Global Divides: The North and the South

Global Divides: The North and the South

• The Global North consists of developed countries including the United States, Canada, Western Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and developed parts of Asia.

The North

• The North is home to all G8 members (France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, Japan, the United States, Canada, and Russia) and permanent members of the United Nations Security Council.
• The region is richer and more developed, with one-quarter of the world's population controlling four-fifths of the world's income.
• 90% of the manufacturing industries are owned and located in the North.
• 95% of the population in the North has enough food and shelter, and 95% has access to a functioning educational system.

The South

• The Global South consists of developing countries in Africa, Latin America, and developing Asia, including the Middle East.
• The region is poorer and less developed, with three-quarters of the world's population having access to only one-fifth of the world's income.
• Only 5% of the population in the South has enough food and shelter, and the region lacks appropriate technology, has no political stability, and has economies dependent on primary product exports.

Economic Development

• Economic development is measured by advancements in technology, transition from an agricultural-based economy to an industrial-based economy, and improvement in living standards.
• Other factors that define a developed country include life expectancy, levels of education, poverty, and employment rates.

Factors of Economic Development

• Three key factors that direct the economic development of states are:
  • International behavior within and between nation-states, including integration and cooperation with some geographic areas.
  • The resulting position of states and regions within the global market and related political-economic hierarchy.
  • Uneven immigration patterns, which lead to inequality, particularly in the late 18th and 19th centuries.