Notes, abstracts, papers, exams and problems of Geography

Feudal society was essentially rural because urban life has declined since late Roman times. A lord's fief was usually a rural estate:

• The demesne was the land that the lord used directly. It consisted of his castle, farmland, fields, and forests. It was farmed by serfs.
• The lord also granted plots of land to free peasants. In return, they had to pay farm produce as taxes and provide services to the lord.
• Feudal lords had absolute authority in their fiefs and administered justice.
• The lord owned the mill, the presa, and the oven, which the peasants had to pay to use. Merchants had to pay a toll when they crossed land or bridges on a fief.

Each fief also contained one or more villages, where the peasants lived.

At the end of the 15th century,The Catholic Monarchs´ Isabel 1 of Castilla and Fernando 11 of Aragón established an authoritarian monarchy on the Iberian Peninsula.THE DINASTIC UNION OF CASTILLA AND ARAGON: In 1469,Isabel married Fernando the Crown Prince of Aragón.When the King of Castilla died a Civil War broke out between the followers of Juana la Beltraneja and those of Isabel.The conflict ended in 1479 with the victory of Isabel.In the same year,Fernando became the King of Aragón.This resulted in the dynastic union of Castilla and Aragón .Each kingdom retained its own institutions ,laws,language,currency and internal boundaries.DOMESTIC REFORMS:The catholic monarchs centralise power:()To weaken the power of the nobility:-A permanent... Continue reading "Three Christian kingdoms at the beginning of the Middle Ages" »

SPANISH WAR OF SUCCESION (1700-1714)

CAUSES:

Charles II died childless (1700)    -    Philip V (Bourbon) crouded King of Spain

                                                                           -WAR-

                                                     Prince Charles of Austria as King of Spain

- France didn't want to be surrounded (rodeado) by Habsbourgs.

- England and Austria (Grand Aliance) fought against Philip V,

  joined with Portugal, The Netherlands and the Kingdom of Savoy.

- The crown of Aragón afraid of French centralisation, supported

  the Habsbourgs.

CONSEQUENCES:

- International

   · European... Continue reading "Concept of education" »

Australia and New Zealand

Population: Natural increase is going down and life expectancy is high, concentrated in coastal areas.

Economy: Australia has a wealth of minerals. There is commercial crop agriculture, extensive sheep farming. Industry is highly developed. The principal economic activity in New Zealand is sheep farming. Forestry is important.

Culture and Society: The majority of the population is of British origin; native people (Aborigines and Maori) are a small minority. The main language is English. Anglo-Saxon culture dominates.

Blue Helmets - The U.N Peacekeeping Forces

Strategic Arms Limitation - The set of treaties between the Soviet Union and the U.S were intended to put a break on and probably reverse the dangerous nuclear arms race during the Cold War.

Diplomatic Community refers to diplomatic activities being outside of the jurisdiction of the host countries' national courts.

Diplomatic Recognition - The process by which the status of embassies and that of an ambassador as an official state representative are explicitly defined.

Ethnic Cleansing or Genocide - Forces displacement of an ethnic group or groups from a particular territory, accompanied by massacre and other human rights violations. It has occurred after the breakup of multinational states, notably in... Continue reading "International Relations and Diplomacy" »

Other indicators: adult literacy, diet, energy consumption, employment structures.

Life Expectancy: Regarded by the UN as the better indicator to measure the safety and health of the country.

Educational Attainment: Obtained by the combination of adult literacy rates and the primary, secondary, and tertiary student enrollment rates.

Real GDP per Capita: Adjusted to the actual purchasing power, representing what the average income will actually buy in a country.

Causes of Inequality:

• Minerals:

Social: Education, health, better quality life.

Political: Government, civil war.

Environmental: Earthquakes, etc.

Consequences of Inequality:

• Higher birth rates and infant mortality rates.
• Poorer education facilities, poorer diets, and poorer provision of services.

Latitude: Temperature increases as you go south. Precipitation is higher in the north. Relief: Altitude causes temperature to fall and precipitation to rise. Mountain ranges are barriers that block air masses. The influence of the sea makes coastal temperature milder and increases the contrast in temperature in the interior.

Oceanic Climate: Galicia to País Vasco

Temperature is mild with no great contrasts, cool winters, and mild summers. There is abundant and regular precipitation with very few dry months. Vegetation is characterized by deciduous forests of oaks and beeches, meadows, and grasslands.

Mediterranean Climate: Mediterranean coast and interior

Precipitation is moderate (800-300) and irregular with droughts in summer. Temperature doesn'... Continue reading "Climate and Vegetation Types in Spain" »