Human Geo 10.1 Questions

Question 1

What 9 regions do HDI scores divide the world into?

Answer 1

2 developed regions:
- North America: 0.92
- Europe: 0.88
7 developing regions:
- Latin America: 0.76
- East Asia: 0.75
- South Asia: 0.64
- Southeast Asia: 0.69
- Central Asia: 0.72
- Southwest Asia & North Africa: 0.70
- Sub-Saharan Africa: 0.54
South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa have the lowest scores.

Question 2

What 3 distinctive areas can be identified in addition to the 9 regions?

Answer 2

1. Japan and South Korea are separate than the rest of East Asia (high development than their neighbors).
2. South Pacific is much less populous but has 2 big developed countries (Australia & New Zealand)
3. Russia has an HDI score that places it on the boundary between high and very high developed, and is even classified as developing in some years.

Question 3

Why can’t per-capita GNI (or any other single indicator) perfectly measure the level of a country’s development?

Answer 3

Because not everyone is wealthy in a developed country OR only a few people may be starving in a developing county. Per capita GNI measures average wealth, not its distribution. If only a few people receive much of the GNI, the standard of living for the majority may be lower than the average. The higher per capita GNI, the greater potential for citizens’ comfortable lives.

Question 4

Why do workers in developed countries produce more with less effort?

Answer 4

Because they have more access to machines/equipment. Production in developing countries relies on human and animal power. The large per capita GNI in developed countries pays for the manufacture/purchase of machinery, which in turn makes workers more productive and generates more wealth.

Question 5

What 2 measures of years of schooling does the UN combine to form the access to knowledge component of HDI (the most critical measure on an individual’s ability to gain access to knowledge needed for development)?

Answer 5

1. Years of schooling for today’s adults (# of years people over 25 have spent in school. It’s 12.2 years for developed countries, but 7.3 years in developing countries).
2. Expected years of schooling for today’s youth (forecasted for average 5-year-old. 16.4 years in developed countries; 1/2 of today’s 5-year-olds will graduate college in developed countries. However, the average is 10.1 years in sub-Saharan Africa).

Question 6

Improved education is a major goal of many developing countries, but what are some obstacles that they encounter regarding providing education?

Answer 6

Funds are scarce. They devote a larger % of GNI to education, but because their GNI is lower to begin with, they spend less per pupil than developed countries. Many developing countries force parents to pay high fees for their kids’ educations. Also, most books/magazines are published in developed countries, so students in developing countries must learn technical information from books that aren’t in their native language.

Question 7

What is the health and medical indicator that is the contributor to the HDI?

Answer 7

Life expectancy at birth. Worldwide average is 72, 80 in developed countries, and 61 years in sub-Saharan Africa. Developed countries possess the resources to care for their sick, and use part of their wealth to protect people who are unable to work (sick, elderly, poor, disabled, orphaned, veterans, widows, unemployed, single parents).

Question 8

What happens with longer life expectancies in developed countries? How about babies surviving infancy in developing countries?

Answer 8

1. With longer life expectancies, developed countries have a higher % of retired old people who receive public support, and a lower % of children under 15 who must be supported by employed adults.
2. More babies also survive infancy in developed countries. The IMR in developing countries is greater because babies may die from malnutrition or lack of medicine to survive illness. They may also die from poor medical practices (lack of education).

Question 9

Part of developed countries’ wealth is used to purchase goods and services (especially transportation and communication related ones). What are some stats regarding motor vehicles, telephones, and computers?

Answer 9

192 people per 1000 have a motor vehicle in the world, 580 in developed countries, & 102 in developing countries. Telephones enhance interaction with providers of raw materials and customers for goods/services. In the world, there is 1,045 cell phones per 1,000 persons, 1,200 in developed, and 1,000 in developing countries. 500/1,000 internet users in the world, 900 in developed, and 400 in developing. Motor vehicles, computers, and telephones aren’t essential to people living in the same village as their friends/family and work growing food in nearby fields.

Question 10

Explain about the gap that can emerge between the “haves” and “have-nots” because posession of consumer goods isn’t universal:

Answer 10

The minority of people who have these goods include gov’t officials, business owners, and other elites, and the majority of people lacking them can lead to political unrest. Access to these goods is more important in urban areas due to the dispersion of homes, factories, offices, and shops. Technological change is reducing the gap between developed and developing countries in access to communications. Cell phone ownership is rapidly expanding in developing countries.