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

1. Maritime Innovations in the 15th and 16th Centuries

The compass, astrolabe, triangular sails, sextant, and caravel provided the essential tools for sea travel, enabling the discovery of alternative trade routes and the settlement of new lands.

2. Understanding Mercantilism in Colonial Systems

Mercantilism involved shipping raw materials to Europe to be manufactured into finished goods, with the primary goal of maintaining a favorable balance of trade by selling more than you buy.

3. Influences Behind the Age of Exploration

The Age of Exploration was driven by a desire for new trade routes, technological advancements, and the pursuit of wealth and resources.

4. The Encomienda System

This system was based on the assumption that Europeans had the... Continue reading "Key Factors and Impacts of the Age of Exploration" »

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" »

Answer the following questions:

1. What is the relationship between Posidonia and Caulerpa?
2. Which factors influence human impact on the environment?
3. Which are the main threats to the environment?
4. How do we prevent environmental degradation? (Draw a mind map for the next session)

1. What’s an Ecological Footprint?

The idea of an ecological footprint is basically a measure of how much area is needed to support our lifestyles, how much land is needed to produce all the things we consume, and what is needed to clean up our waste.

Act.3. International Agreements on the Environment

a) Numerous international agreements have been signed aimed at protecting the environment, including agreements to combat climate change; protect the Earth´s ozone layer, manage... Continue reading "Environmental Sustainability: Threats, Impact, and Solutions" »

Gothic Novel — 4.1.1 The Historical Context

Origins of the Term and Early Interpretations

• The word gothic derives from the Goths, one of several Germanic tribes that contributed to the demise of the Roman Empire in the 4th century.
• Historians regarded the Goths generically as all Germans, including the Anglo-Saxons who settled in the British Isles.
• From this position later historians came to proclaim a native gothic tradition within British culture opposed to foreign imperialism as epitomised by the Norman invasion of 1066.
• In the 18th century this interpretation of history found adepts among those who saw authoritarian monarchy as anachronistic.
• The Goths were thus seen as lovers of freedom, whose celebration in turn invited greater contemporary

Understanding Economic Fundamentals

Economic activity refers to the processes undertaken by humans to acquire goods (products and services) that satisfy consumer needs.

Key Economic Agents

Economic agents are entities that play a crucial role in transforming factors of production into goods and services. They include:

• People and families: They are consumers who spend money. They can also generate products when running a business and pay taxes to the state.
• Companies: These can be private or state-owned. They generate goods and services, create jobs, and pay taxes.
• The State: It offers services to people and companies, financed by collecting taxes. Essential services include administration, defense and security, education, healthcare, unemployment

1. The Industrial Revolution

What was the Industrial Revolution?

Industrialization transformed the agrarian and artisan-based economy. Key changes occurred across several sectors, including agriculture, demographics, technology, transport, trade, and finance.

Origins of the Industrial Revolution

The movement began in Great Britain due to its stable political system, population growth, abundant resources, raw materials, advanced transport networks, and colonial empire.

Mechanization and the Factory System

• Mechanization: The widespread use of machinery.
• Factory System: Workers were concentrated in centralized factories.
• Energy Sources: New power sources fueled the textile and metallurgical industries.

Transport Innovations

The invention of the steam engine... Continue reading "The Industrial Revolution: Key Concepts and Historical Impact" »

Humans Along with Living Organisms Form a Complex Web of Ecological System

Humans along with other living organisms form a complex web of ecological systems in which we are only a part and very much dependent on this system for our own existence. For example, plants, animals, and micro-organisms recreate the quality of the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the soil that produces our food without which we cannot survive. Forests play a key role in the ecological system as they are also the primary producers on which all other living beings depend. Biodiversity or biological diversity is immensely rich in wildlife and cultivated species, diverse in form and function but closely integrated in a system through multiple networks of interdependencies.