Countries with relatively low material well-being are sometimes called less developed countries. Less developed countries are countries that have low economic growth and little to no industrialization. In the previous section, you learned how to measure the level of development of a country. Click on the factors below to learn more about less developed countries:
Interactive popup. Assistance may be required. Literacy Rate Because the economy in less developed countries is mainly agriculturally based, education is not available to all. Literacy rates are low in less developed countries. Close
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Interactive popup. Assistance may be required. Infant Mortality Due to a lack of an adequate medical system, infant mortality tends to be higher in less developed countries. Close
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Interactive popup. Assistance may be required. Life Expectancy Life expectancy is lower in less developed countries. Poor diet, a lack of proper medical systems, and impoverished conditions make life expectancy low for these countries. Close
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Less developed countries are located in eastern Europe, northern and southeastern Asia. Africa has less developed nations in some of its northern and sub-Saharan areas, as well as in the southern region. Many countries in Latin America are also considered less developed.
Activity:
In many less developed countries there is a lack of technology and industrialization. Believe it or not, not all people have cell phones. The graph below compares mobile phone subscribers in the less developed and more developed countries to countries worldwide.
- Which type of country had more mobile phone subscribers from 1997 to 2007, more developed or less developed?
Interactive popup. Assistance may be required. Click here to compare your answer Answer: More Developed. The blue line indicates that in 1997, 18 people out of 100 subscribed to a mobile phone in 1997 in a more developed country while only 1 person in 100 subscribe to a mobile phone in less developed countries. The rate for both types of countries continues this trend until 2007. Close - Globally, how many people per 100 subscribe to a mobile phone company in 2005?
Interactive popup. Assistance may be required. Click here to compare your answer Answer: In 2005, there are 34 people for every 100 who subscribe to a mobile phone company worldwide. Close
Activity:
The United Nations' ECOSOC (Economic and Social Council) focuses on addressing social and economic issues. Watch the following video that explores the correlation between poverty and education found in less developed countries. Complete the activity that follows:
Countries that are beginning to experience a rapid level of economic growth and increasing industrialization are classified as newly industrialized countries. Many newly industrialized countries have moved from the level of less developed due to some type of economic and/or political shift. Roll the mouse over the map below to discover these locations in the world. It is important to note that newly industrialized countries usually include a special group called the Four Dragons (Hong Kong, South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan), and Brazil.
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Click on the factors below to determine the standard of living in newly industrialized countries.
Interactive popup. Assistance may be required. Literacy Rate As the increase in GDP in newly industrialized countries occurs so does the literacy rate. To meet the needs of the new economy, there is a need for workers to become more literate. Close
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Interactive popup. Assistance may be required. Infant Mortality As industrialization and technology improve in newly industrialized countries, so does access to medical care. As a result the infant mortality rate decreases. Close
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Interactive popup. Assistance may be required. Life Expectancy Life expectancy in newly industrialized countries increases as access to medical care and other technology improves. Close
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Activity:
Click on the following link to access a NY Times presentation on China. When the page opens, scroll down and click on "Interactive Atlas" to load a map that will help you answer the following questions. Record your answers:
Interactive Atlas Map- In which geographic region(s) of China is the GDP over $100 Billion (US)?
Interactive popup. Assistance may be required. Click here to compare your answer Based on the GDP map or tabular data:
Guangdong Province $193.8 Billion
Hebei Province $106.0 Billion
Henan Province $106.5 Billion
Jiangsu Province $186.1 Billion
Shangdon Province $187.2 Billion
Zhejiang Province $135.8 Billion
Hong Kong $163.0 Billion
(Special Administrative Region) Close - What is the average annual wage of the following provinces: Hong Kong SAR; Guangdong Province, Hebei Province?
Interactive popup. Assistance may be required. Click here to compare your answer The annual wages of the provinces are:
Hong Kong SAR Province $14,702
Guangdong Province $2,381
Hebei Province $1,561 Close - The Hong Kong SAR province is a small special financial district located within the Guangdong Province. Compare the GDP and Average Annual Wages of both of these provinces. Why is there such a huge difference between the two? (Hint: this website may help Hong Kong).
Countries with the highest level of development fall in the category of More Developed Countries. These countries have the highest level of economic development and industrialization.
Do you believe that the people who live in more developed countries enjoy a high or low standard of living? If you said a high standard of living, you are correct. Click on the factors below that are used to determine a high standard of living:
Interactive popup. Assistance may be required. Literacy Rate Most of the more developed countries have some of the highest literacy rates in the world (the United States is not included in some reports). In more developed countries there are more productive educational systems. Close
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Interactive popup. Assistance may be required. Infant Mortality Infant mortality is low in more developed countries because the strong infrastructure allows for a good medical system. Close
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Interactive popup. Assistance may be required. Life Expectancy Because of the high level of technology, medical care and better diets, life expectancy is higher in more developed countries. Close
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Activity:
Watch the next two videos about e-waste (electronic waste) in both a more developed (South Africa) and a less developed country (Ghana). Take notes of your observations. When you are finished watching the videos, complete the activity that follows.
After watching the two videos, reflect what you have learned about e-waste in less developed and more developed countries. Read the statement below and determine if it describes a less developed country, a more developed country, or both. Move the statement to the correct location on the Venn diagram.
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Answer the following questions in your Taking Notes:
- Reflecting on what you observed in both videos, why do you think that e-waste impacts the two countries so differently?
- Based on what you have learned, does e-waste impact literacy rates in less developed countries? In more developed countries? Explain your answers.