GILES ACADEMY GEOGRAPHY
GCSE REVISION
UNIT 2—HUMAN UNIT
The Development Gap
The Development Gap
This unit explores how and why there are varying degrees of development within the
world that we live. You will need to know the different ways in which development is
measured—GNP, GNI, HDI and you need to be able to say how these measurements are
different (indicate different information). You will need to practice using and comparing
data from different countries to be able to say which is the most developed and why.
There are many different barriers that stop and reduce the development of countries—
environmental, social, economic and political which you must know case study information about. You also need to understand the role that trade plays and that trade flows
within the world are not equally spread with more expensive goods being made in more
developed countries and less expensive goods in less developed countries. For specific
cases, you will need to be able to say how strategies such as Fair Trade, debt abolition
and conservation swaps can help to reduce the gap and be able to refer to specific large
scale schemes that have been used to further help the development of a country (Three
Gorges Dam—China). You will also be required to know the different types of Aid that
can be offered to countries.
Finally, you will be expected to know and understand why the levels of development can
differ within Europe using two different countries to show this.
KEY TERMS!
Aid—money, goods and expertise given by one country to another, either free or at
a low cost
Appropriate technology—technology level in terms of size and complexity that
makes it suitable for local people to use.
Birth rate—the number of births per 1000 people per year
Brandt line—The North South divide that separates the world into MEDC’s (the rich
North) and LEDC’s (the poor South)
Death rate—the number of deaths per 1000 people per year
Development—the level and standard of living experienced in a place/country
Development Gap—The cap that exists between rich (developed) and poor
(underdeveloped) countries.
GNP (Gross National Product)/GDP (Gross National Product)—the amount of money made by a country through the goods and services it provides.
GNI (Gross National Income) per capita—the average income of people within a
country
HDI (Human Development Index) - a measure of quality of life based on the life expectancy, literacy rates and wealth of a country that offers countries a score out of 1
Infant Mortality rate—the number of children aged 0-5 that die
Life expectancy—the average age in which people are expected to live until
Manufactured goods—items that are made or manufactured using the primary
goods. These are higher in value e.g. cars, computers,
Primary goods—raw materials such as wood, metal and food stuffs. These tend to
be low value goods.
Trade—the goods and services that a country sells to other countries
Trade group (bloc)— a group of countries e.g. those in the EU that are linked for
trade
How is global development represented?
This is one way in which development can be represented by categorising each country on the average earnings of people. As the map shows, Western Europe, USA and Australia have the highest average earnings where as the continent of Africa has the lowest earnings. This can be influenced by
many different things!
EXAM QUESTION
Describe how the GNI differs across the world. ( 4 marks)
As the table above shows, the total amount that a country makes/earns (GNP) can appear to be very
different from the average earnings (GNI) as China demonstrates. China has a strong economy but
due to the high population, this brings average incomes down considerably. GNP can be influenced
greatly by the sector that people are employed in. Farming is low paid and a low earning industry
which does not equal high profits where as countries that are more service based will have a higher
GNP as these jobs create more money.
SKILLS TEST!!!
Look at the table above, what pattern does it show?
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
Give two different factors that can influence the birth rate of a country
1)
2)
List below 3 different indicators that can be used to measure the development of a
country.
-
What can influence the development of a country?
There are many different reasons and barriers for why some countries are more developed and richer
than others. The categories that these barriers fall into are
ENVIRONMENTAL BARRIERS—problems/events that happen naturally and effect the environment of a
country.
SOCIAL BARRIERS—problems that people create due to their demand or pressure that they may put
on a resource.
POLITICAL BARRIERS—problems related to governments, rulings and political agendas of countries.
For some, this may encourage development and growth whilst for others, the government will prove to
be a huge barrier.
ECONOMIC BARRIERS—mainly due to trade, trade flows and demand for goods that are being traded.
EARTHQUAKE
POPULATION INCREASE
LACK OF INVESTMENT
WAR
FLOOD
NO FAIR TRADE
LACK OF WATER
DICTATOR
LACK OF INFRASTRUCTURE
COLLAPSE OF COFFEE
CROP FAILURE
PRICES
Look at the following examples, decide which of these are environmental, social, political or economic
barriers
Over to you......
Research your own example of a natural hazard that has affected or reduced the level of development
within that country. Below are a few examples to help you create a case study
Which places in the world are most at risk?
areas even more vulnerable
south’ (North South divide), making these
Most natural disasters are in the ‘poor
Environmental barrier case study—The Sahel
A region stretching from east to west Africa where intense desertification (land becoming desert like)
is occurring. This has affected life stock and food supplies and has led to mass migration, forcing
people who usually live in this area to find somewhere else to live. In total, around 50 million people
live or try to live off of the land in this area that is becoming less fertile and useable as time goes on.
The effects of desertification are wide from obvious problems such as a lack of food to high infant mortality rates
due to malnutrition.
Farmers in this area have seen stock levels fall, both crops
and livestock and are therefore unable to
make enough money to try and improve the situation that
they are in.
Social barrier case study—China and water
The increasing population in China has put heavy pressure on water supply for both domestic purposes and industrial. As the countries economy is growing at a faster rate than perhaps anywhere
else in the world, the need for water has increased dramatically. The use for water for industry has
also decreased the level of quality of water as chemicals and industrial waste had led to algae
blooms and contaminated water. The reason for the problem in supply for water is that most people
live in the North of China where there is the least water supply!
FACTS

