MEDIEVAL CHURCHES

Early medieval churches were built in the Roman style, called Romanesque.
Romanesque churches had very thick walls made of stone.
They had round arches.
They were built with only a few small windows, so they were dark inside.
Later, medieval churches were built in a new style called Gothic.
Gothic churches had thinner stone walls and stone roofs.
The roofs were vaulted.
Gothic churches were larger and taller than Romanesque churches.
They were bright inside because they had many large windows.

Romanesque Church Santa María del Naranco,
in Oviedo, picture from Wikipedia by Amadalvarez

Gothic Church in Exeter, picture from Wikipedia, by Torsten Schneider

TRAVELLING IN MEDIEVAL TIMES

Travel was difficult and slow in medieval times.
There were few roads, and they were in poor condition.
Travelling was dangerous because many travellers were atacked by thieves.
People travelled on foot, on horseback or in horse-drawn carts.
Small sailing boats were used on rivers and at the sea.

LIFE IN MEDIEVAL TIMES

1000 years ago, noblemen lived in castles with their family, servants and soldiers.
They were built on hills and surrounded by a deep moat filled with water.
Walls made of thick stone surrounded the castle.
Soldiers guarded the castle from towers.
Inside the castle walls was a large house for the lord's family and several other smaller houses.
there were stables for the horses, a blacksmith's a well for water and warehouses for storing food.
Peasants lived in villages near the castle.
They lived in simple huts made of wood, straw and mud, with one simple room.

Manzanares el Real Castle. Picture from Wikipedia by Eleagnus

Medieval Castle: The Tower of London. Picture from fsmschmitt

ROMAN REMAINS

The Romans were excellent builders.
They built:

• Theatres for performing plays.
• Amphitheatres for watching gladiator fights.
• Circuses for watching chariot races.
• Temples for worshipping their gods.
• Bath houses, called thermae, for bathing and relaxing.
• Aqueducts, for transporting water to the cities.

The Romans decorated their houses with works of art:

• Frescos were beautiful wall paintings.
• Mosaics were elaborated floor decorations made from thousands of tiny, coloured tiles.

The Romans spoke a language called Latin.
Castilian Spanish, Catalan and Galician are some modern languages that developed from Latin.

Roman Theatre in Mérida, picture from Wikipedia by Xauxa

Roman Amphitheatre in Itálica, Andalucía. Picture from Wikipedia by Pufacz

Roman Colosseum, Picture from Wikipedia by Dilliff

Roman Circus in Lybia. Picture from Wikipedia by Papageizichta

Roman Temple. Picture from Wikipedia by Arpingstone

Roman Bath in Bath, Picture from Wikipedia

Aqueduct of Segovia, picture from Wikipedia, by Bernard Gagnon

ROMAN TIMES: TRAVELLING IN ANCIENT ROME

Roman cities were linked by straight roads made of stone.

The Romans used the roads to travel on foot, on horseback and in horse-drawn carriages.

Sailing boats were used to carry food and merchandise to other Roman cities.

The Romans built large seaports

ROMAN TIMES: LIFE IN ANCIENT ROME

Over 2000 years ago, the Romans built many cities.
They lived in different types of houses:

• Domus: were private houses for rich people.
• Insulae: were apartment buildings for the poorer people.
• Villas: were luxury Roman country houses where rich land owners lived.

Domus, picture from Flickr by Sebastià Giralt

Domus, picture from Flickr, by Sebastià Giralt.

Roman Villa, picture from Wikipedia, by Boksi

ANCIENT REMAINS

The first human beings decorated cave walls with paintings.
In this period, tools were very simple.
Humans shaped knives and arrowheads by hitting two rocks together.
They made spears and harpoons from wood or bone.
Primitive human beings made clay pots to hold food and water.

Prehistoric painting in Altamira, Spain.
Picture from Wikipedia, by Rameesos.

