World Geography Enquiries

What Is China Doing In Angola?

2011-01-09T21:54:00.001Z

Chinese Workers Building Railway Lines In Angola

China is ever growing in its international presence. Its rapid economic growth has led it to requiring more natural resources than ever before. For the first time in many years China is now requiring large volumes of imports in order to sustain its growth. Recently Africa and in Particular Angola has been its latest location in the hunt for natural resources.

Angola has abundant Oil, much more than it can use itself. Therefore, China has deals with the Angolan government to trade a combination of finance, infrastructural improvements and expertise in return for crude oil. According to the World Bank the latest Angolan-China deal is worth $9 billion.

China is helping to repair and reconstruct damaged existing infrastructure while also building additional new infrastructure. 1 billion of the credit has already been spent on various projects, such as:
- Acquisition of construction equipment
- Expansion of the electricity network in Luanda province
- Road repairs
- Construction and refurbishment of schools
- Rehabilitation of hospitals and health centres
- Rehabilitation and modernisation of irrigation areas
- Rehabilitation of infrastructures of energy and water.

- Acquisition of lorries to be given to Angolans who lost their lorries due to the war

Although many criticize Chinese intentions, Angolans and most international analysts recognize Angola are getting a better deal than they would of done from anyone else for the same oil contracts.

Who Are The Ascession 8 (A8) Countries?

2011-01-09T21:30:00.000Z

The A8 is an acronym which refers the 8 Eastern and Central European countries who joined the European Union in 2004. They are the Czech republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia. The inclusion of the A8 was the single largest expansion of the European Union in its entire history.

Net Migration Of A8 Workers To The UK 2004-2008

The A8 nations have a GDP per capita that is about 40% of the EU average. This sparked fears across Europe of a Mass migration of low income central and eastern European families towards Western Europe. However, immigration didn't occur to such an rapid extent. Largely down to the most recent recession cutting down job opportunities forcing many migrant laborers to return home (As the graph for the UK immigration stats from the A8 above shows). The European Union Development fund is supporting the A8 countries in their development and within the coming decades they should reach much higher levels of development allowing them to contribute back to the European Union.

What Does OPEC Do?

2011-01-09T21:09:00.000Z

The OPEC HQ in Vienna, Austria

OPEC, the organisation of petroleum exporting countries, is one of the most powerful cartels in the world. Collectively it has about three quarters of the worlds discovered and recognised oil reserves. Of all internationally traded oil OPEC produces 58% of it.

But what does OPEC actually do for its members and for the international economy?

OPEC Consists of Mainly developing countries.

For its members OPEC aims to keep oil prices as high as possible to bring maximum possible revenues and in essence keep the oil trade optimal for everyone in OPEC so they can trade for as long as possible and get the best prices possible. I.e they want to avoid selling large amounts of oil for low prices and it running out in favor of selling moderated amounts for high prices lasting long enough for OPEC countries to develop their non-oil sectors of the economy. It only produces 44% of world crude oil but has 78% of reserves. This means in the future that when other countries cannot produce any more OPEC will hold significant bargaining power which it can use to the advantage of its members.

OPEC Oil Export Revenues

For the international economy OPEC certainly drives prices up which is not a good thing. But it does (apart from the Arab Oil embargo of 1973) keep oil supply stable and ensure reliable trade. It does this by issuing quotas to its members to ensure they meet certain production levels every year. OPEC is in short a dependable and reliable supplier of Oil to the world economy. It needs the world and the world needs it.

What Is Globalisation?

2011-01-09T17:22:00.001Z

A question asked by many around the world. But really what is Globalisation? To look at what globalisation really is we must first look at what it is to be Globalised.

Many people see globalisation as the reason for increasing global development inequalities.

>To be a Globalised the country will have access to international markets.
>The country will be involved in international decision making. You will share and receive information across countries.
>The country economy will be dependent on exporting to some countries and importing from others.
>Languages will be diverse across the country's population, the country's companies will conduct business in other countries and foreign companies will conduct business in the country.
>Tourism will be an active part of the economy both in terms of recieving tourists and sending tourists.
>Connectivity will be high, internet access, TV coverage and satellite communications will many other countries is commonplace.

"Globalisation is the process by which countries become Globalised or integrated more closely within the wider world in terms of economic activity and connectivity."

Introduction To Moldova

2011-01-08T16:24:00.001Z

Introduction

Moldova resides on the fringes of Europe.

Situated between Romania and Ukraine the culture of Moldova is heavily influenced by neighbouring regions. Moldova became a independent state on August the 27^th of 1991 formerly breaking away from the collapsing USSR. The governmental structure is a republican democracy with a parliament of representatives.

