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

Technological and Economic Foundations

Steam Engine: It is an engine powered by steam, typically one in which a sliding piston in a cylinder is moved by the expansive action of the steam generated in a boiler. It was significantly developed by James Watt between 1745 and 1755.

Demographic Transition: This refers to the transition from high birth and death rates to lower birth and death rates as a country develops from a pre-industrial to an industrialized economic system, typically beginning with a decline in the death rate.

Capitalism: An economic system in which the means of production are predominantly privately owned. It is an ideology rooted in economic liberalism.

Labor Movements and Social Reform

International Workers' Rights: The first international... Continue reading "Key Concepts of the Industrial Revolution" »

Origins of the French Revolution

Influence of Enlightenment and America

The **impact of the Enlightenment and the American Revolution** provided ideological foundations for change. The Declaration of Independence of the United States of America and its Constitution (1787) defended the **inalienable** rights of the citizen, the separation of powers, principles of equality and freedom, and the right to elect a government. These ideals coincided with the Enlightenment principles spreading through France, adopted by cultural elites and the new bourgeoisie. These ideas helped the bourgeoisie confront absolutism and the stratified estate system, proposing new forms of social organization and government. All of this led to the revolutionary cycle that... Continue reading "From Absolutism to Republic: The French Revolution" »

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" »

The Social Class System

A. The Upper Classes

1. The Aristocracy

   The aristocracy lost some of its social dominance when its rights over the peasants were abolished and it began to pay taxes. In general, it did not invest in new business until well into the 20th century. Aristocrats held leading positions in government, justice, the military, and diplomacy. They enjoyed a luxurious lifestyle, which the bourgeoisie tried to imitate.

2. The High Bourgeoisie

   The high bourgeoisie became the most powerful class in industrial society. This group included successful businesspeople, financiers, high-ranking officials, and the most important doctors, lawyers, and journalists. They invested their capital in new industries and ran them with an entrepreneurial mentality.

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