Picture from Wikimedia Commons, by Mercy

A spear and a series of javelins from Wikipedia, by Master z0b

TRAVELLING IN PRIMITIVE TIMES

The first human beings travelled on foot.
This made travelling very slow.
Later, people domesticated animals.
They invented the wheel and made the first carts.
They also built the first sailing boats.
Travelling became easier and faster.

Ancient British Canoe, from Wikipedia, by MarVelo

LIFE IN PRIMITIVE TIMES

Many thousands of years ago, human beings lived in small groups called tribes.
They ate plants and hunted animals for food.
Tribes travelled from place to place to find fresh food.
They lived ner rivers to obtain fresh water.
They made simple huts from branches and animal skins, or they lived in caves.
later, human beings learned to cultivate plants and domesticate animals.
They built permanent villages with simple houses.

Picture from Wikipedia by Viktor Vasnetsov

LIFE THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO: REMEMBER

FAMILY HISTORY
Family history is made up of memories.
Our grandparents and parents have memories about their lives.
we also have memories of when we were younger.
These memories help us find out about the history of our family.

THE PASSING OF TIME
Everything changes with time: people, customs, objects and the landscape.
history helps us to know how people lived many years ago.

You can remember what we studied last year about:
Your Personal History,
Past, Present and Future,
The History of Your City, Town or Village,
Thousands of Years Ago.

HOW CITIZENS PARTICIPATE: PEACEFUL ASSEMBLY

All citizens have the right to peaceful assembly, that is, to form peaceful groups to defend their interests.
These groups include:

• Political parties.
• Neighbourhood associations.
• Trade unions.
• Consumer protection groups.

Citizens also have the right to attend peaceful demonstrations.

Picture from yourdemocracy.net

HOW CITIZENS PARTICIPATE: PARTICIPATING IN POLITICS

All citizens have the right to participate in matters of general interest.
We participate when we vote in elections.
Voting must be universal, secret and free.

Picture from wikipedia, by Rama

HOW CITIZENS PARTICIPATE: FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION

• The right to demonstrate and to practise our religious and political beliefs.
• The right to express and share our ideas freely.

We have the obligation to respect the freedom of expression of others.

HOW CITIZENS PARTICIPATE: EQUAL BEFORE THE LAW

In a democratic state, all people are equal before the law.
this means that all laws and obligations are applied equally to all men and women.
The right to equality means that we have the obligation not to discriminate against anybody because of their sex, race, religion or beliefs.

HOW CITIZENS PARTICIPATE: LIVING IN SOCIETY

Society is a group of people who live in the same community.
Codes of conduct help make living in society easier.
A code of conduct is a list of rights and obligations, based on respect for others.
For each right, we have an obligation.

HOW THE STATE IS ORGANISED: THE STATUTES OF AUTONOMY

The Statutes of Autonomy are the most important laws of the Autonomous Communities.
The main resposibilities of the Autonomous Community parliament are:

• Making the laws.
• Approving the budgets.
• Making sure the government fulfills its duties.
• Electing the president of the government of the Autonomous Community from among its members.

HOW THE STATE IS ORGANISED: ELECTIONS

Citizens 18 years old and over can vote in elections.
The political party with the majority of votes forms the government.
The other parties make up the opposition.

• Municipal elections. Citizens vote for their local councillors.
• Autonomous Community elections. Citizens vote for the members of parliament of their Autonomous Community.
• General Elections. Citizens vote for the candidates of a political party. Those who win seats in the Lower House of Parliament elect the President of the Government of Spain.
• European Parliament elections. Members of the European Parliament are elected.

HOW THE STATE IS ORGANISED: POLITICAL PARTIES

A political party is a group of citizens with similar ideas about how to govern.
Political parties stand for election to obtain the most votes in order to govern.

Political parties draw up an election manifesto to explain their ideas.

They designate candidates to hold government positions.

They organise an electoral campaign to promote their party's ideas.

Political parties in Spain in 2011.

