Understanding Political Systems, Economic Sectors, and Industrial Areas in Spain
Characteristics of Democratic and Authoritarian States
Democratic States:
- Main Feature: The people decide.
- Elect their political representatives in free elections.
- These representatives form assemblies or parliaments.
- Can be republics or monarchies:
Republic
The head of state is a president elected through elections.
Parliamentary Monarchy
The Head of State is a monarch by inheritance who exercises their functions under the control of parliamentary institutions.
Authoritarian State:
- The population lacks freedoms.
- Power is exercised by a single person, political group, or other entity.
- The most common form is a dictatorship where people are oppressed by violence.
Types of Dictatorships:
- Military Dictatorships: The army is in power.
- Totalitarian Dictatorship: A party assumes control of the government in the hands of a dictator.
Theocracy:
Power is held by a religious authority.
Economic Sectors
Primary Sector
Definition: Economic sector that includes activities such as:
- Agriculture
- Livestock
- Fishing
- Mining
This sector provides food and raw materials for industry.
Agricultural Landscapes in Spain
Interior Mediterranean Landscape
- Mediterranean climate
Cereal Landscape
- Found in Castile, Extremadura, and the Ebro basin.
- Crops of wheat and barley.
- Estates predominate.
- Sheep farming combines with cereal cultivation.
- The habitat is concentrated: larger or smaller towns are far between.
Olive Grove Landscape
- Found in Andalusia.
- The farmhouse is the traditional way of operating.
Industrial Areas in Spain
Distribution by Region:
Catalonia, Basque Country, and Valencian Community.
Aragon, Asturias and Cantabria are overcoming unemployment difficulties.
Andalusia, Autonomous Community of Navarre and Castilla-La Mancha are emerging as new dynamic zones.
Distribution by Metropolitan Agglomerations:
Barcelona, Madrid, Bilbao, and Valencia remain important. There is a contrast between old and new industrial estates and technological parks.
Greater dynamism in the Ebro axis, the Mediterranean axis, and the Atlantic Galician axis.
Other average cities (Malaga, Valladolid, Burgos, Vitoria-Gasteiz) have also evolved.
Rural industrialization in certain interior regions specializes in footwear, clothes, and toys.
Tertiary Sector
Definition: Economic sector including service activities such as transport, trade, hotels, tourism, health, education, and finance.
Factors Driving Outsourcing
In Prosperous Countries and Regions:
- Increased Income and Improved Standard of Living: Increases the demand for services such as finance, culture, leisure, and tourism.
- Generalization of the Welfare State: The population has access to public services like education and health.
- The search for greater competitiveness of companies with engineering services, IT, marketing, and development of financial capital markets has raised the number of companies, banks, and insurance companies operating in the stock exchange.
In Poor Countries:
- For the same reasons in social groups with high purchasing power.
- On the need to employ many people with low skills: functions as a refuge sector with low-paid jobs and low productivity.