It is expected that there will be
30 million refugees in the north
that will have to move to find
new water sources.

190 million Chinese people often drink polluted water increasing death rates!

Farm land is irrigated with polluted water

11 provinces of China and in
‘water poverty’
Economic barrier case study—Mali and USA cotton
Mali is a country in Africa (that also lies partly across the Sahel) that relies heavily on cotton production to support its economy. As it is a raw material, it is not a high earning export but it is one that is
heavily required by the rest of the world. Mali has faced difficult opposition from the USA who have
encouraged their farmers to grow cotton and as a result have offered the farmers subsidies (extra
money) to grow cotton that could be sold to the rest of the world. As the USA has developed their
own cotton growing industry, this has taken away trade that is key to a country like Mali and has left
Mali in a difficult situation.

10 million farmers in Mali are suffering due to a dramatic drop in cotton.

In a good year in Mali, cotton farmers can earn $1,000 where as farmers in the USA are earning billions.

The loss in earnings has impacted on
other areas of life—education, health
care.
Political barrier case study—South Africa
South Africa is perhaps the most developed and richest nation in Africa but has seen developmental
setbacks due to political reasons and perhaps the most noted, the Apartheid that first started in the
late 1940’s and ran until 1994. The Apartheid was the segregation of race, Black South Africans and
White South Africans were not permitted to use the same facilities, restaurants, houses or have the
same jobs. This segregation was a result of the political powers that were ruling South Africa at the
time and viewed the White South African people as being more important. White South Africans
were seen as the superior race and as a result, many Black South Africans did not receive the same
level of education or the same job opportunities. Although the Apartheid is no longer in existence, it
has left big social and economic gaps with literacy levels still lower for Black South African’s, as well
as job opportunities which are still heavily weighted towards White South African’s.
Using the four examples provided, answer the following exam question.
Try to use all of this space as a guide for how much you should write!
Using examples, describe the barriers to development (8 marks)
What role does trade have in development?
This trade diagram shows how more goods flow from the
rich north (USA, Europe, Japan) to the poor south, showing
that they have stronger trade links and more goods to trade.
It also shows that the north is mainly trading manufactured
goods (m) such as cars and less primary goods like wood
and food.
In the south however, the opposite is happening. They are
mainly trading primary goods that are of a lower value and
less manufactured goods that are of a higher value.
Manufactured = made goods
Primary = raw materials
Look at the lists of items below that countries trade. Decide whether they are primary or manufactured
BANANAS
CARS
COMPUTERS
MACHINES
COTTON
WOOD
CLOTHES
COAL
SWEETCORN
GAS
CAMERA
MOBILE PHONES
How do countries trade?
Trading blocs are often the ways in which most countries trade. A trade bloc is a group of
countries, usually located within the same geographical area that trade goods with each other (e.g. the EU) This helps all countries that trade as often their close location means that
