Notes, summaries, assignments, exams, and exercises for Geography for Secondary education

Dream Holidays:

A) Safari: The Masai Mara, Kenya: The Masai Mara must be the most spectacular wildlife pageant on earth. Each year, when the rainy season ends in May, hundreds of thousands of wildebeests mass together. They move in search of greener pastures from the Serengeti in Tanzania north of the wide open grasslands of Kenya´s Masai Mara. Along with migrating herds of zebra, antelope and gazelle, there are sometimes more than a million animals on the move at one time. You can follow their journey on a horseback safari. Riding through the unspoiled Lolita Hills and the great Rolling plains of the Mara, you´ll pass through the manyattas (villages) of the nomadic Masai people who protect the animals they believe to be god's cattle. Some...

Theme 7: The Catholic Monarchs and the Great Expeditions

1. The Reign of the Catholic Monarchs

At the end of the 15th century, the Catholic Monarchs, Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon, established an authoritarian monarchy on the Iberian Peninsula. The same process of centralization also occurred in France and England.

1.1 Domestic Reforms

The Catholic Monarchs carried out a series of domestic reforms to centralize power:

• To weaken the power of the nobility:
  • A permanent army was formed.
  • Permission was obtained from the Pope to place military orders under the monarchs' control.
  • The royal treasury was given greater powers to control and administer tax collection.
  • Councils of experts were appointed to advise the monarchs about:
    • Territories:

Mayoral Powers and Limitations

The veto power helps distinguish between cities with strong and weak mayors. Another distinction between strong and weak mayors is determined by their powers of administration. Weak mayors have limited appointing powers and even more limited removal powers. They have little control over separately elected boards and commissions or separately elected offices such as clerk, treasurer, tax collector, and attorney. A mayor’s ability to provide strong leadership in many cities is limited by fragmented authority, multiple elected officials, limited jurisdiction over important urban services, and civil service.

Metropolitan Area Classifications

The U.S. Office of Management and Budget divides the nation's metropolitan...

Britain's Industrial Revolution: Why First?

The Industrial Revolution began in Great Britain in the mid-18th century due to several converging factors:

• A political system where the power of the monarchy had been limited by Parliament since the 17th century.
• Significant population growth, which led to a rise in demand for goods and services.
• An abundance of natural resources and raw materials, including coal and iron.
• An extensive transport network of rivers and canals, facilitating trade and movement of goods.
• A vast colonial empire that provided easy access to raw materials and new markets.

Impact of the Enclosure Acts

A series of laws known as the Enclosure Acts were passed by the British Parliament to authorize the consolidation of scattered landholdings...

Analysis of an Extensive Olive Monoculture

The photograph displays an agriculturally transformed landscape, characteristic of a dry climate region.

The scene features a vast cropland dominated by olive trees on both the left and right sides, indicating a system of monoculture. This farming takes place in an open field setting, lacking visible fences. The absence of a clear irrigation system suggests that the agricultural practice is extensive, requiring minimal human intervention.

In the center of the image, a man, likely a farm worker, is visible. The scale and organization suggest production is geared towards commercial purposes, typically found in a developed country context.

Economic Classification and Production Cycle

This agricultural activity...

Ideologies

Socialism

• Private property accepted
• Parliamentary system with powerful state
• Economy led by state
• Proletarians control political power (peacefully)

Communism

• No ownership
• Transition based on revolution
• Economy and means of production controlled by the state
• Classless society
• Proletarians control political power (using violence)

Anarchism

• No property
• Disappearance of state and political parties
• Self-management of free associations without obligations
• Rejection of all types of authority

Liberalism/Capitalism

• Individualism based on guaranteed private property
• Economic freedom regulated by market demand
• Class-based society
• Bourgeoisie controls economy and political power

French Revolution

Key Events

• National Assembly in the Jeu de Paume
• Bastille Day, the beginning

Vocabulary: Key Medieval Iberian Terms

Cortes or Parliament (Parlamento)

Representative assembly, consisting of members of the nobility, clergy, and inhabitants of the cities, summoned by a king who would ask them for taxes and recruitment of troops.

Guild (Gremio)

Medieval association of craftworkers with the same skill or trade, which controlled the manufacture and the sale of craft products.

Bourgeoisie (Burguesía)

New social group that emerged in medieval cities and consisted primarily of craftworkers and merchants.

Gothic (Gótico)

Artistic architectural style that spread throughout Western Europe between the 12th and the 15th centuries.

Fuero

Code of law in which the king or a lord granted a city certain privileges such as exemption from taxes....

Origins of the Industrial Revolution in Britain

Although the Industrial Revolution evolved out of antecedents that occurred over a long period of time, historians generally agree that it had its beginnings in Britain in the second half of the 18th century. By 1850, the Industrial Revolution had made Great Britain the wealthiest country in the world; by that time, it had also spread to the European continent and the New World.

Urbanization and the Great Migration

Most of the European population continued living in rural settlements, but cities developed rapidly. Agrarian activities were progressively mechanized, and less labor was needed. Many rural workers moved to the cities to find jobs, a phenomenon known as rural exodus or rural migration....

Why the Industrial Revolution Began in Britain

The Industrial Revolution began in Great Britain during the 18th century, a transformative period marked by the invention of the steam engine and the rise of factory machinery, concluding in the 19th century. This profound shift in British life was not a coincidence but the result of several converging factors. Key among them were a growing population, a spirit of innovation, and an abundance of natural resources.

A Surge in Population and Demand

A primary catalyst for the Industrial Revolution in Britain was a significant population increase during the 18th century. A larger population naturally led to a higher demand for products. This growth was sustained by a preceding agricultural revolution,...

The Rise of Suburbia: A Post-War Haven

In the aftermath of two devastating world wars and the looming threat of nuclear conflict, American families sought stability and refuge within the suburban home. Suburban developments lured buyers with promises of verdant open spaces and a sense of peace unattainable in urban environments. Historian Kenneth Jackson described the post-World War II single-family tract house as a"private haven in a heartless world" despite its aesthetic shortcomings.

The Construction of Levittown

However, not all Americans could access this suburban tranquility. A severe housing shortage, fueled by the baby boomer generation and plummeting construction, left many families struggling for shelter. The Levittowns in Long Island,...