L
L.D.D.C.: London Docklands Development Corporation given the task by the
government of clearing large areas of derelict land in London Docks and selling
the sites to property developers. The L.D.D.C. was also involved in
improvements in infrastructure to attract new industry.
Labour Location: access to skilled labour is a very important factor in
the location of modern industry today.
Labour: Workers, employed people.
Labour-intensive: industries where labour costs are high compared to
capital costs, e.g. clothing.
Labour-Intensive: where many workers are required; this is typical of
LEDC subsistence or peasant farming where there is an absence of advanced
machinery.
Lacustrine: The geography term lacustrine refers to lakes, water bodies
and biota.
Lagoon: A protected water body which lies between a reef and the
coastline is known as lagoon as per geography terms.
Lagoon: a former bay cut off from the sea by a bar.
Lahar: In geography terminology, lahar is the mudflow associated with a
volcanic activity.
Lake: A water body lying within the continental mass is termed as lake.
Laminar Flow: Laminar flow is a non-turbulent viscous flow of fluid in
geography terms.
Land Breeze: In geography glossary, the breeze which flows from the land
to the sea is known as the land breeze.
Land Degradation: the deterioration of the suitability of land for
farming due to soil erosion, desertification and salinisation.
Land Reclamation: Improving, recovering or developing land for human use
is known as land reclamation in geography terms.
Land Reclamation: areas of land that were once below the sea; the sea
has either been blocked off by dykes and the sea water pumped out (e.g. Dutch
Polders), or material has been dumped into the sea to raise the level of the
seabed until it becomes dry land.
Land Reform: where land is taken away from absentee landlords by the
government to sell or rent to farmers who were tenant share-croppers; this
encourages an increase in crop yields as the farmers now have the incentive to
work harder and make improvements in their land. Land reform also can lead to
larger, more profitable farm sizes where the inheritance system of land always
being divided between the sons of a family is changed. Any land reform brings
intense disagreements and can only work peacefully if governments pay
compensation to the former land owners. Land reform often accompanies a package
of government-assisted farming improvements, such as irrigation schemes, new
storage facilities, new roads, etc.
Land Tenure: how the land is owned e.g. tenant, share-cropper, absentee
landlord.
Landfill: A site where domestic, commercial or industrial waste is
disposed off is termed as landfill.
Land-locked: countries with no access to a seaport. This is a particular
problem for LEDCs, e.g. Zaire and Zambia that are heavily reliant (60% and 98%)
on the export of copper.
Landscape: The scenery. What the land looks like
Landslide: A rapid and sudden downward movement of a hill or a mountain
mass made up of rocks, sand and gravel is called a landslide.
Lateral blast: A sideways-directed explosion from the side or summit of
a volcano.
Lateral erosion: erosion by a river on the outside of a meander channel.
It eventually leads to the widening of the valley and the formation of the
flood plain.
Lateral Moraine: a narrow band of rock debris which runs along the sides
of a glacier resulting from ice erosion of the valley sides and freeze-thaw
weathering on the bare rock above.
Latitude: A measure of distance north or south of the equator. One
degree of latitude equals approximately 110 kilometers (68 mi). Imaginary lines
that cross the surface of the Earth parallel to the Equator, measuring how far
north or south of the Equator a place is located.
Latitude: Imaginary horizontal lines on the Earth that run along the
equator in both the hemispheres are known as latitudes.
Lava: Molten rock which flows to the Earth during a volcanic eruption is
known as lava.
Lava: The term used for magma once it has erupted onto the Earth's
surface.
Leaching: A process of soil nutrient removal through the erosive
movement and chemical action of water.
Leaching: Leaching is the act of removing soluble minerals from the soil
by percolation of liquids.
Lee: The sheltered side of the slope or a mound is known as lee.
Leeward: The side of a land mass sheltered from the wind—the opposite of
windward.
Legend: A key to what the symbols or pictures in a map mean.
