DG - Dividing up the world Flashcards
What are the four ways of dividing up the world?
- North/South
- First, second and third worlds
- MEDC/LEDC/NIC
- Five-fold division based on wealth
What was the first, second and third worlds?
- Early method of division from a Western European perspective
- First world = Europeans
- Second world = North America and Australia (colonised) *no place for communists countries
- Third world = Poorer countries
What was the north/south divide?
- Brandt report on world development published in 1971 comparing economically wealthier and industrialised countries with poorer ones)
- A line was drawn on a map to show the divide using the development indicator GNP
- System now seen out of date
What was the simplest twofold division first used to show different stages of development?
- MECs and LECs
- Not widely accepted because it focused on economic issues and didnt consider other things affecting development like social and cultural issues
What did LECs and MECs change to?
- MEDCs (more economically developed) and LEDCs (less economically developed)
What category has been added to make development faster and why?
- NICs (Newly industrialising countries)
- LEDCs were growing more rapidly than MEDCs
What five categories did the five fold division include?
1) Rich industrialising countries
2) Oil-exporting countries
3) NCIs
4) Former centrally planned economies (previous communist political system)
5) Heavily indebted poor countries
What country is classed as a “rich industrialising country” ?
The UK - we are wealthy but our manufacturing industry has declined over the years
What are the advantages of oil exporting countries?
- Great spread of wealth in society (huge amounts of money made by exporting oil)
- Rich people and companies invest their money in businesses abroad eg UK football clubs have been bought by Middle Eastern oil billionaires
- Some profit is used for development projects
What are the disadvantages of oil exporting countries?
Majority of people remain poor eg UAE and Venezuela
What has happened to the former centrally planned economies?
Communist states have become more like Western European countries by joining the EU such as Romania and Poland.
Does China still have a communist government?
Yes but it has one of the worlds fastest growing economies as its speed of industrialisation has been phenomenal
Why is it hard for countries in in serious debt to develop?
Many African countries have borrowed large amounts of money in the past and need to pay it back before they can start to improve the country
