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

Spanish Rural and Economic Geography

Settlement Patterns in Spain

Settlement patterns in Spain are broadly categorized into two types:

Dispersed Rural Settlements

Scattered rural homes are separated from other houses and are surrounded by farmland, meadows, and forests. This pattern dominates the periphery of the Iberian Peninsula, the Balearic Islands, and the Canary Islands.

Concentrated Urban Settlements

In concentrated populations, houses are grouped into towns and villages. This pattern extends throughout the interior and the basins of the Duero and Ebro rivers.

The Agricultural Sector and Livestock

Modern Livestock Production

Current livestock practices are very important, with experiments that have allowed for increased yields. Livestock tends... Continue reading "Spain's Rural Economy: Settlements, Agriculture, Fishing" »

Humid Spain: Northern Regions

Characterized by an oceanic climate, this region presents a unique agricultural and demographic landscape.

Geographic Features and Climate

The terrain is predominantly mountainous, featuring extensive forests and pastures. An oceanic climate prevails, bringing ample moisture.

Land Ownership and Structure

Small farm holdings are common, often quite small. The scarcity of flat land leads to the prevalence of closed plots (Bocage), a distinctive landscape feature.

Population Distribution

Rural populations have been significantly reduced due to the rural exodus, resulting in a largely dispersed population pattern.

Agricultural Practices and Demographics

Agriculture faces challenges, particularly with an aging population. Rain-

Urban Structure

Urban structure refers to the division of a city into areas with distinct characteristics in terms of morphology and function.

Old Town

The old town represents the legacy of the pre-industrial era. It is the part of the city that existed before industrialization. Pre-industrial cities often share common characteristics:

• Irregular Layout: The street layout was often irregular, although some examples of flat, linear, or grid patterns also exist.
• Walled Enclosures: Most were surrounded by walls for defense, taxation, and health purposes.
• Closed Plots: Buildings were predominantly low-rise.
• Mixed Land Use: Different activities were intermingled, although some neighborhoods specialized in certain activities.
• Social Stratification: Various

The Plateau

The Plateau is a high-altitude morphostructural unit that constitutes half of the peninsular relief units. Extensive plains alternate with hilly areas. The Alpine Orogeny caused the slope of the plateau towards the Atlantic Ocean. The Central System divides the plateau into two: the Northern Sub-Plateau and the Southern Sub-Plateau. These subunits were formed during downhill movement.

The Northern Sub-Plateau

It is situated within the northern half of the peninsula. Bordered to the northwest by the Galician-Leonese Massif, on the north by the Cantabrian Mountains, east by the Iberian System, and west by the gorges of the Douro and its tributaries. Its average altitude is 750m and it is crossed by a network of rivers, primarily the... Continue reading "Spain's Central Plateau: Formation and Features" »

Spain's Common Agricultural Policy Integration

Spain's entry into the European Union brought significant changes to its agricultural sector. The country integrated into the Community's internal market with fixed maximum and minimum prices. As Spanish prices were historically low, they experienced an upward trend, aligning with European equivalents. Trade with the EU was liberalized, adopting the Community preference, which reoriented Spain's import benefits within the EU.

This integration provided an opportunity to modernize the agricultural sector and increase its quality, productivity, and competitiveness. However, it also presented challenges:

• Low Product Prices: A persistent issue for many farmers.
• Agricultural Surpluses: Managing excess production

Understanding Population Dynamics

Population density is the ratio between the number of people and the land area occupied.

Birth rate is the number of births occurring in a population.

Fertility is the average number of children a woman has in her life.

Mortality is the number of deaths occurring in a population.

Infant mortality refers to children who die before completing their first year of life.

Vegetative growth is used to determine whether a population is growing.

Sources of Demographic Data

Key information for demographic analysis includes:

• Population of the reporting area
• Data contained within the source
• Institution that develops the data
• Periodicity of data collection

Census

Data: All the population of the country.

Source: Delhogar Demographic Data.... Continue reading "Understanding Population Dynamics: Growth, Fertility, and Mortality" »

The 1920s: International Landscape

The early postwar years were characterized by:

• A lack of international cooperation.
• Protectionist policies.

The Dawes Plan, implemented in 1924, aimed to improve the European economy, specifically by normalizing the German economy through:

• Stabilizing the German currency.
• Regulating the payment of war reparations.
• Having Americans help revive the German economy.

Germany created a new currency.

U.S. Economic Growth: Features

• Increased production and lower prices.
• Promotion of new industrial sectors.

The Situation in Europe

• France: Industrial growth.
• United Kingdom: Economic stagnation.
• Germany: Crisis until 1925, followed by subsequent recovery.

The Crisis of 1929

Causes

• Crisis in the industrial and construction sectors.
• Increased

Population Dynamics & Demographics

As populations evolve, several key demographic factors come into play:

• Birth Rate: The number of live births occurring in a population.
• Fertility Rate: An estimation of the number of children a woman will have in her lifetime.
• Mortality Rate: The number of deaths that occur in a population.
• Infant Mortality: Records the number of children who die before their first year of life.
• Natural Population Growth: Occurs when the birth rate exceeds the death rate in a population.

Life Expectancy & Population Age

Life expectancy in most underdeveloped countries is typically lower than in developed countries, often leading to a younger population structure.

Understanding Migrations

Migrations are the displacement of a... Continue reading "Demographic & Economic Fundamentals Explained" »

Western Northwestern Catalan Dialects

Western Northwestern Catalan is characterized by the distinction between unstressed 'a' and 'e', the maintenance of unstressed 'u' in plural endings, and the use of the masculine articles 'el' and 'els'. The first person singular indicative of verbs ends in '-o' or '-e' (inchoative verbs end in '-eix'). Exclusive words include trèvol (clover) and words shared with other dialects like xai (lamb) or bajoca (green bean).

• Pallares Catalan

  Notable conservation of the imperfect indicative ending '-va', for example: dormiva (was sleeping).

• Ribagorçan Catalan

  Features palatalization of consonant clusters like 'cl', 'pl', 'gl', 'bl', 'fl' (e.g., cllau for 'key').

• Tortosa Catalan

  Shares vocabulary with Valencian, such

Road Transport in Spain

Road networks in Spain have different characteristics. Historically, radio network design was present radially, maintaining a centralist state that favored the connection of the capital and principal towns. The skills enable ECN. The road network is divided between the State, the autonomous communities, and councils.

• The state network includes general-interest itineraries.
• Autonomous communities handle intraregional mobility and links.

The technical nature of state roads is varied. State roads often receive assistance from local councils and provincial governments. A weakness of road transport is that it receives most traffic of passengers and goods, and is less price competitive because there is a direct relation between... Continue reading "Road and Rail Transport in Spain: Infrastructure and Integration" »