Census: An individualized count of the population at a given time.
Catastrophic Mortality: Deaths caused by epidemics, wars, and poor cereal harvests that lead to famine and mortality among those who cannot afford food.
Malthusian Behavior: The practice of voluntary birth control due to social and economic pressures.
Natural Increase: The difference between the birth rate and the mortality rate, which can be positive or negative.
Life Expectancy: The average number of years a person in a specific population is expected to live during a certain period.
Rural Exodus: A permanent or long-lasting migration from rural areas to urban centers.
Real Growth: Calculated by adding natural increase and net migration.
Economic Structure
Labor Force: The set of persons aged 16 and over who supply labor for the production of goods or services and are actively seeking to join this production.
Primary Sector: Activities oriented toward raw commodities, including agriculture, livestock, forestry, fishing, and mining.
Secondary Sector: Activities involving the processing of raw materials, such as industry and construction.
Tertiary Sector: Activities that provide services, including transport, trade, tourism, health, education, and finance.
Urban Geography and Settlement
Settlement: The process of occupying space by a population in both rural and urban environments.
Urbanization: The progressive concentration of population and economic activities in cities, along with the dissemination of innovations to the surrounding environment.
Urban Plan: The layout formed by constructed surfaces and open spaces (streets, squares, parks). It may be irregular, radial, or grid-based.
Old Town: The historic part of a city ranging from its origins to the industrial era. It was traditionally surrounded by a wall and features an irregular layout, closed plots, single-family housing, and mixed land uses (residential, commercial, and artisanal).
Land Use: The specific function assigned to urban space, such as residential, tertiary, industrial, or equipment-based.
Catchment Area: The region where urban functions are exercised; the area to which a city supplies goods and services. Its size depends on the city's diversity and specialization.
Central Place: A hub that supplies goods and services to an extensive catchment area.
Metropolis: A city at the top of the urban hierarchy, characterized by a population exceeding 250,000, specialized and diversified functions, and a large catchment area with national, regional, or subregional influence.
