GCSE · Geography · AQA · Spec 8035

Causes of uneven development

Higher income countries, lower income countries and newly emerging economies are separated by a development gap. What causes it? Before anyone tells you, sort the suspects yourself.

What causes the development gap?

Line up the suspects

Twelve suspects for the development gap. Pick one, decide which family it belongs to, and commit before you read why.

Is it about the land and climate (physical), about money, jobs and trade (economic), or rooted in colonial rule and what followed (historical)?

Still to sort

Physical (0)

The land, the rocks, the coast, the climate — or where the country sits on the map.

Where the line is: If people made it — a job, a price, a debt, a border — it isn't physical, even if it's connected to the land.

Economic (0)

Jobs, prices, trade and money owed.

Where the line is: An economic cause is about how a country earns and trades now. Something that causes economic problems but was created by colonial rule goes with the historical causes.

Historical (0)

Colonial rule, the borders it left behind, and neocolonial steering from outside.

Where the line is: Historical doesn't mean finished: colonial borders still cause serious economic problems today, and neocolonial steering is happening now.

12 of 12 still to sort.

Count the columns when you've finished. How many of the twelve suspects turned out to be about the land itself, and how many were about people — their jobs, their trade, their debts and their history?

Watch out: Sort by where a cause comes from, not by what it does. Colonial borders cause economic problems today, but colonial powers drew them, so they belong with the historical causes.

Zoom in: an economic cause

Reason it through

Why can depending on farming, fishing and mining keep a lower-income country's income low?

Link 1 of 4

First link · your turn

Start with people. In a lower-income country, what kind of work do most people do?

Locked — reveal the link above first

Zoom in: the historical causes

ColonialismvsNeocolonialism

Two words that look almost the same and are easy to mix up. Read across each row.

Focus

Is the country ruled by another?

Colonialism

Yes. One country takes over, runs and controls another.

Neocolonialism

No. It isn't ruled by the other country.

The insight

This is the difference people mix up. Colonialism means being ruled; neocolonialism means not being ruled, but still not being fully in charge.

How does the control work?

Colonialism

Directly — the colonial power runs the country, often exploiting its people and its resources.

Neocolonialism

From outside — the country is steered through the other country's economic strength or cultural sway.

Does it still affect development today?

Colonialism

Yes. Borders drawn by colonial powers ignored the landscape and where people actually lived, split communities apart, and still cause serious economic problems today.

Neocolonialism

Yes. It describes a country being steered from outside right now.

The verdict

So is it mostly geography?

You've sorted the suspects, followed the economic chain and pulled apart the historical causes. Time to decide what you really think.

Why are some countries less developed than others? Which idea is closest to yours right now?

It's mainly down to physical geography — the climate and the landscape.Colonialism is over, so it doesn't affect development any more.Nepal is landlocked and its development is restricted, so any landlocked country must be poor.Physical geography is one cause, but human factors — economic and historical, past and present — matter just as much.

How sure are you?

I'm sureI think soI'm guessing

It's mainly down to physical geography — the climate and the landscape.

This is a common misconception

Physical geography really is a cause: a polar climate can hold development back, and fertile soil, minerals or a natural harbour can help. But it isn't the whole story. Look back at your sort — primary-sector jobs, reliance on a few commodities, little power over trading rules, debt, colonial borders and neocolonialism are all human. Physical geography is one cause; human factors, past and present, are just as influential.

Colonialism is over, so it doesn't affect development any more.

This is a common misconception

The borders colonial powers drew split communities apart and still cause serious economic problems today. And under neocolonialism, a country that isn't ruled by another can still be steered from outside. Historical causes haven't stopped working.

Nepal is landlocked and its development is restricted, so any landlocked country must be poor.

This is a common misconception

Nepal is one example: being landlocked restricts its trade, and that restricts its development. One example shows how a physical factor can work — it doesn't prove that the same thing happens to every landlocked country.

Physical geography is one cause, but human factors — economic and historical, past and present — matter just as much.

This matches the evidence

That's the balanced view. Physical geography can help or hold back a country, but human factors, past and present, are as influential in affecting the pattern of trade and development. Notice it says 'as influential', not 'more influential' — neither side wins outright.

Physical geography is a cause of uneven development, but human factors, past and present, are as influential in affecting the pattern of trade and development.

Put it together

Write your own answer

Explain how physical, economic and historical factors can cause uneven development. Finish by judging how important physical geography is. [6 marks]

Your answer

0 words · your answer stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.

