106

9 Spain’s human

and politicalgeography

Over the last centuries,people have moved fromthe country to the city.Nowadays, more thanhalf of the people in

Spain live in cities ortowns.

In the past many Spanish peopleemigrated to find work in other

European countries. Now,Spain has become a countrythat receives foreignworkers, most of them fromNorth Africa and Latin

America. The movement ofpeople from one country to

another is called emigration.

When didpeople move tothe cities?Where do mostpeople live inSpain?

Why did Spanish peopleemigrate in thepast? What is happening now?

Births, deaths,emigration andimmigration change thepopulation of a country.In general the populationin towns and cities growsmore quickly than invillages.

What factorschange thepopulation of a country?

106_117_16310_U9.qxd:2º ciclo primaria 20/3/09 22:54 Página 106

People havebeen living inSpain since theStone Age. Some of thefirst people to live herewere Iberians, Celts,and Phoenicians. Later,many other groups ofpeople settled in Spain,such as the Romans,Visigoths and Muslims.

107

When did peoplestart to live inSpain? Who werethe first peoplesto live in Spain?

Read, listen and answerJean Baudrillard was a Frenchphilosopher and sociologist.

1. Who was Jean Baudrillard? 2. Where did he work?3. What did he say about

society?4. What did he think

about consumerism?

47

My words

Agriculture, Crops, Employ, Foreign, Immigration, Livestock farming, Migration,

Population, Poultry, Trade.

48

106_117_16310_U9.qxd:2º ciclo primaria 20/3/09 22:54 Página 107

108

The population in Spain Has Spain got a large population? Is the Spanish populationchanging?

1

Distribution of the Spanish population

Apart from theprovinces of Madridand Seville, the mostpopulated areas inSpain are along thecoast.

There are six cities withmore than 500,000inhabitants: Madrid,Barcelona, Valencia,Sevilla, Zaragoza andMálaga.

How many inhabitants are there in Spain? What does the population of a country depend on?

2

Where are the most populated areas in Spain? What are thelargest cities in Spain?

3

The population refers to the number of people who live in a place. Thepopulation in Spain increased progressively during the twentiethcentury.

According to the census carried out in 2008, the population of Spainis 46 million inhabitants. However, the density of its population, at91.4/km², is lower than the average of other European countries.

The population of a country changes in two ways:

Natural growth occurs when there are more births than deaths. Thenatural increase in population is the difference between births anddeaths. We subtract the number of deaths per 1,000 inhabitants fromthe number of births per 1,000 inhabitants to obtain the naturalincrease: birth rate – death rate = natural increase.Migration is the movement of people to different places in an area. Wecan identify how much the population increases due to migration if wesubtract the number of emigrants from the number of immigrants.

This chart shows us that Spanish population is getting older becausethe birth rate is decreasing.

Mill

ion

inha

bita

nts

Population evolution in Spain

45 2 013 1 30% 2 4 5

80-8475-79

85 +

70-7465-6960-6455-5950-5445-4940-4435-3930-3425-2920-2415-1910-145-90-4

Population pyramid, Spain, 2007

Male Age Female

Madrid

BarcelonaZaragoza

Valencia

Sevilla

Málaga

Valladolid

Álava

Cantabria

Rioja

Murcia

PamplonaLeón

Salamanca

Córdoba

GranadaAlmería

Melilla

Ceuta

Albacete

GuipúzcoaVizcaya

Burgos

A Coruña Asturias

Lleida

Islas Baleares

Castellón

Alicante

Badajoz

Huelva

Cádiz

Jaén

Ciudad Real

Toledo

Cuenca

Ávila

Segovia

Soria

Guadalajara

Teruel

PontevedraOurense

Lugo

Zamora

Palencia Huesca Girona

Tarragona

Cáceres

Tenerife

Gran Canaria

More than 500

Between 140 and 500

Between 65 and 140

Between 30 and 65

Less than 30

Population densitiesby province in 2007(inhabitants per km2)

Language Point

Decrease � is theopposite of increase �The rate of births isdecreasing.In Spain, the populationincreased progressivelyduring the twentiethcentury.

106_117_16310_U9.qxd:2º ciclo primaria 24/3/09 04:41 Página 108

109

What is the economically active population made up of? Howhas the situation of women at work changed?

1

Is unemployment a problem in Spain? What does the INSS do? 2

The active population: employment

Unemployment

Unemployment, the number of people who donot have jobs, is higher in Spain than in someother countries in Europe. Young people andforeigners who move to Spain often havedifficulties finding a job. At present, there aremore than 2,500,000 unemployed people.About 60% of them are women.

When you have a job, the Instituto Nacional dela Seguridad Social (INSS) is responsible for yoursocial security. It pays for and coordinateshealthcare, sickness, pensions, unemploymentand invalidity payment.

