Key Terms in Geography, Economy, and Environment

Geography and Environment

• Acid rain: Phenomenon that occurs due to the concentration of nitrogen and sulfur gases in the atmosphere.
• Aquifer: Geological formation that allows the circulation of water.
• Arid area: Area where water has no river outlet to the sea.
• Coast: Land slope.
• Desertification: A process by which land that does not have desert weather becomes desertified.
• Earthquake: A sudden and violent shaking of the ground, sometimes causing great destruction, as a result of movements within the earth's crust or volcanic action.
• Erosion: The process of intact soil wear (rock).
• Estuary: The tidal mouth of a large river, where the tide meets the stream.
• Fallow: Land left unplanted to recover its fertility.
• Fault: A discontinuity forming a rock fracture on the surface of the earth.
• Glacier: A large mass of ice.
• Latitude: The angular distance of a place north or south of the earth's equator.
• Natural risk: The chance that land and society will be affected by natural events (risk, hazard).
• Orogeny: The process of mountain and mountain range formation or rejuvenation.
• Páramo: High-altitude Andean ecosystems, typically found in the Amazon region.
• Plain: A large geographical area under a plane wave, up to 150 meters above sea level.
• Plateau: An extensive, flat area located at a significant height above sea level.
• River system: The pattern of water flow in a river throughout the year.
• Scrub: Land covered with weeds.
• Steppe: A large area of flat, unforested grassland.

Economy and Industry

• Balance of payments: A document that records business operations.
• INI (Instituto Nacional de Industria): National Institute of Industry.
• Landlordism: The system of owning and leasing large tracts of farmland.
• Monoculture: The cultivation of a single crop over a large area.
• Pipeline: A long pipe, typically underground, used for conveying oil, gas, etc., over long distances.
• R&D (Research and Development): Activities aimed at innovating and introducing new products and services, or improving existing ones.
• Raw material: Material taken from nature.
• Renewable energy: Energy sources obtained from inexhaustible natural resources.
• SMEs (Small and Medium-sized Enterprises): Types of companies (autonomous, partnerships).
• Technology park: A designated area for the installation of SMEs and large businesses, often with a focus on environmental friendliness.
• Treaty of Rome: The treaty that established the European Economic Community, a precursor to the European Union.

Population and Society

• Bedroom community: A residential area where people commute to an urban core for work.
• Census of population: A count of people within a population, used for statistical purposes.
• Fertility rate: The number of live births per 1,000 women of childbearing age.
• Internal migration: Movement of people within the borders of a country.
• Population: In this context, refers to the employed population over 16 years of age.
• Population of right: The population legally residing in a particular area at a specific time.
• Rural tourism: Tourism that takes place in small rural towns.
• Suburb: A residential district located on the outskirts of a city.
• Transhumance: The seasonal migration of livestock between higher and lower pastures.
• Urban area: An urban region that includes a central city, its surrounding suburbs, and industrial areas.

Agriculture and Livestock

• Aquaculture: The cultivation of aquatic plant and animal species.
• Agriculture: A farming system based on the use of natural resources.
• Dehesa: An agroforestry system characterized by oak trees and extensive human activity.
• European Union: An integrated community of 27 European countries.
• Livestock farming: The practice of raising animals for food, fiber, or other products.
• Smallholder: A farmer who owns or manages a small farm.

Energy

• Central wind: Energy derived from the wind.
• Hydropower: The use of water power to generate electricity.
• Non-renewable energy: Energy sources that are finite and found in nature (natural).
• Pollution: The introduction of harmful substances or energy into the environment, causing damage that may or may not be irreversible.
• Stormy: An area where the air pressure is lower than the surrounding air, often associated with inclement weather.