3.3.3

Environmental Factors Causing Uneven Development

Test yourself on Environmental Factors Causing Uneven Development

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Which Physical Factors Cause Uneven Development?

The following physical factors are likely to restrict development:

Which climates are bad for development?

Which climates are bad for development?

  • In 'Why Nations Fail', Acemoglu highlights that tropical conditions are usually bad for economic development. Working in the heat of the middle of the day is difficult and air conditioning is a relatively recent invention.
  • If a nation is too hot (like the hot desert biome) or too cold (like the tundra biome), then it can be hard to grow crops, leading to low food production, meaning the land cannot support a large population.
Which land is bad for development?

Which land is bad for development?

  • Infertile farmland (either because of infertile soil or steep relief/topography), will lead to low food production levels, which constrains a population size.
  • In bad cases, people may die of starvation or famine if the quality of farmland is too low.
  • Land that is vulnerable to flooding is also risky. If floods could destroy a whole season's worth of crops, then a whole generation of people could die.
Are natural resources bad for development?

Are natural resources bad for development?

  • If countries have no natural resources like coal, oil, or gold in the ground, they are not able to sell them to other countries and grow their income.
  • Some historians argue that the UK's economic growth came from its rich coal mines.
  • Paul Collier argues that too many natural resources can be a bad thing because they encourage corruption and corruption is bad for development.
Frequent natural hazards

Frequent natural hazards

  • Land on tectonic boundaries or land vulnerable to flooding can mean a nation is frequently trying to rebuild what it had (and was destroyed), instead of growing and building more for people.
  • Floods and earthquakes can destroy towns, which then have to be rebuilt, rather than developed.
Landlocked countries

Landlocked countries

  • If a country is landlocked, then it doesn't have access to the sea.
  • Most of world trade happens by sea in container ships. If a country cannot physically export its good because it is landlocked, then it is likely to develop more slowly.
Steep topography

Steep topography

  • Steep relief is bad for farming and food production.
  • Steep land is also bad for building infrastructure and transporting resources. This can restrict trade, harming a nation's development.
Jump to other topics
1

Physical Geography

1.1

River Environments

1.1.1Weathering1.1.2Mass Movement1.1.3Erosion1.1.4Transportation1.1.5Deposition1.1.6River Landforms: Waterfalls & Gorges1.1.7River Landforms: Interlocking Spurs1.1.8River Landforms: Flood Plains1.1.9River Landforms: Point Bars1.1.10River Landforms: Levees1.1.11River Landforms: Meanders1.1.12River Landforms: Oxbow Lakes1.1.13River Landscape Changes: Long Profile1.1.14River Landscape Changes: Cross Profile1.1.15Vertical & Lateral Erosion1.1.16Flood Risk Factors1.1.17Human Activities on Rivers1.1.18River Management: Hard Engineering1.1.19River Management: Soft Engineering1.1.20Case Study: The River Eden - Landforms1.1.21Case Study: The River Eden - Climate1.1.22Case Study: The River Eden - Geology1.1.23Case Study: The River Eden - Management1.1.24Case Study: The River Eden - Human Activity1.1.25End of Topic Test - River Environments
1.2

Coastal Environments

1.2.1Weathering1.2.2Mass Movement1.2.3Erosion1.2.4Deposition1.2.5Longshore Drift1.2.6Sediment Transportation1.2.7Wave Action on Coasts1.2.8Other Factors Influencing Coasts1.2.9Coastal Landforms: Wave-cut Platforms & Cliffs1.2.10Coastal Landforms: Headlands & Bays1.2.11Coastal Landforms: Caves, Arches & Stacks1.2.12Coastal Deposition1.2.13Spits, Bars & Sand Dunes1.2.14Human Activity on Coasts1.2.15Coastal Defences: Hard Engineering1.2.16Coastal Defences: Soft Engineering1.2.17Coastal Defences: Managed Retreat1.2.18Case Study: Holderness Coast Overview1.2.19Case Study: Holderness Coast Management1.2.20Case Study: Holderness Coast Defences1.2.21End of Topic Test - Coastal Environments
1.3

