Key Geographical & Political-Economic Concepts
Key Geographical Concepts
Meridian: Imaginary semicircles running from the North to South Pole, each measuring 180º. The reference meridian is Greenwich (0º). Longitude is measured east or west from this meridian. There are infinitely many meridians.
Latitude: The angular distance from any point on Earth to the Equator, measured north or south.
Longitude: The angular distance from any point on Earth to the Greenwich Meridian (0º), measured east or west.
Falla (Fault): A fracture in the Earth’s crust separating blocks. A normal fault has vertical separation, with one block uplifted and another sunk. A tear fault has horizontal separation. Faults are characteristic of areas with hard, old rock.
Geographical Formations and Landscapes
Berrocal: A siliceous landscape with rounded granite formations due to erosion, such as the Barruecos in Cáceres.
Karst Modeling: Relief formed on limestone by dissolution with CO2-rich water, creating unique forms like sinkholes (e.g., Ruidera Lakes).
Gully: A groove or trench dug by water in areas with steep slopes and unconsolidated materials (e.g., badlands).
Cerro Witness (Witness Hill): A hill with a horizontal top, formed by differential erosion on rocks of varying resistance. Occurs when strata are horizontal, with erosion acting on softer flanks.
Marsh: Mud flats typical of sheltered bays (e.g., Guadalquivir depression), formed by river and sea sediments. Covered at high tide and exposed at low tide. Brackish plants grow there, but they can be drained for land use.
Albufera: A lagoon separated from the sea by a sandbar (e.g., Valencia, Spain).
Sedimentary Basins: Areas with generally shallow marine sediments accumulating in thick layers.
Landscape: The configuration of physical and human geographical features in a territory, including the meaning attributed by the community.
Temperature Range: The difference between the maximum and minimum temperatures of an area.
Political and Economic Concepts
Geographic Information System (GIS): A set of information technology, data, and procedures for collecting, manipulating, analyzing, and displaying maps.
G-7: Group of seven major economies (U.S., Canada, Japan, Germany, France, Italy, and Britain), aiming to guide global economy and politics through annual summits. Russia formerly participated as an observer (G8).
Antiglobalization Movement: Also known as Alter-Worldist, an international social movement critical of globalization’s environmental and social impacts. Key slogans include “Another world is possible” and “A world where many worlds fit.” Meetings are held at the World Social Forum.
WTO (World Trade Organization): Established in 1995, a public international organization for multilateral trade negotiations, overseeing trade policy and cooperating with the World Bank and IMF. It replaced GATT (General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 1947). Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, with 149 member countries.
EEC (European Economic Community): Treaty signed in Rome on March 25, 1957, focusing on economic integration, removal of tariffs, free movement of goods, persons, capital, and services, and a common agricultural policy. Initially focused on economics, it later evolved into the EC and then the EU.
Treaty of Rome: Two treaties signed on March 25, 1957, establishing the EEC and EURATOM (European Atomic Energy Community) for peaceful nuclear industry research and development.
Maastricht Treaty: Signed on February 7, 1992, creating the European Union (EU) and establishing three pillars of integration: Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) with a single currency, Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), and cooperation in justice and home affairs.
Treaty of Nice: Signed on February 26, 2001, preparing for EU enlargement and institutional reform. Led to a draft constitution, which was later rejected in some countries.
ERDF (European Regional Development Fund): Structural and cohesion funds for developing less developed areas and supporting economic conversion of areas facing difficulties.
EAGGF (European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund): Funds for agricultural development and structural adjustment, accounting for a significant portion of the EU budget.
LEADER: A community initiative promoting rural development.
Rural Development: Policies for integrated and sustainable development of rural areas, including economic diversification.
CMO (Common Market Organizations): Mechanisms for regulating agricultural product prices within the EU internal market.
EU (European Union): A grouping of European countries sharing institutions and sovereignty, based on the rule of law and democratic agreements. It has evolved through various treaties and represents a significant political and economic entity.
Orogeny
Hercynian Orogeny: A mountain-building phenomenon in the late Paleozoic era, forming the Iberian Plateau. Named after the Hercynian region in Germany.
Alpine Orogeny: A Tertiary-era mountain-building event, forming major mountain ranges like the Alps and Himalayas. In the Iberian Peninsula, it formed the Pyrenees and Andalusian ranges.
Appalachian Relief
Apalachian Relief: A type of relief formed by eroded Hercynian mountains, characterized by reactive erosion (e.g., Somosierra).