What are examples of countries with different levels of development?

Development is “the process of improving the material conditions of people through diffusion of knowledge and technology. Developing countries have advanced socially and economically, whereas developing countries are in the early stages of development. The Human Development Index, created by the United Nations, measures the development of countries socially, economically, and demographically. You will look at the Human Development Index in the other activities.

​Step 1: Go to the ArcGIS Online map, Comparing Country Development, and explore the map.

Step 2: Turn on the two layers: HDI: High Development and HDI: Low Development.

• Which countries are in a very high development category?
• Which countries are in the low development category?
• Can a country have a middle level of development?

Step 3: Turn on the layer, HDI: Medium Development.

• Which medium development country is an example of a newly industrializing country?

What characteristics help define a country’s level of development?

Step 4: Click several countries to compare their data.

• A high domestic product (GDP), the total value of a country’s goods and services in a year, can indicate a more developed country (MDC). (T/F)
  
• How is the mean (average) years of schooling used to assess development?
• High life expectancy indicates access to medical care. People in developed countries usually have longer life expediencies than people in less developing countries (LDCs). (T/F)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=9&v=X1xBpBaBbrA

Why is there such a difference between the level of development of countries around the world?

Step 5: Click the button, Basemap, and select National Geographic.

• Most MDCs are located in the Southern Hemisphere. (T/F)

The Brandt Line is a line believed to split the Earth in two halves: the wealthy north and poorer south. There are exceptions to this rule, such as Australia, which is also a more developed country.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=3&v=9-4V3HR696k

What patterns exist among country development levels?

• Which two regions have a significant number of more developed countries?
• What characterizes the middle development countries?
• How can countries advance in their development?