Year 8
• Geography knowledge organisers for 2016
onwards
East Point Academy – Geography Department
Knowledge Organiser – Year 8
Urbanisation
Key words and definitions
Urbanisation
An increase in the
proportion of
people living in
urban areas
compared to rural
areas.
Urban
An urban area is a
built-up area such as
a town or city.
Rural
A rural area is an
area of countryside.
Migration
The movement of
population from
one area to
another.
The movement of
people from
countryside to city
areas.
A city with at least a
million inhabitants
Rural to urban
migration
Million city
Key Concepts
How our towns and cities grew
Why people move to urban areas
Life in the slums (Favelas)
A city of the future?
It’s not all sunshine!
Links to other topics
Weather and climate, Ecosystems, Coastal landscapes, River landscapes, Tectonic
landscapes, Crime, Resources, Development, Tourism, Settlement
Key words and definitions
Push factors
Any event or factor
that makes
somebody move
from a place.
Pull factors
Is a feature that
makes some body
want to migrate to a
place.
Population
The number of
people living in a
place.
Population density
The average number
of people per square
kilometre (m2).
Web link
www.geography.learnontheinternet.co
.uk/topics/urbanisation.html
East Point Academy – Geography Department
Knowledge Organiser – Year 8
Population
Key words and definitions
Birth Rate
The number of
births in a country
in a year, per
thousand people.
Death rate
The number of
deaths in a country
in a year, per
thousand people.
Infant mortality
How many babies
out of every 1000
born alive, who die
before their first
birthday.
Inequality
The unequal
sharing of wealth
in a society.
Life expectancy
How many years a
new baby can
expect to live, on
average.
Natural increase The birth rate
minus the death
rate, given as a %.
Key Concepts
Why population is growing
Where do we live and why?
The population of the UK
Population around the world
How rising population has an impact on earth
and other species
What affects where we live?
Key words and definitions
Population
The number of
people living in a
place.
Population density The average number
of people per square
kilometre (m2).
Rural area
An area of
countryside, where
people live on farms
and in villages.
Social
Sparsely populated
Urban area
Did you know?
Around 360 000 new
babies are born every
single day
Did you know?
The world’s expected
population is expected to
reach 8 billion by 2025
About people and
society.
Very few people live
there.
A built up area, such
as part of a city.
Useful web link
The population clock http://www.worldometers.info/wo
rld-population/
Links to other topics in geography
Weather and climate, Ecosystems, Coastal landscapes, River landscapes, Tectonic landscapes, Crime, Resources, Development, Tourism, Settlement
East Point Academy – Geography Department
Knowledge Organiser – Year 8
Coastal Landscapes
Selected Key words and definitions
The coast
Erosion
Transport
Deposit
Longshore drift
Bay
Beach
Coastal defences
Where the land meets
the sea.
The wearing away of
rock, stones and soil
by rivers, waves,
wind, or glaciers.
The carrying away of
material by rivers,
waves, wind, or
glaciers.
To drop material;
waves deposit sand
and small stones to
form beaches.
How sand and other
material is carried
parallel to the shore,
by waves.
A smooth curve of
coast between two
headlands.
An area of sand or
small stones,
deposited by waves.
Barriers to protect
areas of the coast
from erosion or
flooding.
Key Concepts
Waves and tides
Landforms created by the waves
The coast and us
Under threat from the sea
Protecting places from the sea
Links with other topics in geography
Weather and climate, Ecosystems, Coastal
landscapes, River landscapes, Tectonic
landscapes, Resources, Development,
Tourism, Settlement
Useful web site
http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/ks3/geograp
hy/physical_processes/coasts/revision/3/
Did you know?
Part of our south coast is called the Jurassic
coast, because dinosaur fossils are found
there
Key words and definitions
Groynes
Barriers of wood or stone
down a beach, to stop
sand being washed away.
Headland
Land that juts out into the
sea.
North Atlantic drift
A warm current in the
Atlantic Ocean; it keeps
the weather on the west
coast of Britain mild in
winter.
Ocean currents
Currents of water in the
ocean, that are warmer or
colder than the water
around them.
Salt marsh
A low lying marshy area
by the sea, with salty
water from the tides.
Spit
A strip of sand or shingle
in the sea.
Stack
A pillar of rock left
standing in the sea when
the top of an arch
collapses.
Arch
The curved structure left
when the sea erodes the
inside of a cave away.
