Economic Geography

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Economic Geography

• Developing and Developed Countries SOL WG.7b

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Levels of Development

• Levels of economic development vary from country
  to country. Some countries are very wealthy and
  some are very poor. Standards of living and
  indicators of economic development are used to
  assess how wealthy a country is.

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Levels of Development

• Why does economic development vary from one part
  of the world to another?
• Access to natural resources - If a country does
  not have many resources it is more difficult for
  them to develop their economy.

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Economic Development

• Access to capital resources - Countries that do
  not have money, modern infrastructures, or
  industries will have a difficult time developing
  their economy.
• Numbers and skills of human resources - Countries
  need skilled workers and unskilled workers in
  order to develop their economy.

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Economic Development

• Indicators of economic development
• Urban/rural ratio - The number of people who live
  in cities versus the countryside.
• Labor force characteristics - How much of the
  economy is devoted to primary, secondary, or
  tertiary economic activity. The economy in some
  countries is primarily based on agriculture or
  mineral extraction. Countries in Africa tend to
  farm or dig up minerals.

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Economic Development

• GDP per capita - Gross domestic product per
  capita refers to how much money an average family
  earns in a year.
• Educational achievement - The number of skilled
  workers in a country.

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Standards of Living

• Indicators of standards of living and quality of
  life.
• Population growth rate
• Population age distribution - Some countries have
  many young people while others have older people.
• Literacy rate - The number of people who can read
  and write.
• Life expectancy - How long the average person
  lives.

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Standards of Living

• Infant mortality rate - The number of babies that
  die at birth or within the first year of life.
• Percentage of urban population - The number of
  people living in cities.

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Compare

• Developed countries tend to have the following
  characteristics
• Low population growth rates
• Higher percentage of old people
• High literacy rates
• Long life expectancies
• Low infant mortality rates
• High percentage of population living in urban
  areas

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Population Growth Rate
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Literacy Rates
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Life Expectancy
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Infant Mortality Rate
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Compare

• Developed countries tend to have the following
  characteristics
• Economy based on tertiary economic activity
• High GDP per capita
• High levels of education

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GDP Per Capita
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Developed Countries

• Some developed countries are
• United States
• Canada
• Australia and New Zealand
• Japan, South Korea, Singapore, and Taiwan
• All countries in Europe and Russia
• Israel, UAE, Bahrain

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Developed Countries
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Developing Countries

• Some developing countries are
• China - Highly developed industries and some very
  modern cities but still many poor people
• Brazil
• South Africa - Has a well developed
  infrastructure but there are still many poor
  people in the country

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Developing Countries
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50 Least Developed
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Factors that Affect Economic Activity

• Location and ability to exchange goods
• Countries that are landlocked will have a
  difficult time transporting goods. Landlocked
  means a country does not have an outlet to an
  ocean. Some examples are Switzerland, Bolivia,
  Rwanda, and Mongolia.
• Countries that are islands or on the coast will
  have an easier time exchanging goods.

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Factors that Affect Economic Activity

• Proximity to shipping lanes.
• Access to communication networks

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Factors that Affect Economic Activity

• Membership to political and economic alliances
  that provide access to markets.

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Landlocked Countries
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Shipping Lanes
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Cell Phone Usage