Ecosystems 5º Primary Natural science

Population

                                                       source: you tube (Beatriz Cánovas)

Population and economy of Europe and Spain

 Unit 4  Social Science 6º

The population of Europe and Spain

1.- Characteristics of the population

Europe is a highly populated continent. More tan 700 million people  live in Europe, 47 million of them in Spain.

Europe and Spain have an ageing population due to:

1.- Low birth rate: in Europe, very few babies are born.

2.- Hifh life expectancy: in Europe, life expectancy is 78 years. in Spain, it is 82 years.

This means that there are more elderly people than young people, the growth rate is very low.

2.-Distribution of the population

Most of the population of Europe is urban. The average population density in Europe is about 70 inhabitants/ km2

1.- Areas with high population density: countries in the middle of Europe, such as Luxembourg, Germany, the United Kingdom.

2.- Areas with low population density: these include countries in northern Europe which have cold climates such as Iceland, Norway, Finland, Sweden and Russia.

Population density in Spain is about 93 inhabitants/km2.Most of the population in Spain is urban. The most populated areas are along the coastline, in the community of Madrid, on the islands and on the capital cities of the provinces. Soria and Terual are the less populated provinces.

3.- Migration

Europe receives thousands of emigrants. Emigration has the following effects:

1.- Increase in population: immigrants are usually Young and often have children.

2.- Increase in the active population: Immigrants come to Europe for work.

3.- Multiculturalism: Europe is a continent with great cultural diversity.

The primary sector in Europe and Spain

The primary sector includes Jobs which obtain resources from nature. The main activities are: agricultura, livestock farming and fishing.

1.Agriculture

There are two agricultural areas:

1.- The great European Plain and Russia:this is a very fertile área. The main crops are cereals, potatoes and beets.

2.- The Mediterranean region: this área produces dry crops such as wheat, grapes and olives and irrigated crops such as fruit and vegetables.

In spain we have dry crops: cereals, grapes and olives especially in Castille- La Mancha, Castille  and León and Andalusia and irrigated crops  such as fruit, rice and vegetables in the Community of Valencia, Murcia and in Andalusia.

2.Livestock farming

It can be:

1.- Intensive livestock farming is common in northern and central Europe. It includes cattle, sheep and pig farming.

2.- Extensive livestock farming is common in the Mediterranean región. It includes cattle and sheep farming.

In Spain , pig farming is the most common type of livestock farming, followed by sheep farming.

3.Fishing

In recent years, fishing activity in Europe has decreased due to overexplotation of the European fisheries.However, thanks to European agreements,  European fishing fleets can fish in seas and oceans from other continents.

Spain is one of the leading fishing countries in the world. There is onshore fishing in small boats near the coast and offshore fishing in large, industrial boats in the ocean.

4.Forestry and Mining

Forestry this activity takes place mainly in the north of Europe.

Mining: coal, iron, gas…

The Secondary sector in Europe

It includes Jobs which transform raw materials into manufactured products.

1.Industry

Europe is one of the most industrialized continents in the world. There are three main industries:

1.- Heavy industry: makes products which are used by other industries, for example iron industry, metallurgy which is focused on the production of other metals.

2.- The machinery and equipment industry:makes machines, tools, vehicles..

3.- The consumer godos industry: makes products that go directly to consumers: food, pharmaceutical, electronics, textile…

The tertiary sector in Europe and Spain

It includes all Jobs which provide services.

1.-Trade is the buying and selling of products which are produced in the primary and secondary sectors

There are two types:

1.- Foreign trade is commerce with other countries.

·      Exports are products one country sells to other countries.

·      Imports are products one country buys from other countries.

2.- Domestic trade is commerce within a country.

·      Wholesale trade: which involves buying large quantities from producers and selling them in smaller quantities to retail shops.

·      Retail trade which involves selling goods directly to consumers. It includes shops, supermarkets…

Trade in Europe Europe is the continent with the most comercial trade in the world. It exports chemicals, metal products, materials for vehicles.. they import petrol and raw materials.

