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Cabo Ortegal, in Spain, was declared a UNESCO Global Geopark in 2023. An ultramafic complex makes it a geologically exciting unit, where many research works have been carried out. Serpentinites, formed by the weathering of peridotites, dunites, and other ultramafic rocks, have been described in detail in previous works. Their role as a construction material has been elucidated, although due to their complexity and heterogeneity, the results of using these materials for construction are not always successful. Talcose rocks, related to serpentinites, can also be found in the complex, although it is difficult to distinguish them. Talcose rocks may be a resource to be explored and exploited in an unpopulated area. The use of talc in pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and handicrafts makes it a material of growing importance. However, the asbestos and heavy metal content should be severely limited to prevent health issues. The goal of this work is to start the characterization of these talcose rocks before promoting their potential use in different contexts to support the economy of an underpopulated area of Spain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the concept of autarky, which is a model that aims for self-sufficiency through a country's own resources. It focuses on the autarkic period in Spain during the dictatorship of Francisco Franco, where the regime pursued industrial autarky by exploiting natural resources, particularly water. The article analyzes two specific cases in Spain where water was used for agricultural and industrial transformation, highlighting the physical and sociocultural changes that occurred. It discusses the Badajoz Plan, which aimed to transform the landscape through irrigation systems and industrial development, and the Salime project, which focused on hydroelectric production. These projects had significant environmental, cultural, and social implications, shaping the landscapes and ways of life in rural and semi-urban Spain. The article emphasizes the importance of studying these projects to understand the current socio-economic structures and practices in the region. [Extracted from the article]

This study evaluates the policies developed in Spain to address depopulation and explains the reasons for their low effectiveness. We consider that the low impact of these policies is due to an incorrect diagnosis and design in terms of their content and governance. Therefore, we propose that depopulation policies should have the objective of enabling citizens to reside where they wish and obtain the best possible quality of life. These policies should be implemented within a new governance framework in which the foundations on which they are based and the way in which they are implemented are renewed. With the support of the European Union, such action could be carried out more efficiently and could constitute a reference of successful territorial cohesion contributing to erasing the populist opinion in places that believe that they do not matter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The depopulation of rural areas in Spain, a phenomenon that has given rise to what is currently known as 'empty Spain', has become a serious social problem. The mass exodus of the young to the country's cities poses the main threat to rural sustainability. In this paper, at attempt is made to determine the factors that prompt the young to leave the Celtiberian Highlands, one of the most sparsely populated areas in Southern Europe, and the socio-educational measures that could be taken to avoid this exodus. To this end, a mixed-method approach with a sequential design was employed, in which members of the region's Rural Development Groups were administered a questionnaire and interviewed, whose findings were supplemented by in-situ observations. The young people living in the Celtiberian Highlands are currently facing a series of professional, social and personal challenges that encourage them to emigrate. A worrying feeling of rootlessness and inferiority with respect to urbanites was detected among them. In light of this, it is essential to adopt socio-educational measures that contribute to strengthen their ties to the rural community and to raise their awareness about the serious problems to which depopulation gives rise and the role that they could play to prevent it. • There are few studies of the exodus of rural youth focusing on the most underpopulated area in Southern Europe. • The results suggest that fostering a feeling of belonging among the young to the community go to preventing their exodus. • A feeling of inferiority among rural youth with respect to urbanites has an influence on them when deciding to emigrate. • Rural youth should be made aware of the job and entrepreneurial opportunities open to them in their villages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Abstract: This paper aims to analyze the different territorial performance of two new high-speed transport infrastructures, a national motorway and a high-speed rail (HSR) line, with an emphasis on their different roles on long-distance trip making, in a peripheral and sparsely populated province of Spain, contributing to the existing limited research on the influence of high-speed transport infrastructures on urban structure and mobility of sparsely populated regions. The paper provides empirical evidence by means of a mobility survey. The analysis of modal split, travel frequencies, and travel purposes allows a better understanding of long-distance mobility patterns and establishes different travel profiles. The study of commuting and discretionary flows shows different levels and types of metropolitan integration depending on the type of connection and on local characteristics. