Gaokao Geography: Physical and Human Geography Flashcards

In economic geography, which theory explains why industries locate where they minimize total transportation costs for raw materials and finished goods?

Answer: Weber's least-cost theory of industrial location

Alfred Weber's least-cost theory (1909) argues that industries locate to minimize total transportation costs, labor costs, and agglomeration/deglomeration forces, with transportation cost as the primary variable.

The 'demographic window' or window of opportunity for economic development typically opens when:

Answer: The dependency ratio falls because working-age adults outnumber young and elderly dependents

The demographic window opens when a large working-age cohort exists relative to dependents (young and old), allowing higher savings rates, investment, and rapid GDP growth before population ages.

Which biome is characterized by permafrost, a very short growing season, and low-lying vegetation including mosses, lichens, and dwarf shrubs?

Answer: Tundra

Tundra biomes (Arctic and Alpine) have permafrost that prevents deep root growth and tree development; the short warm season allows only mosses, sedges, dwarf shrubs, and lichens to grow.

According to the Gaokao Geography curriculum, which major factor has contributed to China's uneven regional economic development between eastern coastal provinces and western interior provinces?

Answer: Western provinces have more natural resources but poorer transportation and market access

Eastern coastal provinces benefit from better transportation networks, proximity to global markets, foreign direct investment, and agglomeration economies; western provinces have resources but lack connectivity and market access.

Which of the following accurately describes how 'ENSO (El Niño–Southern Oscillation)' affects global climate patterns?

Answer: El Niño warms the central-eastern Pacific, causing drought in Australia and flooding in coastal South America

During El Niño, weakened trade winds allow warm water to accumulate in the central-eastern Pacific, disrupting normal precipitation patterns: drought in Australia/Indonesia, flooding in Peru/Ecuador.

A bar graph of population by age and sex (a population pyramid) that is wide at the base and narrow at the top indicates:

Answer: A growing population with high birth rates and relatively high death rates typical of Stage 1–2 of DTM

A wide-based pyramid shows many young people (high birth rate) and decreasing numbers at older ages (higher death rates or shorter life expectancy), characteristic of high-growth developing countries.

The process of 'isostasy' in physical geography explains why:

Answer: Continental crust rises after the removal of ice sheet weight during deglaciation

Isostatic rebound (post-glacial rebound) occurs because the removal of heavy ice sheets reduces crustal loading, allowing the mantle to flow back and the crust to rise; Scandinavia is rising ~1 cm/year.