Tides
The rise and fall in sea
level, due mainly to the
pull of the moon.
East Point Academy – Geography Department
Knowledge Organiser – Year 8
Weather and climate
Selected Key words and definitions
Climate
The average
weather condition of
a place.
Weather
Anticyclone
The day to day
condition of the
atmosphere. It
includes
temperature, rainfall
and wind.
A weather system
with high pressure at
its centre.
Beaufort scale
A scale of measuring
wind speed.
Depression
A weather system
with low pressure at
its centre.
Drought
A long spell of dry
weather.
Evaporation
The process by
which liquid water
changes to water
vapour when
warmed.
Links to other topics in geography
Coastal landscapes
River landscapes
Population
Key Concepts
What causes weather?
Measuring the weather
Rain and clouds
From weather to climate
Factors that influence climate
Climates around the world
Selected Key words and definitions
Frontal rain
When warm air has
to rise over cold air
in a depression.
Gales
Very strong winds
that can cause
damage.
Map showing global climates
Did you know?
The wettest place in the world is said to be Mawsynram in
India (1169 cm of rain/year. Seathwaite in the Lake District is
the wettest place in England with 356cm of rain/year.
Useful web-site
www.metoffice.gov.uk/
Selected Key words and definitions
Afforestation
The planting of trees.
Coral reef habitats
The animals and plants
that live on a coral
reef.
Coral reef
Coral reefs are diverse
underwater
ecosystems held
together by calcium
carbonate structures
secreted by corals.
The daily change in
temperature.
Diurnal
Earth summit
Fossil fuel
(Non-renewable
energy sources)
Global warming
Renewable energy
sources
A meeting in Rio de
Janeiro to find ways of
dealing with
environmental
damage.
Coal, oil and natural
gas are called fossil
fuels because they are
the remains of plants
and animals that lived
millions of years ago.
An increase in the
temperature of the
earth’s atmosphere.
A resource that can be
used over and over
again. For example,
wind and sun.
East Point Academy – Geography Department
Knowledge Organiser – Year 8
Our Warming Planet
Key Concepts
Earth’s temperatures through the ages
Global warming
Climate change
Who will suffer from climate change?
What can we do about climate change?
Selected Key words and definitions
Landfill
Waste material that is
emptied into a manmade hole in the
ground. It is then
covered with soil
when full.
Meteorologist
A person who studies
the weather.
Climate change
Climate change is a
large-scale, long-term
shift in the planet's
weather patterns or
average temperatures.
Links to other topics in geography
Coastal landscapes
River Landscapes
Tectonic landscapes
Population
Urbanisation
Useful web-site
http://www.ipcc.ch/
Did you know?
If Greenland’s ice sheet melts, sea levels will
rise by about 6 metres.
If the Antarctic ice sheet melts, sea levels will
rise by about 60 metres!
East Point Academy – Geography Department
Knowledge Organiser – Year 8
Asia
Selected Key words and definitions
Asia
One of the seven
continents.
Population
How many people
live in a place.
Population density
Populous
Independence
Diverse
Plateau
Biome
The average number
of people living in a
place, per square
kilometre.
Has a large
population.
When a country that
had been a colony
begins to govern
itself.
For example Asia has
more people, more
cultures and a large
range of climates
and environments.
An area of fairly flat
high land.
A very large area
with a similar
climate, plants and
animals.
Useful web-site
http://nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedi
a/asia/
Key Concepts
What and where is Asia?
Asia’s countries and regions
A little history
What’s Asia like?
Asia’s physical features
Asia’s population
Asia’s biomes
Links to other topics in geography
Coastal landscapes
River Landscapes
Tectonic landscapes
Population
Urbanisation
Weather and climate
Selected key words
Tundra
A cold region where
the ground is deeply
frozen; only the
surface thaws in
summer, allowing
small plants to grow.
Taiga
Region of coniferous
forests which lies
between the tundra
and steppes.
Steppes
A large flat area of
treeless grassland.
Temperate forest
Between the steppes and
the coast it is much
wetter. This is the
temperate forest biome,
with deciduous trees.
Summers are hot here.
Winters are cold, and
very cold in some places.
Cold desert
South of the steppes it is
very dry. Summers are
hot, but cloudless skies
mean cold nights.
Winters are brutally cold
(-40oC or less).
Hot desert
Hot deserts are very hot
during the day, and cold
at night – little
vegetation.
