, connected to a larger landmass by an isthmus.
Alpine Relief: Landforms created by Alpine orogeny, including nappes, klippen, and tectonic windows.
Hercynian Relief: Topography formed by the Hercynian orogeny during the late Paleozoic.
Ria: Drowned river valley.
Valley Glacier: Accumulation of ice in a valley head, carving a U-shaped depression.
Zócalo: Platform of crystalline rock forming the base of a relief.
Climate
Aridity: Insufficient water in soil and atmosphere due to low rainfall and high evaporation.
Barlovento (Windward): Mountain slope exposed to the wind, often experiencing precipitation.
Sotavento (Leeward): Mountain slope sheltered from the wind, typically dry.
Thermal Amplitude: Temperature difference between the warmest and coldest months.
Anticyclone: High-pressure area with stable, dry weather.
Borrasca (Depression): Low-pressure area associated with unstable weather.
Brisas Littoral (Coastal Breezes): Alternating winds caused by temperature differences between land and sea.
Humidity: Amount of water vapor in the atmosphere.
Equinox: Time of year with equal day and night (March 21st and September 23rd).
Solstice: Time of year with the greatest difference in day and night length (summer and winter).
Mapping
Isobars: Lines on a map connecting points of equal atmospheric pressure.
Isotherms: Lines connecting points of equal temperature.
Isohyets: Lines connecting points of equal rainfall.
Latitude: Angular distance from the Equator.
Litoral (Coastline): Area between high and low tide.
Longitude: Angular distance from the Greenwich Meridian.
Map Scale: Ratio between map distance and real-world distance.
Meridian: Imaginary line connecting the poles.
Parallel: Imaginary circle parallel to the Equator.
Topographic Map: Detailed representation of land surface features.
Human Geography
Population
Population Census: Official count of a country’s population.
Migration Stream: Continuous movement of people from one place to another.
Natural Growth: Change in population size due to births and deaths.
Population Density: Number of people per unit area.
Population Aging: Increasing proportion of older people in a population.
Rural Exodus: Movement of people from rural areas to cities.
Municipal Population Register: Record of residents in a municipality.
Migration Balance: Difference between immigration and emigration.
Crude Birth Rate: Number of births per 1,000 people per year.
Crude Death Rate: Number of deaths per 1,000 people per year.
Fertility Rate: Average number of children a woman would have in her lifetime.
Infant Mortality Rate: Number of deaths of infants under one year old per 1,000 live births.
Population Transition: Shift from high birth and death rates to low birth and death rates.
Settlements
Metropolitan Area: Large city and its surrounding suburbs.
Peri-urban Area: Zone around an urban area, often containing industrial parks and residential areas.
Historic Center: Older part of a city with cultural and historical significance.
City Center: Main business and commercial area of a city.
Urban Hierarchy: Ranking of cities based on size and importance.
Urban Planning: Design and organization of urban spaces.
Agriculture
Irrigated Agriculture: Farming using artificial water sources.
Dryland Agriculture: Farming relying on natural rainfall.
Extensive Agriculture: Farming on large land areas with low yields.
Intensive Agriculture: Farming on small land areas with high yields.
Fallow: Land left uncultivated to restore fertility.
Dehesa: Agroforestry system combining livestock, agriculture, and forestry.
Latifundio: Large agricultural estate.
Minifundio: Small agricultural holding.
Monoculture: Farming specializing in a single crop.
Crop Rotation: Alternating different crops on the same land.
Transhumance: Seasonal movement of livestock.
Industry
Thermoelectric Power Plant: Facility generating electricity from heat, usually by burning fossil fuels.
Hydroelectric Power: Electricity generated from water power.
Renewable Energy: Energy from sources that are naturally replenished.
Basic Industry: Industry producing materials used by other industries.
Capital Goods Industry: Industry producing goods used in other production processes.
Metal Industry: Industry processing metals.
Petrochemical Industry: Industry producing chemicals from petroleum.
Steel Industry: Industry producing steel from iron ore.
Technological Park: Area concentrating high-tech industries.
Industrial Reconversion: Restructuring of a country’s industrial sector.
Transport Network: System for moving people and goods.
Tertiary Sector: Service sector of the economy.
Other Terms
Globalization: Increasing integration of global markets and systems.
Maremma: Low-lying, swampy land flooded by seawater.
Pressure: Weight of air per unit area.
Rainfall Regime: Pattern of rainfall over time.
Temperature Regime: Pattern of temperature change over time.
Exclusive Economic Zone: Area extending 200 nautical miles from a country’s coast, over which it has economic rights.
Sharecropping: Land tenure system where landowner and tenant share costs and profits.
Raw Materials: Natural resources used in industrial processing.
Development Pole: Center of industrial development.
Urban Rehabilitation: Restoration of old buildings in urban areas.
Secondary Residence: Second home used for leisure.
Deep-sea Fishing: Fishing far from the coast using modern techniques.
Inshore Fishing: Fishing close to the coast using simple techniques.
Orthogonal Plan: City plan with streets intersecting at right angles.
Radiocentric Plan: City plan with streets radiating from a central point.
Active Population: People aged 16 and over who are employed or seeking employment.
River Basin: Area drained by a river and its tributaries.
River Regime: Pattern of a river’s flow over time.
River Transfer: Diversion of water from one river to another.
Torrent: Fast-flowing stream in a mountainous area.
Cultural Tourism: Travel to places of cultural interest.
Rural Tourism: Travel to rural areas.
Vegetation
Deciduous Forest: Forest with trees that lose their leaves annually.
Evergreen Forest: Forest with trees that retain their leaves year-round.
Hydrology
River Source: Beginning of a river.
River Flow: Volume of water flowing in a river.
Low Water Level: Minimum water level in a river.
River Network: System of streams and rivers in a drainage basin.