brandt line
by Lillian Bonar
Essay: brandt line
Pages: 11
Rating: 3 stars
Download Links:
• brandt line.pdf
• brandt line.doc
The Brandt Line, also known as the North-South divide, it is a divisionary line which simply separates the rich
countries in the North from the poor countries in the South. It encircles the world at latitude of 30°N. It crosses
North and Central America, North of Africa and India, and then it goes down towards the South, placing Australia
and New Zealand above the line. The Brandt line does take into account different development factors such as
health care facilities, gross domestic product, education levels etc.
How was the Brandt Line formed?
Over thirty years ago, a commissioned chaired by Willy Brandt, former chancellor of the Federal Republic of
Germany, published a report “North-South, A programme for survival” in 1980. The whole point of the report was
to create a boundary line between the North and the South.
Not all countries have developed at the same rate and globally there is an unequal distribution of wealth. Most
economically developed countries (MEDCs) cover only 20% of the world’s population but have 80% of the world’s
wealth, and are located in the northern hemisphere and include countries like USA, Canada, Britain, Germany,
Japan etc. the southern hemisphere with African countries, for example.
There are a lot of arguments put forward regarding the location of the Brandt Line. The line portrayed the lack of
industrial development in South America and Africa, firstly because of their demographics and secondly, due to
their exploitation as colonies by Europe’s countries from the 16th to 19th centuries.
It is critical to understand that the status of some countries is static and that the pattern is likely to distort due to
the fast development of some of the Southern countries, many of them newly indu...