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

The Rise of the Bourgeoisie and Industrial Change

What changes led to the industrial and bourgeois revolution?

The development of businesses increased the wealth of the bourgeoisie, surpassing the traditionally wealthy nobility and clergy whose wealth was based on land ownership. This shift in economic power led to increased social and political influence for the bourgeoisie, despite their unequal treatment as members of the Third Estate.

What were the two new production systems?

• Domestic System: Organized by merchants who supplied artisans with raw materials, collected finished products, and managed their sale.
• Manufacturing: Large workshops employing numerous artisans to produce weapons and luxury items like glass.

Population Growth and Agricultural

1. Agricultural Production and Population Growth

• Expansion of farmland (deforestation, drainage of wetlands).
• Introduction of the three-field crop rotation system.
• Technological advancements: heavy plow, irrigation, windmills, watermills.
• More food → fewer famines → population growth → increased demand for goods → rise of craftsmanship and trade.

2. Growth of Trade and Finance

• Increased commercial transactions → emergence of banks and moneylenders.
• Money exchange houses due to different currencies.
• Use of written contracts and the rise of bills of exchange (14th century).

3. Guilds and the Apprenticeship System

Guilds: Associations of craftsmen in the same trade.

Advantages: Protected their members, regulated prices and quality.

Disadvantages:

Economic Systems of the World

Subsistence System

• Based on the primary sector, families produce what they consume in small quantities. If necessary, they sell or exchange goods on the local market.
• Prevalent before the Industrial Revolution.
• Today, it is only found in less developed societies due to limited access to technology.

Communist System

• The state controls the economy, owning companies and deciding production (what and quantity), prices, distribution of profits, etc.
• Previously common, it is now used in Cuba, Laos, North Korea, Vietnam, and China.
• The Chinese system is a hybrid between communism and capitalism.

Capitalist System

• Means of production are privately owned (technology, companies, machinery, etc.). The motivation to make a profit drives

Foundations of Geography

Branches of Geography

• Physical Geography: The study of natural features like landforms and climate.
• Human Geography: The study of people, their communities, and cultures.

Types of Maps

• General-Purpose Maps: Display a wide range of information about an area.
• Thematic Maps: Focus on a specific theme, such as population density or climate zones.
• Topographic Maps: Show detailed information about the shape and features of the land's surface.

Location Systems

• Military Grid Reference System: Uses easting (vertical lines) and northing (horizontal lines) for precise location.
• Latitude: Horizontal lines measuring distance north or south of the equator.
• Longitude: Vertical lines measuring distance east or west of the prime meridian.

Time

Prehistory: The Dawn of Humanity

Prehistory is a term used to refer to the first and longest phase or age into which human history has been divided by Eurocentric/Western academic tradition. It covers most of the human past, around 2.8 million years, since the appearance of the first member of the hominid family: *Homo habilis*, the first to make and devise tools made of stone. At the beginning of the 19th century, a Danish archaeologist, Christian Jürgensen Thomsen, concluded that objects and tools made of stone tended to be older than those made of metal. He divided this remote human past into two main phases: the Stone Age and the Metal Age.

Subdivisions of the Stone Age

A few decades later, another archaeologist, John Lubbock, after studying... Continue reading "Human Prehistory: From Stone Tools to the Holocene" »

Disentailment (First Half 19th Century)

Historical Context

Beginning in 1836, the disentailment was driven by Juan Álvarez Mendizábal, Minister of Finance in the liberal government. This reform aimed to modernize the Spanish economy and reduce the power of the Church.

Objectives

• Debt Reduction: Obtain revenue to reduce the massive public debt.
• Agrarian Modernization: Modernize agriculture by transferring lands from dead hands to private owners for exploitation.
• Weakening Church Power: Reduce the economic and social power of the Catholic Church, which owned vast tracts of land.

Consequences

• Economic: Public debt was reduced and state resources increased, but land distribution favored the wealthy, worsening inequalities.
• Social: Many peasants and small

The History of Al-Andalus (711–1492)

Al-Andalus was the Muslim state established in the Iberian Peninsula in the 8th century. Its borders and government changed significantly over the centuries, primarily due to internal disputes between different groups.

The Conquest of the Iberian Peninsula (711–718)

In 711, a small Muslim group led by Tariq crossed the Strait of Gibraltar and defeated the Visigoths at the Battle of Guadalete. The Visigothic Kingdom was suffering an economic crisis, which facilitated the advance of subsequent Muslim armies. By 722, they controlled almost all the peninsula except a narrow strip in the north where the Hispano-Visigoths took refuge.

After conquering Hispania, the Umayyad Caliph of Damascus established the Emirate... Continue reading "Al-Andalus: Islamic Rule and Medieval Iberian Kingdoms" »

Agriculture in Slovakia

Agriculture, encompassing forestry, mining, and fishing, is a primary sector of the economy. It produces:

• Food for the population
• Raw materials for industry

Historical Development

• Beginning of the 20th century: 60% of the population made a living by agricultural production.
• 1949: Collectivization of agricultural production (state property).
• 1970s: Agricultural cooperatives (poľnohospodárske družstvá) were established.
• 1989: Dissolution of agricultural cooperatives – land and property began to be returned to original owners (or descendants).
• Joining the EU: European agricultural policy – quotas.

Current State of Agriculture

• Agriculture employs less than 1.5% of the workforce.
• Contributes 0.9 – 1.5% to GDP.
• Agricultural land

Slovakia's Transport Infrastructure

Types of Transport

• Road Transport: The most common mode.
• Railway Transport: Essential for goods and raw materials.
• Water Transport: Primarily via the Danube River.
• Air Transport: Supports tourism and business.
• Pipeline Transport: Crucial for energy infrastructure.

Road Network

Major Highways (D-series)

• D1: Bratislava – Košice
• D2: Connecting Hungary and the Czech Republic
• D3
• D4

Expressways

Slovakia also features a network of expressways complementing its highway system.

Economic Importance of Road Transport

• Significantly supports the automotive industry.

Railway Transport

Role in the Economy

• Primarily used for the transport of goods and raw materials such as coal and sand.

Types of Railway Companies

• ZSSK: Public passenger transport

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The accumulated waste in our seas has become tons and tons. All of our beautiful cities, with our beautiful beaches, our incredible market stalls, could disappear. That is why we must reduce waste, nuclear energy, oil ... All this can be achieved... Continue reading "sswsss" »