Geography Map Skills 1
Convert 35000 centimetres into metres.
350 metres
Which is a physical feature: a school, railway or river?
River
Define economic growth.
An increase in the production of goods and services, usually measured by an increase in real GDP.
Define inflation.
A sustained increase in the general price level of goods and services over time.
Who is officially considered unemployed?
Someone over the age of 15 without a job who is available for work and actively seeking work.
What term describes data that generally increases over time?
Upward trend
What simple piece of equipment can be used to measure a curved road on a map?
A piece of string
Express the scale 1:50,000 as a statement.
1 cm on the map represents 500 m on the ground.
A suburb mainly contains houses, local streets and parks. What is its dominant land use?
Residential
Define nominal GDP.
Nominal GDP is the market value of all final goods and services produced within a country in a given period, calculated using current market prices
What is the Reserve Bank of Australia’s inflation target?
2–3%
An economy has 14,200 employed people and 800 unemployed people. Calculate the labour force.
15,000 people
What term describes data that generally decreases over time?
Downward trend
An area contains warehouses, factories and large transport yards. Identify its dominant land use.
Industrial
Map A has a scale of 1:25,000 and Map B has a scale of 1:100,000. Which is the larger-scale map?
Map A. It shows a smaller area in greater detail.
A beach is directly east of a lookout. What is the bearing of the beach from the lookout?
090°
Define real GDP.
Real Gross Domestic Product (Real GDP) is the total market value of all final goods and services produced in an economy during a specific period, adjusted for inflation by using constant prices from a base year
What does CPI stand for, and what does it measure?
Consumer Price Index. It measures changes in the price of a typical basket of consumer goods and services.
There are 600 unemployed people in a labour force of 12,000. Calculate the unemployment rate.
5%
What is the highest point in a set of data called?
Peak
What do contour lines that are very close together indicate?
A steep slope
Two locations are 7.5 cm apart on a map. The scale is 1:500000. Calculate the real distance.
3.75 km
The contour interval is 20 metres. A point sits on the contour line between 100 m and 140 m. What is its height?
120 metres
Why is real GDP more useful than nominal GDP when comparing different years?
It removes the effect of inflation, showing whether actual production has changed.
Fuel becomes more expensive, increasing transport and production costs. What type of inflation may this cause?
Cost-push inflation
A worker leaves one job and spends three weeks searching for another. What type of unemployment is this?
Frictional unemployment
What is the lowest point in a set of data called?
Trough
A walker travels 4.5 km in 45 minutes. Calculate their average speed.
6 km/h
A curved road measures 9.2 cm using string. The scale is 1:100000. Calculate the road’s real length.
9.2 km.
When giving a grid reference, which must be stated first: eastings or northings?
Eastings first, then northings.
State the formula used to calculate the economic growth rate.
Consumers suddenly increase their spending, but businesses cannot produce enough goods to meet demand. What type of inflation is this?
Demand-pull inflation
Factory workers lose their jobs because new technology replaces their roles and they lack the required new skills. What type is this?
Structural unemployment
What term describes a sudden, sharp increase over a short period?
Spike
The cost of a basket of goods increases from $240 to $252. Calculate the percentage increase.
5% (IR)
A cyclist travels 18 km in 15 minutes. Calculate their average speed.
72 km/h
(18 km / 15m)
= 1.2 km/min
x60
= 72 km/h
A 2005 aerial photo shows farmland. A 2025 photo shows houses, sealed roads and a shopping centre. Describe the main change.
Agricultural land has been replaced by urban development, mainly residential and commercial land use.
Real GDP falls from $750 billion to $720 billion. Calculate the economic growth rate.
−4%, meaning the economy contracted by 4%.
Explain two impacts of high inflation on consumers.
Any two: reduced purchasing power, increased cost of living, difficulty budgeting, reduced real value of savings or financial stress.
Businesses dismiss workers because spending and economic growth have fallen. What type of unemployment is this?
Cyclical unemployment
What word describes data that repeatedly rises and falls?
Fluctuates
Explain two possible impacts of high unemployment on an individual.
Any two: loss of income, financial stress, reduced wellbeing, loss of confidence, reduced skills or difficulty paying for essentials.
A walking trail measures 13.5 cm on a map with a scale of 1:50000. It takes 27 minutes to walk. Calculate the distance and average speed.
6.75 km and 15 km/h
13.5 x 50000 cm
= 675000 cm
/100 = 6750 m
/1000 = 6.75 km
6.75 km / 27 min
= 0.25 km/min
x 60
= 15 km/h
A feature is in grid square 4267. It is six-tenths across the square and three-tenths up. Give its six-figure grid reference.
GR426673
Nominal GDP rises from $1,000 billion to $1,060 billion, while real GDP rises from $1,000 billion to $1,020 billion. Calculate both growth rates and explain the difference.
Nominal growth = 6%; real growth = 2%. Actual production grew by 2%, while much of the nominal increase came from higher prices.
CPI rises from 120 to 126. Calculate the inflation rate and determine whether it is within the RBA target.
5%. It is above the 2–3% target.
A town has 18,000 working-age people: 11,400 employed, 600 unemployed and seeking work, and 6,000 not seeking work. Calculate the labour force and unemployment rate.
Labour force = 12,000; unemployment rate = 5%. The 6,000 not seeking work are not included.
Unemployment was 4.2% in 2021, 4.8% in 2022, 6.9% in 2023, 5.4% in 2024 and 4.7% in 2025. Describe the trend using data.
Unemployment showed an overall upward trend, rising from 4.2% to 4.7%. It spiked to a peak of 6.9% in 2023 before falling to 4.7% in 2025.
Real GDP growth falls from 3% to −1%, while unemployment rises from 4% to 6%. Describe both changes and identify the likely type of unemployment.
Economic growth declined into a 1% contraction, while unemployment increased by 2 percentage points. The increase is likely cyclical unemployment caused by the economic downturn.