The economically active population is made up of employed workersand unemployed workers over 16 years. About 90% of the activepopulation has jobs, and about 10% is unemployed.

The economically inactive population is made up of children under16, pensioners and people who do unpaid work at home. In 1960about 15% of the active population were women. Since then, thenumber of women at work has been increasing. Today more than 40%of women have jobs.

Now I know

Copy and match each definition with its term.1. The number of people who live in a place.

2. The difference between births and deaths.

3. The movement of people to different places in an area.

4. Employed workers and unemployed workers over 16.

5. It is responsible for our social security system.

a. Migration

b. The economically active population

c. Natural growth

d. The Instituto Nacional de la Seguridad Social

e. Population

ListenLook at the first graph onpage 108 and answer thequestions.

49

Safety at work is veryimportant.

Unemployment in Spain.

Under 7%

Between 7-9%

10%

Over 10%

Castilla-La Mancha

Melilla

Ceuta

Regiónde Murcia

Andalucía

Islas Canarias

Islas Baleares

C. ValencianaExtremadura

C. deMadrid

CataluñaAragón

Castilla y León

La Rioja

C. F. deNavarra

P. VascoCantabriaP. de Asturias

Galicia

106_117_16310_U9.qxd:2º ciclo primaria 24/3/09 04:41 Página 109

Raw food-producing areas in Spain.

110

Spain’s economy What types of job are most common in Spain? What jobs dopeople in your family do?

1

Primary sector

The primary sector of the economy obtains raw materials from nature.Spain has the following industries in the primary sector.

• Agriculture depends on the relief and climate of the land. The basicproducts of Spain include cereal (wheat and barley), olives and grapevines in dry places and fruit, potatoes, rice and vegetables inirrigated zones.

• Livestock farming consists of breeding animals, such as poultry,sheep, and pigs. There are smaller numbers of cattle and goats.

• Fishing is an important industry in Spain with about 8,000 km ofcoastline. Two of the main types of fish are sardine and hake.

• Mining is limited in Spain because mineral resources are also limited.The most important mineral deposits are iron, mercury, uranium,zinc, coal and lead.

What percentage of the active economic population in Spain work in the primary sector? What industries are most important in Spain?

2

In the rural areas of Spain, the population is mainly employed in theprimary sector. In the urban areas most people work in thesecondary and tertiary sectors. At the beginning of the twentiethcentury, 60% of the population worked in the primary sector.Nowadays, only about 5% of the inhabitants of Spain work in thecountryside.

5% Primary sector

30% Secondary sector

65% Tertiary sector

Language Point

Types = kindsTwo of the main types offish are sardines andhake.

Spain is one of the world’slargest producers of oliveoil and wine. Can you findout which places in Spainproduce them?

Find out more

Spanish employment sectors.

106_117_16310_U9.qxd:2º ciclo primaria 20/3/09 22:54 Página 110

111

Secondary sector

Tertiary sector

What are the most important industries in Spain? Where doesmost of the economically active population work?

1

Spain’s industrialisation took place after the1960s. The industrial areas are concentratedalong the northern coast and in the BasqueCountry, Cataluña, Valencia and Madrid. Thereare also industrial centres located near otherlarge cities.

The most important industries are:

• Metallurgy, based on producing iron and steel.

• Manufacturing, such as shipbuilding andautomobile production.

• Food processing, an industry that producestinned food and drinks.

• Textiles, for making clothing and footwear.

• Chemical production at plants that producepaint, plastic and paper.

• Furniture, such as tables and doors.

The construction industry, producing buildingsroads, ports and airports.

About 65% of the economically activepopulation works in the tertiary sector. The mainactivities of this sector are trade, tourism andtransport, as well as education and health careare also very important activities of this sector.

• Domestic trade is carried out between cities inthe same country.

• Foreign trade is carried out between countries.We sell (export) processed iron products,

chemical products, clothing and footwear. Webuy (import) petroleum products, metals andpaper products from other countries.

• Tourism is essential to Spain. We receive morethan 55 million visitors every year.

• Transport allows us to move people and goodsfrom one place to another. In Spain we useland transport, air transport and seatransport.

Now I know

Copy and complete these sentences.1. Today, the percentage of people who work in the

country is ......2. The main kinds of livestock are ......

3. Industrial production is concentrated on thenorthern ......

4. Foreign trade is carried out ......

ListenListen and correct the mistakes.

50

The Secondary sector in Spain.

