World Divisions

1. World Divisions

2. Political Maps • A political map shows how the land surface of the Earth is divided into countries – one example of the diversity of human life in our world

3. World Political Map, 2000

4. Why does it show so many divisions? • Have they always existed? • Are divisions changing today? • Is the total number of countries increasing or decreasing? • What do these political divisions reflect? (pop’n dist’n, cultures, devel’t) • Is it possible to aggregate (group or cluster) countries? • Are there meaningful groupings? • Do basic groupings such as north v. south or east v. west have any value?

5. World Political Map, 1938

6. A World Divided • The world is not only divided into political units but also into larger areas to which labels such as ‘more developed’ and ‘less developed’ are often applied.

12. What does this map reveal?

13. Difference Across the Globe Literacy, Health, Industrialization, Freedom IMR, disease, crime Literacy, Health, Industrialization, Freedom IMR, disease, crime

14. What are some of the words that we use to classify the world?

15. Three World Model • First World • Capitalist, Industrialized • Second World • Communist • Third World • Developing

16. Five World Model • First World • a high standard of living with a high level of industrialization - usually a democratically elected government and a healthy economic performance - e.g., the US, Japan, Germany, Canada, etc. • Second World • a moderate standard of living, a moderate level of industrialization, a communist government - e.g., Old Soviet Union, Cuba, China, North Korea. • Third World • on the road to industrialization with industries exploiting the newly discovered natural resources, a low to moderate standard of loving - a small upper class and large lower class - e.g., Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Brazil, South Africa, Iran, etc.

17. Fourth World • a lower standard of living than Third World countries - they have the potential to industrialize but need capital to exploit their resources to their fullest potential - e.g., Turkey, Peru, India,etc. • Fifth World • very little potential to industrialize (in the Western sense) - low standard of living - few resources - e.g., Sudan, Mali, Somalia, Ethiopia, Bangladesh, Chad, etc.

18. North Wealth Standard of living Industrial development Population South Population Wealth Standard of living Industrial Development North vs. South

19. MDC / LDC / LLDC • Most developed countries (MDCs) are the richest of the industrialized and democratic nations of the world • Less Developed Countries (LDCs) are countries with little industrial development, little wealth, and high pop growth • Least Developed Countries (LLDCs) have very low per capita income, low literacy rates, and very little in the way of manufacturing industries

20. Developed Poor North Industrial Good roads, transportation High energy consumption Oil, coal, nuclear Good health care Clean water Developing Poor South Agricultural Poor roads, transportation Little energy Wood, wind, animal, human energy Disease and famine Polluted or little water Developed / Developing