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The disparity between total population values and how that population is spread across an area can generate issues of perception, as though choropleth maps are usually used to represent population, its density may not be equally spread across the territory. A prime example of this situation is Galicia in NW Spain, as it has the highest number of population settlements of the country with almost 50% of the total, and yet at the same time it has only around 4% of municipalities, which means that each local authority has on average dozens of borderless settlements within its limits. However, population maps of the region are normally produced at the municipal level, providing a poor representation of the demographic complexity of the area. Consequently, this paper provides an alternative way of displaying population density by using three submunicipal division levels obtained from official sources: census tracts, parishes and settlements. While census tracts and parishes have defined limits, settlements do not, so they are normally mapped by using punctual symbology. It is therefore necessary to generate some borders for those population entities which do not have them, as it can help understand how the population is distributed in more detail. In order to provide a suitable means of comparison with the other administrative divisions this paper presents a method to convert settlement data into polygons that includes the use of Voronoi tessellation, producing for the first time the most detailed population density choropleth map of the region at settlement level. Furthermore, the method can be applied anywhere in Spain and with non-census data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spain is a country dominated mainly by a Mediterranean climate of, where the annual dry summers alternate with occasional long periods of rainfall drought. This irregularity in the rainfall regime has generated serious socio-economic problems throughout history, due to the weight that the agrarian sector has had, and has, in many regions of the country. This paper presents some ways in which the agrarian sector has adapted to this environmental limitation at different scales (government, region and farm), particularly in the second half of the 20th century thanks to technological advances. Examples of government planning of land conversion into irrigated lands based on the construction of reservoirs or canals, adaptations at the regional scale of agricultural lands, or construction of key infrastructure at the farm level to improve productivity are some of the paradigmatic cases treated here. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The integration of the residential function beyond the limits of the urban and developable land in the legislative frameworks has had a distinct and incomplete character. Faced with an identical phenomenon in general, called urban sprawl, the competent governments in this matter within the Iberian Peninsula have opted for a dissimilar assimilation of it, materialized in different legal and instrumental mechanisms. The objective of this paper is to present the different ways of understanding and regulating this new urban model by the Portuguese state government and the regional autonomous governments in Spain. To do this, a comparative analysis is carried out on the criteria for the classification of undeveloped land and a review of the most paradigmatic tools for the management of periurban and rurban development. The works indicate a position that is still indeterminate and, sometimes, contradictory. In spite of this, there is a tendency towards the regulated inclusion of the residential function outside the geographical contexts that have traditionally supported it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses the social determinants, socio-demographic and lifestyle factors that affect the health self-appraisal of immigrants of Moroccan origin living in the Spanish region of Navarra, using data from a cross-sectional ethnosurvey conducted in 2013. Results show, contrary to the literature, that women have a better health status variation than men, probably because men have a higher age profile and a longer stay in Spain. The binary logistic regression reveals important differences in the likelihoods of finding specific determinants of the health by sex. Paid employment is the most positive, significant factor for health among women. Close social ties with other Moroccan immigrants, living in an inexpensive old house and, to a lesser extent, having a secondary level of educational achievement show the highest probabilities for men. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to analyse how Barcelona's economic growth since the 1990s has been based on the production of advanced services, in which image creation and tourism have played a key role. In this context, we emphasise the role played by macro-events, such as the 1992 Olympic Games, which have brought about important changes to Barcelona's economic model, and we highlight the importance of public-private partnerships and strategic planning. Additionally, we analyse the economic impact of tourism upon the city in the period 1990-2010, and we conclude with some reflections on the implications upon public space entailed by this growth strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses some of the changes that have affected the family as an institution in Spain, using data from the 2001 census as a reference. Nowadays, there is a growing interest in new developing family structures, since this is another factor that illustrates dramatic changes in all major areas of modern life. Two of these new types of family structures constitute social groups susceptible to inadequate life and health conditions: single mothers and elderly people living alone. Health care in Spain constitutes a burden for the family, and these new types of families are more vulnerable and require special attention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]