#2: Comparing MDCs and LDCs

Summary

In this educational screencast, Mr. Naess explores the concept of developed versus less developed countries, known as MDCs and LDCs, respectively. He explains that a country's development is measured by the Human Development Index, which considers healthcare, wealth, and education. MDCs, or the Global North, are highly industrialized and include regions like Western Europe, North America, and certain Asian countries. In contrast, LDCs, or the Global South, are less industrialized and include most of Africa, Central America, the Caribbean, and parts of Asia. The video also touches on the historical factors of industrialization and imperialism that have shaped these global divisions.

Takeaways

• 🌍 More developed countries (MDCs) are measured by the Human Development Index (HDI), which considers healthcare, wealth, and education.
• 📈 The Global North refers to the region comprising more developed countries, generally located in the Northern hemisphere.
• 🏭 More developed countries are highly industrialized, with examples including the United States, Canada, most of Western Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and select Asian countries.
• 🐯 The 'Asian Tigers', including Hong Kong, South Korea, Taiwan, and Singapore, rapidly industrialized in the 1960s and are part of the Global North.
• 🌏 Less developed countries (LDCs) score lower on the HDI and are less industrialized, with examples spanning Central America, the Caribbean, most of South America, Africa, and most of Asia except for a few exceptions.
• 🚫 The distinction between MDCs and LDCs is not fixed; countries can and do change categories over time due to development being a dynamic process.
• 📊 There is no specific HDI score that definitively classifies a country as more or less developed; the categories are somewhat arbitrary and subjective.
• 🌐 The terms 'Global North' and 'Global South' are perceptual regions without defined boundaries, and there is disagreement on which countries belong to each.
• 🏛️ Historical events like the Industrial Revolution and imperialism have significantly influenced the current state of development in countries, with colonizers generally becoming wealthier and colonies remaining poorer.
• 📚 The video script is part of an educational screencast aimed at helping students understand the concepts of developed and less developed countries within the context of AP Human Geography.

Q & A

What is the primary focus of today's lesson?

Today's lesson focuses on comparing more developed countries (MDCs) with less developed countries (LDCs).

How is a country's development measured?

A country's development is measured by the Human Development Index (HDI), which considers healthcare, wealth, and education.

What is the term for countries that score high on the Human Development Index?

Countries that score high on the HDI are referred to as more developed countries or MDCs.

What is the term for countries that score low on the Human Development Index?

Countries that score low on the HDI are referred to as less developed countries or LDCs.

What is the term for the region that includes all more developed countries?

The region that includes all more developed countries is called the Global North.

Which country is mentioned as an example of a country that recently transitioned from less developed to more developed?

China is mentioned as an example of a country that was considered less developed but now qualifies as more developed.

What are the 'Asian Tigers' and which countries are included in this group?

The 'Asian Tigers' refers to Hong Kong, South Korea, Taiwan, and Singapore, which experienced rapid industrialization in the 1960s.

Why are there no strict criteria for being considered a less developed country?

There are no strict criteria because development is a dynamic process, and the line between more and less developed is always changing.

What is the historical reason behind the division between the Global North and the Global South?

The division is largely due to the Industrial Revolution and imperialism, where countries in the Global North industrialized first and then colonized many in the Global South.

What is environmental determinism and how was it used to explain the differences between the Global North and the Global South?

Environmental determinism is the idea that the physical environment causes differences in human characteristics and development. It was used historically to justify the perceived superiority of cooler, northern countries and the inferiority of hotter, southern countries.

What is the significance of the geographical distribution of more and less developed countries?

The significance is that most developed countries are in the Northern hemisphere (Global North), while most less developed countries are in the Southern hemisphere (Global South), reflecting historical patterns of industrialization and colonization.

Outlines

00:00

🌍 Understanding More Developed Countries

This paragraph introduces the concept of 'more developed countries' or MDCs, which are nations that score high on the Human Development Index (HDI), a measure that takes into account healthcare, wealth, and education. These countries are typically highly industrialized and are part of a region known as the Global North. The script highlights that the US, being a more developed country, is part of this region. It also discusses the arbitrary nature of categorizing countries into more or less developed, as there are no strict boundaries or scores that definitively place a country in one category or the other. The paragraph provides a list of countries that are generally accepted as more developed, including the United States, Canada, most of Western Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and several Asian countries such as Japan, China, and the 'Asian Tigers' (Hong Kong, South Korea, Taiwan, and Singapore).