Election Manifesto

HOW THE STATE IS ORGANISED: THE SPANISH CONSTITUTION

The Constitution is the most important law in Spain.
It was approved by the Spanish people in 1978.
In a referendum.
A referendum is when all citizens vote on an important subject.
The Constitution recognises the rights and obligations of the Spanish people.
The Constitution also establishes the national institutions: the Lower House of Parliament, the Upper House of Parliament and the Courts of Justice.

First page of the Spanish Constitution, from Wikipedia.

Spanish Referendum in 1978

Lower House of Parliament in Spain.

Upper House of Parliament in Spain.

Constitutional Court of Justice in Spain.

HOW THE STATE IS ORGANISED: SPAIN IS A DEMOCRATIC STATE

In a democratic state, all citizens have the same rights and obligations.
Everyone can freely elect the candidates of their choice to represent them in the national institutions.

REMEMBER

GOVERNMENT RESPONSIBILITIES
Governments are elected to make decisions on behalf of the people, and to provide services such as hospitals, schools and airports.

THE LOCAL COUNCIL
All municipalities have a town hall where the local council works.
The mayor and the councillors make up the local council.
They organise the public services that everyone needs.

Here you can click to remember what we studied last year about the Local Council.
Neighbourhood & Local Council,
What do Local Councils do?
Local Councils.

THE TERTIARY SECTOR IN SPAIN: OTHER SERVICES

Other important services are:

• Financial services. Banks provide financial services.
• Public services. Services such as rubbish collection and street lightinhg are provided by the government or the local council.

Legal services, telecommunications and electricity, are provided by private companies.

THE TERTIARY SECTOR IN SPAIN: TRANSPORT

Transport is another important service.
We need transport to go from one town to another.
Transport is also essential for moving merchandise.
Raw materials are taken to factories.
Products from farming and industry are taken to consumers.
Passengers and merchandise travel by road, rail, sea and air.

THE TERTIARY SECTOR IN SPAIN: HEALTH AND EDUCATION

Health services are provided in hospitals, clinics and health centres.
Most of these services are public and are run by the government through the Social Security System.
Education services consist of primary, secondary and university education.
The government provides free, compulsory education in primary and secondary schools.
Private schools also provide primary and secondary education.

THE TERTIARY SECTOR IN SPAIN: TRADE

Trade is the buying and selling of products.

• Domestic trade means buying and selling products within a country.
• Foreign trade means buying and selling products to and form other countries.

Imports are products which we buy from other countries.

Exports are products which we sell to other countries.

Spain buys, or imports, more products than it exports.

The main imports are petrol, heavy machinery, elctrical appliances, car components and telecommunications products.

The main exports are cars, fruit and vegetables, medicines and elctrical goods.

THE TERTIARY SECTOR IN SPAIN: TOURISM

Tourism is very important for Spain.
It leads to the creation of many jobs in construction, as well as in hotels and restaurants.
Spain is a very popular tourist destination.

THE TERTIARY SECTOR IN SPAIN: SERVICES

The tertiary sector is also called the service sector.
Services do not provide us with material goods.
Instead, they offer us such as trade, health, education, tourism and transport.

THE SECONDARY SECTOR: MAIN INDUSTRIES IN SPAIN

Several industries are very important in Spain.
These include the food industry, car manufacturing, the metallurgical industry, the chemical industry and graphic arts.
In recent years, technological industries are becoming important.

Technological industry, photo by Jeff McNeill on Wikipedia

THE SECONDARY SECTOR IN SPAIN: THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

Construction is one of the most important activities in the secondary sector.
It was very important in Spain until the economic crisis of recent years.
The construction of houses generally belongs to the private sector.
The building of roads, bridges and tunnels is usually carried out by the public sector.

New home construction, photo by Dwight Burdette on Wikipedia

The Building of a bridge, photo by Евгений Катышев on Wikipedia

THE SECONDARY SECTOR IN SPAIN. WHAT IS THE SECONDARY SECTOR?

