s2 geography

• Population growth


  Measured in birth and death rates
• High birth rate (natality)


  Indicates a developing country due to lack of family planning and high infant mortality rates
• High death rate


  Indicates a low standard of living and low income
• Development


  Any improvement in the standard of living of people in a specific country
• North-South divide


  Line drawn to separate the developed countries in the north from the developing countries in the south
• Causes of inequalities in wealth


  • Global factors such as globalization
  • Technological progress
  • Individuals with higher education have comparative advantage using new technologies
• Development indicators


  • Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
  • Gross National Product (GNP)
  • GNP Per Capita
  • Birth and death rates
  • Human development index (HDI)
  • Literacy rate
  • Life expectancy
  • Infant mortality rate
• Malawi


  • One of the world's poorest countries
  • Economy heavily dependent on agriculture, employing over 80% of the population
  • Vulnerable to external shocks, particularly climatic shocks
• Historical reasons for development gap


  • Countries in Europe took over places as colonies, stripping them of materials and shipping out slaves
  • Colonies won independence but left with few roads, schools, hospitals, skills and much unrest
• Geographical reasons for development gap


  • Hot dry landlocked countries with poor soil and few natural resources
  • Countries with climates that help farming and natural resources like oil
  • Countries like Singapore benefit from location on busy shipping routes
• Reasons for development gap


  • Conflict and unrest
  • Corruption, with leaders and officials taking bribes and stealing money
• Ways to reduce inequality


  • Promote policies that reduce inequalities such as increasing minimum wage
  • Provide universal access to basic education
  • Provide tax relief or income support to people who really need it
• Rapid population growth contributes to higher waste production, including sewage, pollution and carbon emissions, resulting in air and water pollution, deforestation, and faster depletion of natural habitats, leading to biodiversity loss