The mark scheme

Names a physical factor that can help OR hold back development. (1 mark)
Explains how that physical factor works (for example, why a polar climate holds development back). (1 mark)
Names an economic factor. (1 mark)
Explains how that economic factor holds development back, as a chain of links rather than a label. (1 mark)
Explains a historical factor, including how it still affects development today. (1 mark)
Ends with a balanced judgement: physical geography is a cause, but human factors, past and present, are as influential. (1 mark)

Model answer

Physical geography plays a part. A polar climate holds development back, because supporting people there demands a great deal of energy. Economic factors matter too: most workers in lower-income countries farm, fish or mine, producing raw materials that sell for low prices, so a country relying on a few commodities loses income whenever world prices drop. History still matters as well — borders drawn by colonial powers split communities apart and still cause serious economic problems today. So physical geography is a cause, but human factors, past and present, are just as influential.

One developed point per family — the cause, then how it works — and finish with the balanced judgement.

Exam line: Name the cause, say which family it belongs to, then say how it helps or holds back development. A named cause with no 'how' is only half an answer.

WHAT YOU'VE LEARNED

A quick recap of today's lesson.

Some countries are far richer than others. The causes come in three families — physical, economic and historical — and geography is only one of them.

What you need to know

A development gap separates higher income countries, lower income countries and newly emerging economies; studying uneven development means asking what causes it.
The causes fall into three families: physical, economic and historical.
Physical geography can help a country develop (fertile soil, mineral-rich geology, a natural harbour) or hold it back (a polar climate).
Economic causes are about jobs, prices, trade and debt; historical causes are about colonialism, the borders it left and neocolonialism.
Physical geography is a cause, but human factors, past and present, are as influential in affecting the pattern of trade and development.

The big picture

A development gap separates higher income countries, lower income countries and newly emerging economies, and its causes fall into three families. Physical: fertile soil, mineral-rich geology and a natural harbour can help a country develop, while a polar climate can hold development back. Economic: primary-sector jobs produce raw materials that sell for low prices, relying on a few commodities means losing income when world prices drop, small economies have little power over trading rules, and large debts hold development back. Historical: colonialism, colonial borders that still cause economic problems, and neocolonialism. Physical geography is a cause, but human factors are as influential.

Key points

1Physical: fertile soil, geology rich in minerals and a natural harbour are assets that can help; a polar climate holds development back because supporting people there demands a great deal of energy.

2Named example (one case, not a rule): Nepal is landlocked, which restricts its trade and in turn restricts its development.

3Economic: most workers in lower-income countries have primary-sector jobs producing raw materials such as wheat or iron ore, which sell for low prices; relying on a few commodities means losing income whenever world prices drop.

4Economic: small economies have little power over the trading rules bigger economies set, and large debts hold development back over time.

5Historical: colonialism is one country taking over, running and controlling another; colonial borders ignored the landscape and where people lived, split communities and still cause serious economic problems; neocolonialism steers a country from outside without ruling it.

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Worked example

Problem

A classmate files 'Most workers have farming, fishing and mining jobs' under PHYSICAL, because farming depends on the soil. Where does it really belong, and does it help or hold back development?

⚠ Watch out

Sorting a cause by its effect instead of where it came from. Borders drawn by colonial powers cause serious economic problems today, but they are a historical cause, because colonial powers drew them.

🧠

Memory hook

Place, Pay, Past — physical, economic, historical. The place matters, but the pay and the past matter just as much.

✓

Check yourself

Without looking back: name one physical, one economic and one historical cause of uneven development, and for each one say whether it helps or holds back development, and how.

Flashcards

(12)

What are the three families of cause of uneven development?

Physical, economic and historical.

What does the development gap separate?

Higher income countries, lower income countries and newly emerging economies.

Name three physical assets that can help a country develop economically.

Fertile soil, geology rich in minerals, and a natural harbour.

Why can a polar climate hold back economic development?

Supporting people there demands a great deal of energy.

How does being landlocked affect Nepal's development?

It restricts Nepal's trade, and that in turn restricts its development. (One example, not a rule for every landlocked country.)

Why can primary-sector jobs keep a lower-income country's income low?

Farming, fishing and mining produce raw materials, such as wheat or iron ore, that sell for low prices — and a country relying on a few commodities loses income whenever their world price drops.

Why do lower-income countries have little power over trading rules?

Their economies are small, and the rules are set by bigger economies.

What do large debts do to a lower-income country over time?

They hold its development back.

What is colonialism?

When one country takes over, runs and controls another, often exploiting its people and its resources.

Why do borders drawn by colonial powers still matter?

They ignored the landscape and where people actually lived, split communities apart, and still cause serious economic problems today.

What is neocolonialism?

A country is not ruled by another, but is still steered by it from outside, through that country's economic strength or cultural sway.

Is physical geography the main cause of uneven development?

No — it is a cause, but human factors, past and present, are as influential in affecting the pattern of trade and development.

Tap any card to flip it, or use Study as deck to go through them one at a time. In the full lesson these run as a spaced-repetition deck — you rate each card Hard, Good or Easy and the tricky ones keep coming back until they stick.

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Line up the suspects

So is it mostly geography?

Write your own answer

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