Development: Environmental Factors
Geography: Cambridge International GCSE (2027 Exams), topic 8.1.3
Which Physical Factors Cause Uneven Development?
The following physical factors are likely to restrict 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?
- 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?
- 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
- 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
- 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 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.
Test yourself on Development: Environmental Factors
What physical factors are likely to restrict the development of a country?