Did you know?
Asia is separated from North America by only
82km of water – The Bering Strait
East Point Academy – Geography Department
Knowledge Organiser – Year 8
Southwest China
Selected Key words and definitions
Asia
One of the seven
continents
Physical features
The natural
environment,
including; coasts,
rivers, mountains and
biomes
What the weather in a
Climate
place is usually like, over
the year, measurements
are taken over long
periods and the averages
calculated
Relief
How the height of the
land varies
Monsoon rains
They fall in summer in
some regions, when
moist winds are drawn
in from over the
oceans
The unequal sharing of
wealth in a society
Inequality
Urban area
Key Concepts
China an overview – physical features and
population distribution
The rise of China - urbanisation
China’s Southwest region
Chongqing – the area with the fastest growing
urban area on the planet
Tibet – the highest and least populated area of
the region
The rivers and dams – including the Three
Gorges dam
Links to other topics in geography
Coastal landscapes
River Landscapes
Tectonic landscapes
Population
Urbanisation
Weather and climate
Our warming planet
A built up area (large
town or city); it’s the
opposite of rural
Useful web-site
https://www.travelchinaguide.com/intro/geography
Selected key words and definitions
Megalopolis
A very large urban area
made of a chain of built
up areas
Hukou system
In China you have rural
or urban hukou (status)
depending on where
you were born; if your
hukou is rural, you
don’t have full rights in
a city
Deforestation
Cutting down forests,
opposite of Afforestation
Year 7
• Geography knowledge organisers for 2016
onwards
East Point Academy – Geography Department
Knowledge Organiser – Year 7
It’s your planet
Selected Key words and definitions
Evolution
The process by
which new species
of living things
develop.
Mass extinction
When a large
number of species
die off; for example
because an ice age
arrives.
Geological timescale It shows the time since
Earth began.
Eon
The biggest block of
time in the
geological time
scale.
Quaternary
We humans appear
and spread; ice ages
come and go.
A time with dinosaurs
and when birds first
appeared.
A time which ended
with huge mass
extinction probably
due to a volcanic
eruption.
A time when there
were lush forests;
reptiles on land; ends
with an ice age. The
image shows a fossil
from this period.
Jurassic
Permian
Carboniferous
Key Concepts
Earth’s story: it begins with a bang
Earth’s story: the timescale
Our time on Earth
Our place on Earth
Earth: a very special planet
It’s all geography
Useful web-site
http://www.kidsgeo.com/geography-for-kids/0005earths-origins.php
Links to other topics in geography
Coastal landscapes
River Landscapes
Tectonic landscapes
Weather and climate
Remembering the order of the planets
Mercury
Many
Venus
Very
Earth
Elderly
Mars
Men
Jupiter
Just
Saturn
Snooze
Uranus
Under
Neptune
Newspapers
Selected key words and definitions
Physical geography
What our planet is
like e.g. Rivers,
coasts, weather and
rocks.
Human geography
How and where we
live.
Environmental
geography
Our impact on our
surroundings.
Fossil fuel
Coal, oil and natural
gas.
Global warming
The rise in average
temperature around
the world.
Geology
The study of rocks.
Geologist
A scientist who
studies for example,
rocks and
earthquakes.
East Point Academy – Geography Department
Knowledge Organiser – Year 7
Maps and mapping
Selected Key words and definitions
Mental map
A map that you make,
and carry around, in
your head.
Aerial photo
A photo taken from
the air.
Grid reference
Ordnance Survey map
Contour lines
Spot heights
Equator
Latitude
A set of numbers, or
numbers and letters,
that tells you where to
find something on a
map.
Maps of places with
lots of detail, drawn to
scale.
Join all the places at
the same height above
sea level (shown as
orange lines on an
Ordnance Survey
map).
Give the exact height
of a spot, in metres
above sea level.
An imaginary line
around the middle of
the Earth (at 0o
latitude).
How far a place is
north or south of the
equator; it is measured
in degrees.
Key Concepts
Mapping connections
Mental maps
Real maps
Using grid references
Using scale
Using direction
Ordnance Survey maps
How high?
Where on earth?
