Why is the world unequal?

Geography · Four types of cause

Which type of cause is it?

Sort each cause into the type it belongs to. Pick a cause, then pick a type.

10 of 10 still to sort.

Naming the type is the first step to seeing how the types link.

Predict, then check: Nepal

Nepal is mountainous, prone to landslides and earthquakes, and landlocked between China and India. Landlocked means it has no coastline of its own.

Which of these would you predict about Nepal's trade?

What you need to know

• Countries differ a lot in development. The causes of that gap are grouped as physical, economic, historical and political.
• Physical geography is one cause, but human factors, past and present, are as influential. The environment is not the only cause.
• Physical causes: arid or semi-arid climate, topography (the shape and height of the land), remote or landlocked location, and natural hazards.
• Have a goA country has an arid climate and is hit by earthquakes. Which of the four types of cause is that?

  Physical (environmental).

  Climate and natural hazards belong to the physical environment, unlike trade, history and relations between countries.

• Some physical factors are an advantage for development, such as fertile soils, mineral-rich geology and a natural port.
• Colonialism is one country controlling another, often exploiting its people and resources. It is a historical cause that still shapes inequality today.
• Have a goYour classmate Sam says: "Colonialism is over, so it can't affect inequality now." Is Sam right?

  No. It is a historical cause that still shapes inequality today.

  Sam treats "it ended" as "it stopped having effects", but historical causes still shape the pattern of global inequalities.

• After the 1884 Berlin Conference, European countries divided up Africa. Borders were drawn quickly, often as straight lines, by people who knew little of the land and its peoples.
• Neocolonialism is indirect control of one country by another through economic power or cultural influence.
• In low income countries most people work in primary industries like mining, farming and fishing, making raw materials that trade cheaply.
• Relying on one export, like Zambia's copper, is risky: if its price falls, there is less money to pay for imports.
• Have a goCopper's price falls. Does Zambia's export money go up or down, and what gets squeezed?

  Down, so there is less money to pay for imports.

  Zambia relies heavily on copper, so a price fall cuts the value of its exports and leaves less to pay for imports.

• Imports worth more than exports is a trade deficit. Years of it can mean debt, and debt interest leaves less for public services.

The big picture

Global inequality has physical, economic, historical and political causes, and they link together rather than acting alone. Zambia shows how colonial history, a landlocked location, dependence on copper, trade deficits and debt combine, and Nepal shows how mountains, hazards and a landlocked position link geography to politics.

⚠ Watch out

Saying poorer countries are poor because of their climate or landscape. Physical geography is one cause, but human factors, past and present, are as influential, and some physical factors, like fertile soils or a natural port, are an advantage.

Memory hook

Four threads, one web: physical, economic, historical, political. Pull one, like the copper price, and the others tug.

Check yourself

Zambia is landlocked, depends on copper, and was once a colony. Pick two and write one sentence on how they link to the gap with the UK.