The secondary sector transforms raw materials into manufactured products.
Industries in the secondary sector include factory work, the construction industry, car manufacturing, the chemical industry, the metallurgical industry, the food industry, graphic arts, and crafts industries, among others.

PRIMARY SECTOR ACTIVITIES: FISHING

Fishing is still an important part of the primary sector in Spain.
However fishing has declined over the last fifty years.
There are two reasons for this:

• Overfishing, when too many fish are caught, has reduced many species.
• Restrictions on fishing areas at sea have been imposed by European and international policies.

Overfishing, photo by C Ortiz Rojas, from NOAA

PRIMARY SECTOR ACTIVITIES: MINING

Not many people are employed in mining in Spain.

• Gravel and sand are extracted from gravel pits.
• Marble and granite are extracted from quarries.
• Mercury is found in a mineral called cinnabar. Cinnabar is extracted from mines.
• Coal is extracted from mines deep beneath the ground.

Gravel pit, picture by Dwight Burdette on Wikipedia

Liquid Mercury, picture from Wikipedia

PRIMARY SECTOR ACTIVITIES: STOCKBREEDING

Stockbreeding involves different animals.
Pigs: fresh meat and cold meats (ham).
Poultry farms: chicken and eggs.
Cows: dairy products and meat.
Sheep: meat, milk and wool.
Extensive farming is mainly restricted to cows and sheep.

Extensive farming, picture by Cgoodwin on Wikipedia

PRIMARY SECTOR ACTIVITIES: CROP FARMING

There are two main types of crops in Spain:

• Irrigated crops. These crops need a lot of water in order to grow: oranges, lemons, peaches, lettuces, tomatoes and peppers.
• Dry crops. These do not need much water in order to grow: olives and grains.

You can see clicking here what we studied last year:

DRY FARMING AND IRRIGATION

CROP FARMING AND MACHINES

REMEMBER

JOBS RELATED TO NATURE:
Some jobs, such as farming, stockbreeding, fishing and mining obtain resources directly from nature.

JOBS RELATED TO INDUSTRY:
In some jobs, raw materials are transformed into manufactured products.
These are jobs in industries.

JOBS RELATED TO SERVICES:
Some jobs do not produce material goods.
They provide services for other people.
Some examples are education, health, transport, communication, tourism, cultural and financial services.

FESTIVALS IN SPAIN

Here you have some important festivals in Spain:

San Fermín in Pamplona, Navarra:


Las Fallas in Valencia:


La Feria de Abril, in Seville:


La Tomatina in Buñol, Valencia:


San Isidro in Madrid:

LOCAL FESTIVALS

These festivals celebrate religious, historical or other events which are important to the local community.

• Religious festivals. In Spain, most towns and villages celebrate their patron saint. Easter and Christmas too. 
• Historical festivals. These festivals are held to conmemorate an historic event such as a battle or the signing of a treaty.
• Other festivals. There are festivals to celebrate local products, such as cheese and wine.

Easter procession in Spain:

Military Parade: Spanish National Day (October the 12th):


New Year's Eve in Spain:

MUSIC AND DANCES

Every Autonomous Community has its own traditional songs and dances.
The dancers usually wear traditional costume.

The typical dance in Madrid is the Chotis:

 The typical dance in Andalusia are the Sevillanas:

 The typical dance in Catalonia is the Sardana:

 The typical dance in Aragon is the Jota:

TRADITIONAL BUILDINGS

• Typical houses. Different places have their own traditional style of buildings, using local materials: stone, wood, etc.
• Historical monuments. These are very old constructions. They can be buildings such as cathedrals, castles or palaces. Or they can be constructions such as bridges, arches or statues.

TRADITIONAL DISHES

People eat a variety of traditional dishes in different parts of Spain.

TRADITIONS

Traditions are the customs of people in a particular place.
Traditions are passed down from adults to children, from one generation to the next.
Traditions include songs, dances, costumes, typical food, legends, as well as the way of speaking.