Chisinau is the recognised capital of Moldova with a population of around 590,000. The total populace of the whole Moldovan sovereign territory is 4,317,483 including the disputed territory of Transnistria which will be covered in the “politics of Moldova” section.

According to most recent GDP figures for Moldova its national GDP is $9.956 billion dollars which equates to $2,300 per capita making it the poorest country in Europe behind Serbia. The nation is in the first stages of joining the European Union currently implementing the required policies of the European Neighbourhood policy (ENP) that is necessary to begin advancement to EU candidacy.

Moldova itself only occupies 34% of what is historically considered sovereign Moldovan territory; the rest is occupied by Romania (42%) and Ukraine (24%). About 71% of Moldova’s population is of Moldovan Descent, the rest being immigrants from neighbouring regions mainly Ukraine.

Since the break up of the USSR Moldova has been ruled by an elected communist party. On break away from the USSR Moldova quickly became involved in international politics by joining world institutions like NATO’s peace program. However the path to a market economy and a democratic government has been incredibly problematic for Moldova. According to the World Bank 38% of Moldovan GDP is comprised of remittances from foreign based Moldovan citizens. Emigration is a dangerous problem within Moldova nearly 25% of its population migrates out of the country to work; the majority of these workers do so illegally. Furthermore, around 20% of the Moldovan population is classified as living below the poverty line.

Technological usage within Moldova is surprisingly advanced in relation to that of mainstream Europe. Telephone line uptake is only around 1million people out of the total population. However, mobile phone uptake is around 2.9 million since mobile phones represent a more practical way for the Moldovans to be connected through telecommunications allowing them to leapfrog the landline stage. Internet connectivity covers around 40% of the population at high speeds of around 14.4mbps. Moldova was also the first nation in Europe to introduce High Definition mobile calls (known as HD Voice), which it undertook in late 2009.

Site Of Moldovan Gas Pipeline Explosion

Considered independent from the influence of Russia Moldova still imports the majority of its energy supplies from Russia and has a Russian pipeline running through its sovereign territory. Diplomatically it is not that vulnerable to Russia’s dominance of oil and gas in Eastern Europe; during the Gazprom incident with Ukraine its supplies were largely unaffected. On the other hand, many analysts predict Moldova pursuing membership with the European Union could leave it in a similar situation to Ukraine.

Moldova has long been struggling to fight for a sense of independence in a way that can distinguish Moldova as separate to Romania. 75% of Moldovans speak Moldovan, most international analysts classify the Moldovan language as Romanian; the languages are almost identical in their nature and origin. Moldova has over 500,000 citizens who speak Russian as their first language due to the close economic and past political links with Russia. In the battle for cultural independence also comes the key question of whether all citizens of the principality of Moldavia (which as mentioned before is in much of Romania and Ukraine) should be classified as ethnically Moldovan.

Moldovan Vineyards

Wine production has been a long standing tradition in Moldova allowing them to specialise in wine production and develop skills and techniques that only experience can create. This has meant wine production employs more people than any other industry in Moldova; around 27% of the workforce providing 20% of GDP. Only 5% of all wine production is consumed domestically, the other 95% is exported mainly to CIS countries. The speciality in viniculture has allowed for a thriving tourist market to develop focussed primarily on wine tasting and tours of vineyards and wine production facilities.

For Further Reading On This Moldovan Study Please Check The Site for The Moldova E-Book Release Date.

What Is Peak Oil?

2011-01-08T16:13:00.002Z

Peak oil is the highest rate of crude oil extraction achieved in a particular area. Once the highest rate is achieved it can only decline after that. Peak oil is achieved by different contents and countries all over the world at different times.

When was World Peak oil?

World Peak Oil Was Achieved In 2006, Projected Demand Increases Outstrip Production Driving Prices Up.

According to the International Energy Agency Peak Oil Was Achieved in 2006. (of conventional Oil supplies)

When was Peak Oil in the USA?

According to figures about American Oil Production the American Peak Oil was achieved in 1970 as demonstrated by the above graph.

What Does Peak Oil Mean For The World?

It is clear what peak oil means from recent trends. Peak oil means the end of cheap oil. As demand has been increasing rapidly year on year but peak oil was achieved in 2006 it means that demand is rising and supply is falling. Economic theory (which is proven true in real life) says that prices will continue to rise into the future. This will force oil dependent countries to either cut down on consumption or search for unconventional oil supplies (such as Tar Sands, Oil Shale and Arctic Oil).

Will Turkey Join The European Union?