Links to other topics in geography
Coastal landscapes
River Landscapes
Tectonic landscapes
Population
Urbanisation
Weather and climate
Our warming planet
Selected key words and definitions
Longitude
How far a place is east
or west of the Prime
Meridian; it is
measured in degrees
Prime Meridian
An imaginary line that
circles the earth from
pole to pole; it is at 0o
longitude
Plan
A map of a small area
(such as the school or
classroom) drawn to
scale
Scale
The ratio of the
distance on a map to
the real distance.
Useful web-site
https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/mapzone/
East Point Academy – Geography Department
Knowledge Organiser – Year 7
About the UK
Selected Key words and definitions
Capital city
The city where the
countries
government is based
Continent
One of the earth’s
great land masses;
there are seven
continents. The UK is
in Europe
Country
Humans have
divided continents
into political units
called countries
Immigrant
A person who moves
here from another
country
Industrial revolution The period (about
1760-1840) when
many new machines
were invented, and
many factories built
International
To do with more
than one country
Invader
Key Concepts
Your island home
What’s our weather like?
Who are we?
Where do we live?
London, our capital city
Enters a country to
attack it
Did you know?
•Britain is the eight largest island in the
world. Greenland is the largest.
•Britain was joined to France 20 000 years
ago, when sea levels were low.
•The land that’s now the British Isles once
lay at the Equator.
Useful web-site
http://geography.about.com/od/unitedkingdommaps/a/unite
d-kingdom-geography-overview.htm
Selected key words and definitions
Migrant
A person who
moves to another
part of the country,
or another country,
often to find work.
Multicultural
Has different ethnic
groups
Population
The number of
people living in an
area
Rural area
An area that is
mainly countryside,
but may have
villages and small
towns
Urban area
A built up area
(town or city)
Weather
The state of the
atmosphere – for
example how warm
or wet it is
Links to other topics in geography
Coastal landscapes
River Landscapes
Tectonic landscapes
Population
Urbanisation
Weather and climate
Our warming planet
East Point Academy – Geography Department
Knowledge Organiser – Year 7
River Landscapes
Selected Key words and definitions
Abrasion
Scraping away
material.
Bed-load
Stones and other
fragments that roll
or bounce along a
river bed.
Confluence
Where two rivers
join.
Deposit
Embankment
Erosion
Flash flood
Flood
Floodplain
Gorge
To drop material,
rivers deposit
material as they
approach the sea.
Key Concepts
Meet the River Thames
The water cycle
A river’s long profile
A river at work
Landforms created by rivers
Rivers and us
Our water supply
Floods!
Protecting ourselves from floods
Meander and oxbow lake
A bank of earth or
concrete built up on a
river bank, to stop the
river flooding.
The wearing away of
rock, stones and soil.
A sudden flood usually
caused by a very heavy
burst of rain.
An overflow of water
from the river.
Flat land around a river
that gets flooded when
the river overflows.
A narrow valley with
steep sides, caused by
a retreating waterfall.
Useful web-site
http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/sciencefacts/earth/rivers.html
Long profile of a river
Selected key words and definitions
Groundwater
Rainwater that has
soaked down through
the ground and filled
up the cracks in the
rock below.
Impermeable
Does not let water
pass through, opposite
to permeable.
Infiltration
Soaking into the
ground.
Long profile
The side view of a river
from source to mouth,
showing how the slope
changes.
Meander
A bend in a river.
Oxbow lake
A lake formed when a
loop in a river gets cut
off.
Waterfall
Where a river or stream
flows over a steep drop.
Links to other topics in geography
Coastal landscapes
Tectonic landscapes
Population
Urbanisation
Weather and climate
Our warming planet
East Point Academy – Geography Department
Knowledge Organiser – Year 7
Glaciers
Selected Key words and definitions
Abrasion
Scraping away
material.
Arête
A sharp ridge,
shaped by a glacier.
Corrie
A hollow where a
glacier started ( also
called cirques, and
cwms).
Drumlin
A long smooth hill
shaped like the back
of a spoon, created
by a glacier.
A large rock that is
Erratic
Erosion
Glacier
different from the
types of rock around it,
it was carried there by
a glacier.
The wearing away of
rock, stones and soil.
Groundwater
Ice age
A time when Earth’s
average temperature
was lower than usual,
and glaciers spread.
Ice shelf
A sheet of ice that is
attached to land, but
floats on the ocean.
Lateral moraine
The material a glacier
deposits along the
sides of its route.
Moraine
Material deposited by a
glacier.
Pyramidal peak
A sharp peak on a
mountain, created by
glacial erosion.