Trade in Spain: Foreign trade is important with countries in the European Union, the united States , China and Russia. Spain exports industrial products, food, shoes and cars. It imports vehicles, petrol, gas, pharmaceutical products and machinery.

2.- Transport it is needed to move people and to distribute products. Europe has the densest network of railways and roadways in the world. It also has major ports and one of the largest and most modern air trnsport networks in the world.

In Spain we have an extensive system of railways and motorways, big ports for the marine transport such as Bilbao , Barcelona and Algeciras. The busiest airport in spain is Adolfo Suárez in Madrid Barajas.

3.- Tourism it includes all the services for people who are on holiday: hotels, restaurants.. The tourism can be beach tourism, rural tourism, cultural tourism or adventure tourism.

Spain is the third most visited country in the world. Tourism is a very important economic activity.

Sensitivity 5º

Science week!

Do you feel like doing experiments at home? go to this  link.

( Teresa Valdés Solís)

Arts and crafts in the Science class!! what a fun!!

Watersheds and Climates social science 6º unit 2

RIVERS,CLIMATES AND VEGETATION OF SPAIN AND EUROPE

What do you remember?

Characteristics of a river

The river bed is the ground over which a river flows. 

The flow is the amount of water the river carries.

The course of a river is the path it takes from its mouth. It is affected by the landscape. 

Climate is the weather in a particular región over a long period of time. Temperature and precipitation are the main elements of climate.

The watersheds of Spain

Rivers in Spain are different due to the diversity of climate and landscape. Most of the rivers are short. In areas with a wet climate, rivers have an abundant flow, whereas in áreas with a drier climate, rivers have a very low flow.

In some areas of the Mediterranean coast and in the Balearic and Canary Islands there are seasonal streams called torrents, which only appear when it rains.

A watershed is an area where all rivers  and streams flow into the same sea. There are 3 main watersheds in Spain:

1.- The Cantabrian watershed in the North.

2.- The Mediterranean watershed in the East and South.

3.- The Atlantic watershed in the West and South.

The Cantabrian Watershed

It is the smallest watershed. It includes short and very steep rivers that flow into the Cantabrian sea. The rivers have a regular and abundant flow because there is a lot of rainfall.

The main rivers in this watershed are:

1.- The Nervión and the Bidasoa, in the Basque Country.

2.- The Saja and the Besaya in Cantabria.

3.- The Nalón and Navia in Asturias.

4.- The EO between Asturias and Galicia.

The Mediterranean watershed

Most rivers in this watershed are short and carry little water because of the low rainfall. They have an irregular flow regime: low flow in summer and high flow in spring and autumn.

The main rivers are:

1.- The Ebro: it starts in the Cantabrian range. It is a long river with very abundant flow. Its main tributaries are : Aragón, Gállego, Jalón and Huerva.

2.- The Júcar: it starts in the Iberian Mountain Chain. Its tributary Cabriel.

3.- The Segura: it starts in the Subbetic Range. Its main tributary is the Mundo.

4.- other rivers in this watershed include the Turia and the Ter.

In this watershed we also have seasonal streams or torrents. When it rains a lot rivers can overflow and cause serious flooding.

The Atlantic watershed

It is the largest watershed with the longest rivers. Rivers in this watershed start in mountains far from the Atlantic Ocean and have an irregular flow regime. The main rivers are:

1.- Rivers of Galicia: they are short rivers with abundant flow and regular flow regime because of the rainfall. The longest river is the Miño.

2.- The rivers of The Inner Plateau: they are long because they start in the mountains far from the ocean. They have an abundant flow, but irregular flow regime. The main rivers are:

1.- The Duero and its tributaries the Pisuerga and Tormes.

2.- The Tajo and its tributaries the Jarama and Tiétar.

3.- The Guadiana and its tributaries the Cigüela and the Zújar.

3.- The rivers of Andalusia: the Guadalquivir and its tributary the Genil.

In the Canary Islands we have gullies when it rains heavily.

                               Angel Perea López ( Youtube)

             Climates of Spain

There are 4 types of climates in Spain: Oceanic, Mountain, Subtropical and Mediterranean.