2011-01-08T15:05:00.000Z

Turkey's Accession To The EU

It is a question posed by many people on a regular basis, Will Turkey really join the European Union? Well the situation hasn't changed much since Turkey first applied to start accession in 2006. For a nation to become a European Union member they must meet the 35 chapters of the "acquis communautaire" and then after meeting those they must being voted in favor of unanimously without any objections to then achieve membership.

Of the 35 chapters some include defense policy, environmental policy, monetary policy, customs unions and trans-European networks. Of the 35 chapters:
- Turkey meets 5 of them
- Has nothing to adopt on 2 of them
- Further efforts are needed in 18 of them
- Considerable efforts are needed in 7 of them
- Alignment at very early stage in 3 of them

Meaning currently Turkey achieves 7/35 chapters required to proceed to phase two of accession. The 28 which they are not achieving in could take many years to achieve as they require large structural changes in the way the country functions such as large changes to the judiciary system and constitution, substantial introduction of environmental legislature and environmental protection and large changes to immigration and emigration laws with regards to the movement of workers.

In phase two Turkey must be unanimously voted in favor off to join the European Union. Greece and Cyprus are most widely expected to vote against Turkey's accession although the current Greek president did express support for Turkish accession. Germany and Austria already receive a large number of Turkish migrants, they may therefore also vote against it to prevent unsustainable numbers of migrants flocking to their countries from Turkey which has a large population of voter 70 million.

% of French Public Against Turkish Accession

Turkey has been an Islamic state for many years, even though it is not an Islamic state now the culture and long standing lifestyles in Turkey are far from European. If Turkey were able to adapt to meet the EU requirements it would most likely still fall down in the voting phase.

What Is Geography?

2011-01-08T12:33:00.002Z

The Most Recognised Symbol Of Geography

Its been a while since the last post I made. Therefore, I thought I would tackle a very commonly asked question. This question is simply: What Is Geography?

Geography means a lot of different things to many people, which is in part down to the associations we gain from our school years. To many people it is about maps, foreign places, traveling and different cultures. However, geography is a subject that is extremely wide in its reach.

The simplest way of defining geography is it is the study of planet Earth's people, places, terrains and environments. Geography is a unique subject in the sense that it can link subjects of a Scientific nature with those of a social or economic nature.


Extreme Weather Studies Have Risen With Climate Change Awareness

Human geography is one major branch of geography this is quite simply the study of the economic, social and environmental impacts and consequences humans have on the world.

Physical geography is the study of the layout of the Natural world and the organisms that live within it. Human interaction is included but only to the extent which Human's affect or are affected by the Natural World.

Brazilian Deforestation

2010-11-22T20:26:00.001Z

What Is The Brazilian Government Doing To Reduce Deforestation Rates Within The Amazon And How Successful Has It Been?

During the years 1996 to 2005 the average yearly deforestation rate was around 19,500 square kilometres. Since 2005 the rate has been drastically reduced to around 7000 square kilometres a year or around 40% of the 1996-2005 average. The government has helped achieved this vast reduction in a number of ways. The first key government actions to reduce the deforestation rate were the expansion of land designated as national park or indigenous reserves. By stamping government ownership on much of the Amazon people have been deterred from taking land and clearing it by the prospect of potential government sanctions.

The government has been undertaking landmark cases in using the law to punish those having a detrimental effect on the environment. In 2008 it confiscated 3000 cattle from someone trying to ranch in a protected area. The environmental secretary of Mato Grosso was arrested for an illegal logging scam. The government has also increased funding to the INPE which is Brazil’s national space agency; this has allowed them to get bi-weekly deforestation reports so large scale deforestation cannot be hidden. With current rates of improvement the Amazon can expect to stop losing forest by 2030. The World Bank has recommended that Brazil should reforest 40 million Hectares of illegally deforested land.

The National environmental agency IBAMA has only 6 helicopters to police the Amazon and currently it only manages to extract fines from 10% of those convicted of illegal deforestation. Currently there is a law demanding all Amazon landholders must have 80% tree cover many see this as unreasonable and uneconomical for business. Also the massive global increase in food demand is pushing up Brazilian export levels and large agricultural businesses are pushing for more land. Current Brazilian cattle production is highly inefficient; only 1 cattle is produced for every hectare of land. If productivity levels for cattle could be increased then some of the 200million hectares of land currently used could be reallocated to more profitable crops.

Many want the Amazonian economy to have clear laws and legislation as well as legalising what land can be used. Once land registry is solved and a set of taxes are implemented big companies can make many cattle ranches more efficient since them being legal will allow banks to loan to them. The additional tax could help with policing the Amazon and providing better local services. Brazil also pledged to cut emissions by 39% by 2020. Over 40% of Brazil’s energy is from renewable sources, rebranding Brazil as an eco-friendly economy could give it dominance over many lucrative markets. If Brazil can clear the issues preventing them from saving their environment then they will benefit substantially in economic terms.

