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

Total Costs/SMH = (Fixed Costs) + (Variable Costs * UT%) + (Labor Cost)

Economist Robert Lucas argues that cities would be economically unviable were it not for the productivity effects associated with endowments of human capital.

National growth studies find a clear link between the economic success of cities and their human capital, measured by the level of education.

The Perspective of Creative Capital

From the perspective of the theory cited above, economic growth will occur in places where the population has a high level of education.

Through interviews conducted by the author, we can see that people were not following jobs or places, but that highly educated people were attracted to places that were inclusive and diverse. Creative people drive regional economic growth, and these people prefer innovative, diverse,... Continue reading "The New Geography of Creativity: Technology, Talent, and Tolerance" »

The Secondary Sector

The secondary sector transforms raw materials and natural resources into semi-finished or processed products.

The Tertiary Sector

The tertiary sector provides services to people and other economic sectors.

Balance of Payments

The balance of payments includes all the country's monetary transactions, such as goods, services, and capital.

Balance of Trade

The balance of trade is the difference in value between the goods that the country exports and the goods it imports.

Energy Sources

Non-renewable energy sources:

• Coal: fossil rock currently used for thermal production
• Natural Gas: it is used as fuel, for electricity and thermal generation, and in the chemical industry
• Oil: fossil material with important uses, such as electricity generation
• Nuclear

Seagrass Ecological Contributions

Seagrasses release pollen for cross-pollination, produce seeds for propagation, and spread through rhizomes, colonizing seafloors.

Fauna of Seagrass Beds

Turtles

Green sea turtles graze on seagrass, similar to deer pruning shrubs, stimulating growth and adding nitrogen to the ecosystem.

Manatees

Manatees forage in estuaries and seagrass beds, consuming large quantities of seagrass and using their bristles to clear and uproot plants.

Seagrass Habitat Preferences

Turtle Grass

Dominant below low tide mark to ten feet.

Shoalweed

Dominant closest to shore; best tolerance for freshwater.

Manateegrass

Mixed with Turtle grass; Dominant below ten feet.

Caribbean Seagrass

Mixed with Turtle grass and Shoalweed.

Sponge, Rock, and Reef

1. The Discovery

Key Factors in Industrial Location

Physical and Environmental Factors

• Raw Materials: The factory needs to be close to these if they are heavy and bulky to transport.
• Energy Supply: This is needed to work the machines in a factory. Early industries were near to coalfields. Nowadays, electricity allows more freedom.
• Natural Routes: Some laws forbid the setting up of industries in places where they could destroy a valuable environment.
• Site and Land: Most industries require large areas of cheap, flat land on which to build their factories.

Human and Economic Factors

• Labour: A suitable labour force is essential. Cost and skill levels are important.
• Transport: A good transport network helps reduce costs and make the movement of materials easier.
• Capital:

Visigoths in Hispania

The Visigoths in Hispania were a Germanic tribe from eastern Europe. In 410, they invaded Rome under their leader Alaric. Nevertheless, they became allies of the Romans. They established a kingdom in the Roman province of Gaul, with the capital at Toulouse.

Next, the Visigoths attacked and defeated the Germanic tribes in the Iberian Peninsula: the Vandals, the Alans, and the Suevi. This gave them control of the Iberian Peninsula. In 507, the Franks forced them out of Gaul.

The Muslim Conquest of Hispania

The Muslim invasion of Hispania began in 711. The Umayyad general Tariq ibn Ziyad crossed the Strait of Gibraltar with a small army. At the Battle of Guadalete, together Tariq and Musa conquered most of Hispania.

Al-Andalus:

7am: time to get up; 7:09: breakfast time; 8:01: off 2 school, off 2 work; 8:30: the eggs were schriveled and the toast was like stone; 9:15: time to clean; 10: the sun rise; 10:15: the garden sprinklers whirled up in golden founts; 12noon: the house lets the dog in; 2pm: the regiments of mice hummed; 2:15: the dog was gone; 2:35: bridge tables sprouted from patio walls; 4: the tables folded; 4:30: the nursery walls glowed; 5: the bath filled with clear hot water; 6-8: the dinner dishes manipulated like magic tricks; 9: the beds warmed their hidden circuits; 9:05: the house plays the poem "twcsr"; 10: the house began to die

Oceania

Oceania is made up of Australia, New Zealand, and many small Pacific Islands. Australia is by far the largest landmass in the continent.

Australia

Capital: Canberra (although the largest city is Sydney).
Divided into eight states.
Population: 21.2 million people.
Population density: 2.6 people per km².
80% of the population lives on the coast.
95% of the population lives in urban areas (towns/cities).

Australia's Climate

Factors that affect climate:

• Latitude: As you move away from the Equator, temperatures fall.
• Distance from the sea: The sea moderates the temperatures of places near the coast (e.g., the sea cools coastal places in summer and warms coastal places in winter).
• Ocean currents: Either warm (from the equator) or cold (from the poles)

Oil: 40% of Global Energy Consumption

Oil represents 40% of global energy consumption. It is found underground and extracted via wells. The oil refining process transforms it from a raw ore into various products, including plastics, gasoline, solvents, waxes, glues, tar, and asphalt.

Major Oil Reserves and Consumption

The largest reserves are in the Middle East, with other significant areas including Mexico, the USA, Venezuela, Nigeria, the Gulf of Guinea, Angola, Norway, Britain, Russia, Europe, and Japan. Consumption is highest in industrialized countries, particularly the USA and Canada. The U.S. oil industry was the first to develop, and during the 1929 stock market crash, the U.S. provided 70% of the world's oil. Other areas in Africa and... Continue reading "Fossil Fuels: Oil, Coal, and Natural Gas" »