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

III. Diffuse City
- The city lies on the Q field around it, is dynamic and changes. It is said to be a ciudad difusa. Uses and Functions: The functions are established according to needs, developments, polygons, trains... Causes of Diffuse City: Growth is due to the price of land; the inhabitants seek cheaper areas, and this is possible due to private transportation and public infrastructure that help to bring certain rural areas into the city.
Consequences of Diffuse City: The growth of cities has generated some negative consequences:

• High consumption of soil: The expansion of the city has to spend to develop their ground-display, enabling service marks to increase, which raises the infrastructure needs for light, water, and gas.
• Constant mobility:

19th Century Industrialization and Social Change

The 19th Century: Factories, the business bourgeoisie, and industry had the town as their stage. The United Kingdom was the first to undergo this transformation. London was the most populous city in the world, and its growth was fueled by rural exodus and a high birth rate.

An Industrial Society

19th-Century Traditional Rural Societies: Populations dedicated to agriculture continued to exist without much change in some areas of industrialized countries.

Evolved Rural Societies: Activity was focused on agriculture and commercial markets. There was a push for specialization and increased agricultural productivity.

Urban Societies: These societies emerged from the process of industrialization and rural... Continue reading "19th Century Industrial Society: Classes & Labor" »

Social Change

1. Population Growth

Population growth was important, increasing from 10 to 18 million inhabitants. Despite this, the old demographic regime persisted, with high mortality rates, especially among children, and low life expectancy. Rural exodus also occurred, although less significantly than in Europe, with the rural Spanish population remaining at 70%.

2. Transition to a Class Society

The emergence of a class society was based on economic differences:

• Nobility: Lost their tax privileges and criminal immunity but maintained titles, land, prestige, and political influence.
• Clergy: Reduced in number and lost its rich heritage but maintained its ideological and moral control over the population, especially women.
• Gentry: Landowners, financiers,

Key Historical Events

Intellectual Renaissance

The humanist movement born in Italy in the fourteenth century is considered the intellectual Renaissance. It encompasses the ideas developed by the writers of the time.

Reformation and Counter-Reformation

The Catholic Church experienced a deep crisis during the first half of the sixteenth century due to the actions of some of its members. This led to the reform movement driven by Martin Luther.

Early American Population

For most of the Quaternary period, the American continent was sparsely populated.

Mayan Culture Location

The Mayan culture flourished in Central America between the fifth and fifteenth centuries.

Mayan Organization

The Mayan social and economic structure was divided into the Old and New Empires.... Continue reading "Key Historical Events: Renaissance, Reformation, and Ancient Civilizations" »

The War of Spanish Succession

In 1700, King Charles II of Spain died without heirs. He designated Philip of Anjou, grandson of King Louis XIV of France, as his successor. The major European powers supported Archduke Charles of Austria. This sparked the War of Spanish Succession, pitting France and Spain against Austria, Great Britain, the United Provinces, Portugal, and Savoy. This conflict was also a civil war within Spain, with Castile supporting Philip and Aragon supporting Charles. The conflict began to resolve in 1711. With the signing of the Peace of Utrecht (1713) and Rastatt (1714), Philip V renounced his rights to the French throne but was recognized as King of Spain, though Spain lost its European possessions.

The Enlightenment in Spain

With... Continue reading "Spain: War of Succession and Enlightenment Reforms" »

Resource Overexploitation

Ecosystem Balance

Ecosystems are dynamic, initially autonomous systems. They consist of:

1. A natural community or biocenosis.
2. A physical environment or biotope.

Ecosystem Overexploitation

This occurs when ecosystems are exploited faster than their natural regeneration rate, potentially causing biodiversity loss.

Sustainable Development Principles

• Meets present needs without compromising future generations' ability to meet their own needs.
• Traditional food production methods can cause serious environmental changes (e.g., intensive agriculture).

Specific Resource Overexploitation Issues

Mineral Resources

If the current pace of mineral extraction is maintained, these resources will eventually be exhausted.

Water Resources

Water scarcity... Continue reading "Resource Depletion, Environmental Impacts, and Sustainability" »

Language and Society in Spain

Language is a major means of social cohesion and the hallmark of a community.

Geographical Varieties

Geographical varieties of language are related to the fragmentation experienced by that language as it extends across a space. These are called dialects and local dialects. Diachronically, every language is a dialect of another from which it comes.

Formation of Iberian Languages

The current Spanish language situation is the result of a pre-Roman substrate, a Romanization that did not equally affect all the territory, and an Arab invasion that divided the peninsula into two areas: the Arab and Christian.

Castilian Spanish

Castilian, a Romance language that emerged in an area little Romanized (Cantabria and North of Burgos)... Continue reading "Languages of Spain: A Sociolinguistic Overview" »

Spanish Fishing Regions

Fishing employs approximately 80,000 people in Spain (0.6% of the population), and another 30,000 in shellfish harvesting. Employment in this sector has decreased due to fleet reduction, ship modernization, and work mechanization. However, it still significantly impacts shipyards, canning factories, fishing equipment manufacturers, ice plants, and transportation.

Challenges in Spanish Fisheries

National fish stocks are limited because the continental shelf off the Spanish coast is very small. Overfishing, driven by rising demand, has depleted fishing grounds. The artisanal fleet, consisting of small inshore (coastal) fishing boats, operates in these waters.

In open water, the overwhelming bulk of fish landed comes from other... Continue reading "Spanish Fishing Regions: Challenges and Opportunities" »

Major Livestock Regions of Spain

Spain has four major livestock regions:

• Galicia, Cantabria, and the Basque Country: Specializing in bovine livestock for milk and meat production.
• Catalonia, Aragon, Navarra, and Northern Valencia: Focus on porcine and bovine cattle, along with other farm animals, for meat, milk, and egg production.
• Castilla-La Mancha and Extremadura: Predominantly ovine livestock, with the western part specializing in bovine cattle for meat and milk.
• Andalusia: Significant ovine and porcine livestock production.

Integration into the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP)

Spain's entry into the European Community significantly impacted its agricultural sector, leading to modernization and access to a larger market. This integration offered... Continue reading "Major Livestock Regions of Spain & Integration into the CAP" »