The North-South Gap and

Classification of Countries
 The North-South Gap
 The 20% of the world’s population
that controls nearly 85% of the total
wealth of the world lives almost
exclusively in the industrialized
nations of the Northern Hemisphere
(in addition to Australia and New
Zealand)
 However the POOREST 20 per cent of
people in the world are concentrated
in the southern hemisphere.
 The North-South Gap

 Because of the great

discrepancy between the
“have” and have-not” nations
of the world, this is often
referred to as the:
North-South Gap
 The North-South Gap
 The Northern countries have the
majority of the wealth, the highest
standard of living, and the greatest
industrial development, BUT less of
the population.
 In comparison, the Southern

countries have the bulk of the

population, BUT less wealth,
standard of living, and far less
industrial development.
 Something to think about?
 Consider what your life would be
like if you were born in another
part of the world?
 What types of things do we rely

and use on a daily basis?

 Are these necessities or luxuries?

 How would your daily routine

compare to someone living in a

“have not” country?
 Classifying Countries
 Over the years geographers have used a
number of systems to classify countries in
terms of their social, economic, or political
structures.
 One of the earlier systems used the terms
first world, second world, and third world.
 Today, the most common way of
categorizing countries is to refer to
them as more developed countries
(MDCs), less developed countries
(LDCs) or as least developed
countries (LLDCs).
 Classifying Countries
 MDCs are the richest of the
industrialized and democratic
nations of the world.
 LDCs are those countries with

little industrial development,

little wealth, and high population
growth.
 LLDCs typically have a very low

per capita income, low literacy

rates, and very little in the way
of manufacturing industries.
 Classifying Countries
 We can also classify countries as
developed and less developed.
Developed Country Developing Country
Rich Poor
North South
Industrial Agricultural
Good roads, transportation Poor roads, transportation
High Energy Consumption Little Energy
Oil, coal, nuclear Wood, wind, animal, human
energy
Good health care
Disease and Famine
Clean Water
Polluted or little water