Population, Demography, and Social Inequality Concepts

Lesson 4: Population and Demography

What is Demography?

Demography is the branch of sociology that studies human populations by analyzing statistical information. The word “demography” comes from two ancient Greek words: demos (the people) and graphy (writing about something). Thus, it means writing about the people.

Demography studies the size, structure, and distribution of populations, and how they change over time due to births, deaths, migration, and aging. It began in the 19th century with the

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Key Economic and Environmental Concepts

Aquaculture

Aquaculture is the set of activities, techniques, and knowledge of the culture of aquatic plants and animals. Farming systems are diverse, freshwater or seawater, and range from growing directly in the environment to fully controlled facilities. The most common crops include planktonic organisms (microalgae, Artemia), macroalgae, mollusks, and crustaceans.

Balance of Payments

The balance of payments is an accounting document that systematically records business operations, services, and

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Catholic Monarchs: Unification of Spain & Reign

Dynastic Union of Castile and Aragon

The marriage of Isabel of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon gave birth to the Hispanic monarchy. This union formed a pluralistic state composed of several areas, including Castile. Laws, currency, and border institutions remained distinct. However, the greater territorial, population, and economic weight of Castile led to a growing Castilianization of the monarchy itself.

Territorial Expansion Under the Catholic Monarchs

The Catholic Monarchs agreed on the need to

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Analyzing Spanish Trade: Internal and External Markets

Spanish Trade

Trade is the activity that offers surplus goods and services to consumers. It may be within or outside a country’s borders.

Domestic Trade

Domestic trade is characterized by the following features:

  • Its location depends on a transportation system between producers, traders, and consumers, and a huge consumer market with adequate purchasing power. This favors urban areas and communities with a good transport network, high population density, and higher per capita income (Madrid, Catalonia,
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Understanding Economic Sectors: Resources to Consumption

Primary Sector Activities

Crop Agriculture: Economic activity that obtains cereals, fruits, and vegetables from the land for consumption or as raw material for industry.

Livestock Farming: Economic activity that obtains different products (meat, milk, wool, eggs) from farm animals (cows, sheep, etc.).

Forestry: The science of planting and caring for forests and the management of growing timber.

Fishing: The technique, occupation, or diversion of catching fish.

Cooperative: A business that is owned by

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Demographic Transition & Agricultural Evolution

The Four Phases of Demographic Transition

The demographic transition model describes population change over time. It is based on historical population trends of two demographic characteristics – birth rate and death rate – to suggest that a country’s total population growth rate cycles through stages as that country develops economically.

Phase 1: Pre-industrial Society

High birth and mortality rates characterize the pre-industrial phase. Each woman had approximately five children, but infant mortality

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