Striations
Grooves in rock, caused
by abrasion when
glaciers flowed over it.
Tarn
Lakes in corries
A river of ice.
Glacial
To do with glaciers.
Glaciated
Covered by glaciers,
now or in the past.
Ground moraine
Key Concepts
The last ice-age
Where and what are glaciers?
Erosion and transportation
Shaping the landscape
Depositional features created by a glacier
How glaciers affect us
Did you know?
There are
glaciers on
every continent
The material a glacier
drops all over the
ground when it melts.
Useful web-site
http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/sciencefacts/earth/glaci
ers.html
Blea Tarn, Lake District, UK.
Links to other topics in geography
Coastal landscapes
River landscapes
Population
Weather and climate
Our warming planet
East Point Academy – Geography Department
Knowledge Organiser – Year 7
Africa
Selected Key words and definitions
Africa
One of the seven
continents.
Biome
A very large area
with a similar
climate throughout,
and similar plants,
and animals.
Country
Humans have
divided continents
into political units
called countries.
Drought
There is less rain
than usual, so there
is not enough water
for our needs.
About
money and
Economic
Key Concepts
What and where is Africa?
Africa today
Africa’s countries
Population distribution in Africa
Africa’s physical features
Africa’s biomes
In the Horn of Africa
Climate in the Horn of Africa
Living in the Horn of Africa
Selected key words and definitions
International
To do with more
than one country.
Irrigate
To water crops.
Nomad
A person who rears
animals, and travels
with them to find
grazing.
Population
The number of people
living in a place.
Rainforest
Has lush vegetation,
with many different
species of plants and
animals.
business.
Exploit
Famine
Fresh water
Grazing
To make use of a place,
or people, or things,
for your own benefit.
When food is scarce;
people may starve to
death.
The water found in
rivers, lakes, wells, and
streams; it is not salty.
Land with grass and
other vegetation,
where animals can
feed.
Insert map showing
the Horn of Africa
Refugee
Useful web-site
http://www.ducksters.com/geography/africa.php
A person who has
been forced to flee
from danger, for
example war.
Links to other topics in geography
Coastal and river landscapes
Tectonic landscapes
Population
Urbanisation
Weather and climate
Year 9
• Geography knowledge organisers for 2016
onwards
East Point Academy – Geography Department
Knowledge Organiser – Year 9
From rock to soil
Selected Key words and definitions
Biological
The breaking up of
weathering
rock by plant roots,
and animals.
Chemical
Rock is broken down
weathering
by chemical
reactions, e.g. With
water.
Earthquake
The shaking of the
Earth’s crust, caused
by sudden rock
movement.
Fault
A crack in a rock,
where blocks of rock
can move.
Forms when melted
Igneous rock
Key Concepts
Your rocky home
The three rock groups
Weathering and erosion
The rock cycle
The British Isles on their travels
Rock around the UK
Rock and landscapes
Soil and you
rock hardens.
Lava
Magma
Magnitude
Mineral
Melted rock at Earth’s
surface.
Melted rock below
Earth’s surface.
How much energy an
earthquake gives out,
(measured on the
Richter scale); greater
magnitude means
greater damage.
A natural compound in
rock, rock is a mixture
of different minerals.
Useful web-site
http://www.bgs.ac.uk/discoveringGeology/home.html?src=topNav
Diagram of the rock cycle
Selected key words and definitions
Metamorphic
rock
Forms when
rock is changed
through the
action of heat
and / or
pressure,
without melting.
Sedimentary
rock
Formed from
sediment;
sandstone is
formed from a
sediment of
sand.
Volcano
Where lava
erupts at Earth’s
surface.
Weathering
The breaking
down of rock, by
the action of
things in its
environment:
heat, cold, rain,
plant roots,
animals etc.
Links to other topics in geography
Coastal landscapes
Tectonic landscapes
Population
Urbanisation
Weather and climate
East Point Academy – Geography Department
Knowledge Organiser – Year 9
Living off Earth’s resources
Selected Key words and definitions
Aquifer
A natural
underground rock
structure which
holds water.
Arid
Very dry; receives
little or no rain.
Climate change
All aspects of climate
are changing
because Earth is
getting warmer.
Desert
Gets very little rain;
it can be a hot or
cold desert.
