Geography workbook definitions

Socioeconomic

of, relating to or involving a combination of social and economic factors

Human Development Index (HDI)

measures the standard of living and wellbeing by measuring life expectancy, education, literacy and income

Quantitative indicators

easily measured and can be stated numerically, such as annual income or how many doctors there are in a country

Indigenous

Australia's Indigenous peoples are made up of Aboriginal people (who live all around Australia) and Torres Strait Islanders (who settled the many small islands to the north of Cape York Peninsula in Queensland)

DFAT - Australian Aid

Australian aid is guided by five development priorities: health, education, economic development, governance and humanitarian

United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)

UNICEF works in over 150 countries and territories to promote and protect the rights of children (name was shortened in 1953 from United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund)

Non-government organisation (NGO)

a citizen-based association that operates independently of government, usually to deliver resources or serve some social or political purpose

Poverty

a denial of choices and opportunities, a violation of human dignity, not having enough to feed and clothe a family, a school or clinic to go to, land on which to grow one's food or a job to earn one's living, susceptibility to violence, living in marginal or fragile environments and without access to clean water or sanitation

Wellbeing

a good or satisfactory condition of existence; a state characterised by health, happiness, prosperity and welfare

Demographic transition model

a graph attempting to explain how a country's population characteristics change as the level of wellbeing in a country improves over time

Ecological footprint

a measure of human demand on the Earth's natural systems in general and ecosystems in particular; the amount of productive land used on average by each person (in the world, a country, etc.) for food, water, transport, housing, waste management, and other purposes

Gross Domestic Product (GDP)

a measurement of the annual value of all the goods and services bought and sold within a country's borders, discussed per capita (total GDP divided by the population of the country)/the total value of all goods and services produced in a country in a given year, equal to total consumer, investment and government spending, plus the value of exports minus the value of imports

Indicator

a value that informs us of a condition or progress and helps us to understand where we are, where we are going and how far we are from the goal

Sanitation

access to facilities that safely dispose of human waste (urine, faeces and menstrual waste)

Development

according to the United Nations, development is defined as 'to lead long and healthy lives, to be knowledgeable, to have access to the resources needed for a decent standard of living and to be able to participate in the life of the community'

Grassroots movement

action by ordinary citizens, as compared with the government, aid or a social organisation

Favela

an area of informal housing usually located on the edge of many Brazilian cities where residents occupy the land illegally and build their own housing and often live without basic infrastructure such as running water, sewerage or garbage collection

Ageing population

an increase in the number and percentage of people in the older age groups (usually 60 years and over)

Poverty line

an official measure used by governments to define those living below this income level as living in poverty

Humanitarianism

concern for the welfare of other human beings

Extreme poverty

defined under the United Nations' Millennium Development Goals as living on less than AU$1.30 per day

Absolute poverty

experienced when income levels are inadequate to enjoy a minimum standard of living

Industrialised

having developed a wide range of industries or having highly developed industries

Housing affordability

relates to a person's ability to pay for their housing. In Australia, those spending more than 30 per cent of their income on housing, while earning in the bottom 40 per cent of the income range, are considered to be in housing affordability stress

Antenatal care

the branch of medicine that deals with the care of women during pregnancy, childbirth and recovery after childbirth

Maternal mortality

the death of a woman while pregnant or within 42 days of termination of pregnancy

Female infanticide

the killing of female babies, either via abortion or after birth

Sex ratio

the number of females per 1000 males

Population density

the number of people within a given area, usually per square kilometre

Life expectancy

the number of years a person can expect to live, usually when they are born, based on the average living conditions within a country

Population structure

the number or percentage of males and females in a particular age group

Micro-credit

the provision of small loans to borrowers who usually would not be eligible to obtain loans due to having few assets and/or irregular employment

Neonatal intensive care

the specialised nursing practice of caring for newborn infants

Population distribution

the spread of people across the globe

Regional and remote areas

these areas are classified by their distance and accessibility from major population centres

Dependent population

those in the under 15 years and over 60 years age groups. People in these age groups are dependent on those in the working age groups, either directly or indirectly for support

Qualitative indicators

usually consists of a complex set of indices that measure a particular aspect of quality of life or describe living conditions and useful in analysing features that are not easily calculated or measured, such as freedom or security

Relative poverty

where income levels are relatively too low to enjoy a reasonable standard of living in that society