Cambridge IGCSE Geography (0460) Flashcards

24 sample cards from the Geography (0460) deck

Sampled from the end of the deck, so these are different cards from the ones shown on the syllabus page.

1. Describe the three sectors of an economy with an example of each.

   Primary (raw materials, e.g. farming/mining), secondary (manufacturing, e.g. car factory), tertiary (services, e.g. retail/teaching). A fourth quaternary sector covers research/IT.

2. What is the difference between subsistence and commercial agriculture?

   Subsistence farming produces food mainly for the farmer's own family with little surplus. Commercial farming produces crops/livestock for sale and profit, usually on a large scale.

3. Define intensive and extensive farming.

   Intensive farming uses high inputs (labour or capital) on a small area for high yields per hectare. Extensive farming uses low inputs over a large area with lower yields per hectare.

4. Draw the systems approach to a farm: name typical inputs, processes and outputs.

   Inputs: seeds, labour, fertiliser, climate, capital. Processes: ploughing, sowing, harvesting, milking. Outputs: crops, livestock, profit (and waste).

5. What are the inputs, processes and outputs in an industrial system?

   Inputs: raw materials, labour, capital, energy. Processes: manufacturing/assembly. Outputs: finished products, profit, and waste.

6. List four factors affecting the location of industry.

   Raw materials, power/energy supply, labour supply, market access, transport links, capital, and government policy.

7. What is a footloose industry?

   An industry not tied to a particular location by raw materials, often high-tech, that can locate almost anywhere (e.g. near good transport, skilled labour or pleasant environment).

8. List three positive and three negative impacts of tourism on an area.

   Positive: jobs, income/foreign currency, improved infrastructure. Negative: environmental damage, seasonal/low-paid jobs, leakage of profits abroad, loss of culture, overcrowding.

9. What is ecotourism and how does it promote sustainability?

   Ecotourism is responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and benefits local people, using small-scale, low-impact activities and reinvesting income in conservation and communities.

10. Distinguish renewable and non-renewable energy resources with examples.

    Renewable resources can be replenished and won't run out (solar, wind, HEP, geothermal). Non-renewable (finite) resources will run out and cannot be replaced in human time (coal, oil, gas, uranium).

11. How is hydroelectric power (HEP) generated and name one advantage and one disadvantage.

    Falling/moving water turns turbines connected to generators. Advantage: clean, renewable, reliable. Disadvantage: dams flood land/displace people and are expensive to build.

12. What is water scarcity, and distinguish physical from economic water scarcity.

    Water scarcity is a lack of sufficient water to meet demand. Physical scarcity = not enough water available in nature; economic scarcity = water exists but people lack money/infrastructure to access it.

13. Define sustainable development.

    Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

14. On a topographic map, what is the difference between an easting and a northing in a grid reference?

    Eastings are the vertical gridlines numbered along the bottom (read first, going east); northings are the horizontal gridlines numbered up the side (read second, going north). Remember: 'along the corridor, up the stairs.'

15. How do you give a four-figure and a six-figure grid reference?

    Four-figure: easting then northing of the square's bottom-left corner (e.g. 1234). Six-figure: add tenths within the square for precision (e.g. 123456), eastings first then northings.

16. How is map scale used to convert a measured map distance to real ground distance?

    Multiply the map distance by the scale denominator. For a $1:50\,000$ map, $1$ cm on the map $= 50\,000$ cm $= 0.5$ km on the ground.

17. What is a bearing and from which direction is it measured?

    A bearing is the direction of one point from another, measured in degrees clockwise from north, written as three figures (e.g. $045^{\circ}$ for north-east).

18. What do contour lines show, and how do you read a steep versus gentle slope?

    Contour lines join points of equal height (showing relief). Lines close together mean a steep slope; lines far apart mean a gentle slope. The vertical gap between them is the contour interval.

19. How do you calculate the mean, median and mode of a data set?

    Mean $= \frac{\sum \text{values}}{\text{number of values}}$. Median = the middle value when data is ordered. Mode = the most frequently occurring value.

20. What type of graph best shows the percentage breakdown of a total, and how are the segment angles found?

    A pie chart. Each segment angle $= \frac{\text{category value}}{\text{total}} \times 360^{\circ}$.

21. What is the interquartile range and why is it useful?

    $$\text{IQR} = Q_{3} - Q_{1}$$ It measures the spread of the middle 50% of the data, reducing the effect of extreme values (anomalies).

22. In fieldwork, what is the difference between primary and secondary data?

    Primary data is collected first-hand by the student in the field (e.g. measurements, surveys). Secondary data is obtained from existing sources (e.g. maps, census, websites).

23. What are the main stages of a geographical fieldwork investigation/enquiry?

    Form a hypothesis/aim, plan data collection methods, collect primary and secondary data, present data (graphs/maps), analyse and interpret results, draw conclusions, and evaluate the investigation.

24. What is systematic sampling and why might it be chosen in fieldwork?

    Systematic sampling collects data at regular intervals (e.g. every 10 m or every 5th person). It is chosen because it is simple, gives even coverage and is easy to repeat, though it may miss variation between intervals.

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