DISTRIBUTION OF THE POPULATION

Spain has a population of over 47 million people.
Most of the population lives in big cities, or on the coast.
These are densely-populated areas, known as urban populations.
Other areas are moderately, sparsely or very-sparsely populated.

CHANGES IN POPULATION

The population of a place increases or decreases due to natural and migratory growth.

• Natural growth. This is the difference between the number of babies who are born in a place in one year and the number of people who die.
• Migratory growth. This is the difference between the number of inmigrants who come to live in a place and the emigrants who leave the place.

Emigrants leave their place of birth and go to live somewhere else.
Inmigrants come to live in a new place.

STUDYING POPULATION

• The municipal register. This is a list of the people who live in a municipality. It includes each person's age and address. The local council updates this register every year.
• The census. This is a list of the inhabitants of a municipality, a province or a country. The census includes information such as education, work, type of house, etc. This list is updated every ten years.

NATURE RESERVES

Governments create nature reserves to protect flora and fauna.
We call these places National or Regional Parks.
An example is Cañadas del Teide in the Canary Islands.
Spain has many nature reserves.

FLORA AND FAUNA

Flora is all the vegetation and fauna is all the animal life in a specific area.
Plant and animal life varies according to the climate.
In the Subtropical climate of the canary Islands, there are endemic plants such as tabaiba and dragon trees.
In the Mediterranean climate of lowlandcatalonia, you can find holm oak and pine trees.
On the higher land, there are decidious forests of ash and oak.
The fauna of the Oceanic climate of northern Spain includes squirrels, wolves and foxes, as well as fish.
In the Mountain climates there are deer, wild boar and rabbits.
Typical trees are pine trees and holly.

CLIMATES IN SPAIN

Spain has four different types of climate:

• The Oceanic climate. This is the mild climate on the Cantabrian and Galician coasts. Rainfall is abundant all year.
• The Mediterranean climate. This is the climate of most of Spain. In inland Spain, summers are hot and winters are cold. Rainfall is irregular. Near the sea, summers are hot and winters are mild. Rainfall is light.
• The Mountain climate. This is the climate of the elevated areas. Summers are mild and winters are cold. Rainfall is irregular.
• The Subtropical climate. This is the climate of the Canary Islands. It is hot all year round. It only rains a few months of the year.

THE EARTH'S CLIMATE

The distance of an area fron the Equator determines how much heat it receives from the Sun.
The Earth has three climatic zones:

• The tropical zones. They are near the Equator. It is very hot all year round.
• The temperate zones. These are in both hemispheres. The summers are warm and the winters are cool. In some regions, it is rainy all year round. In other regions, it is dry and sunny in the summer.
• The polar zones. It is very cold all year round.

CLIMATE

Weather refers to temperature, wind and precipitation at a particular time and place.
Climate is the typical weather pattern in one area over a long time.

THE WATERSHEDS OF SPAIN

Watersheds are the dividing lines of mountain ranges.
They are areas of land which descend from high ridges.
Rivers on the same watershed flow into the same sea.
Spain has three main watersheds:

• The Cantabrian watershed has short, fast-flowing rivers. Their flow is abundant and regular: the Nervion, the Saja, the Navia and the Nalon.
• The Mediterranean watershed occupies about one third of Spain. The rivers are short, with the exception of the Ebro. Their flow is irregular: the Ebro, the Jucar and the Segura.
• The Atlantic watershed occupies over half of Spain. The flow of the rivers is abundant and regular: the Miño, the Duero, the Tagus, the Guadiana and the Guadalquivir. The Tagus is the longest river in Spain.

RIVERS (IN SPAIN)

Rivers are bodies of moving water.
They start in the mountains and flow into the sea, a lake or another river.
A tributary is a river that flows into a larger river.
The volume of water is called the flow.
The principal rivers os Spain are the Tagus, the Ebro, the Duero, the Miño, the Guadalquivir, the Guadiana, the Segura and the Jucar.

