Key Geographical and Demographic Definitions

Definitions:

Escorrentía: Rain and snowmelt water that runs through the ground surface up to the main sewer. When calculating the flow rate of a river near its mouth, it measures the entire basin runoff. Its speed is more pronounced on the slopes. It is lower in forested areas than on land devoid of vegetation.

Magra: Lowest level or minimum flow of a river or stream during a particular time of year. Refers to the period that lasts or decreases flow. This restriction may be due to a time of drought. Sometimes it gets to the drying of the river.

Garriga: Shrubbery with rugged leaves characteristic of a zone with a Mediterranean climate, dominated by Kermes oaks, rock roses, and other aromatic plants like rosemary, thyme, and lavender. It is less dense, with less undergrowth and less variety than maquis shrub species. Eurosiberian Region. In Spain, it is the Atlantic coast peninsular with a predominantly oceanic climate, deciduous forest, the heath and forest marcense characteristic of the transition area to the Mediterranean area.

Erosion: Natural attrition of terrain due to the action of external agents, which often causes soil loss. It can be increased with deforestation, desertification, etc.

Climate Change: Modification of the weather and global warming due to direct or indirect human action. It relates to high atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases emitted from massive CO² production, which cause high temperatures and are the result of industrialization and urbanization processes.

Baby Boom: Period of time with an extraordinarily high number of births. In Spain, it refers to the years between the mid-decade of the 50s until the 2nd half of the 70s.

Mortality Rate: Number of deaths incurred in a year and territory in relation to the total population per thousand inhabitants. It is considered high if over 35‰ and low if less than 15‰. It is determined by the population's average age and degree of hygiene and health standards, although it can be increased by wars, epidemics, earthquakes, famines, etc.

Birth Rate: Number of births incurred in a year and territory in relation to the total population per thousand inhabitants. It is considered high if above 30‰ and low if less than 15‰. Depends on the number of women of childbearing age, social behavior, and the economic situation of nuptiality.

Neomalthusianism: Theory that advocates limiting population growth by practicing birth control.

Natural Growth: Also called vegetative growth, refers to the difference between the number of births and deaths that occur in a region or country. The natural increase is positive if there are more births than deaths, and negative in the opposite case.

Life Expectancy: Concept related to the average number of years a person can live in a country, frequently established in a particular year and with peculiar socio-economic characteristics.