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Nowadays, there is a wide debate about what rural means. An operational definition of rural concept is essential in order to measure health problems, optimize resource allocation and facilitate decision making aimed at closing the gap on inequity between areas. In 2005, the rurality index for Small Areas in Spain (IRAP) was developed using the 1991 Census of Population data. Nevertheless, the concept and definition of rurality may evolve through time. In order to capture these changes, the variables used to make up the rurality index should be reviewed and updated periodically. Along these lines, and within the context of the rural–urban continuum, the aim of this paper is to replicate and update the IRAP using the data provided by the 2001 Census of Population, as well as to describe the changes in rurality observed in each municipality between 1991 and 2001. The index was updated on a Principal Components Factor Analysis, giving rise to a single factor that is correlated to the aging of the population, economic dependency, farming, livestock or fishing-related employment, self-employment, second dwelling ratio, population density, immigration and perception of noises and atmospheric pollution in the surroundings of the residential area. Most variables that made up the 1991 IRAP remain as important components of the 2001 index, indicating the robust nature of the measure. Only 10% of the Spanish municipalities have changed their rurality status between the two Censuses. The 2001 rurality index can be considered a good updated approach to the concept of rurality in Spain as well as an important criterion to social policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The European rural world has experienced a deep transformation in the last decades, especially mountainous areas. In this paper we explore the main political and ideological processes that have favored the reevaluation of mountainous areas. First, we analyze the institutional recognition of the key role they play in development of human life and its natural and structural handicaps. Secondly, we study the recent evolution of policies directed towards Spanish mountains, namely the Pyrenees. Finally, we look on the social representations of mountain. In this sense, we emphasize the postmodern gaze that includes the signs of rural imaginary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses local differences in access to basic health services in the province of Teruel (Spain), one of the most sparsely populated areas in Europe. The demographic decline and the concentration of the remaining population in the main settlements has meant that there is a high degree of spatial fit of supply and demand and average aggregate accessibility is good. However, access costs are high for the scarce and aged population resident in the most remote villages and hamlets scattered over an extensive and tacitly ignored territory. In such circumstances the demands of the inhabitants for more attention from the public authorities, expressed through the ‘Teruel Exists’ movement, can be readily understood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Attitudes to and perception of health care delivery are considered to be important factors for patient compliance in diabetes. To Investigate insulin-treated diabetic patients' use of, experience of and attitudes to diabetes care a questionnaire was sent to 561 patients, 20–50 years old, living in northern Sweden. Four hundred and eighty-eight patients (87%) participated in the study. Data were analysed against social, medical and geographical background factors. Female patients more often than men had seen an ophthalmologist (93 versus 87%, p<0.05), a diabetes nurse specialist (74 versus 64%, p<0.05) and a chiropodist (49 versus 30%, p<0.001) at least once during the course of their diabetes. Women also used the services of a medical social worker (17 versus 10%, p-0.05) or a psychologist (14 versus 8%, p<0.01) more often. More men than women were satisfied with the health care they had at the onset (65 versus 38%, p<0.001), but no gender difference in attitude to their present care was found. Diabetic patients with chronic complications compared to those without were less satisfied both with the care they received at the onset of diabetes (40 versus 61%, p<0.001) and at the time they answered the questionnaire (59 versus 72%, p<0.01). Patients in the most sparsely populated health district were more seldom able to be seen by the same physician (70 versus 93% and 94%, p<0.001) and patient-physician continuity was poorer over a 3 year period (48 versus 80%, p<0.001). Based on results of this study, we conclude that use of, experience of and attitudes to diabetes care are primarily related to gender and sickness factors. Living in sparsely populated areas probably affects the use and continuity of hearth care depending on the means available. The differences demonstrated might be an argument for planning more individualized care for diabetic patients in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the utility of ideas derived from the rural restructuring literature for understanding contemporary trends in rural Spain. It concludes that the processes that analysts associate with rural restructuring are of little help in understanding the Spanish context. As regards capitalist markets, the Spanish countryside is not characterised by economic diversification, professionalism, environmentalism and consumerism on a scale that resembles anticipations derived from the restructuring literature. For state processes, lethargy isa more appropriate adjective than restructuring. Likewise, social and cultural change in civil society are subdued versions of trends that beset Spanish society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work focuses on bulk deposition in a rural area located around a large coal-fired power station in northeast Spain. Deposition chemistry was characterized by high concentrations of SO42-, Ca2+ and NH4+, which were relatively high when compared with other rural areas. Monthly bulk deposition evolution of major ions was the result of two superimposed patterns: one pattern related to the volume of precipitation and the other showed the seasonal influence of the major ionic sources. A majorlocal origin was attributed to bulk deposition of SO42-, NH4+, and Ca2+, whereas arelatively higher contribution of an external source was deduced forNO3-, Na+ and Cl-. The SO42- concentrations showed a significant correlation with the local SO2 emissions. High levels of Ca2+ were due to the high alkalinity of soils in the study area, although an external origin was attributed to the frequent air mass intrusions from the Sahara. Sources of NH4+ wererelated to intensive livestock farming in the area. Total suspended particles exert a marked influence over bulk deposition and neutralization. Thus, despite the high emissions of SO2 in the area, neutral pH values have always been attained given that the concentrations of Ca2+ and NH4+ account for the total neutralization of NO3- and SO42-. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]