SPANISH COASTS

There are three different coastal areas:

• The Cantabrian coast has rocky cliffs, estuaries and gulfs.
• The Atlantic coast is very varied. In the northwest, it is high and rocky with many estuaries. In the south, the coast is low and sandy. In the Canary Islands varies considerably: Tenerife has rocky cliffs, while Gran Canaria has long, sandy beaches.
• The Mediterranean coast is low and sandy, with long beaches. In the Balearic Islands, high coasts alternate with long, sandy beaches.

RIVER BASINS IN SPAIN

The Iberian Peninsula has narrow coastal plains and two large, low-lying plains called river basins.

• The Ebro river basin is in the north.
• The Guadalquivir river basin is in the south.

MOUNTAINS (IN SPAIN)

• The Pyrenees is a mountain chain to the north of the Inner Plateau. It provides a natural border between Spain and France.
• The Baetic Chain is a mountain chain to the south of the Inner Plateau.

The highest mountains on the Iberian Peninsula are Mulhacen (3,478m) in the Baetic Chain and Aneto (3,404m) in the Pyrenees.
The highest mountain peak in Spain is Mount Teide (3,718m) on the island of Tenerife.

LANDSCAPES IN SPAIN

The Iberian Peninsula has many different landscapes.
Central Spain is dominated by a large plateau, called the Meseta Central or the Inner Plateau.
This is divided into two parts by the Central Mountain Chain.

REMEMBER

LANDSCAPES
Landscapes can be coastal or inland.
Inland landscapes consist of mountains and plains.
Mountains are areas of high land with steep slopes.
Plains are large areas of flat land.
Coastal landscapes are near the sea.
There are beaches and cliffs on the coast.

Clicking on the links you can remember what we studied last year:
Inland landscapes,  mountain landscapes,  flatland, features of landscapes, characteristics of coastal landscapes, costal features and people and coastal landscapes.

RIVERS
Rivers are large, flowing bodies of water.
The course of a river starts at its source in the mountains and flows into the sea at its mouth.

Clicking on the links you can remember what we studied last year:
What is a river and the course of a river.

WHERE WE LIVE ACTIVITIES.

EVERY AUTONOMOUS COMMUNITY IS DIFFERENT

People in Spain speak Castilian Spanish.
In some Communities, people also speak another language, for example, Catalan, Valencian, Basque, Galician or Aranese.
All Autonomous Communities are governed by national laws and institutions.

PROVINCES

Each Autonomous Community is divided into one, or several, provinces.
A province is larger than a comarca and consists of many municipalities.
Each province has a provincial capital.

AUTONOMOUS COMMUNITIES

Each Autonomous Community is an area with its own capital city and its own government institutions.
It also has its own symbols: a coat of arms and a flag.

SPAIN'S TERRITORIAL DIVISIONS

Spain is divided into seventeen Autonomous Communities.
It also has two Autonomous Cities, Ceuta and Melilla, in North Africa.
Fifteen Autonomous Communities are on the peninsula: Andalusia, Aragon, Basque Country, Cantabria, Castile - Leon, Castile - La Mancha, Catalonia, Chartered Community of Navarre, Community of Madrid, Community of Valencia, Extremadura, Galicia, Principality of Asturias, Region de Murcia and Rioja.
Two are insular communities: the Canary Islands and the Balearic Islands.

DIFFERENT TYPES OF COMARCAS

The municipalities in a comarca share a similar landscape.
There are different types: mountain comarcas, coastal comarcas and comarcas on the plains.

HOW MUNICIPALITIES ARE GROUPED

In Spain, municipalities are grouped into comarcas.
A comarca consists of several municipalities in the same region.
The municipalities in each comarca share similar characteristics: the landscape, traditions and economic activities.
The inhabitants share similar types of jobs: agriculture, stockbreeding, fishing, industry or tourism.
All the inhabitants of a comarca share basic services such as hospitals, markets and schools.