transportation costs are kept lower and trading blocs can agree on prices with each other
which protect countries. This particularly can help any poorer countries that are part of the
trade bloc e.g. Eastern European countries that are part of the EU. As the pie chart shows,
the EU is one of the larger trade blocs that
exists.
If a country’s exports are greater than it’s
imports, it has a trade surplus and therefore,
gets wealthier.
If its imports are greater than its exports,
the country has a trade deficit and may build
up debts, getting poorer.
Countries also trade through TNCs—trans-national corporations e.g. Mc Donalds, Starbucks.
These companies operate throughout many different countries and although they bring new
jobs and facilities to countries, the majority of profit returns to the country which that TNC is
from.
Using information on this and the previous page, explain how trade patterns can further add
to the development gap
6 marks
How can the development gap be closed?
The gap between rich MEDCs and poor LEDCs is becoming wider. However, many solutions and
strategies to close this are in place that aim to do more than just earn extra money for countries. For
many countries, health care and education are just as important as having or earning money.
EXAMPLE 1—FAIRTRADE
Fairtrade helps to work with farmers and make sure that they are treated fairly and receive the correct payments and rewards that they deserve. It works with the wider community to make sure that
other facilities develop from the extra money that is made or saved from being treated more fairly!
This map shows the countries in the world that trade or produce goods under Fairtrade (the darker
green countries!) This follows a similar pattern to the North South Divide and definitely shows the
producers of Fairtrade are poor southern countries.
The goods that Fairtrade produces has developed dramatically from tea and coffee to luxury hair and
beauty products to bedroom furniture.
AN EXAMPLE OF HOW FAIRTRADE HAS HELPED!
Identify the ways in which Fairtrade has helped this community
Debt abolition
This is where a country has part of or all of its debts wiped away. This could be wiped away by countries or by organisations who feel that in order for a country to make progress, it needs to be pulled
away from the debts it has created.
There are both advantages and disadvantages to this.
ADVANTAGES
DISADVANTAGES
Easy way to remove debts
Someone/country/organisation has to absorb
It helps countries in debt move on and hopeful- this debt.
ly develop
Not fair on those countries who have had to
It can help to stop or reduce other problems
pay their debts
e.g. war
Can create conflict between countries—those
Can help to resolve corruption
receiving debt abolition and those who are not
Conservation swaps
Large scale projects versus small scale projects (appropriate technology!)
The Three Gorges Dam—China is an example of a large scale project used for development!

Increased use of HEP

Provided a water source for domestic and industrial water uses.

Regulated flooding along the Yangtze river

Has increased investment and foreign investment in a rural area of China
PROBLEMS—huge costs, environmental damage, millions people left homeless, unsure how much it
has fully helped to develop China.
Providing a water pump is a small scale project that can help development on a much smaller scale

