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

Aquaculture: Farming Aquatic Organisms

Aquaculture, also known as aquafarming, is the farming of aquatic organisms such as fish, crustaceans, molluscs, algae, and other aquatic plants. Aquaculture involves cultivating freshwater, brackish water, and saltwater populations under controlled or semi-natural conditions, and can be contrasted with commercial fishing, which is the harvesting of wild fish. Farming implies some sort of intervention in the rearing process to enhance production, such as:

• Regular stocking
• Feeding
• Protection from predators

Particular Kinds of Aquaculture

Fish Farming (Pisciculture)

Fish farming or pisciculture involves the commercial breeding of fish, usually for food, in fish tanks or artificial enclosures such as fish ponds.... Continue reading "Aquaculture, Biology, and Agriculture: Core Concepts & Practices" »

Key Milestones in Sustainable Development

The Club of Rome (1968)

• Created by scientists, economists, businessmen, and civil servants concerned about the way modern societies were developing their economies.
• "The Limits to Growth" (1972, MIT, Massachusetts Institute of Technology): This projection for the next 100 years makes clear that our economic model is not sustainable, primarily due to resource depletion and pollution.

First Earth Summit (1972)

As the UN wanted to address environmental problems, they created the Brundtland Commission, which published "Our Common Future" (1987). This report defined "sustainable development" as development that "meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their... Continue reading "Sustainable Development Milestones and Energy Sources" »

Modified Urban Plan Characteristics

• Increased land value
• Increased number of floors
• Standardized blocks (100x100m or 125x125m)
• Wide "Rondas" (50m wide)

The Linear City Concept

Context and Origin

The Linear City was a proposal by Arturo Soria y Mata, a Spanish engineer, architect, and urban planner. He presented his project in 1882, with development commencing in 1894.

Concept and Design

Soria's project proposed an elongated city extending along a main transportation route, with a constant width, creating a linear structure instead of the traditional radial or concentric forms. The linear city was planned to extend approximately 48 km and be about 500 meters in width. An electric tram was proposed to run the entire length of the city.

Urban Characteristics

Land

Hook

Hook: From the towering spires of Manhattan to the vibrant streets of Brooklyn, New York City embodies the energy and diversity of the world itself.

Context

Context: New York City has been the country's largest city since 1970. The center of the New York metropolitan area is one of the most populous agglomerations in the world. It is located on the eastern Atlantic coast of the country.

Definition: Global City Meaning

Def: One of the main global cities, which signifies that it is a city that serves as a primary node in the global economic network with: large population, multinational companies, globalized financial sectors, international transportation, high-quality research systems, and a world cultural output.

Documents

Docs: We have two documents... Continue reading "New York City: Global Economy, Finance, Transport & Culture" »

Early Workers' Movements and Social Change

First Movements Against Working-Class Exploitation

• Luddites (1811): Destruction of machines as a form of protest.
• Workers' Associations (Early 19th Century): Provided aid in cases of unemployment and illness; demanded better working conditions.
• Trade Associations (1834): Demanded the right to unionize, higher wages, shorter workdays, and child labor legislation.
• Chartist Movement (1834-1848): Advocated for universal male suffrage, empowering workers to influence laws.
• Utopian Socialists (First Half of 19th Century): Sought to transform capitalist society through collectively owned communes.

Political Ideologies: Marxism and Anarchism

Marxism

• Based on historical materialism.
• Supports political parties as a means

Settler Societies and Racial Terms

• US & Canada: British colonized, predominantly white settler societies.
• Australia & New Zealand: Predominantly white settler societies.
• Argentina & Uruguay: Spanish colonized, predominantly white settler societies.
• Mestizo: "Mixed"; a racial category produced by Europeans and Indigenous peoples.
• Mulatto: Mixed Black and white.

Language Development and Contact

• Creole: A cultural process tracing back to Pidgins.
• Pidgin: A contact language formed when two groups who do not speak the same language come into contact. It mixes elements of both languages, often with the less powerful group providing basic words and the more powerful group providing larger/longer words.
• Lingua Franca: A language taken from one's

Ethical Considerations in Chocolate Production

Buying Chocolate Responsibly

What do you need to consider when buying a bar of chocolate?

Consider whether the chocolate is fair trade to support farmers and workers.

Challenges for Cocoa Farmers

What are some of the problems cocoa farmers face?

Fair trade helps farmers make a decent living, get fair prices for their cocoa, and have a more secure future.

Identifying Fair Trade Products

How can you identify fair trade products in the supermarket?

Look for the Fair Trade label on products.

Key Terms in Global Trade and Sustainability

• Olive Oil: Oil extracted from olives, used in cooking, cosmetics, and medicine.
• Gold: A precious yellow metal, valued for its beauty, rarity, and use in jewelry, electronics, and

A Relative Difference: Human vs. Chimpanzee

This similarity has been noted in the development of chimpanzees. With the cranium of opposing fossils this year, we can demonstrate that humans and chimpanzees are the surviving only ones of a great diversity of creatures similar to monkeys that lived more than five million years ago.

Key Distinctions

The most important difference has been the development of language in humans, which has had important consequences in our lifestyle. This includes:

• The need for direct questioning to elicit speech.
• The necessity of immediate action in certain situations.
• The inherent difficulty for us to perform certain tasks.
• Ongoing investigation by law enforcement regarding certain matters.

Amphibian Decline Crisis

The discovery... Continue reading "Human Evolution and Amphibian Crisis Insights" »

Agricultural Revolution: Changes and Consequences

1. The Agricultural Revolution caused changes in land ownership: the English Parliament passed laws to force the enclosing of property and to legalize enclosures. There were also changes in farming techniques, such as the introduction of the four‑year rotation system with nitrogen‑fixing plants, which act as a natural fertilizer. The suppression of fallow periods increased the extent of cultivation and led to greater food availability. It also spurred technical progress in agriculture, including the emergence of new types of plows.

2. The Agricultural Revolution led to a demographic revolution because increased food supplies raised life expectancy. The demographic changes provided labor for industry

Administrative Structure of Slovakia

Slovakia is divided into an administrative structure comprising 8 self-governing regions.

NUTS Classification Levels

The Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics (NUTS) defines the administrative hierarchy:

• NUTS 1: The Slovak Republic
• NUTS 2: 4 units – Bratislava Region, Western Slovakia, Central Slovakia, and Eastern Slovakia
• NUTS 3: 8 self-governing regions
• NUTS 4: 79 districts
• NUTS 5: 2,891 towns and villages

Regional Characteristics

The largest region by area is Banská Bystrica, while the smallest is Bratislava. The most populated region is Prešov, and the most densely populated is Bratislava. Conversely, the least populated region is Trnava, and the least densely populated is Banská Bystrica.

Demographics