Iron and steel

Machinery and metals

Chemicals and otherpetroleum refining

Mineral processing

Textiles and clothing

Food processing

Other industry

A Coruña

Barcelona

Sagunto

Córdoba

Cádiz Málaga

Santa Cruzde Tenerife

Cartagena

Palma

IslasBaleares

Islas Canarias

Valencia

Madrid

Sevilla

ValladolidBurgos

Zaragoza

Bilbao

El Ferrol

Santander

Gijón

Oviedo

Avilés

Vigo

106_117_16310_U9.qxd:2º ciclo primaria 24/3/09 04:44 Página 111

112

The territorial organisation in SpainIs Spain one of Europe’s biggest or smallest countries? How manyautonomous communities are there in Spain?

1

Political organisation in Spain

Spain’s political system is ademocratic constitutionalmonarchy with a parliamentarygovernment. The legislating bodyis called the Cortes Generales,which are made up of theCongreso de los Diputados andthe Senado. The President of theCongreso de los Diputados is thehead of government.

Each Autonumous Community has its own government that sharesadministrative responsibilities with the central government. In addition,there are two other levels of government below the national and theautonomic ones: provinces and municipalities. They regulate localpublic administrations.

The Spanish Constitution of 1978 defines the structure of the stateand the social and legal rights of the citizens of Spain.

How big is Spain? What countriesborder Spain?

2

Who supervises that the State functions correctly? 3

What does the Constitution define?4

Spain is one of the largest countries inEurope with an area of 504,800 km². It isbordered to the south and east by theMediterranean Sea, to the north byFrance, Andorra, and the Bay of Biscay;and to the west by the Atlantic Ocean andPortugal.

Spain is made up of 17 AutonomousCommunities and two Autonomous Cities,Ceuta and Melilla.

Gibraltar is a Britishterritory (6 square km)located in the IberianPeninsula. There is aterritorial dispute betweenSpain and the UnitedKingdom over Gibraltar. Do you know whenGibraltar became a Britishterritory?

Find out more

The Autonomous Communities and Cities of Spain.

Madrid

BarcelonaZaragoza

Valencia

Sevilla

Málaga

Valladolid

Álava

Santander

Logroño

Murcia

NavarraLeón

Salamanca

Córdoba

GranadaAlmería

Albacete

GuipúzcoaVizcaya

Burgos

A Coruña Asturias

Lleida

Baleares

Castellón

Alicante

Melilla

Ceuta

Badajoz

Huelva

Cádiz

Jaén

Ciudad Real

Toledo Cuenca

Ávila

Segovia

Soria

GuadalajaraTeruel

Santiago deCompostela

PontevedraOurense

Lugo

ZamoraPalencia Huesca Girona

Tarragona

Cáceres

Mérida

TenerifeGran Canaria

Congreso de los Diputados.

106_117_16310_U9.qxd:2º ciclo primaria 20/3/09 22:54 Página 112

113

What age must you be to vote? What are the two parts of theSpanish Parliament?

1

Who elects the members of the judiciary body of the Spanishgovernment? How many members represent each province in theCongreso de los Diputados?

2

The electoral system

A constitutional monarchy is a form of government that combines aconstitutional system with the figure of a monarch as the head of thestate.

The Spanish Constitution establishes three powers: Legislative,Executive and Judiciary. Spanish citizens who are older than 18 electthe politicians —deputies and senators— that represent the citizens fora maximum of four years in the Legislative body. The Judiciary bodyis independent, but it is elected by deputies and senators.

The most voted political party forms the Executive body, which consistsof the Council of Ministers and the President.

The Spanish Parliament consists of the Senado with 259 seats andCongreso de los Diputados with 350 seats.

In the Congreso de Diputados,there are two members for eachprovince and one for Ceuta andMelilla. The remaining 248 areproportionally distributed forevery 70,000 inhabitants.

In the Senado, 208 members areelected by direct popular voteand 51 members are elected byregional legislatures.

Now I know

Read and complete the sentences.

1. Spain is a democracy organised in a ......2. ..... defines the structure of the state and the social

and legal rights of Spanish citizens.

3. The ..... body is elected by deputies and senators.

4. The ..... estublishes three powers.

ListenListen and guess thewords that are beingdefined.

51

a. Spanish Constitution

b. Judiciary

c. The Spanish Constitution of 1978

d. Constitutional monarchy.

ElSenado.

A ballot box. The Spanish Constitution.

106_117_16310_U9.qxd:2º ciclo primaria 20/3/09 22:54 Página 113

My turn

114

Make an electric map

Materials:• A cork board (A3 size)

• A 4-5 volt battery

• Wire (about 2 metres)

• A bulb holder

• A small bulb

• Paper fasteners

• Glue and adhesive tape

• Tools: pliers, screwdriver, sharp scissors, ruler, pencil.

Bulb holder

Small torch

Battery

Front Back

Join wire to paper fasteners like this

1

2

3

4 5 6 7

1. Draw a map of your Autonomous Community, yourcountry or Europe on the left and a list with names of thecities, towns and mountain ranges, on the right. Colour itand glue it on the board. Use a ruler to place it correctly.