water to drink that is clean and safe

Less medical care and attention needed

More farming crops, more money for people

Families can afford for children to go to school—better education!
Use the link below to gather more information about a small scale project!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBjVyNse_xI
When is Aid needed?
For some developing countries, there are times when they need and have to rely upon aid provided
by different countries or organisations. Aid can be provided in a range of different ways from the obvious form of money to medical care, clothing and materials to re-build houses. The amount and
type of aid that is needed depends heavily on the situation in which a country is asking for aid.
Emergency/humanitarian Aid
Types of Aid
This is needed after any form of natural disaster or conflict and is usually
seen as short term aid. Aid provided is usually in the form of clothing, food,
water, medical care that will help a nation directly after an incident e.g. flood/
earthquake
Development Aid
Measures to improve peoples quality of life in the long run and is seen
as long term aid. This can be schemes such as setting up clean water
pumping systems. These usually include working with the local people
and are a more sustainable form of development.
Voluntary Aid
This is when people give money to NGO’s (non governmental
organisations) or charities. The NGO’s raise money for LEDCs
to fund lots of different development projects. The people who
work for NGOs tend to work without payment too!
Bilateral Aid
When one country provides financial help to another one. This usually comes with terms in which the lending country may gain in other
forms from the country that they are lending money to.
Multilateral Aid
When groups or organisations all join together to provide help
for a cause or a country in need. Several people are involved in
multilateral aid!
Look at the images below…..what types of aid are they providing? Why do you think this?
How and why does development differ across the EU?
Exam question
Describe how the HDI differs across the EU (4marks)
Historically, differences across Europe have existed due to several different factors.
Political barriers— For many decades, Eastern Europe adopted a Communist regime under the Soviet Union and as a result, little trade and links developed in this area. Hostilities developed between
Eastern and Western Europe as the Soviet Union was ‘at war ‘with the USA (The Cold War—a War
that wasn’t a War) and the USA was the main trade link for Western Europe.
Tourism—due to the political regime in Eastern Europe and the lasting conflict that occurred after
Communism finished in this area, people were put off going to eastern European holidays and instead chose to go to Spain/Italy/France etc. As a result, Western European countries have developed further through tourism and eastern Europe has not e.g. more roads, airports, services, hotels.
Coastline—a lot of Eastern European countries are landlocked (surrounded by land!) This reduces
the ability to trade using ships to import and export goods. Western Europe on the other hand has
more coastline and water ways available to allow trade and flow of goods to happen.
Links—Western Europe has always had good, strong links with the USA and Japan, the two other
main trade blocs in the world. This has allowed goods to flow easier and has developed infrastructure in these countries more. As mentioned above, these links were not the same for Eastern Europe and now many countries are having to form and create strong trade and financial links with other countries.
How do two EU countries compare?
What is being done to reduce the gap in the EU?
Each of the member states of the EU provides 1% of their countries income to an EU fund. This fund
is available to poorer countries or regions of countries within the EU that need help in developing.
Although the UK is a highly developed country, there are regions of the country that still require development and these places have applied to the EU for funding for projects. The three areas available for EU funding are

European Regional Development funds which aim to improve infrastructure and investment
within a country so that more people will trade/ allow goods to be traded.

European Social Fund aims to encourage and improve job availability/increasing

Cohesion Fund provides funding for companies or strategies to increase renewable energy
and provide more environmentally friendly ways of living e.g. green transport
EXAMPLE—The Eden Project Cornwall
£12.8 million from EU funding to help regenerate an area of the UK deemed deprived.
- Improved the local environment of the area
- Provided job opportunities to local people
- Is a large tourist attraction that has attracted and
brought back many people to place where tourism had
started to decline.
- New road networks around the project were set up to
allow people to access it, altogether helping to improve
the development of the area it is found in.
Do you know your stuff?
Development Gap
Topic Area
Yes I remember and
understand all of this
“You Should Know...”
I can remember and
understand most of
this
No I cant remember
learning this
Different ways in which the Development of a country is measured – GNI,
GNP, HDI, Birth rate etc
The role that water can play in the
level of development of a country –
quantity and quality
An example of an environmental barrier to development
An example of a social barrier to development
An example of an economic barrier to
development
An example of a political barrier to
development
The role that trade plays in the differing levels of development in LEDCs
and MEDCs
Ways in which the gap is being closed
– Fair Trade, Debt Abolition, Conservation Swaps
The difference between a large scale
and small scale project to help development
The different types of Aid that a country can apply for if in need
Different levels of development in two
EU countries
Ways in which the EU have helped to
close the gap in development in EU
states.
Which column are most of your ticks in?
The first column, well done! but you will need to keep looking over your work to remember all the
details and push for the higher marks
The second column, you probably have a good general understanding with a few gaps that need
plugging so go back over the topic areas you are struggling with.
The third column, you need to go back and see if you missed this lesson and copy up off a friend, if
you were here you need to try and learn it again or see your teacher for extra help!