05:03

🌏 Exploring Less Developed Countries

The second paragraph delves into the concept of 'less developed countries' or LDCs, which are nations that score lower on the Human Development Index, indicating lower levels of healthcare, wealth, and education, and are less industrialized. These countries are part of the Global South. The script provides a list of countries that are generally considered less developed, including all countries in Central America, the Caribbean, South America, and Africa, with Asia being mostly LDCs except for a few exceptions previously listed as MDCs. The paragraph emphasizes that there are far more less developed countries than developed ones, which means most of the world's countries are poorer and less industrialized. It also explains the historical reasons behind the current global economic divide, attributing it to the Industrial Revolution and imperialism. The Industrial Revolution, which began in the northern hemisphere, led to the industrialization and subsequent colonization of many southern hemisphere countries, which remain less developed today. The paragraph concludes with a reminder to review the objectives and a farewell to the students.

Keywords

💡More Developed Countries (MDCs)

More Developed Countries, or MDCs, are nations that score high on the Human Development Index (HDI), indicating high levels of healthcare, wealth, and education. These countries are typically highly industrialized and represent the Global North. The video uses the United States as an example of an MDC, highlighting its high levels of development and its position within the Global North.

💡Human Development Index (HDI)

The Human Development Index is a statistical measure that assesses a country's development based on three factors: healthcare, wealth, and education. It is a key indicator used to categorize countries as more or less developed. The video explains that countries scoring high on the HDI are considered more developed.

💡Global North

The Global North refers to the region comprising more developed countries, which are generally located in the Northern Hemisphere. The term is used in the video to describe a group of countries that share high levels of industrialization and development, such as the United States, Canada, and Western European nations.

💡Less Developed Countries (LDCs)

Less Developed Countries, or LDCs, are those that score lower on the Human Development Index, indicating lower levels of healthcare, wealth, and education. These countries are less industrialized and are part of the Global South. The video mentions countries in Central America, the Caribbean, and Africa as examples of LDCs.

💡Asian Tigers

The term 'Asian Tigers' is used in the video to describe a group of East Asian countries—Hong Kong, South Korea, Taiwan, and Singapore—that experienced rapid industrialization and economic growth in the 1960s. These countries are exceptions in Asia, being considered more developed despite the continent's majority being LDCs.

💡Industrialization

Industrialization refers to the process where a nation shifts from an agrarian economy to one dominated by manufacturing and the use of advanced technology. The video connects industrialization to the development of countries, noting that MDCs are highly industrialized, which contributes to their status as more developed.

💡Environmental Determinism

Environmental Determinism is a discredited theory suggesting that the physical environment shapes human characteristics and development. The video briefly mentions this concept to contrast with the actual reasons behind the development disparities, highlighting that historical events like the Industrial Revolution and imperialism played a more significant role.

💡Colonialism

Colonialism is the practice of a nation exerting control over other territories. The video discusses how countries in the Global North, which industrialized first, used their newfound power to colonize countries in the Global South, leading to lasting economic disparities between the two regions.

💡Global South

The Global South is a term used to describe the region consisting of less developed countries, predominantly located in the Southern Hemisphere. The video explains that these countries are generally poorer and less industrialized than those in the Global North, and many were colonized by more developed countries.

💡Dynamic Process

The video emphasizes that development is a dynamic process, meaning that the status of a country as more or less developed can change over time. This is illustrated by the example of China, which was once considered a less developed country but now qualifies as more developed.

💡Perceptual Regions

Perceptual regions, as mentioned in the video, are areas that do not have defined boundaries and are subjectively identified by people. The Global North and Global South are examples of perceptual regions, with the video noting that there is disagreement over which countries belong to each region.

Highlights

Introduction to the concept of comparing more developed countries (MDCs) and less developed countries (LDCs).

Definition of more developed countries and their abbreviation MDCs.

Explanation of the Human Development Index (HDI) and its components.

Description of the characteristics of more developed countries based on HDI scores.

Identification of the Global North as a region consisting of more developed countries.

Mention that the United States is part of the Global North.

Definition of less developed countries and their abbreviation LDCs.

Discussion on the arbitrariness of the categories of MDCs and LDCs.

Explanation of the dynamic nature of development and the changing status of countries.

Example of China's transition from an LDC to an MDC.

List of generally accepted more developed countries by region.

Mention of the 'Asian Tigers' and their rapid industrialization in the 1960s.

Description of the Global South as a region of less developed countries.

List of less developed countries in Central America, the Caribbean, and South America.

List of less developed countries in Africa.

List of less developed countries in Asia, with exceptions noted.

Explanation of the historical reasons behind the division of the Global North and Global South.

Discussion on the historical events of the Industrial Revolution and imperialism's impact on development.

Encouragement to review the objectives and a reminder of the next class.

