Differences in Level of Development

between ELDCs

or…

why some poor countries are more developed than others…

Differences in Level of Development

between ELDCs

or…

why some poor countries are more developed than others…

Higher Geography – Development and HealthHigher Geography – Development and Health

Contrasts in Development

Country Birth Rate

(per 1000)

Infant Mortality Rate

(per 1000 live births)

Literacy Rate

(%)

GNP per capita ($US)

Thailand

16

21 93

7400

Saudi Arabia

30

14 79

11,800

South Korea

12

7 98

17,700

Why the huge difference?

ELDCs – Differences in Development between

countries

HISTORY / COLONISATION

(India (Britain), Brazil (Portugal, Peru (Spain)

most African countries (European powers)

LOCATION, CLIMATE AND LANDSCAPE

(Afghanistan – landlocked, mountainous, harsh climate;

Thailand – low lying and fertile, long coastline

DEBT

World Bank, IMF (Brazil)

NATURAL DISASTERS

(Bangladesh – cyclones; Sudan – drought)

POLITICS

North Korea / South Korea, Zimbabwe (politics);

INDUSTRY AND TRADE

Asian tiger economies -

S.Korea, Singapore,

China

NATURAL RESOURCES

(Saudi Arabia –resource rich; Afghanistan – resource poor)

WAR

Iraq / U.S (war); Afghanistan

(civil war)

Natural ResourcesNatural Resources

Saudi Arabia, and neighbouring Gulf states, such as Oman, Dubai and Qatar have exploited their oil wealth to build modern cities and industries in what were barren desert countries until the 1930s.

Offshore oil production platform in the Persian Gulf

Oil money has led to enormous industrial investment, such as here at the Yanpet Ethylene PlantSaudi Arabia

Location – good and badLocation – good and bad

Good location – e.g. on natural trade routes

Imports and exports, the lifeblood of world trade, move by sea.

The container terminal at Singapore docks, one of the busiest in the world.

It is their strategic position on international shipping routes and prime coastal locations which have led to the fantastic growth of cities such as Singapore…

…Hong Kong…

…and Shanghai, China’s fastest growing port city. None of

these buildings existed twenty years ago.

Bad location - there are 44 landlocked countries in the world – and two double landlocked - hindering their international trade.Bad location - there are 44 landlocked countries in the world – and two double landlocked - hindering their international trade.

To avoid being landlocked, some

countries have gone to court, even war, to

preserve access to the sea - such as the middle

eastern country of Jordan, which has the shortest coastline of any major country - at 16 miles.

Natural DisastersNatural Disasters

1. Flooding in Bangladesh1. Flooding in Bangladesh

Bangladesh’s position at the head of the Bay of Bengal and its flat, low-lying relief, make it vulnerable to

flooding from the frequent cyclones (hurricanes) which blow in from the Indian Ocean and from the Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers whose delta

form the country.

Bangladesh’s position at the head of the Bay of Bengal and its flat, low-lying relief, make it vulnerable to

flooding from the frequent cyclones (hurricanes) which blow in from the Indian Ocean and from the Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers whose delta

form the country.

Loss of life, homelessness and farmland ruined by floodwaters are

common problems facing BangladeshiesLoss of life, homelessness and farmland ruined by floodwaters are

common problems facing Bangladeshies

Disease from contaminated water supplies spreads easily,

industry and transport is badly affected.Disease from contaminated water supplies spreads easily,

industry and transport is badly affected.

Despite this, life goes on in these fertile delta lands.Despite this, life goes on in these fertile delta lands.

Natural DisastersNatural Disasters

2. Drought and famine in Sudan2. Drought and famine in Sudan

Hit by frequent droughts and subsequent famine, Sudan also suffers from internal conflicts, particularly in the Darfur region, which worsen the

problems posed by nature.

Hit by frequent droughts and subsequent famine, Sudan also suffers from internal conflicts, particularly in the Darfur region, which worsen the

problems posed by nature.

The youngest are the most helpless when famine strikes.The youngest are the most helpless when famine strikes.

Politics – 1. North and South KoreaPolitics – 1. North and South Korea

North Korea – ruthlessly ruled by a family dictatorship.

South Korea - a modern, progressive, westernised country.

The two countries came into being after the Korean War in the early 1950s

North Korea – ruthlessly ruled by a family dictatorship.

South Korea - a modern, progressive, westernised country.

The two countries came into being after the Korean War in the early 1950s

Viewed from space, at night, the contrast in development between North and South Korea is starkly illustrated.

Viewed from space, at night, the contrast in development between North and South Korea is starkly illustrated.

One of hundreds of statues to Kim Il Sung, the Great Leader,

who died in 1994, but is still officially eternal president! The country is run on the basis of a

personality cult, with his son, Kim Jong-il, now in power.

Kim Jong-il, the leader of North Korea

since the death of his

father in 1994.

Mass public displays of support and adulation of the leadership are frequently held, especially in the capital, Pyongyang…

Mass public displays of support and adulation of the leadership are frequently held, especially in the capital, Pyongyang…

Mass propaganda, North Korean style…Mass propaganda, North Korean style…

…the population are indoctrinated to fear imminent attack by the west…

…so a very large part of North Korea’s GNP is spent on the military - and

North Korea is a nuclear power……so a very large part of North Korea’s GNP is spent on the military - and

North Korea is a nuclear power…

There are some signs of a very slight easing of NK’s closed door policy, but it still remains a country shut off from the rest of the world. Full democracy is a long way

off… and China holds the key.

