Geography

• Brandt division


  An imaginary line which separates the richer and poor countries based on wealth
• The Brandt line does not follow the equator which separates north and south
• More Economically Developed Countries (MEDCs)


  • Highly developed
  • Highly industrialised
  • High income
  • Most people have access to education and health
  • Mostly in the north - First world
• Less Economically Developed Countries (LEDCs)


  • Low-income countries (can be rich people too but not generally)
  • Poor infrastructure
  • Obstacles to sustainable development
  • Developing
  • Third world
  • Non-industrialised
  • Newly Industrialised Countries (NICs) - Not quite the level of MEDCs but surpassed LEDCs
• Newly Industrialised Countries (NICs)


  • China
  • India
  • South Africa
  • Brazil
• Indicators of MEDC/LEDC development


  • GDP (HIGH/LOW)
  • GNP (HIGH/LOW)
  • GDP per capita (HIGH/LOW)
  • Unemployment rate (LOW/HIGH)
  • Employment (LARGE NUMBER IN TERTIARY SECTOR/LARGE NUMBER IN PRIMARY SECTOR)
  • Birth rate (LOW/HIGH)
  • Death rate (LOW/HIGH)
  • Life expectancy (HIGH/LOW)
  • Infant mortality (LOW/HIGH)
  • Literacy level (HIGH/LOW)
  • HDI (HIGH/LOW)
  • Environmental problems (LOW/HIGH)
  • Population growth rate (LOW/HIGH)
  • Level of urbanisation (HIGH/LOW)
• Certain periods that people go through make them more developed, e.g. Greeks, Romans, Mali, Egyptians
• All could have developed because of resources, technology, weapons or good leadership
• Other factors slow down development
• Colonialisation led to the extraction of resources by developed countries
• Political stability


  Wars can make a country less developed
• More money is spent on the war so less for things like education
• Services cannot function
• Infrastructure is damaged
• Skilled people leave the country
• Resources


  The quantity of resources and type of resources a country has affects development
• USA and Canada have a variety of resources and a high development
• Brazil has many resources but has only just started to exploit it in the last 15 years
• Trade


  Trade can lead to an increase in wealth and development
• Countries which trade have learnt how to make new resources or how to sell their extra resources
• Trade imbalances


  An imbalance occurs when exports do not equal the amount of imports
• When imports are greater than exports, a trade deficit occurs
• Countries often have to take out loans to pay the difference
• Often developing countries can't afford to pay the loan on the trade deficit
• Unfair trade


  Trading countries can create trading barriers to protect their own businesses
• Unfair trade methods


  • Subsidies: Money paid by the government to local farmers or suppliers to make their prices cheaper.
  • Trade tariffs: Taxes added to the prices of imported goods, making them more expensive so they don't buy them over local goods.
  • Embargoes: Laws preventing a particular country from selling goods to the country passing the laws.
• Fair trade


  An arrangement designed to help producers in developing countries achieve sustainable and equitable trade relationships
• The fair trade movement combines the payment of higher prices to exporters with improved social and environmental standards
• Industrialisation


  A country has changed from a producer of mainly primary goods to a manufacturer
• Industrialisation started from the 18th C in Britain
• Today countries that have industrialised have moved away from heavy industry into IT
• NICs like BRICS are now some of the world's biggest manufacturers
• The gap between industrialised and non-industrialised have become bigger
• Health and welfare


  "Healthy nation is a wealthy nation"
• Countries where life expectancy is high enjoy many years of productivity
• Low life expectancy= less years of productivity
• Often young children are left and have to be cared for by the state
• This puts more pressure on a country's resources- because welfare costs money
• Wealthy populations


  • Can afford more nutritious food to eat
  • Can afford holidays to relax
  • Their living conditions are hygienic and comfortable
  • There are sufficient doctors and hospitals to treat patients in developed countries
• Poorer populations


  • Do not have sufficient nutritious food or clean water
  • Living conditions are often unhygienic
  • Diseases spread easily (people are sick and cannot work)
  • There are not enough doctors and hospitals to take care of the sick