Where fertile land
Desertification
Drylands
Endangered
Fossil fuels
Fuels
Key Concepts
Earth's natural resources
Aquifers
The growing water challenge
Desertification in the drylands
Oil for energy
Renewable sources of energy
How we affect other species
becomes like a desert,
usually through
misuse.
Regions that don’t get
much rain, and rain
that falls may
evaporate quickly.
When so few of a
species are left that it
is danger of extinction.
Coal, oil, natural gas
Things we use to
provide energy, usually
by burning them.
Useful web-site
http://clilenergies.wikispaces.com/1.+Energy+and+sources+of+energy
Water cycle
Selected key words and definitions
Global warming
The rise in
average
temperatures
around the
world.
Groundwater
Water that
collects below
ground.
Hydroelectricity
Electricity
generated when
flowing water
spins a turbine.
Irrigate
To water crops.
Non renewable
resource
A resource we
will run out of
one day e.g. oil.
Renewable
resource
A resource that
nature
continues to
provide (such as
wind) or that we
can grow more
of (such as
wood).
Links to other topics in geography
Coastal landscapes
Tectonic landscapes
Population
Urbanisation
Weather and climate
East Point Academy – Geography Department
Knowledge Organiser – Year 9
Earning a living
Selected Key words and definitions
Decline
To fall gradually into
in poor state
Developed country Has a wide range of
services, good
infrastructure, little
poverty, and people
have the chance to
work.
Developing country People are poor, on
average, and lack
many services – but
the country will
develop over time.
Development
A process of change
to improve people’s
lives
A piece of data that
Development
helps to show how
indicator
Economic
Economy
Employment
Key Concepts
The UK at work – sectors of industry
Location of jobs
The UK’s changing employment structure
Case study - Doncaster
Employment structure in other countries
Where did the UK’s factory jobs go?
Case study - Bangladesh
The life story of a mobile phone
developed a country
is..
About money and
business.
All the business activity
going on in a country,
in producing,
supplying, and
consuming goods and
services.
The state of having
paid work
Useful web-site
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/geography/economic_chang
e/characteristics_industry_rev1.shtml
Links to other topics in
geography
Coastal landscapes
Tectonic landscapes
Population
Urbanisation
Weather and climate
Selected key words and definitions
Employment
structure
The percentage of
the workforce in
each sector:
primary, secondary,
tertiary and
quaternary.
Export
Sell things to
another country.
Import
Buy in things from
other countries.
Infrastructure
Facilities such as
roads, water
supply, electricity
supply, railways etc.
Standard of living
The level of goods,
services and
comfort available to
people
East Point Academy – Geography Department
Knowledge Organiser – Year 9
International development
Selected Key words and definitions
Decline
To fall gradually into
in poor state
Developed country Has a wide range of
services, good
infrastructure, little
poverty, and people
have the chance to
work.
Developing country People are poor, on
average, and lack
many services – but
the country will
develop over time.
Development
A process of change
to improve people’s
lives
A piece of data that
Development
helps to show how
indicator
Economic
Economy
Employment
Key Concepts
Rich world, poor world – how unequal our
world is
So what is development?
Case study – Malawi, a developing country
Case study – Singapore, a developed country
How did the development gap grow?
Escaping from poverty
Putting an end to poverty
developed a country
is..
About money and
business.
All the business activity
going on in a country,
in producing,
supplying, and
consuming goods and
services.
The state of having
paid work
Did you know?
A single person in the
UK, earning£20000 a
year, is in the richest
5% of the world’s
people
Useful web-site
http://clilenergies.wikispaces.com/1.+Energy+and+sources+of+energy
Links to other topics in
geography
Coastal landscapes
Tectonic landscapes
Population
Urbanisation
Weather and climate
Selected key words and definitions
Employment
structure
The percentage of
the workforce in
each sector:
primary, secondary,
tertiary and
quaternary.
Export
Sell things to
another country.
Import
Buy in things from
other countries.
Infrastructure
Facilities such as
roads, water supply,
electricity supply,
railways etc.
Standard of living
The level of goods,
services and comfort
available to people
Syrians arrive on a dinghy after crossing from
Turkey, at the Greek island of Lesbos
East Point Academy – Geography Department
Knowledge Organiser – Year 9
Our restless planet
Selected Key words and definitions
Climate change
All aspects of climate
are changing
because the earth is
getting warmer.
Convection current A current of warmer
material; when soft
rock is heated from
below, the warmer
rock rises as a
current.
