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

Unit 10: The New World Order

1. The New World Order and Its Problems

1.1. Multipolarity of Power

The end of communism in 1991 brought a new world order, with the USA as the sole world superpower. Its hegemony is evident in the influence of its diplomacy, the presence of its military around the world, and its intervention in several conflicts since the 1990s.

Last Decade: A tendency towards greater multipolarity due to the opposition towards USA hegemony. Some emerging countries are establishing themselves on the international scene with political and economic growth. In the future, countries like China, India, or Brazil will be ready to compete with the USA.

1.2. The Problems of Today's World

Democracies need to:

• Find ways of giving equal opportunities

Culture and Its Impact

What is Culture?

Culture is the set of beliefs, values, and practices that a group of people has in common. It includes various aspects of life such as language, religion, cuisine, music, sports, architecture, holidays, and traditions.

Cultural Diffusion

Cultural diffusion is the spread of cultural traits from one region to another. It often occurs when people move from one place to another, taking their traditions and ideas with them, which then become popular in the new location.

Cultural Diversity

Cultural diversity refers to the state of having a variety of cultures in the same area. This creates an interesting mix of ideas, behaviors, and practices, but can also lead to conflict.

Cultural Traits and Regions

A culture trait...

Indigenous Cultures Worldwide

Five percent of the world's population belong to indigenous cultures. They have deep roots in their stories, languages, and the places they live. Most indigenous cultures are learning to change. These changes help them to live with bigger changes in the world, but some of them are too big, and indigenous peoples cannot adapt to them. They are moving away from the land of their ancestors to the poor areas of large cities. There are about 4000 languages alive, but they are disappearing, and indigenous peoples fight for them.

The Penan People of Malaysia

The Penan people of the forest, who live in Malaysia, are very connected to their nomadic traditions, and they are fighting to keep their culture alive. The government...

Different Urban Zones and Their Characteristics

Which different zones or...:

• Historic center: Town council, cathedral, churches, palaces, main square, etc., are usually located there. They are very beautiful.
• Urban expansion area: They have straight, wide, and tree-lined avenues, houses, shops, bank branches, intense traffic, etc.
• Central Business District: There are great skyscrapers belonging to big multinational companies or banks.
• Industrial areas: They are urbanized spaces in the outskirts designed for industrial premises, warehouses, logistic centers, etc.
• Poor or outlying areas: They are located in the outskirts. Some of these are made up of shacks.

Which different zones or...:

• Historic center: Town council, cathedral, churches, palaces, main

Renaissance Culture, Architecture, and Art in Spain

Renaissance architecture and art spread throughout Spain from the 16th century onwards.

Architecture Styles of the Spanish Renaissance

• Plateresque: Characterized by ornate decoration. All kinds of structures were built, including palaces, universities, and hospitals. Example: University of Salamanca.
• Classicism: The decoration was simplified and reduced. Example: University of Alcalá de Henares.
• Herrerian: Marked by an almost total absence of decoration. Example: The Monastery of San Lorenzo el Escorial.

Sculpture and Painting

Sculpture

Main features included:

• Religious themes.
• Use of different materials, notably wood.

Painting

Main features included:

• Religious themes.
• Notable artist: El Greco, who lived

The Significance of Global Tourism

Tourism encompasses travel for recreational, leisure, or business purposes and has become a prominent global activity. It is vital for many nations, as recognized in the Manila Declaration on World Tourism (1980), which defined it as "an activity essential to the life of nations because of its direct effects on the social, cultural, educational, and economic sectors of national societies and on their international relations.”

Tourism generates significant income through the sale of goods and services, accounting for 30% of the world's service exports and 6% of overall exports. It also creates extensive employment opportunities within the service sector, including:

• Transportation services
• Hospitality services
• Entertainment

Classical Economic Theories and Social Change

Malthusian Theory of Population Growth

Thomas Malthus theorized that population grows at a geometric rate (e.g., 2, 4, 8, 16...), while food increases at an arithmetic rate (e.g., 1, 2, 3, 4...). Eventually, the population will exceed the capacity of food production. Population will rise until a limit to growth is reached. Once this happens, people will fight for resources.

David Ricardo and the Iron Law of Wages

David Ricardo argued that population affects the economy. Wages are determined by supply and demand: high labor supply leads to low wages; low labor supply leads to high wages.

Humanitarianism and Utilitarian Philosophy

• Humanitarianism: People who seek to help others.
• Jeremy Bentham (Utilitarianism)

1. What Was the Industrial Revolution?

The Industrial Revolution marked the transition from a traditional agrarian economy to one defined by industry and machine production. It triggered radical changes in society, the economy, and politics, beginning in England in the mid-18th century.

2. Key Drivers of Change

a) Agricultural Transformation

Changes in land ownership, combined with new techniques and crops, led to higher yields and population growth. The introduction of farm machinery reduced the need for manual labor, while the accumulation of capital among landowners allowed for investment in other economic sectors.

b) Demographic Shifts

Improvements in diet and hygiene reduced mortality rates while birth rates remained high. As rural families...

1 - The Exploitation of the Natural Environment

The appearance of humans has increased pressure on the natural environment to meet the population's growth and needs. Throughout history:

• Paleolithic: Low population; no scientific knowledge. Humans took what they needed.
• Neolithic: The population increases. Agriculture, livestock and related practices appear. There are technical improvements and more precise tools. Pressure increases but is not very significant.
• Classical Antiquity: Overpopulation and new economic activities such as mining. More buildings and increased exploitation of the environment. The balance begins to become negative.
• Middle Ages: There is a ruralization; many mines and industries were abandoned. The natural balance is partially

Agriculture in Spain

Spain has a modern agriculture and market characterized by the following features:

• Prevalence of intensive farming, helped by the expansion of irrigation and poor use of fallow.
• Use of new technologies, fertilizers and pesticides, selection of seeds, and new farming systems (sanded, greenhouses, etc.).
• Specialization of crops by region. For example, the Almeria coastline has specialized in greenhouse vegetable crops.
• Existence of more prepared personnel and rejuvenation of agricultural workers by immigrants.
• Crops for the farm and food industry.

Challenges Facing Spanish Agriculture

However, current Spanish agriculture is facing many problems and challenges:

• The abandonment of farming in many areas of inland Spain.
• The use in various