Where Are MDC’s and LDC’s Located? Chapter 9: Development Key Issue 2

More Developed Regions  North-South Split  Most developed countries are found north of 30° N  North America (.950)  Led by US (ranked 4 th ) and then Canada (6 th ) :  Highest consumers and producers of food  Large tertiary job market (secondary jobs falling)  Hurt by dropout rate and life expectancy  Europe (.930)  12 of the top 20 spots are European (Norway #1)  Regional highs and lows balance to a score just below NA  Some differences by countries on how to handle the recession and concerns over favoring home countries

More Developed Regions  Russia (.730)  Sudden drop following the collapse of the Soviet Union  HDI has been increasing since the bottom in the late 80’s  Oil has spurred economy in Russia  Japan (.960)  Highly unfavorable ratio of people/resources  Foothold with lower cost products in foreign markets and now high-quality, high-value products (electronics, cars, etc.)  Put $ into education & research & development

More Developed Regions  Oceania (.900)  Australia (2 nd ) and New Zealand (5 th )  Smaller island nations bring down HDI but not much because of the small populations  Mining and food production boost economies

Less Developed Regions  Latin America (.820)  Chile (44), Argentina (45), & Mexico (57) are the strongest economies  Many people live in urban areas and there is a LOT of variation in development  Role of wealthy land owners hurts over quality of life  East Asia (.770)  Driven by China’s economy (2 nd largest to US)  Largest manufacturer in the world  Communism helped focus farming efforts (need lots of food for over 1 billion people)  Struggles come from poor wages, poor standards for products, and increased output of pollution

Less Developed Regions  SW Asia & N. Africa (.740) “Middle East”  Dominated by Islam  Businesses stop during prayer times  Women not allowed in some places or to hold some jobs  Many petroleum rich countries  Causes conflicts with countries without large oil deposits  SE Asia (.730)  Dominated by Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, & the Philippines  Agriculture is difficult but rice grows well, as well as, other more “native” items  Textile (clothing) manufacturing pushing economy  Cheap labor  Some corruption and lock of cooperation has slowed growth

Less Developed Regions  Central Asia (.700)  Former Soviet republics, as well as, Iran & Afghanistan  Kazakhstan & Iran more developed  Iran uses oil profits to control consumer prices  Other regions continues to be lower outside of K & I  S. Asia (.610)  Large population and limited resources hurt this region  Region relies on monsoon rainfall which ha been far less recently (hurting rice production)  India is largest economy (4 th in the world)  Strong manufacturing but excelling in technology service industry

Less Developed Regions  Sub-Saharan Africa  Desert and rainforest limit development  Lack of education and early demographic transition trends stress resources  Provides many natural resources for manufacturing  Profits often not reinvested into country