Geography
Year 7
Questions
- What is development?
- How does development help people in a country?
- Why do countries want to develop?
- What does it mean for a country to be more developed?
Key words
Say it
Development is when a country improves its money, health and education — moving from a poorer to a richer way of life.
Example
Mali (Low income · less developed) → UK (High income · more developed)
Questions
- What are development indicators?
- How do we measure how developed a country is?
- What statistics show a country's level of development?
- How can you compare development between two countries?
Key words
Say it
Development indicators are statistics that show how developed a country is — things like income, how long people live, and whether they can read and write.
Example
High birth rate (Often a sign of less development) → High life expectancy (Sign of a more developed country)
Questions
- What is the development gap?
- Why are some countries richer than others?
- What is the difference between rich and poor countries?
- How does the development gap affect people's lives?
Key words
Say it
The development gap is the difference in standards of living between the richest and poorest countries in the world.
Example
LIC (e.g. Mali) (Low income, poorer services) → HIC (e.g. UK) (High income, better services)
Questions
- What is the Brandt Line?
- What does the Brandt Line divide?
- Who created the Brandt Line and when?
- What is the North-South divide?
Key words
Say it
The Brandt Line is an imaginary line drawn in 1980 by Willy Brandt that divides the richer Global North from the poorer Global South based on levels of development.
Example
Global South (below line) (Africa, Asia, Latin America — less developed in 1980) → Global North (above line) (Europe, USA, Canada, Japan — more developed in 1980)
Questions
- Why is the Brandt Line criticised?
- Where does the Brandt Line fail?
- Give examples of countries that no longer fit the Brandt Line.
- Is the Brandt Line still valid today?
Key words
Say it
The Brandt Line is outdated because many countries it placed in the 'poor South' — like China and South Korea — have grown rapidly and no longer fit. But this is also a positive sign: the world has developed since 1980.
Example
1980 view (China: poor South, below the line) → Today (China: world's second-largest economy)
Questions
- What are HICs, LICs and NEEs?
- How are countries categorised by development?
- What is the difference between a HIC and a LIC?
- What is a Newly Emerging Economy?
Key words
Say it
Countries are grouped by income — HICs are high income like the UK, LICs are low income like Mali, and NEEs are in between and growing fast, like Brazil.
Example
LIC — Mali (Low GNI per capita) → HIC — UK (High GNI per capita)
Questions
- What helps a country develop?
- What holds a country back from developing?
- Why do some countries develop faster than others?
- Give a factor that encourages or limits development.
Key words
Say it
Countries develop faster when they have a strong government, good trade links and natural resources. They develop slowly when there is conflict, corruption or they are landlocked.
Example
Landlocked country (No ports — harder to trade) → Coastal country (Can import and export easily)
Questions
- What is aid?
- What are the different types of aid?
- How does aid help developing countries?
- What is the difference between short-term and long-term aid?
Key words
Say it
Aid is money or resources given to help a country. Short-term aid helps after a disaster. Long-term aid builds things like schools and hospitals that last.
Example
Short-term aid (Food after a flood (emergency)) → Long-term aid (Building a school (development))
Questions
- What is Fairtrade?
- How does Fairtrade help developing countries?
- What are the advantages and disadvantages of Fairtrade?
- Why might Fairtrade not always work?
Key words
Say it
Fairtrade makes sure farmers in developing countries get a fair price for their goods like coffee and cocoa, so they can afford better lives — but the products cost more, so not everyone buys them.
Example
Without Fairtrade (Low prices, poor conditions) → With Fairtrade (Fair wages, invest in community)
Questions
- What is appropriate technology?
- Why is appropriate technology better for developing countries?
- Give an example of appropriate technology.
- How does appropriate technology support development?
Key words
Say it
Appropriate technology is technology that suits the needs, skills and wealth of local people — it is affordable, easy to maintain and does not rely on outside experts.
Example
Inappropriate (High-tech pump needing spare parts and an engineer) → Appropriate (Hand-pumped well — cheap, local, easy to fix)
Questions
- What is Tree Aid?
- How does Tree Aid help Mali?
- How does the Tree Aid case study show aid working?
- Why was aid needed in the Sahel region?
Key words
Say it
Tree Aid works in Mali in the Sahel. Deforestation caused drought and food shortages. Tree Aid planted trees, gave out seeds and taught people to look after the land — making communities self-sufficient.
Example
Problem (Deforestation → drought → no food) → Solution (Trees → moisture → crops → income)