Concept of education
THE TERTIARY SECTOR involves activities that do not produce material products,but which instead provide individuals, companies and the goverment with services such as transport, healthcare, tourism, education, administration and banking.
Characteristics
Role in the economy:
the tertiary sector currently provides jobs to 60% of the active population in developed countries. In certain cases, it accounts for over 70
% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). In Spain, it provides work for 76% of the population and accounts for over 72% of GDP.
Importance
It’s the sector that best characterises a developed economy. Such economies also typically have what is referred to as a welfare state.
Service classification: According to who manages the different services, they can be subdivided into:
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Public services:
Social services only provided the state, autonomus communities and city councils, such as healthcare, education, justice, defence, policing and so on.
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Mixed services:
Services that are provided by the state as well as private companies, such as healthcare and education.
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Private services:
Services provided by private companies They are tipically responsible for the management of education, healthcare, financial services, the media, transport, hotels and so on.
The impact of the tertiary sector:
Activities that belong to the tertiary sector have led to profound changes in people’s lives, as well as serious consequences for our natural landscapes (the enviroment)
Changes in the lives of people:
The tertiary sector has transformed current societies and economies. New professions related to tourism, culture, trade and communications evolved because of the service sector’s importance. In addition, it aided the development of other activities that existed previously, such as healthcare and education; it also changed the way people enjoy entertainment and leisure activities (tourism, travel, culturalcentres and shows)
Changes in the landscapes:
Transformations to the landscape caused by the tertiary sector are very apparent. Natural and rural enviroments have suffered as a result of intense programmes of land development for the services industry, such as the construction of theme parks, sport centres, commercial areas and large transport networks. In urban landscapes, there are also parks, houses, and underground transport networks.
TRANSPORT refers to the movement of people and/or goods from one point to another, using a particular vehicle or mode of transport and a transport network
Types of transport:
We can categorise different modes of transport into land, water (canals, rivers and seas) and air transport.
The importance and impact of transport
Transport have created new landscapes (artificial or changed the previously ones)
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Transformation and connection of territories:
Certain transport infraestructures have become the main routes of communication that allow geographical spaces, which would otherwise be considered remote, to be developed. Examples (Trans-Siberian railway that connects Russia to Mongolia and China)
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Improvements in accessibility and fasts connections:
High speed trains allow people and goods to travel very quickly. Trains and buses are normally used for comparatively short jorneys. The plane is the fastest form of transport and is tipically used for longer journeys.
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Creation of new infraestructure and new landscapes:
New economic needs have led to the building of huge ports. Examples (Shanghai, Singapore, HongKong, Dubai and Rotterdam)
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Transformation and development of key locations:
The global network of maritime transport has key locations near narrow channels, passages between oceans and the mouths of great rivers. Examples (Singapore, Cape Town, Algeciras, Rotterdam, Panama City and Suez).
Types of transport
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Ground transport:
Takes place on road and highway routes, where the transport vehicles are buses, cars, motocycles and trucks. It’s used to transport goods and people on short to intermediate-length journeys. We must also mention trains.
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Water transport:
Is carried out by boats (using rivers, lakes, canals and shipping channels). This type of transport is most used to move of heavy goods.
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Air transport:
Planes are the mode of air transport most widely used, as well as the fatestone for covering large distances. They carry individuals or precious goods, and lightweight or preishable products. They use routes or airways between airports located all over the world.
TOURISM refers to the movement of people away from their regular home or place of residence to another area, for leisure and for a period of longer than a day.
Cultural tourism:
Attract people ho interests are cultural and historical. Important museum: Louvre (Paris), Prado (Madrid), Vatican Museum (London), Hermitage (St.Petersburg) and the Uffizi Gallery (Florence). Big concerts (the Salzburg Festival), sporting events (yhe Olympics) and globally renowned celebrations (the carnivals in Venice and Rio de Janeiro) also attract tourism.
Most importants tourist areas in the world:
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USA:
Generates tourists as well as hosts many tourists within its borders. Apart from urban, leisure and cultural tourism (New York, Washington, Las Vegas, Orlando) The USA has many great natural landscapes.
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Mediterranean countries:
France, Spain, Italy, Turkey, and Greece and the main destinations in this area. 250 million tourists visit them each year.
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The Caribbean:
The climate and landscapes found in this region have made it a prime location for tourists in search of sun and beaches. The most well-known countries are Mexico, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, the USA (Florida) and the rest of the Antillean islands.
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China and South-East Asia:
China, Thailand, Malaysia and the Philippines are becoming some of the most popular tourist destinations.
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The rest of Europe:
Over 100 million tourists visit the United Kingdom , Russia, Germany and the Netherlands.
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Other areas:
Many countries, such as Egypt, Brazil, India, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, the Gulf countries, Argentina and Chile, as well as the islands of the Pacific and Indian Ocean are also important tourist attractions.
The importance of tourism in Spain:
Is the main economic activitie found in Spain. Spain is the third most popular country in the world with foreign tourists. It has more tourists than inhabitant and it provides 12% of job.
Ecotourism is concerned with exploring the natural world in a way which helps local people and does not harm the enviroment.
Development of ecotourism
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Rural tourism:
Its main attractions are the natural landscapes and traditional lifestyle. It often has a family character to it, with accommodation provided in renovated country homes. This form of tourism has led to the recovery of many villages and has been strongly developed in Europe.
