Key Geography Terms and Concepts
Customs Tariff
A regulator of trade adapted to the dynamic changes in international conditions, production, and the country using it.
Metropolitan Area
A region encompassing a central urban city and surrounding satellite cities, functioning as residential, industrial, commercial, and service centers, organized centrally.
Aridity
Absence or lack of moisture.
Archipelago
A large group of islands clustered in a more or less extensive area of the sea.
Balance of Trade
The difference between exports and imports; a record of a country’s imports and exports over a period.
Absolute Flow
The total quantity of water from a river at one point. It depends on the watershed and climatic conditions. It’s expressed in m3/s.
Relative Flow
The ratio between absolute river flow and its drainage basin. It’s measured in liters/second/km2 and depends on rainfall.
Population Census
The process of gathering information on all members of a given population (not necessarily human).
Climate
Statistical values of weather elements (temperature, humidity, pressure, winds, and rainfall) in a region over a representative period (30+ years).
Cliserie
A staggered distribution of vegetation types determined by climate changes.
External Trade
Exchange of goods and services between two economic blocks or areas.
Internal Trade
Trade conducted within the same country, under the same jurisdiction.
Retail
The activity of buying and selling goods to the final consumer.
Conurbation
The growth and integration of multiple cities (one or more leading) into a single, hierarchical system.
Population Density
The distribution of people across a territory. Calculated by dividing the population by the surface area.
Ecotourism
Tourism focused on sustainability, preservation, and appreciation of the natural and cultural environment.
Emigration
Leaving one’s country or region to settle in another.
Tourist Seasonality
The concentration of tourism demand in specific periods of the year.
Rural Exodus
Migration, typically of young people, from rural areas to cities.
Export
Any good or service sent to another part of the world for commercial purposes.
Franchise
A collaboration where one party (franchisor) grants another the right to use their trademark and business knowledge for a fee, within a specific territory and time.
Polar Front
The collision of warm subtropical air with cold polar air, driven by easterly polar winds. It shifts northward in summer and southward in winter.
Import
Bringing foreign goods or articles into a country.
Inflation
A sustained, widespread increase in the price level of goods and services, with adverse economic effects.
Immigration
The entry of people born elsewhere into a country.
Malthusianism
Economic theories suggesting population grows geometrically while food production grows arithmetically.
Mechanization
Equipping human operators with machinery to assist with physical work requirements, often replacing manual or animal labor.
Plateau
A large, elevated plain formed by tectonic forces or erosion.
Migration
Population movement from one place to another, resulting in a change of residence.
WTO
World Trade Organization.
Paleozoic
A historic era marked by the proliferation of shelled animals and ending with the dominance of large reptiles and modern plants.
GDP
Gross Domestic Product.
River System
The average monthly water flow behavior in a river throughout the year, influenced by rainfall, temperature, relief, geology, vegetation, and human activity.