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.