Press, radio, T.V. and internet censorship ensures the population are kept in ignorance.

…meanwhile, millions are starving, hundreds of thousands are in labour camps and the country has seen little in the way of industrial or technological progress. Millions have probably died over the last fifty years as a result of the way the country is ruled, although the full extent of its situation is unknown…

…meanwhile, millions are starving, hundreds of thousands are in labour camps and the country has seen little in the way of industrial or technological progress. Millions have probably died over the last fifty years as a result of the way the country is ruled, although the full extent of its situation is unknown…

…as the border between North and South Korea remains the

most tightly closed in the world.

…as the border between North and South Korea remains the

most tightly closed in the world.

South Korea, by contrast, has forged ahead, becoming one of the main Asian tiger economies, also known as NICs (Newly Industrialising Countries), with a high

standard of living and huge industrial output and wealth from exports - this for a country with fewer natural resources than the north. Seen here are the opening

celebrations of the recent World Cup, held jointly in Japan and South Korea

The capital, Seoul, is similar to many modern western cities…

…with high levels of car ownership and an efficient motorway network. South Korea’s

health and education systems are as good as in most western countries.

SAMSUNGSAMSUNG DAEWOODAEWOO

KIAKIA L.G. (Lucky Goldstar or Life is Good!)

L.G. (Lucky Goldstar or Life is Good!)

HYUNDAIHYUNDAI

Major South Korean industrial giantsMajor South Korean industrial giants

Politics – 2. ZimbabwePolitics – 2. Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe, one of Africa’s many

landlocked countries.

Zimbabwe, one of Africa’s many

landlocked countries.

Robert Mugabe, President of Zimbabwe,

whose policies and brutal regime turned

one of the most productive and fertile

countries in Africa into a failed state, with

millions starving, mass unemployment and with

inflation currently running out of control. He ignored the results of an election in 2008 which had come out in

favour of his main opponent.

With British press banned, it is difficult to see the full picture from outside its borders.With British press banned, it is difficult to see the full picture from outside its borders.

…although what figures are known are likely to be underestimates……although what figures are known are likely to be underestimates…

• HARARE, Zimbabwe - It's easy being a multmillionaire in Zimbabwe these days, at least if you're counting in local dollars.

• Money traders in the economically depressed African country say the Zimbabwe currency has tumbled to a record low of 25 million for a single U.S. dollar.

• The black market exchange rate for the U.S. dollar first broke through the $1-million Zimbabwe mark in late October 2007. Since then the plummet has been even more dramatic amid political uncertainty and an annual inflation rate topping 2,000,000 per cent.

• This man is going shopping for a few groceries!

• HARARE, Zimbabwe - It's easy being a multmillionaire in Zimbabwe these days, at least if you're counting in local dollars.

• Money traders in the economically depressed African country say the Zimbabwe currency has tumbled to a record low of 25 million for a single U.S. dollar.

• The black market exchange rate for the U.S. dollar first broke through the $1-million Zimbabwe mark in late October 2007. Since then the plummet has been even more dramatic amid political uncertainty and an annual inflation rate topping 2,000,000 per cent.

• This man is going shopping for a few groceries!

Food queues, riots, forced eviction and money of little value - with protest put down brutally by the police and army.

Food queues, riots, forced eviction and money of little value - with protest put down brutally by the police and army.

Empty shelves in a Harare shop, a common sight throughout Zimbabwe, once the

“breadbasket of Africa”, where agricultural production has now virtually collapsed.

Multiple limits on growthMultiple limits on growth

AfghanistanAfghanistan

AfghanistanAfghanistan• Afghanistan has many limits on development…• a harsh landscape of mountains and desert…• an extreme climate - hot and dry, cold and dry…• it is landlocked, making trade difficult…• it has few natural resources…• it lacks an effective government or legal system…• it has experienced many civil wars involving powerful tribal

warlords and the Taliban…it has been occupied by foreign armies many times.

• there is virtually no industry, education is almost non-existent and food agriculture is giving way to poppy growing…

• it is currently one of the most dangerous countries in the world.

• Afghanistan has many limits on development…• a harsh landscape of mountains and desert…• an extreme climate - hot and dry, cold and dry…• it is landlocked, making trade difficult…• it has few natural resources…• it lacks an effective government or legal system…• it has experienced many civil wars involving powerful tribal

warlords and the Taliban…it has been occupied by foreign armies many times.

• there is virtually no industry, education is almost non-existent and food agriculture is giving way to poppy growing…

• it is currently one of the most dangerous countries in the world.

The high mountains of

the Hindu Kush

The desert and semi deserts of the south

There are only small areas of good farmland, and farming is

still done mostly at subsistence level, with low technology.

Opium poppies are the crop of choice in many areas.

Mountainous (the Hindu Kush mountains), barren desert and poor

grassland; remote, inaccessible valleys and a dry climate make

Afghanistan a tough place to live.

At war with Russia, then the U.S. / U.K. and with itself, armed tribal

groups in Afghanistan make it one of the most dangerous and politically

unstable countries in the world.

top left - Taliban fighters; above - American sniper and

Chinook helicopter.

RecapRecap

LEDCs – Differences in Development due to…

HISTORY / COLONISATION

LOCATION, CLIMATE AND LANDSCAPE

DEBT

NATURAL DISASTERS

POLITICS INDUSTRY AND TRADE

NATURAL RESOURCES

WAR