Human Geography By James Rubenstein

1
Human Geography By James Rubenstein

• Chapter 9
• Key Issue 2
• Where Are More and Less Developed Countries
  Distributed?

2

• The countries in the world can be categorized
  into nine major regions according to their
  development
• Anglo and Latin America
• Western and Eastern Europe
• East, South, Southeast, and Southwest Asia
• Africa South of the Sahara

3

• In addition to the nine major regions, two other
  important areas
• Japan
• The South Pacific
• __________________________
• Also the split between MDCs and LDCs can be
  viewed as a north-south split.

4
North/South split of MDCs and LDCs
5
More Developed Regions

• Anglo-America
• Western Europe
• Eastern Europe, plus areas
• Japan, and
• The South Pacific.

6
Most MDCs north of the line
7
Anglo-America

• 90 of regions people use English as their first
  language and adhere to Christianity.
• The largest market of the worlds consumer goods.
• The leading provider of many computing,
  information, and other high-tech services.

8
Western Europe

• Diversity of languages and religions has been a
  longtime source of conflict.
• Since World War II, the region has become much
  more unified politically, economically, and
  culturally through the EU, and militarily through
  NATO.

9
Future Problems for Western Europe

• Experiencing a new greater diversity through
  migration of Muslims and Hindus from LDCs looking
  for work.
• They have become scapegoats for the regions
  economic problems.

10
Western Europe

• The region has a slightly lower development than
  Anglo-America.
• The regions colonial period spread Western
  Europes culture throughout the world.
• Today the EU makes the region the worlds largest
  and richest market.

11
Example of Western European Goods
2007 Rolls-Royce
12
End of Communism

• In Russia and Yugoslavia, long-suppressed
  friction among ethnicities has been unleashed.
• Conflict in Bosnia Kosovo in the former
  Yugoslavia, and
• Chechnya in Russia.

13
Soviet Union

• Communist economy emphasized heavy industry.
• Production facilities were transferred to the
  Asian portion.
• Manufacturing facilities were located near
  sources of raw markets.

14
Japan

• Extremely unfavorable ratio of population to
  resources.
• An abundant supply of people willing to work hard
  for low wages.
• Specialize in high-quality, high-value products.

15
Example of Western Japanese Goods
2007 Toyota
16
South Pacific

• In Australia and New Zealand, over 90 percent of
  the residents of nineteenth-century British
  settlers.
• Increasingly their economics are tied to Japan
  and other Asian countries.

17
Less Developed Regions

• Latin America,
• East Asia.
• Southeast Asia,
• Middle East,
• South Asia, and
• Sub-Saharan Africa

18
Most LDCs south of the line
19
Latin America

• Most speak Spanish or Portuguese and adhere to
  Roman Catholicism.
• Most live in Atlantic coastal urban areas.
• HDI is hindered by inequitable income
  distribution.

20
East Asia

• China is the worlds largest country and among
  the worlds poorest.
• It is projected to exceed the U.S. as the worlds
  largest economy.
• The Chinese government controls the daily lives
  of its citizenry.

21
Southeast Asia

• Indonesia is the regions most populous country
  with 234,693,997 (July 2007 est.) people living
  on approximately 6000 of 17,508 islands.
• Most people live on the island of Java due to its
  fertile soil.

22
Southeast Asia

• The region has suffered from a half-century of
  nearly continuous warfare.
• Since the end of the Vietnam War, development has
  been rapid in Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, and
  the Phillipines.

23
Middle East

• Mostly desert with a large of petroleum
  reserves, concentrated in the Persian Gulf area.
• The only LDC with a trade surplus.
• Key challenge is development without abandoning
  religious values.

24
Middle East Conflicts

• Most Middle Eastern states refuse to recognize
  the right of Israel to exist.
• Shiite and Sunni Muslims have a long standing
  cultural dispute.
• The Iraqi War and terrorism.

25
South Asia

• Worlds second highest population and second
  lowest per capita income.
• Worlds leading producer of jute, peanuts,
  sugarcane, and tea.
• Population ratio to resources unfavorable.

26
Sub-Sahara Africa

• Population density is lower than any other LDC.
• Population suffers from poverty and poor health.
• Most economic problems are a legacy of colonial
  era, and corrupt leadership.

27
With many minerals in Africa, world prices have
been unstable and unable to sustain economic
progress.