1.- Oceanic climate:this is the climate in the North of the Iberian península. ( Galicia, Asturias, Cantabria, the Basque Country, Navarre, the North of Aragón and Castile and León)

·     Temperatures: are warm in summer and mild in Winter due to the proximity of the sea.

·     Precipitation: is abundant and regular all year long.

2.- Mountain climate: in mountainous regions above 1,500 metres.

·     Temperatures: are cool in summer and very low in Winter.

·     Precipitation: is abundant. It often snows in Winter.

3.- Subtropical climate: this is the climate of the Canary Islands.

·     Temperatures: are mild all year long.

·     Precipitation: in the north part of the islands is higher. In the islands closest to Africa, such as Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, the precipitation is scarce.

4.- Mediterranean climate:is the most common climate in Spain.

There are 3 variations.

1.- Typical Mediterranean climate: 

(Balearic Islands and most of the Mediterranean coast)

·     Temperatures: are high in summer and mild in Winter.

·     Precipitation: is scarce and irregular, highest in spring and autumn and drought in summer.

2.- Continental Mediterranean climate:

( most inland areas of the Iberian Peninsula, part of Catalonia and Andalusia)

·     Temperatures: are high in summer and low in Winter.

·     Precipitation:is scarce.

3.- Dry Mediterranean climate:

 ( southeastern areas of the Iberian Peninsula)

·     Temperatures: are mild along the coast and extreme inland.

·     Precipitation: is very scarce with extremely dry summers.

A                                                 Angel Perea López ( Youtube)

RIVERS AND WATERSHEDS IN EUROPE

There are 5 watersheds: Atlantic, Arctic, Mediterranean, Black sea and the Caspian watershed.

1.- Mediterranean watershed: rivers here have a low and iregular flow because of droughts in summer. The main rivers from East to West are: The Po, the Rhone and the Ebro.

2.- Atlantic watershed: rivers here have the highest flow in Europe. The main rivers are: the western  Dvina, the Vistula, the Oder, the Elbe, the Rhine, the Loire and the Tajo.

3.- Black Sea watershed:rivers are very long with a high flow, so they are navigable by boat. The main rivers are: The Dnieper, the Dniester and the Danube.

4.- Caspian Sea watershed: rivers are long with high flow, including the longest river in Europe, the Volga.

5.- Arctic watershed:they have a very high flow and freeze in Winter. The main rivers are: the Pechora and the Northen Dvina.

                                                   Angel Perea López ( Youtube)

CLIMATES IN EUROPE

Europe is located between two climatic zones: the temperate zone and the cold zone.

       TEMPERATE CLIMATES

Most Europe does not have very high or very low temperaturas. We can find the following temperate climates:

1.- Oceanic climate: this is the climate of areas along the Atlantic Ocean and the Central Europe. Temperatures are mild in summer and low in Winter.

Precipitation is abundant and regular.

2.- Mediterranean Climate: this is the climate of the Mediterranean  coastal  areas and some areas of the South of Europe. Temperatures are high in summer and mild in Winter.

Precipitation is low, especially in summer.

3.- Continental climate: this is the climate of inland areas in Eastern Europe. Temperatures are high in summer and very low in Winter.

Precipitation is higher in summer.

                  COLD CLIMATES

There are 2 types of cold climates:

1.- Polar climates: this is the climate of the Scandinavian countries and Russia. It is the coldest climate on Earth. Temperatures are very low under 0º C for most of the year. Precipitation is scarce.

2.- Mountain climate: this is the climate of high mountain ranges. Temperatures are very low in Winter and cool in summer. Precipitation is abundant.

                                                Angel Perea López ( Youtube)

             THE VEGETATION IN EUROPE

·     Vegetation in temperate regions.

1.- in areas with Oceanic climate: there are meadows and forest with beech and oak trees.

2.- in areas with Mediterranean climate there are forests with holm oaks, cork oaks and bushes.

3.- In areas with Continental climate there are forests with evergreen trees such as firs and pines, known as taigas and plains with por soil where only grasses can grow, known as steppes.

·     Vegetation in cold regions: in areas with Polar climate, vegetation is scarce. In the warmest areas, mosses, lichens and small shrubs grow, this is known as tundra.