World Development

Outline

  1. Categorizing the World by Development.
    • Capitalist World / Socialist World / Third World
    • Underdeveloped Country (UDC) and Developed Country (DC)
    • Less Developed Country (LDC), Moderately Developed Country (MDC), and Highly Developed Country (HDC)
    • Map of World Development
  2. Development Characteristics
    • HDC Characteristics
    • MDC Characteristics
    • LDC Characteristics
  3. Development, Resources, Power
    • HDC Resource Consumption
    • Military Intervention
    • Are Developed Countries Really More Developed?
    • The future of MDC and LDC
  4. References
  5. Review Questions

Categorizing the World by Development

Countries are categorized by their economic development. A common categorization of countries that was used during the Cold War period incorporated government ideology such as capitalism and communism. This system, where poorer countries are labeled as the Third World, has as its "First World" the Capitalist countries, and as its second world the Communist countries. The problem with this categorization was that countries were grouped based on both ideology and capitalist development.

A two-tiered classification system that was based only on development was established. The terms, Developed Country (DC), and Undeveloped Country (UDC), were adopted as classification categories. Occasionally, some countries didn't fall into either of these categories.

The three-tiered classification system, the one that is commonly used today, was then established. In this system, countries are divided into three categories: LDC (Less developed country), MDC (Moderately developed country), HDC (Highly developed country). Characteristics that determine which category a country belongs to include: Gross National Income (GNI) per capita, transportation facilities, communication facilities, consumption of energy, and both literacy and unemployment rates.

██ 0.950 and over

██ 0.900-0.949

██ 0.850-0.899

██ 0.800-0.849

██ 0.750-0.799

██ 0.700-0.749

██ 0.650-0.699

██ 0.600-0.649

██ 0.550-0.599

██ 0.500-0.549

██ 0.450-0.499

██ 0.400-0.449

██ 0.350-0.399

██ 0.300-0.349

██ under 0.300

██ n/a

The map above shows the world divided by its development.  The countries with the highest development are numbered .8 and above and the countries with the lesser development are numbered below .5.  As you can clearly see Africa contains nearly all of the less developed countries while the US and Europe are highly developed.

Development Characteristics

LDC's are characterized by a marginal physical environment. The countries that fall into this category are mostly African. The LDC countries have the following characteristics:

  1. Little to no build-up of agriculture
  2. Low energy production and consumption
  3. Subsistence farming  
  4. Large percentage of the population is under 15
  5. Birth rate and infant mortality rate are high
  6. Poorly developed trade and transportation
  7. Poor medical facilities
  8. High illiteracy and unemployment rates
  9. GNI is under $750 per capita  

HDC's are countries that are advanced in many ways. The countries that fall into this category are the United States, Japan, New Zealand, and most of the Western European countries. The characteristics of HDC countries include:

    1. Extensive trade contacts
    2. Advanced internal communication systems
    3. Dense transportation networks
    4. High energy production and consumption
    5. Advanced medical facilities
    6. Low population growth
    7. High level of urbanization
    8. GNI exceeds $10,000 per year
    9. Has strong military control

MDC's are countries that share overlapping characteristics of both LDC’s and HDC’s. These countries have classifications that fit into both of the LDC and HDC categories and the GNI per capita ranges from $4,000 - $10,000. Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Mexico and the Bahamas are examples of MDC's.

Development, Resources and Power

HDC's burn a large portion of the world's fossil fuels.  It is estimated that the U.S. consumes 25-40% of the world's energy but only has 4.6% of the world's population. This creates a problem because these resources are non-renewable. According to some estimates, there is only enough oil on Earth for another hundred years of use.  Coal has approximately three hundred years at the current rate of usage.

Because many HDC's depend on fossil fuels, it is sometimes necessary for military intervention to guarantee control of the needed resources.  A good example of this is the repeated U.S. military involvement in the Middle East.

It can be argued that HDC's actually aren't the most developed countries. More idealistic goals of an HDC might be:

    1. Inclusion of all age groups and people in economic prosperity
    2. Careful use of resources
    3. A stable society in which young people can find their "place"
    4. Development of technology that enhances standards of living

Many HDC's don't meet these idealistic goals for a highly developed country.

The future of MDC's and LDC's depends on the actions of the HDC's. HDC's are able to maintain the status quo, because the HDC's are more educated and more advanced than the other countries in the world. One factor that keeps power in the hands of the HDC's is "brain drain". The "brain drain" effect can be seen in our society today as educated people from other countries come to our country, thereby draining their country of an educated population.

References

Clawson, David L. World Regional Geography. 7th Edition. Prentice Hall. Upper Saddle River, NJ. 2001.

Clawson, David & Johnson, M. World Regional Geography. 8th Edition. Prentice Hall. Upper Saddle River, NJ. 2004.

Clawson, David, Johnson, D, Haarmann, V, Johnson, M. World Regional Geography. 9th Edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ. 2007.

World Population Data Sheet (2006). Washington, DC: Population Reference Bureau

Questions

1. Countries of the world can be divided into three categories. These include the Highly Developed Countries (HDC's), Moderately Developed Countries (MDC's), and Less Developed Countries (LDC's). Some believe that LDC countries will never achieve the prosperity of the HDC countries. In this respect, the primary goal of HDC countries is to: (A.) increase the wealth of MDC countries (B.) increase the wealth of LDC countries (C.) maintain the status quo (politically, economically and socially) (D.) reject trickle down economics (E.) All of the above

2.HDC countries have (A.) extensive trade contacts (B.) dense transportation networks (C.) high energy production (D.) advanced medical facilities (E.) all of the above

3. Capitalist countries are associated with:  (A.) Third World countries (B.) Second World countries  (C.) First World countries (D.) none of the above

4. The countries of Uganda, Mexico, and the United States are examples of countries that (A.) are all in the MDC category (B.) are in the MDC, LDC, and HDC categories respectively (C.) in the early expanding, late expanding and low-stationary stages respectively of the demographic transition (D.) in the late expanding, early expanding and low-stationary stages of the demographic transition (E.) None of the above

5. The US burns what percent of the world’s energy? (A.) 50-75% (B.) 10-13% (C.) 15-25% (D.) 25-40% (E.) 45-50%

6. All of the following are characteristics of LDC countries, except (A.) marginal physical environments (B.) subsistence farming (C.) large percent of population under the age of 15 (D.) high energy production and consumption (E.) illiteracy is high

7. All of the following are characteristics of MDC countries, except (A.) GNI PPP ranges from $4,000 - $10,000 per year. (B.) include the country of Saudi Arabia and Brazil (C.) include the country of Mexico and the Bahamas (D.) include the country of the United States (E.) None of the above

8. How much longer will oil last if we keep using it up at such a rapid rate ? (A.) 100yrs (B.) 200yrs (C.) 300yrs (D.) 400yrs (E.) 500yrs

9. The countries of Mexico, Saudi Arabia, and Brazil are examples of:  (A.) LDC (B.) MDC (C.) HDC (D.) none of the above

Submitted by Lisa Cornell on 03/03/96. Update submitted by Christy Fossum on 10-13-96. Updated submitted by Kathy Daley on 2-20-97 Update submitted by Marcus Donte Ivy on 6/09/97. Update submitted by Jessica Boehle, Kristen Buker, Tom Byrne, Rachel Faulk and Zach Lage on 4/20/07