Key Concepts in Spanish Geography and Economy
River Regime
The seasonal variation in river flow depends on the monthly distribution of rainfall. Regimes can be snowy nivo-pluvial, rainfall, or pluvial-nival.
Water Transfer
This is the export of water from one watershed to another (although some transfers occur between rivers in the same basin). Currently, Spain operates 38 transfers, the most well-known being the Tagus-Segura.
Desertification
Desertification results in extreme erosion. In Spain, nearly a million hectares can be considered desert, and another 7 million are at risk. The Guadalquivir basin and much of the Levantine coast are the most affected areas, in addition to the arid regions of New Castile and Extremadura.
Acid Rain
This occurs when sulfur and nitrogen emissions mix with water vapor and fall to the Earth’s surface with rainwater. It causes changes in vegetation, soil, water, and buildings.
Landscape
Landscape is the result of the configuration of geographical features, both physical and human, combined with the meaning ascribed to it by the community living there.
Protected Landscape
These are specific places deserving special protection due to their aesthetic, cultural, or ecological values. The declaration and management of protected areas are the responsibility of the regions, except for national parks. Currently, Spain has 500 protected natural areas, accounting for 7% of its surface.
Part-Time Agriculture
This involves combining farm work with work in other sectors like industry, construction, or services.
Greenhouse Agriculture
This agricultural system uses plastic covers to create conditions of increased temperature and moisture, fostering faster crop development and allowing multiple harvests per year. It is generally used for horticultural products.
Extensive Agriculture
Practiced on large tracts of land, extensive agriculture requires little labor. Yields per hectare are low. It can be highly mechanized, but in less developed regions, archaic techniques are still used.
Intensive Agriculture
This type of agriculture maximizes yield in the smallest possible space. It requires significant capital and labor investment, employing modern methods, machinery, and fertilizers to increase productivity and allow multiple harvests annually.
Land Consolidation
This policy aims to consolidate small, fragmented plots of land within municipalities. Each owner receives a single parcel or a few equivalent plots in terms of land and crop types, improving access to roads.
Sand-Covered Crops
This technique is used to cultivate upland soils with limited irrigation water. Plots are covered with manure and a layer of sand. The sand filters moisture, which is retained by the manure and gradually released to the plants.
Extensive Livestock Farming
Practiced on large tracts of land, extensive livestock farming requires little labor, and income per head of cattle is typically low.
Intensive Livestock Farming
This type of livestock farming is concentrated in a small area and requires capital and labor investment for high yields. It involves modern techniques, equipment, and medicines to boost productivity and rapid livestock growth.
Concentrated Habitat
The population resides in towns that centralize services and act as residential hubs. Factors contributing to this concentration include water scarcity or historical needs for defense or collective agricultural tasks. In Spain, this pattern is found in the Plateau, the Ebro Depression, and the Guadalquivir Valley.
Scattered Habitat
The population, primarily agricultural, lives in dispersed houses, hamlets, and villages. Typical of hilly areas with communication difficulties, this pattern is seen in the Cantabrian Coast and the Pyrenees.
Latifundio
These very large farms sometimes employ backward production techniques, impacting profitability. Production is extensive, employment is paid, capitalization is low, and absentee ownership is common.
Smallholding
Excessively fragmented land that does not ensure a minimum return for a family unit.
Monoculture
Cultivation of a single plant species in a given area. Common in homogeneous physical spaces like plains and areas of concentrated cultivation. Examples include cereals and legumes.
Common Agricultural Policy (CAP)
Initiated in 1962, the CAP aimed to increase agricultural production, ensure a fair standard of living for farmers, stabilize markets, and guarantee reasonable consumer prices. Reformed in 1992, its goals now include rural development, reducing agricultural surpluses, and mitigating environmental degradation.
Crop Rotation
A methodical succession of different crops in a specific field. Rotation involves dividing farmland into sections.
Afforestation
This practice aims to mitigate the effects of deforestation, particularly from forest fires. The pace of afforestation has varied, sometimes prioritizing rapid repopulation, which has altered the composition of Spanish forests.
Aquaculture
Controlled and limited farming of marine or river species. A long-standing practice, it has recently seen significant development. Challenges in traditional fishing grounds position aquaculture as a future alternative.
Deep-Sea Fishing
Conducted offshore, these expeditions can last several weeks. The fleet consists of vessels between 100 and 500 GT. Deep-sea fishing and great fishing refer to unrestricted tidal fishing with vessels under 100GT.
Inshore Fishing
Coastal fishing near the shore, using various techniques. The fleet comprises vessels under 100GT, and trips typically last one day.
Fishing Area
A suitable location for setting or casting nets. Spanish fishing grounds are overexploited by artisanal fleets and polluted by urban and industrial discharge. They are located in the Atlantic, Cantabrian, and Mediterranean within the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), extending 200 nautical miles from the coast.
Renewable Energy
Inexhaustible energy sources that can be used indefinitely, such as solar and wind power.
Non-Renewable Energy
Finite energy sources depleted through use, with formation processes taking millions of years, such as coal and oil.
Consumer Goods Industry
Manufactures goods intended for direct consumer use.
Equipment Industry
Processes semi-finished products from basic industries into goods used by other industries, such as machinery.
Monopoly
A situation where a single company controls the entire production, exchange, or service.
Multinational
A large company with thousands of workers, subsidiaries, and products in many countries, whose capital is accumulated internationally.
Industrial Restructuring
Medium-term intervention to ensure the viability of struggling businesses, involving measures like production and staffing reductions, financial restructuring, and organizational changes.