World Divisions

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

World Political Map, 2000

• 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?

World Political Map, 1938

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.

What does this map reveal?

Difference Across the Globe

Literacy, Health, Industrialization, Freedom

IMR, disease, crime

Literacy, Health, Industrialization, Freedom

IMR, disease, crime

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

Three World Model• First World

– Capitalist, Industrialized

• Second World– Communist

• Third World– Developing

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.

• 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.

North vs. South

North

• Wealth• Standard of living• Industrial

development• Population

South

• Population• Wealth• Standard of living• Industrial Development

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

Developed / Developing

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