Economic

• Main Indicators

  • Birth Rate
  • Death Rate
  • Gross National Product (GNP)
  • GNP per Capita
  • Infant Mortality
  • Life expectancy
  • Human Development Index (HDI)
  • Adult literacy rate
• Sectors of the Industry

  • Primary
  • Secondary
  • Tertiary
  • Quaternary
• Primary sector

  Collecting natural resources
• Secondary sector

  Manufacturing goods
• Tertiary sector

  Providing services to people
• Quaternary sector


  Research-based jobs
• Primary sector examples


  • farming, fishing, mining
• Secondary sector examples

  • food production, car manufacturers, computer design
• Tertiary sector examples


  • carpenters, medical, lawyers, teachers
• Quaternary sector examples


  • researchers, scientists
• An MEDC (e.g. UK) has a low proportion in the primary sector, mechanization of jobs in the primary and secondary sectors, and the tertiary sector is the main growth area
• An LEDC (e.g. Ghana) has the majority in the primary sector, lack of machinery in farming/forestry/mining, and the tertiary sector may be larger than the secondary sector
• An NIC (e.g. Brazil) has a large number of people employed in primary industries like farming, a large proportion in tertiary industries, and growth in tourism and improvements in healthcare, education and transport
• Globalisation


  The process in which the world is becoming increasingly interconnected
• Causes of globalisation


  • Improvements in transportation
  • Freedom of trade
  • Improvements of communications
  • Labour availability and skills
• Impacts of globalisation


  • Positive: Provides jobs and skills, culture diversity, wider choice of goods and services, governments can work together

  Negative: Countries may lose control, usually operates in richer countries
• Transnational Corporation (TNC)


  Companies that operate in more than 1 country
• Advantages of TNCs


  • Create job opportunities, improved education and skills, increased economy, invest in infrastructure/healthcare/education
• Disadvantages of TNCs


  • Working conditions may be harsh, damage to environment, profits going overseas, natural resources being over exploited
• Food shortage and famine

  When demand for food exceeds supply of food leading to undernourishment
• Human causes of food shortages and famine


  • Increasing population, overgrazing, overcultivating, deforestation
• Physical causes of food shortages and famine

  • Too hot or cool temperatures, shortage of rainfall, too much rainfall, natural disasters
• Prolonged undernourishment can damage people's health and eventually lead to starvation
• Genetically modified (GM) crops


  Crops that have their genes altered to improve quality and/or quantity
• Advantages of GM crops

  • Uniform in shape, drought resistant, higher yields
• Disadvantages of GM crops

  • Taste often not as good, lead to development of super weeds, no one knows long term effect on humans
• Cash crops

  Crops grown in large plantations for selling and making a profit
• Advantages of cash crops

  • Become more efficient, profitable, can have high yields, easily controllable, low training required
• Disadvantages of cash crops

  • If demand falls, no profit, less variety, bad season means no profit, labor becomes deskilled, only source of income
• Green Revolution

  The introduction of modern western style farming techniques in LEDCs during the late 1960's and 1970's
• Successes of the Green Revolution

  • Increased yields, shorter growing season, more crops could be grown, different crops were grown adding variety, there were surpluses to trade, farmers became weather independent
• Failures of the Green Revolution

  • More water had to be diverted to growing crops, many poorer farmers couldn't afford the expensive inputs, mechanization led to job losses, many natural varieties were lost, countries and farmers became dependent on foreigners
• Types of industry


  • Manufacturing, Processing, Assembly, High-tech
• Factors influencing location of an industry

  • Physical: power/energy, raw materials, transport

  Human: labour, markets, transport, government policies, leisure facilities
• Factors that Change Tourism

  • Transport & accessibility
  • Scenery, landscape & visual appearance of places
  • Weather, climate
  • Accommodation
  • Amenities: variety of recreational & historical facilities & sites offered
• Tourism

  • Advantages:
  • Create job opportunities
  • Money can be used for development
  • Attract foreign investment
  • Cultural exchange
  • Improve health care and education
  • Roads built or improved
  • Airports improved
  • Electricity, water supply improved
• Ecotourism

  Holidays that involve eco-related activities & are sustainable eg hiking, birdwatching, horse riding
• Sustainable tourism

  Tourist activities that are socially, environmentally & economically sustainable
• Managing Tourism

  1. But National Parks with entrance fees-Money raised can be spent on conservation/improvement of parks

  2. Ban hunting/fishing

  3. Fence prohibited or protected areas

  4. Put up signs such as 'no littering'
• Energy


  • Fossil fuels
  • Renewable resources