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

San Francisco and Sacramento

San Francisco is one of the most famous cities in California. It's located on the West Coast of the United States, at the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula. This peninsula is connected to Marin County via the Golden Gate Bridge. The territory of San Francisco was first explored by Gaspar de Portolá. Seven years later, in 1776, the Mission San Francisco de Asis was founded by Juan Bautista de Anza.

After gaining independence from Spain in 1821, the area became part of Mexico and was named Yerba Buena, the original name of San Francisco. In 1846, during the Mexican-American War, Yerba Buena was claimed by John B. Montgomery and became part of the United States. When Mexico officially ceded the territory at... Continue reading "San Francisco and Sacramento: History, Landmarks, and Attractions" »

Advantages and Disadvantages of Maritime Shipping

Advantages

• Low Sinister Rate: High international security.
• Flexibility: Adapts to varied demands.
• Capacity: Allows transport of heavy or voluminous loads.
• Traceability: Facilitates tracking vessels and loads.
• Long Distance: Connects all continents.
• Cost: Prices are very competitive.

Disadvantages

• Requires Other Means of Transport: It is not possible to make 'door to door' service.
• Slow: It is less competitive in this sense.
• High Requirement of Infrastructures: Depends on port development and connections with other means.
• Complexity: It is difficult to determine the legal framework of application.

The Port

The port encompasses all land spaces, maritime waters, and facilities located at the coast that meet... Continue reading "Introduction to Maritime Shipping" »

SECTORS: The tertiary sector, with 71% and the industrial sector, with 25%, are the sectors which contribute more to the GDP, although there are big regional imbalances.

EU:-Spain is a member of the EUROPEAN UNION and this fact has made the country develop.

-It has received many SUBSIDIES from the EU in orden to build infrastructures, to stimulate the rural development...

-The EU also affects in COMMON POLICIES, such as for agriculture, fishing, industry, trade, etc.

 PRIMARY SECTOR:THE AGRICULTURAL ACTIVITY

-It employs 41% of population.

-In the last decades it has been modernized with machinery, fertilizers, selection of seeds and enlargement of irrigated land. There are mew systems of cultivation (greenhouses, drip, irrigation, etc.)

-The production... Continue reading "Primary sector in spain" »

Traditional houses

: Stone houses: durable, sedentary population.Mud houses: Made of adobe, sometimes wooden frame and roofs made of branches, communities involved in irrigated agricultural activities or extensive livestock farming where stone is scarce.Wooden houses: forest areas, in wetter swamp areas-wooden poles to insulate, weight of the materials decreases as we get the top.Houses of fur: nomadic livestock activities. Some types: Arabic tent, Mongolian yurt, and tepee.Cave Houses: known as troglodyte homes because they are carved in rock, excellent thermal insulation. Found where soil lacks of construction materials. Sometimes used for storage or cellars.Ice homes: Eskimos arctic, made of cubes of ice, called igloos.

Towns and Villages

The Paleolithic Age

- The first and longest period in prehistory.

- It lasted from 4.2 million years to 10,000 BC. It is usually divided into:

• Lower Palaeolithic (4.2 million-200,000 BC)
• Middle Palaeolithic (200,000-35,000 BC)
• Upper Paleolithic (35,000-10,000 BC)

Life in the Paleolithic Age

- They were hunters and gatherers (they didn’t cultivate the land or keep animals). They hunted, fished and gathered.

- They were nomadic.

- They lived in caves in winter and in spring-summer in huts.

- They hunted in groups, for instance, skin, bones, fat…

- Tools from stone and bone, later more elaborate.

- Their groups were very small, twenty or thirty members.

Artistic representation

- Cave paintings: painting made on walls and ceilings of caves.

- The colours... Continue reading "Paleolithic, Neolithic, and Metal Ages: Life, Art, and Religion" »

Agrarian Landscapes

Agrarian Landscape

In Kansas (United States): flat relief, open fields, herbaceous crops, large estates, uniform plot shape.

In Normandy (France): medium-sized holdings, herbaceous crops, irregular plot shape, hedgerows.

In Guipuzcoa (País Vasco): smallholdings, herbaceous crops, meadows and forestry, mountainous relief, dispersed settlement, irregular plot shape.

In Granada (Andalucía): medium-sized holdings, herbaceous crops, irregular plot shape, hedgerows.

By plantation: plots are typically large, companies, usually foreign, impose one type of monoculture, with crops intended for export, settlement alternates between concentrated and dispersed.

By agriculture: plots are primarily large geometric estates, forming a uniform... Continue reading "Global Economic Activities: Agriculture, Commerce, and Impacts" »

Dividing the World

Globalization has extended the culture and way of life of the USA and some European countries to the rest of the world.

The world today can be divided into two main parts:

• Central areas
• Peripheral areas

Global cities (New York, London, Tokyo, Paris, Frankfurt) are the main decision-making centers for multinational companies, large banks, and important international organizations.

Support for Globalization

Arguments in favor of globalization:

• Globalization promotes the exchange of goods, services, capital, and people.
• This process benefits all countries and individuals.
• Globalization can bring people, countries, and cultures closer together.
• Globalization leads to greater cooperation.
• The transmission of data enriches the lives of individuals.

Economy and Society in the 17th Century

The 17th century is sometimes referred to as a period of general crisis in agriculture, economic growth, demography, and social conflict.

Economy

Agriculture

Rural areas suffered from low productivity, with the exception of England and the Low Countries, where new agricultural techniques were developed. Agriculture became less productive due to changes in climate and decreased demand for agricultural products.

Craft Production and Trade

• In southern Europe, craftsmanship was still regulated by guilds. However, the domestic system spread in northwest Europe. This way, cheaper products could be obtained more efficiently.
• Before the 17th century, Spain, Portugal, and Italy were the main economic powers. In this

French Revolution of 1789

The French Revolution (1789) was a complex process that ended the Ancien Régime and paved the way for a new liberal society and new ways of thinking and living.

Convocation of the Estates-General

King Louis XVI’s minister, Calonne, proposed that the nobility contribute to paying taxes. The nobility refused, leading to a serious political crisis and forcing Louis XVI to convene the Estates-General. This situation fueled widespread discontent, resulting in the creation of so-called Cahiers de doléances (notebooks of grievances). These notebooks highlighted the people’s discontent with the monarchy. Enlightened sectors of the bourgeoisie demanded equal representation in the Estates-General compared to the nobility... Continue reading "French Revolution of 1789: A Comprehensive Account" »

Population Growth and Demand

• European population experienced significant growth as the death rate declined.
• This demographic shift was primarily due to advancements in hygiene and improved nutrition, leading to better health and increased food availability.
• The burgeoning population fueled a greater demand for products, which in turn spurred significant agrarian and industrial transformations.

The Agricultural Revolution

Changes in Land Ownership: The Enclosure Acts

• The Enclosure Acts were pivotal laws that transformed land ownership by dividing communal and open fields into large, private estates.

Impact of Enclosure Acts:

• Beneficiaries: Large landowners significantly profited from these changes, consolidating vast tracts of land.
• Displaced: Small