4.1.1

Classifying Development

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Development and Classification

There are three main ways of defining countries based on their development.

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Development

  • Development can be defined as an improvement to people’s quality of life.
  • So, as a country develops, the quality of life for people in that country improves.
  • Countries can be classified according to their level of development.
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Developed countries

  • Developed countries are countries such as England, France, The USA, Canada or Japan where the quality of life is high.
  • They are developed because they are able to provide the population with goods and services needed for a good quality of life.
    • For example, most people in developed countries have access to food, a clean water supply, healthcare and education.
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Emerging countries

  • Emerging countries are countries such as China and India where the quality of life has improved in recent years but it is still not good enough to be a developed country.
  • These countries were poor and offered a low quality of life but have recently increased in development to become emerging.
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BRIC countries

  • In the 21st century, four countries in particular have been referred to as ‘emerging countries’.
  • Together, they are known as the BRIC countries.
    • The BRIC countries are: Brazil, India, Russia and China.
  • They are developing quickly and as they develop, they are able to spend money on healthcare, education and infrastructure to improve the quality of life for people in the country.
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Developing countries

  • Developing countries are the poorest countries in the world and so the quality of life here is lower.
    • For example, these countries might struggle to have enough income to spend on healthcare and education.
    • This results in people dying younger and being less well educated.
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Developing countries examples

  • A country might be developing if it has been at war.
    • E.g. Afghanistan.
  • Or if its regularly hit by natural disasters.
    • E.g. Haiti.

Jump to other topics

1Geography Skills

2Geology of the UK

3Geography of the World

4Development

5Weather & Climate

6The World of Work

7Natural Resources

8Rivers

9Coasts

10Glaciers

11Tectonics

12Climate Change

13Global Population & Inequality

14Urbanisation

15Ecosystems

16Life in an Emerging Country

17Analysis of Africa

18Analysis of India

19Analysis of the Middle East

20Analysis of Bangladesh

21Analysis of Russia

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