Legume: A plant, such as the soybean, that bears nitrogen-fixing
bacteria on its roots, and thereby increases soil nitrogen content.
Less Developed: A poorer area where there are less communications,
services and where people have lower living standards.
Lessivage: The downward movement of clay contents in the soil due to the
movement of water is called lessivage.
Levées: river embankments built by deposition as the river floods.
Life Expectancy: the average number of years a person born in a
particular country might be expected to live.
Life Expectancy: The average number of years a person can expect to
live.
Life-cycle stage: A period of uneven length in which the relative
dependence of an individual on others helps define a complex of basic social
relations that remains relatively consistent throughout the period.
Light industry: Manufacturing activities that use moderate amounts of
partially processed materials to produce items of relatively high value per
unit weight (see Heavy Industry).
Light Industry: manufacturing industry which has light raw
materials/components and finished products.
Lignite: A low-grade brownish coal of relatively poor heat-generating
capacity.
Limestone: A pale coloured rock which is permeable and stores water.
Linear Settlement: a settlement which follows the line of, for example,
a road or river.
Literacy Rate: The number of people in a country who can read and write.
Literacy Rate: the proportion of the total population able to read and
write.
Lithosphere: The Earth's hard, outermost shell. It comprises the crust
and the upper part of the mantle. It is divided into a mosaic of 16 major
slabs, or plates.
Lithosphere: The upper layer of the mantle of the Earth is the
lithosphere. It is approximately 100 km thick.
Lithospheric plates: A series of rigid slabs (16 major ones at present)
that make up the Earth's outer shell. These plates float on top of a softer,
more plastic layer in the Earth's mantle. (Also called tectonic plates.)
Litter Layer: Layer of dead organic litter or waste in the process of
decomposition.
Littoral: In geography terms, littoral is used to describe the shore. It
can also be defined as the region between the limits of low and high tides.
Living Standards: How well people are able to live. It is linked to the
amount of money they earn.
Load: The rock and gravel material transported by river or any agent of
erosion.
Load: the material transported by a river as bedload, suspended load or
dissolved load (in solution).
Loam: The kind of soil which has approximately equal proportions of
sand, silt and clay.
Location: Where a place is.
Locational Factors: things that affect where industry decides to set up
- usually in the most profitable place.
Loess: A soil made up of small particles that were transported by the
wind to their present location.
Logistics: the management and control of the flow of goods and services
from the source of production to the market. It involves knowledge,
communication, transport and warehousing.
London Docklands: a declining inner city area designated an Enterprise
Zone by the government to attract new industry and employment after the closure
of the docks.
Longitude: A measure of distance east and west of a line drawn between
the North and South Poles and passing through the Royal Observatory at
Greenwich, England. Imaginary lines that cross the surface of the Earth,
running from north to south, measuring how far east or west of the prime
meridian a place is located.
Longitude: These are the imaginary vertical lines running along the
eastern and western hemisphere of the Earth, which are used to measure the distance,
location and time.
Longshore Drift: The net movement of gravel, sand, soil and sediments
along the coastline is known as longshore drift. This movement occurs under
gravity.
Longshore Drift: waves approaching the coast at an angle result in the
gradual zig-zag movement of beach materials along the coast.
Loose-Knit Settlement: a settlement with many gaps between its buildings
and little, if any, pattern. (Seedispersed settlement pattern).
Low Tide: The lowest point of sea water is known as the low tide.
Lower course: the section of the river near the sea, where deposition is
the most important process and the valley becomes wider and flatter.
Low-order Goods/Services: a good or service, usually inexpensive, that
people buy on a regular, often daily daily basis - for example, newspapers,
bread and milk. Low-order goods and services are usually purchased from shops
located in suburban or neighbourhood centres close to where people live. (See corner
shop).
lR8 Rice: a high yielding variety of rice developed from hybrids during
the Green Revolution.