Transcripts

Students, welcome to another Mr. Naess screencast.

And here are your objectives.

Please pause the video, look these questions over, and get ready to copy some vocab and

take some notes.

Today’s AIM is comparing more developed countries and less developed countries.

And your first term is “more developed countries.”

Before I show you the definition, try saying that word out loud, more developed countries.

More developed countries.

We also call these countries MDCs.

MDC.

More developed country.

A country’s development is measured by a statistic called the human development index,

and the human development index is a measure of three different factors: healthcare, wealth,

and education.

More developed countries are the countries that score high on the index.

That means their population has high levels of healthcare, wealth, and education.

In general, these countries are highly industrialized.

We can also create a region out of the more developed countries -- imagine the area of

land that includes all of them.

We call this region, the Global North.

The country you live in, the US, is a more developed country, and it is part of the global north.

Countries that score lower on the human development index are called less developed countries,

or LDCs.

Less developed countries have lower levels of healthcare, wealth, and education, and

they are less industrialized…..Now let’s talk about which countries fall into each

category.

First, know that these two categories are arbitrary, because the Global North and the

Global South are perceptual regions -- these are regions that have no defined boundaries, and people disagree

on which countries fall into each region...There is no specific human development index score

that a country must have to be considered more or less developed.

Also, development is a dynamic process , and the line between more and less developed is

always changing.

Some countries, like China, was considered less developed only recently, but now qualifies

as more developed.

...OK, that said, I’m going to give you a list of countries generally accepted to

be more developed.

Let’s go region by region.

In North America, the United States and Canada.

In Europe, ALL of western Europe is more developed.

That’s a lot of countries - England, France, Germany, Italy, etc.

There are about 20 of them, and they’re all highly industrialized and developed.

In Oceania we have Australia and New Zealand.

And in Asia we have Israel, Japan, China, Hong Kong, South Korea, Taiwan, and Singapore.

Hong Kong is included with China because although it wasn’t part of China for a lot of the

past 150 years, it is now fully controlled by the Chinese government.

Take a look at the last four names on this list.

Hong Kong, along with the countries of South Korea, Taiwan, and Singapore, are called the

“Asian Tigers” because they experienced rapid industrialization in the 1960s.

We’re not going to talk more about the Asian Tigers in this unit, but this is a good time

to learn that nickname, Asian Tigers, because we’ll come back to it again next semester…..So

those are the more developed countries, also called the Global North.

Now let’s look at the less developed countries, also called the Global South.

These are poorer and less industrialized countries.

Again, there’s no concrete criteria for being a less developed country, but here’s

my list: All the countries in Central America and the

Caribbean -- that includes Mexico, Nicaragua, Haiti, all of them...

And although there are some South American countries that are quite industrialized, for

simplicity, I’m going to call

all the countries in South America less developed countries.

That includes Peru, Venezuela, Guyana, all of them.

Same for Africa, all the countries in Africa are LDCs.

Nigeria, Sudan, and Mozambique are three.

Asia is MOSTLY LDCs, with the exceptions that you listed above as MDCs.

Some examples of LDCs in Asia include Syria, Mongolia, and Vietnam, there are many others.

As you can from these entire regions of less developed countries, there are far

more LESS developed countries than developed ones.

That means that most of the world’s countries are poorer and less industrialized.

YOU happen to live in one of the couple dozen richer and more industrialized ones.

That’s why you get to do things like take AP Human Geography.

Earlier I told you that the region of more developed countries is called the Global North

and the region of less developed countries is called the Global South.

And here’s why, take a look at the map.

If you drew a line around separating the more and less developed countries, you’d see

that MOST of the more developed ones are in the Northern hemisphere, and most of the less

developed ones are in the southern hemisphere.

Why is that?

Back in the 1800s, someone like Thomas Jeffferson would have said it was because cooler, northern

countries produced more civilized people, and hotter countries in the south produced

lazy primitive people.

And that would be called environmental determinism.

But I would say that it’s really about two very important historical events: the Industrial

revolution and imperialism.

The Industrial revolution began in England, which is here. That's in the northern hemisphere, and then spread to

the rest of western Europe and to North America - which is lands that

England colonized. These were all in the global North.

These countries that industrialized first gained tremendous power, which they then used

to colonize the other countries, many of them in the southern hemisphere - the global south.

Today, we still see those divisions - the countries that did the colonizing are still

relatively wealthy, while the countries that got colonized are still relatively poor.

Well, I hope you’ve enjoyed learning about more developed and less developed countries.

Now it’s time to review the objectives and if you don’t know the answer to any of them,

rewind the video and look again.

I will see you in class!

Bye students.