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Nature tourism:
This involves natural landscapes and spaces dedicated to adventure sports. There are several forms:
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To study local wildlife:
Africa possesses the largest variety of wildlife. The main destinations in Africa are Kenya, Tanzania and South Africa.
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To admire natural landscape:
According to the number of visitors that populate them each year, national parks such as Yellowstone (USA) and Teide (Spain) are worth mentioning.
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Practise nature-based (outdoor) sports:
This variety includes adventure sports, such as climbing, canyoning, hiking, cycling, as well as skiing. The most important destinations for skiing are found in the European mountains (Alps, Pyrenees), the USA (Rockies) and Japan.
Sun and beach tourism:
Is the most profitable due to the duration of stay (typically 1 week to 1 month). It attracts a large volume of tourists, it provides a good source of income for those involved and has a significant impact of the landscape.
Other types of tourism:
Theme parks:
Leisure facilities close to cities or resorts that receive millions of visitors each year. The most important are Disney World (Florida, Toyo, Paris), Futuroscope (Poitiers, France), Port Aventura and Terra Mítica (Spain)
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Sea and river cruises:
The main cruise routes travel around the Caribbean and the Mediterranean Sea. Other popular routes include cruising aurond the fjords of Norway and the Baltic Sea. Cruises are more popular in South-East Asian rivers, the Nile, the Rhine and the Danube.
Important touristic locations:
– Cancun (Mexico), (sun and beach as well and culture), (the town developed in the early 1970s as a resort to promote the natural and climatic characteristics of the area)
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Venice (Adriatic Sea, Italy), (cultural), (it was founded in the 5th century on a lagoon that has more than a hundred islands, currently connected by 455 bridges. This is one of the best examples of European civilisation of the Middle Ages).
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Grand Canyon (North of Arizona, USA), (nature), (canyon carved out by the Colorado River. It’s about 450 km long and reaches depths of 1600m.
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Perito Moreno
Glacier (provice of Santa Cruz, Patagonia, Argentina), (nature), (a 75-metre-tall glacier that is eroded by the river Rico, creating a natural dome that collapses prediocally).
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Bali Temples (Bali Islands, Indonesia), (cultural), (Hindu temples in Bali are testimony, since the 16th century, to the rich cultural diversity of the Indonesian archipelago.
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Disney World (Orlando, Florida, USA), (theme park), (inagurated in 1971. It has several theme parks, golf courses and hotels. It’s one of the largest holiday resorts of the world).
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Serengeti National Park (Mara, Tanzania), (nature), (high level of biodiversity and a very large number of mammals (lion, zebra, wildebeest, rhino, elephant, leopard. This location is the African savannah, which is a World Heritage site).
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Norwegian Fjords (Atlanti coast of Norway), (nature, culture), (the sea has eroded the land, creating a marvellous natural landscape).
TRADE is an economic activity that involves buying and selling products and services. Depending on where and how the transaction is performed, it is either domestic or international trade.
Domestic trade:
takes place within the borders of a country
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Wholesale trade:
Carried out by companies who buy large amounts of products of products directly from the manufacturer in order to sell the products on to the retailers.
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Retail trade:
Sell products directly to consumers. Examples of this activity are ahops, supermarkets and hypermarkets. It also involves selling products by mail, phone, television and the internet.
International trade:
Involves importing (buying international products and services)and exporting (selling preducts and services to other countries). The difference between exports and imports is recorded in the trade balance: ir can be positive (if exports are greater than imports), or negative (if it imports are greater than exports). It can also be balanced (if there is no difference between exports and impots).
Developed countries (in the European Union, Canada, the USA, Japan ans South Korea) carry out very important trade activities. They import raw materials and energy sources and export menufactured products and technology.
Less developed regions (Africa, South America and parts of Asia) export raw materials and sources of energy, and they import manfactured products (industrial and technological).
Many countries have joined together to form trading blocs to encourage international trade between their members. Some of this blocs are the European Union (EU), the Norh American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the Common Market of South America (Mercosur) and Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation.
TELECOMMUNICATIONS are long-distance systems that use cables or electromagnetic waves: television, radio, or data sharing between computers are all forms of telecommunications.
The telecommunications sector is one of the most importat areas of economic activity due to the amount of jobs it sustains. The 21st century is the century of communication. Information and communications technology (ITC) dominates all activities. Our society is a society of information and knowledge.
The internet is one of the major advances in telecommunications. It’s a worldwide computer network that allows the efficient and effective exchange of information between its members. We can use to search infomation, read the news… Many companies offering Internet services have emerged in recent years.
Other tertiary sector activities
Banking:
is all processes carried out by a bank or financial institution in order to administer or lend money. Banks lend money and charge interest, which is added to the sum to be repaid. There are international funds and organisations that provide financial assistance to developing countries, such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, which promote economic cooperation. The European Central Bank was created by the European Union to mantain the stability of prices in the Eurozone.
Education and culture:
Education is managed by the state. Education is one of the indicators that show how developed a country is. In more developed countries, education is obligatory (free, private or mixed). In less developed countries, there are many people who dont know how to read or write, because thay had to work due to their economic activitie.
Culture is the knowledge, ideas, traditions and customs of a country, time, or social group. Currently, the influence of American cultural models, through television, movies and the internet, has lead to the adoption of new values, customs and lifestyles.
Healthcare sustem:
Is also a big indicator of how much developed a country is. In developed countries, governments supply healthcare for their citizens, either directly or in a partnership with private companies. However, in less developed countries the healthcare sytem is defficient, as they don’t have enough doctors, hospitals, medicines or even drinkabke water.