1. World Divisions
We will be investigating the ways in which we divide the world and the meaning of those divisions. I also want you to consider the language of our discourse – how we describe things and how those descriptions can be value-laden, so that we can be aware of our biases as we build our understanding.
We want to understand how and why we divide the world and how those impacts on social and economic life.

2. Political Maps
A political map shows how the land surface of the Earth is divided into countries – one example of the diversity of human life in our world

3. World Political Map, 2000

4. Why does it show so many divisions?
Have they always existed?
Are divisions changing today?
Is the total number of countries increasing or decreasing?
What do these political divisions reflect? (pop’n dist’n, cultures, devel’t)
Is it possible to aggregate (group or cluster) countries?
Are there meaningful groupings?
Do basic groupings such as north v. south or east v. west have any value?

5. World Political Map, 1938
The map from 1938 is different than the map of today; the world has changed.
Changes seen between the maps reflect:
The de-colonization of Africa and Asia
The political consequences of WW2
The post-1989 political transformation of Europe and former USSR
In 1938 there were about 70 countries, in 2000 there were about 190 countries. Today there are 196.
What will a political map look like 50 years from now?
The contemporary political world is characterized by two political movements:
integration e.g. the European Union
Separation e.g. Quebec
Political partitioning plays a major role in determining population numbers (births, deaths) and the availability of paid employment.
Many political divisions reflect differences in ethnicity and/or culture (e.g., religion and language). Political and other divisions help us to categorize people so that we can better identify and understand the relationships within and between cultures and political groups.

6. A World Divided
The world is not only divided into political units but also into larger areas to which labels such as ‘more developed’ and ‘less developed’ are often applied.
Our human world is full of diversity: languages, religions, ethnic identities, standards of living, etc. All of these things vary from place to place. There are differences between individuals and also more general differences between groups of individuals.
Compare the following images.

8. It is important to realize that such major differences exist not only between major world regions but also between other spatial entities, such as regions inside countries.

9. Even within a single city, the quality of life can differ enormously between our suburbs and the inner-city skid row.

12. What does this map reveal?
This is a projection of world wealth distribution for the year 2015.
Because of the discrepancy between the “have” and “have-not” nations of the world, this is often referred to as the North-South Gap.
20% of the world’s population controls nearly 85% of the total wealth of the world and live, almost exclusively, in the industrialized nations of the northern hemisphere (in addition to Australia and New Zealand).
However, the poorest 20% are concentrated in the southern hemisphere.

13. Difference Across the Globe
Literacy, Health, Industrialization, Freedom
IMR, disease, crime
Literacy, Health, Industrialization, Freedom
IMR, disease, crime

14. What are some of the words that we use to classify the world?

15. Three World Model First World Second World Third World
Capitalist, Industrialized
Second World
Communist
Third World
Developing
Too narrow and hierarchical

16. Five World Model First World Second World Third World
a high standard of living with a high level of industrialization - usually a democratically elected government and a healthy economic performance - e.g., the US, Japan, Germany, Canada, etc.
Second World
a moderate standard of living, a moderate level of industrialization, a communist government - e.g., Old Soviet Union, Cuba, China, North Korea.
Third World
on the road to industrialization with industries exploiting the newly discovered natural resources, a low to moderate standard of loving - a small upper class and large lower class - e.g., Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Brazil, South Africa, Iran, etc.

17. Fourth World Fifth World
a lower standard of living than Third World countries - they have the potential to industrialize but need capital to exploit their resources to their fullest potential - e.g., Turkey, Peru, India,etc.
Fifth World
very little potential to industrialize (in the Western sense) - low standard of living - few resources - e.g., Sudan, Mali, Somalia, Ethiopia, Bangladesh, Chad, etc.
Still hierarchical and ethnocentric

18. North vs. South North Wealth Standard of living Industrial development
Population
South
Population
Wealth
Standard of living
Industrial Development
The northern countries have the majority of the wealth, the highest standard of living, and the greatest industrial development BUT less of the world’s population.
In comparison, the southern countries, have the bulk of the world’s population BUT less wealth, lower standard of living, and far less industrial development.

19. MDC / LDC / LLDC
Most developed countries (MDCs) are the richest of the industrialized and democratic nations of the world
Less Developed Countries (LDCs) are countries with little industrial development, little wealth, and high pop growth
Least Developed Countries (LLDCs) have very low per capita income, low literacy rates, and very little in the way of manufacturing industries

20. Developed / Developing
Poor
North
Industrial
Good roads, transportation
High energy consumption
Oil, coal, nuclear
Good health care
Clean water
Developing
Poor
South
Agricultural
Poor roads, transportation
Little energy
Wood, wind, animal, human energy
Disease and famine
Polluted or little water