Colonial Empires and Their Impact: 19th and 20th Centuries
The Great Colonial Empires of the 19th and 20th Centuries
The Conquest Process
In 1830, England conquered India, and France conquered Algeria. The Berlin Conference of 1885 saw the great powers divide continents among themselves. There were few independent states in Africa, notably Ethiopia and Liberia. A special case was Latin America, which gained independence from Spain and Portugal.
The Great British Empire
The British Empire was the largest, with colonies on every continent. Its moment of greatest
Read MoreMedieval Iberian Peninsula: Society, Culture, and Politics
The Iberian Peninsula in the Middle Ages: Models of Reforestation and Social Organization of the Christian Kingdoms
Reforestation refers to the peaceful occupation of vacant land during the Middle Ages. This was made possible due to population growth and the Mudejar population. Military recruitment had four major stages:
- Monacal (8th-11th centuries): Free men and monks settled in the barren lands of the Douro Valley and the Pyrenees, sometimes under the direction of kings or counts, but mostly on
European Maritime Expansion and Societal Changes: 15th-16th Centuries
During the Early Modern period, European expeditions explored many new parts of the world. At the beginning of the 15th century, Europeans had limited geographical knowledge. They knew very little about most of Africa, Europe, and the territories around the Mediterranean and Black Seas, India, China, and Japan.
Trade with the East
Exotic products from the Far East, such as silk and spices, were highly appreciated in medieval Europe. Merchants carried them along the Silk Road, a trade route that linked
Read MoreRural Spain: Agriculture, Livestock, Forestry & Tourism
Economic Activities in Rural Areas of Spain
Agriculture
Agriculture is a modernized financial sector in Spain. It has evolved from a traditional model into a family farm business model with high investments in technology, machinery, and fertilizers. Crops may be classified according to different criteria:
- Water supply: Rainfed and irrigated
- Land use:
- Extensive: If production per unit area and worker is low
- Intensive: If the output per worker and unit area is high
- Crop diversity: Polyculture and monoculture
- Plant
Key Terms in Global Economics and Social Dynamics
Economic and Political Systems
- Globalization: The process of integration that affects economic, political, and cultural systems across geographical boundaries.
- Anti-globalization movement: A collection of various social groups and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that work together in global networks, organizing protests against globalization.
- Capitalist economic model: A market economy; an economic system in which companies and people are free to produce, buy, and sell goods and services without
Regional Farming in Spain: An Overview
Oceanic Agricultural Landscape
Agriculture: Concentrated in valley bottoms, specializing in gardening for human consumption (potatoes, vegetables) and forage crops for livestock.
Livestock Farming: More significant due to abundant mountain grazing areas. Specializes in extensive beef cattle, with increasing importance of native breeds. Coastal and urban areas feature intensive mixed cattle farming. Both feedlot and dairy products are surplus in the European Union, leading to production quotas.