Earthquake
The shaking of the
Earth’s crust, caused
by a sudden
movement of rock.
Fault
A crack in rock,
where blocks of rock
can move.
Formed by tectonic
Fold mountain
Fumarole
Lava
Magma
plates pushing into
each other, the rock at
the plate edges gets
folded upwards,
creating mountains.
A vent or opening in
Earth’s crust which
emits steam and gases.
Melted rock at the
Earth’s surface.
Melted rock below
Earth’s surface.
Key Concepts
A slice through the Earth
Our cracked Earth – plate margins and
boundaries
Plate movements
Earthquakes
Case study – an earthquake in Southwest China
Tsunami!
Volcanoes
Case study - Iceland
Living in danger zones
Did you know?
As you sit there on your
chair, you are moving
very slowly eastwards,
at about 1cm per year.
Useful web-site
http://clilenergies.wikispaces.com/1.+Energy+and+sources+of+energy
Links to other topics in geography
Coastal landscapes
Population
Urbanisation
Weather and climate
Selected key words and definitions
Magnitude
How much energy
an earthquake gives
out – measured on
the Richter scale;
greater magnitude
means greater
damage.
Plates
Earth’s hard outer
part is broken into
big slabs called
plates, which move
around
Ring of Fire
The ring of
volcanoes that
circles the Pacific
Ocean
Tsunami
Waves generated by
earthquakes on the
ocean floor
Volcano
Where lava erupts
at Earth’s surface
East Point Academy – Geography Department
Knowledge Organiser – Year 9
Russia – a country in two continents
Selected Key words and definitions
Climate zone
A large area with
roughly the same
climate throughout,
so usually has the
same natural
vegetation, and
animals too.
Corruption
Dishonest conduct
by people in official
positions, usually to
make themselves
richer; for example
they may accept
bribes.
Foreign policy
How a country deals
with other countries.
Oligarchs
Key Concepts
Where is Russia and what is it like?
Russia’s main physical features
Russia’s climate zones and biomes
Where do people live in Russia?
Case study – Sakha, Russia’s biggest region
Russia’s economy
Selected key words and definitions
Taiga
Region of coniferous
forests which lies
between the tundra and
steppes.
Tundra
A cold region where
the ground is deeply
frozen; only the
surface thaws in
summer, allowing
small plants to grow.
Urban population
Living in towns and
cities
Rural population
Living in the
countryside
Very wealthy
Russians
St Petersburg
Settlement
A place where
people live; it could
be a hamlet, village,
town or city.
Social
About people and
society.
Steppe
A large flat area of
treeless grassland.
Links to other topics in
geography
Coastal landscapes
Tectonic landscapes
Population
Urbanisation
Weather and climate
Did you know? If you are
Useful web-site
http://www.ngkids.co.uk/places/russia-facts
a Russian male, you must do a year in the army once you reach 18.
East Point Academy – Geography Department
Knowledge Organiser – Year 9
The Middle East
Selected Key words and definitions
Arab Spring
A wave of unrest and
protests which began
in Tunisia (North
Africa) in 2010, and
spread to other Arab
countries.
Conflict
Serious
disagreement, which
may lead to violence
and even full-scale
war.
Desalination plant
Where sea water is
turned into fresh
water which people
can drink, by
removing the salt.
Development
A process of change
to improve people’s
lives
Keeps tight control over
Dictatorial
Hydroelectricity
Independence
Key Concepts
Where and what is the Middle east?
Physical geography of the Middle East
Climate zones and biomes
The population of the Middle East
Case study – The Arabian Peninsula
Conflict in the Middle East
Israel and the State of Palestine
Landlocked
Surrounded by
water with no ocean
coastline.
•Jordan is
landlocked except
at its southern
extremity, where
nearly 26 kilometres
(16 mi) of shoreline
along the Gulf of
Aqaba provide
access to the Red
Sea.
Links to other topics in geography
Coastal landscapes
Tectonic landscapes
Population
Urbanisation
Weather and climate
the people, so they
have little freedom.
Electricity generated
when flowing water
spins a turbine.
When a country that
had been a colony
begins to govern itself.
Useful web-site
http://clilenergies.wikispaces.com/1.+Energy
+and+sources+of+energy
Surrounded by land, with no ocean
coastline
Did you know?
•The Dead Sea is so salty that no animals can live in it.
•The salty water is so dense that you can float around
in it, reading a book