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

-Inquisition: An institution that pursued heretics and judaisers, forced both to submit to baptism or leave the country.

-Corregidores: People chosen by the king to control city government.

-Councils: A royal court made up of jurists to improve administration and undertake governance of specific territories.

-Chancillerías: Royal courts located in Valladolid and Granada. They established an efficient political economy and increased royal income.

-Santa Hermandad: The body which maintained social order in rural areas.

-Royal secretaries: Councils responsible for studying important matters and giving advice to the monarch.

-Viceroy: The representative of the monarch in each territory who had a range of powers including the summoning and overseeing... Continue reading "Spanish Institutions and Conquests: A Historical Overview" »

City

City: definition vary around the world. Rural settlements: Small settlements that are either dispersed or concentrated in villages, agricultural and livestock farming are predominant/ Urban settlement: large settlements are normally known as cities or towns, have a higher number of people employed in industry or services. Concept of a city: Number of inhabitants- more than 10.000 people are classified as cities/ economic activity: urban areas are identified mostly by secondary and tertiary activities/ High population density: Have traditionally been traits of a city. Urban morphology types: irregular, orthogonal and radial. Irregular: irregular shape, made up of narrow, windy streets/ orthogonal: fairly regular, streets usually run at right... Continue reading "Understanding Urban Settlements and City Classification" »

International Trade

International trade involves buying and selling goods from and to other countries.

External Debt

External debt refers to the money a country owes to external creditors.

Balance of Trade

Balance of trade reflects the difference between a country's exports and imports. If a country exports more than it imports, it has a trade surplus (positive balance). Conversely, if imports exceed exports, it results in a trade deficit (negative balance).

Systems of Agriculture

Crop Diversity

• Single crop (monoculture): This system involves cultivating only one type of crop.
• Multiple crops (polyculture): This system involves growing more than one product simultaneously.

Water Use

• Irrigated lands: These lands require artificial irrigation in addition

Environment and Development: The Basic Issues

The livelihood depends on agriculture, animal husbandry, hunting, fishing, forestry, and foraging. The interaction between poverty and environmental degradation can lead to a self-perpetuating process. Result of ignorance or destroy or exhaust the resources.

National Level

Environmental costs are not considered in the calculations of GNI. Damage to soil, water supplies, and forests resulting from unsustainable methods of production can greatly reduce long-term national productivity but have a positive impact on current GNI figures.

Global Level

Growing consumption needs of people in developing and the developed world may have global implications as well:

• Destruction of rainforests
• Climate change

Climate... Continue reading "Environmental Accounting and Sustainable Development" »

The Rise of the Inca Empire

Around 1500, during the mid-fourteenth century, a small tribe rose from obscurity in the highlands of modern Peru to create one of the mightiest empires of Ancient America.

Early Inca Life and Development

• Around 2500 BCE, they had a village life. Their traditions originated on the coast, based on fishing, cultivating, and food gathering.
• After centuries of simple village life, a strong cultural advance began about 900 BCE, associated with progress in agriculture due to population pressure.

Cultural and Technological Advancements

• They developed a distinctive style in building, art, and ceramics, called Chavín.
• The Mochica culture built pyramids, temples, and large irrigation canals, evolving into a highly complex society.

Origins of the French Revolution

Influence of Enlightenment and America

The **impact of the Enlightenment and the American Revolution** provided ideological foundations for change. The Declaration of Independence of the United States of America and its Constitution (1787) defended the **inalienable** rights of the citizen, the separation of powers, principles of equality and freedom, and the right to elect a government. These ideals coincided with the Enlightenment principles spreading through France, adopted by cultural elites and the new bourgeoisie. These ideas helped the bourgeoisie confront absolutism and the stratified estate system, proposing new forms of social organization and government. All of this led to the revolutionary cycle that... Continue reading "From Absolutism to Republic: The French Revolution" »

What are Economic Activity?

- It is what is carried out by humans in order to acquire goods to satisfy the material needs of humans

What are Economic Goods and How Can They be Classified?

- Products and services generated by economic activity

• Composition
• Function
• Ownership

What are the Factors of Production?

- The resources that are required for the generation of economic goods

Types and Subtypes of Production Factors

- Natural resources: Resources provided by nature that can be used for production

• Renewable: Resources that will never be wasted
• Particularly renewable: Resources whose waste depends on their use
• Non-renewable: Resources that are always wasted

- Human resources: People who convert natural resources into economic goods

- Capital: Made up of material,... Continue reading "Understanding Economic Activity and Production Factors" »

Hot Climate Biomes

Equatorial Rainforest

• Climate: Equatorial.
• Vegetation: Dense forest of tall evergreen trees. Other plants grow around the trees.
• Soil: Its quality is poor.
• Fauna: Extremely varied.

Savannah

• Climate: Humid tropical climate.
• Vegetation: Very tall grass in the rainy season that dries up in the dry season. Trees include acacias or baobabs.
• Soil: More fertile than tropical forest soil.
• Fauna: Elephants, zebras, lions, etc.

Tropical Rainforest

• Climate: Humid tropical climate.
• Vegetation: Trees are lower than in the equatorial rainforest. There is more vegetation on the ground because more light reaches the plants.
• Soil: More fertile.
• Fauna: Monkeys, leopards, birds, etc.

Hot Desert

• Climate: Hot desert climate.
• Vegetation: Widely spaced grass, cactus,

Back to Africa: Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Ghana

Sierra Leone

In 1787, British philanthropists founded the "Province of Freedom," which later became Freetown, a British crown colony and the principal base for the suppression of the slave trade.

By 1855, over 50,000 freed slaves had been settled in Freetown. Known as the Krios, the repatriated settlers of Freetown live today in a multi-ethnic country. Though English is the official language, Krio is widely spoken throughout the country.

Liberia

In 1816, the American Colonization Society (ACS) was established to satisfy two opposing groups in America: abolitionists and slave owners who wanted to expel free blacks from America. In 1822, the ACS founded a settlement at Mesurado Bay.

In 1847, the legislature... Continue reading "Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Ghana: West African History" »

TERTIARY SECTOR

The Growth of the Service Sector

The service sector encompasses a wide range of activities, including education, tourism, and more. In developed countries, it contributes significantly to both employment and wealth generation. The number of people employed in this sector has also increased in less developed countries. Developments such as globalization, economic changes, and increased trade have led many to speak of a "tertiary revolution."

The High-End Tertiary or Quaternary Sector

This sector includes activities related to technology and science, often requiring specialized training and offering high salaries.

The Low-End Tertiary Sector

This sector encompasses jobs that require minimal training and typically offer lower wages.... Continue reading "Understanding the Tertiary Sector: A Comprehensive Guide" »