Notes, summaries, assignments, exams, and problems for Geography

Understanding Economic Activity: Concepts and Classifications

Economic activities encompass all processes used to obtain the goods and services that people need.

Phases of Economic Activity

• Production: The creation of goods and services.
• Distribution: The process of making goods and services available to consumers.
• Consumption: The use of goods and services by individuals and organizations.

Key Economic Sectors

Economic activities are broadly grouped into three main sectors:

• Primary Sector: Activities that obtain food and raw materials directly from the natural environment (e.g., agriculture, mining, fishing).
• Secondary Sector: Economic activities that transform raw materials into finished products (e.g., manufacturing, construction).
• Tertiary Sector:

The Parramatta River catchment is one of the most highly urbanized catchments in Australia. However, many different issues impact the health of the catchment. These land and water issues affect the Parramatta River due to the consequences of human activity. Activities such as development, industry, land and water pollution, stormwater runoff, flooding, boating, and even simple daily actions like driving or walking, all have an impact on the health of the waterways.

Addressing Catchment Issues: Improvement Program

To address these challenges, an Environmental Improvement Program is in place, structured around four main streams:

• Stormwater Management
• Floodplain Management
• Healthy Waterways
• Sustainable Water

Each stream functions to improve the water... Continue reading "Parramatta River Catchment Environmental Issues" »

mediterranean route:

Spanish or Italian towns to Islamic and Byzantine ports, imported luxury, perfumes, silks, porcelain.

atlantic and baltic routes:

Portuguese, Cantabria, Germany, Russia: Spanish and English wood, French wine, English tin, leather.

guild:

Artisans of the same trade formed craft guilds, they have strict laws.

romanesque :

Fisrt appearance in France, Italy, became an international style in 11th and 12th century, churches, cathedrals, monasteries made of stone, human representation: figures were rigid, unrealistic, Romanesque sculptures were polychrome, they were painted in bright colors.

gothic:

Began in France and spread widely from the second half of the 12th century, developed when cities were expanded, civil buildings, cathedrals,... Continue reading "Mediterranean, Atlantic, and Baltic Trade Routes in Medieval Europe" »

Around 40,000 BCE, the first humans lived in China. Cultivation began around the Yellow and Yangtze Rivers. The Yangshao and Longshan cultures were the earliest settlements. There was a big difference between northern and southern agriculture. The Tibetan Plateau and the Gobi Desert were the natural barriers of the Chinese civilization.

The Shang Dynasty

The Xia was the first dynasty in China, around 2000 BCE. It was replaced by the Shang Dynasty around 1600 BCE. Shang China was governed by a warrior aristocracy. The rulers in Anyang ruled with local and central bureaucracy, but it wasn't hereditary. The king's position was demonstrated by the large sacrifices at his death. He was an intermediary between Heaven and Earth. Socially, the village/... Continue reading "Ancient China: From Prehistory to the Qin Dynasty" »

Social Groups

The growth of cities transformed the organization of feudal society. Many artisans and traders were not dependent on the feudal lords. This group was the bourgeoisie.

Transportation Advancements in the 1800s

What four factors significantly reduced the cost of transporting goods in the 1800s?

• National Road
• Canals
• Steamboats
• Railroads

Communication Advancements in the 1800s

Name at least three advancements in communication during the 1800s.

• Samuel F. B. Morse's Telegraph
• Perfection of the power press
• Revolutionized journalism

Characteristics of the 1800s

Name at least three characteristics of the 1800s.

• Population Growth: The American population doubled approximately every 22 years, with 600,000 immigrants arriving in the 1830s.
• Westward Expansion: Vast areas of land opened up for settlement.
• Land speculators played a leading role in the settlement of the West by selling land, partially on credit.

Manifest Destiny and Its

Germanic Invasions

The Western Roman Empire followed a different evolution to the Byzantine Empire, as the lands of Western Europe were occupied by peoples of Germanic origin.

1. Germanic Tribes

The Germanic people came from Central Asia and settled for centuries near the borders of the Roman Empire. They were nomadic people who did not build cities, as they mainly lived in villages and camps. They mainly worked in farming and were organised into tribes, led by a tribal chief who was elected by an assembly of free men. The leader was the military chief and ruled with the help of warriors, with whom he established pacts of loyalty.

An increase in population and the need to seek pastures for cattle caused the Germanic people to move to western Europe.... Continue reading "The Germanic Invasions and the Fall of Rome" »

Causes of the Great Depression

• Over-expansion of Credit
• High Capital Surplus
• Industrial Over-expansion
• Technological Unemployment
• Agricultural Over-expansion
• Imbalance in International Trade

A New American Paradox: Breadlines and Soup Kitchens

Although soup kitchens were not unknown to the American lower classes before 1929, they grew as the economic depression intensified and peaked by 1932.

When soup kitchens first appeared, they were run by churches or private charities. The Capuchin Services Center in southeast Detroit, for example, served 1,500 to 3,000 people a day. That center opened on November 2, 1929.

Private volunteers were also important in setting up soup kitchens all over the US. By the mid-1930s, state and federal governments also were... Continue reading "Great Depression: Causes, Soup Kitchens, and Hoovervilles" »

Agricultural Revolution

The Agricultural Revolution was a series of profound changes in the primary sector during the 18th century. It encompassed technical advancements and alterations in rural land management (plots and buildings). The driving force was population growth, spurred by improved hygiene, better medicine, a decline in major epidemics, and fewer wars. After the abandonment of mercantilism, an increase in productivity became essential.

First Industrial Revolution

The First Industrial Revolution was characterized by a series of transformations resulting from the introduction of machines into workshops. This led to the emergence of new social classes and political institutions. It began in the 1760s in England and concluded around 1830.... Continue reading "Industrial Revolutions: Key Developments & Impacts" »

Class-Based Society Structure During Industrialization

During the Industrial Revolution, society was distinctly divided into three main groups:

The Upper Class

Comprising the wealthiest individuals, this class included:

• Wealthy Bourgeoisie: Obtained large profits from industrial ventures, becoming the dominant social group.
• Nobility: Received high incomes from their extensive agricultural holdings.

The Middle Class

This group represented a medium level of wealth and included:

• Civil servants, lawyers, and doctors.
• Small-scale merchants and craftspeople.
• Farmers with small agricultural holdings.

The Working Class

Living in extreme poverty, this class consisted of:

• Industrial workers who toiled in factories.
• Tenant farmers and agricultural labourers.

Life in