Hazardous Environments - Tropical Cyclones

1.3.1Characteristics of a Tropical Cyclone1.3.2Structure of a Tropical Cyclone1.3.3Physical Hazards of Tropical Cyclones1.3.4The Impacts of Tropical Cyclones1.3.5Responses to Tropical Cyclones1.3.6Vulnerability to Tropical Cyclones1.3.7Preparing for Tropical Cyclones1.3.8Case Study: Katrina1.3.9Case Study: Nargis
1.4

Hazardous Environments - Earthquakes & Volcanoes

1.4.1Earthquakes1.4.2Features of an Earthquake1.4.3Types of Earthquake1.4.4Case Study: L'Aquila1.4.5Case Study: Chile1.4.6Case Study: Japan & Pakistan - Planning1.4.7Volcanoes1.4.8Types of Volcanoes1.4.9Volcanic Eruptions
2

Human Geography

2.1

Economic Activity & Energy

2.1.1Increasing Energy Consumption2.1.2Non-Renewable Energy - Nuclear2.1.3Non-Renewable Energy - Fossil Fuels2.1.4Renewable Energy - Solar2.1.5Renewable Energy - Water & Bio2.1.6Renewable Energy - Hydro2.1.7Energy - Statistical Skills
2.2

Rural Environments

2.2.1Rainforests2.2.2Temperate Forests2.2.3Characteristics of a Temperate Forest2.2.4Goods & Services in Temperate Forests2.2.5Deserts2.2.6Tundra
2.3

Urban Environments

2.3.1Urbanisation in Different Countries2.3.2Causes of Urbanisation2.3.3Consequences of Urbanisation2.3.4Sustainable Urbanisation2.3.5Case Study: Rapid Urbanisation in Mexico City2.3.6End of Topic Test - Urbanisation
3

Global Issues

3.1

Fragile Environments & Climate Change

3.1.1Natural Causes of Climate Change3.1.2Effects of Climate Change on the Environment3.1.3Effects of Climate Change on People3.1.4Impacts of Deforestation3.1.5End of Topic Test - Climate Change3.1.6Increasing Water Supply3.1.7Sustainable Rainforest Management
3.2

Globalisation & Migration

3.2.1Globalisation - Transport3.2.2Globalisation - Communication Networks & Banking3.2.3Push & Pull Factors3.2.4TNCs & Globalisation3.2.5Tourism Landscapes3.2.6The Growth of Tourism3.2.7The Economic Benefits of Tourism3.2.8The Social & Cultural Benefits of Tourism3.2.9The Economic Costs of Tourism3.2.10The Social & Cultural Costs of Tourism3.2.11Managing Tourism - Sustainability3.2.12Managing Tourism - Quotas & Tourism Hubs
3.3

Development & Human Welfare

3.3.1Ways of Defining Development3.3.2Different Ways of Measuring Development3.3.3Environmental Factors Causing Uneven Development3.3.4Historical Factors Causing Uneven Development3.3.5Economic Factors Causing Uneven Development3.3.6Patterns of Development3.3.7How Can we Reduce the Global Development Gap?3.3.8Top-Down & Bottom-Up Development

Practice questions on Environmental Factors Causing Uneven Development

Can you answer these? Test yourself with free interactive practice on Seneca — used by over 10 million students.

  1. 1
    What physical factors are likely to restrict the development of a country?Fill in the list
  2. 2
    In the context of agriculture, how might climate conditions affect the development of a nation?Multiple choice
  3. 3
    Why might land quality significantly impact a nation's economic development?Multiple choice
  4. 4
    How can an abundance of natural resources influence a nation's developmental trajectory?Multiple choice
  5. 5
    In what way can frequent natural hazards affect a nation's development progress?Multiple choice
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Different Ways of Measuring Development

Historical Factors Causing Uneven Development