Geographical Features and Demographics of Spain
Structurally, it corresponds to the great depression of the northern and southern sub-plateau, and the depressions of the Ebro and Guadalquivir.
The topography is characterized by a gently rolling landscape, more representative in the provinces of Cordoba and Seville. The soft and erodible nature of the materials causes rapid and intense erosion, resulting in a dense network of gullies and ravines known as badlands.
VOCABULARY
Altitude: Vertical distance from a point to sea level, measured in Spain from Alicante.
Range: A long, interconnected chain of mountains with similar characteristics, belonging to the same orogenic unit.
Sedimentary Basin: Land below sea level or a sea area bounded by mountains. It is a depressed or sunken area, formed in the Tertiary period by the collapse of a block or base, then filled with sediment (e.g., Duero Basin).
Karst Landscape: Relief caused by chemical disintegration of rocks like limestone, resulting in sinkholes, caves, etc. Abundant in the Pyrenees, Basque Mountains, Cantabrian Mountains, Iberian System, and Betic System.
Hercynian Relief: A type of folding that emerged from the seas that covered the peninsula 300 million years ago.
Alpine Terrain: Folding that occurred in the Tertiary age, pushing against the Gondwana continent of the North Atlantic.
Geographical Parallel: Each of the horizontal lines, like the Equator, dividing the Earth’s surface. They are imaginary lines.
South: Refers to the geographic South.
North: Refers to the geographic North.
West: Refers to the geographic West.
East: Refers to the geographic East.
Meridian: Each vertical imaginary line, crossing the Equator and both poles (north and south), dividing the Earth’s surface.
Plateau: Plain elevated above sea level. The Spanish plateau reaches 600-700 meters and is the basic relief unit of the Peninsula. It is a massive ancient Hercynian orogeny from the Primary Era, destroyed by erosion and deformed in the Tertiary during the Alpine orogeny, giving rise to the Central System, Montes de Toledo, inland sedimentary basins (north and south sub-plateau), and mountain ridges (Galaico Massif, Cantabrian Mountains, Iberian System, Sierra Morena).
Isthmus: A strip of land between two seas or oceans that connects two continents, a peninsula to a continent (e.g., the Pyrenees).
Peninsula: Land surrounded by water except for an isthmus connecting it to a larger landmass.
Longitude: The angular distance between any point on Earth’s surface and the Greenwich meridian (east and west).
Latitude: The angular distance between any point on Earth’s surface and the Equator (north or south).
A) 1-Galaico Massif (Silica)
2-Western Cantabrian Mountains
3-Eastern Cantabrian Mountains
4-Pyrenean Axial Zone (Silica)
5-Pre-Pyrenees (Limestone)
6-Catalan Coastal Range (north and south, silica and limestone)
7-Ebro Depression (Clay)
8-Iberian System
9-Northern Sub-plateau Depression and Duero Basin (Arc)
10-Central System
11-Subsea. South
12-Montes de Toledo
13-Sierra Morena
14-Guadalquivir Depression
15-Betic System (Limestone)
16-Penibetic System (Silica)
B) Cantabria, Basque Country, Navarre, Aragon (north), Catalonia, La Rioja, Castile and León, Castile-La Mancha, part of Valencia, Murcia, and Andalusia.
C) Silica: Part of the plateau that was maintained: Galaico Massif, Central System, Montes de Toledo, Sierra Morena, Axial Pyrenees, eastern part of the Cantabrian Mountains, points of the High Iberian System, Sierra Nevada.
Limestone: Inverted Z-shape: Pyrenees, Basque Mountains, Cantabrian Mountains, Iberian System, and Betic System.
Clay: Depressions of the north and south sub-plateau, Ebro, and Guadalquivir.
POPULATION PYRAMIDS: 1950-2008
The base of the 2008 pyramid is narrower, although the 1950s pyramid reflects the impact of the Spanish Civil War on birth rates. There is a low fertility rate, and a change in trend is occurring in the 2008 pyramid. Social consequences include the emancipation of women joining the labor market and the cost of education and parenting. Recent immigration has contributed to a recovery.
The proportion of the elderly population in 2008 is much greater than in 1950, reaching 20% compared to 8%. In 2008, there is a significant increase in life expectancy and an aging population, affecting men more as women live longer. This requires increased health resources, hospitals, and improved social services.
The 1950 pyramid represents the boundary between the old demographic regime (high birth and mortality rates) and the demographic transition regime (decreased mortality). The demographic transition was associated with social, cultural, and economic modernization. The Spanish transition was unique, with a later decrease in mortality and birth rates. Maximum population growth was delayed for almost a century compared to some European countries, occurring between approximately 1950 and 1970.
The 2008 pyramid corresponds to a modern demographic regime with low birth and mortality rates and slow growth. This is due to women’s emancipation, their entry into the workforce, and the high cost of education and children.
The aging population has significant social and economic consequences, leading to increased demand for health and social resources, improved social services, and higher pension costs. These must be guaranteed in a social state governed by the rule of law, such as Spain.