2. Make holes next to the places and also next to their names.Place a paper fastener in each hole.

3. Turn the board over and join each place to the right namewith a piece of wire, (make sure you remove the plasticfrom the ends of the wire).

4. Glue or fix the bulb holder to the board.5. Join the battery to the bulb holder as shown in the

diagram. 6. Leave the ends of both wires free. Make sure your wire is

long enough.7. Now test yourself.

106_117_16310_U9.qxd:2º ciclo primaria 20/3/09 22:55 Página 114

Our world

115

World Heritage Sites in Spain

Why do people from all over the world cometo visit Spain?

1

Have you visited any UNESCO World Heritage sites in Spain?Which ones?

2

Find out more information about the places of interest thatpeople come to visit where you live.

3

Baeza, Jaén. Cuenca, Castilla La Mancha.

Many places in Spain have Iberian, Celtiberian,Latin, Visigoth, Roman and Islamic remains. TheUNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific,and Cultural Organisation) has declared that someof these places are of international interest. Theycall these places World Heritage Sites.

Spain has the second highest number of UNESCOWorld Heritage Sites in the world (after Italy), witha total of 40.

The World Heritage Sites in Spain include cities or towns such as Ávila,Alcalá de Henares, Cáceres, Córdoba, Cuenca, Salamanca, SanCristóbal de La Laguna, Santiago de Compostela, Segovia, Toledo,Úbeda and Baeza.

Others are natural places such as Las Médulas in León or the Palm TreeForest in Elche. There are also archaeological excavations such asAtapuerca or the Roman archaeology in Mérida.

Most sites are buildings like the Alhambra in Granada or theMonastery of El Escorial in Madrid. Others extend across differentareas, such as El Camino de Santiago. However, there are a lot of veryspecial places in Spain that are not included in the UNESCO list.

People from all over the world come to Spain to visit these places.Maybe that’s why Spain is the second most visited country in theworld after France.

La Alhambra, Granada.

Santiago de Compostela.

World Heritage Sites in Spain.

Torre deHércules

Las Médulas

SalamancaÁvila

GuadalupeCáceres

MéridaIbiza

Úbeda y Baeza

Granada

Córdoba

San Cristóbalde la Laguna

Parque Nacionalde Garajonay

Doñana

Sevilla

Elche

ValenciaToledo

CuencaAranjuez

Alcalá de Henares

Monasteriodel Escorial

SegoviaTarraco

Poblet

Barcelona

Hospitalde Sant Pau

Vall de BoiMonte Perdido

San Millánde Yuso y de Suso

Atapuerca

Burgos

Cueva deAltamiraOviedo

LugoCamino deSantiago

Santiago

106_117_16310_U9.qxd:2º ciclo primaria 20/3/09 22:55 Página 115

My progress

116

Complete the sentences with one or more words.

1. Some of the first people to live in Spain were ......2. The population in Spain increased progressively during ......3. The most populated areas are around the ......4. The economically active population is made up of ......5. ..... often have difficulties finding work. 6. Agriculture, livestock farming, fishing, and mining belong to ......7. Industrial production is concentrated on the northern coast and

in ......8. About 65% of the economically active population works in the

..... sector. 9. Spain is a democracy organised in a ......

10. ..... defines the social and legal rights of the citizens and definesthe structure of the state.

1

Explain these terms in your own words.

1. Livestock Farming is ......2. Migration refers to ......3. Population refers to ......4. The Economically active population consists of ......5. A rural area is ......

6. Democracy refers to ......7. The Constitution establishes ......8. An inhabitant is a person who ......9. The tertiary sector has the function of ......

10. Agriculture refers to ......

2

Copy and complete this map with the names of the provinces and Autonomous Communities.

3

106_117_16310_U9.qxd:2º ciclo primaria 20/3/09 22:55 Página 116

Organising what I know

117

Look at the mind map. Copy and complete it.1

Write the name of some industries of your town.3

Find out information about the economic activities near the place where you live.

2

PRIMARYSECTOR

SECONDARYSECTOR

TERTIARYSECTOR

ECONOMIC SECTORS IN SPAIN

cereals, potatoes,fruit and

vegetables

poultry, sheep, pigs, cattle

..... ..... ..... ..... .....

the main activities are

the most important industries are:

the main activities are

Producing Iron and steel

Producing cars,televisions

Producing clothes and

shoes

Producingpaints, plastics

and paper

Producing buildings roads,

ports and airports

..... ..... .....

.....

.....

.....

..... ..... ..... ..... .....

106_117_16310_U9.qxd:2º ciclo primaria 20/3/09 22:55 Página 117