The scheme has been overwhelmingly successful so far, the reduction in deforestation rates by over 60% has slowed deforestation greatly and if the progress is maintained the Amazon could start reforesting after 2030. The success has been mainly thanks to the government reforming the way the Amazon is treated and the way land is issued and policed. However, the success will be hollow if the future governments do not continue to pursue similar policies of Amazonian protection.

Asian Megacities

2010-11-21T01:20:00.001Z

Lahore

Holding the prestige title of capital of Punjab province and boasting the second largest population for a city in Pakistan Lahore is classified as a mega-city. The population of Lahore is around 10 million and is growing rapidly.

Lahore is a historically diverse area within its region. Being the capital to the Ghaznavid's, Ghurid's, Mughal's, Sikh's and the British Empire. It is the 40th most populated urban area in the world and accoridng to the guardian it is the second best tourist destination in the whole of pakistan.

The economy of Lahore in PPP GDP figures was around $40 billion with an average annual growth rate of around 5.6%. Lahore contributes around 13.2% of Pakistan's total national GDP. Around 42% of Lahore's workforce is employed within the service sector of the economy. For such a large and rapidly growing city infrastructure is generally good and communications are up to date with most businesses being able to access high speed internet.

Lahore is described as Pakistan's most accessible city, with an abundance of public transport and private transport. Roads are being expanded every year and are well maintained. 75% of citizens have their own means of transport but many choose public transport as it is often cheaper or quicker and sometimes the government gives incentives for its use.

Lahore is overwhelmingly Muslim with around 94% of people being so. The rest are mainly Christian or seek. Lahore is also described as the cultural heart of Pakistan due to its rich history spanning many empires. Lahore is also well known for its abundance of schools, colleges and universities which provide the city with the skills it requires to pursue a service based economy.

Chinese Megacities

2010-11-20T11:44:00.000Z

Chongqing, China

Chongqing is a very large inland city in South-West China. It is one of only 4 municipalities in China controlled directly by the central government. It perhaps sums up quite well Chinese development, the city has grown exponentially and the municipality of Chongqing now has a population of 31.4 million. It is quoted by many sources as being the worlds largest municipality in both physical size and in terms of population.

The city of Chongqing served as China's capital city during World War II and the war against the imperial Japanese armies. Today it serves an economic purpose, being the hub of economic activity in the upper Yangtze region. The urban population or the actual city population is around 5 million at a density of 382 people per square kilometer. The cultural background of Chongqing is mainly "Han" with around 91% of people being of Han ascendancy.

Chongqing has a sub-tropical climate with its summers being among the hottest in the whole of China around 34-35 degrees. The economy is Chongqing is growing rapidly with 137,000 square meters of floor space being added to the city everyday for commercial, industrial and residential purposes. The city grows by about 1300 people every day which adds approximately $15 million to the economy daily. It is China's third largest automobile producing region, producing 1 million cars and 8.6 million motorcycles.

The Chongqing Iron and Steel Company is Asia's largest Aluminum manufacturing factory. The current GDP stands at around $90 billion with $3300 per capita and about 15% annual growth. Unlike Lagos, Chongqing is a well planned city, transport and infrastructural needs are planned for to prevent problems.

Other problems include organized crime, in 2009 4893 suspected criminals were arrested for organized crime. However, Chongqing's most prevalent problem is its huge water pollution levels in the nearby rivers and tributaries in addition to the heavy air pollution which both the UN and the EU quote as being unsafe.

African Megacities

2010-11-19T23:48:00.000Z

Lagos

The megacity of Lagos stretches along the South-West Coastline of Nigeria. Stretching 389 square miles with 8 million residents at a mind boggling density of 7941 people per square kilometre Lagos is the fastest growing city in Nigeria and is fueling the process of rural-urban migration within Nigeria.

Formerly known by the name Eko, Lagos was the capital of Nigeria from 1914 to 1991. It was stripped of its capital status after the capital was shifted to Abuja since Lagos was criticised for being "too Christian" and Abuja is a balance between the Islamic North and the Christian south.

The size of the Lagos metropolitan area totals 15.5 million. By a conservative estimate Lagos grows by 275,000 people every year. The economic effects of Lagos growing rapidly is of a chinese essence. Large supplies of cheap rural migrant labour, inflows of foreign investment and accumaltions of industry, technology and commerce all keep business costs low and potential for profit high.

20% of Lagos' GDP is provided from petroleum based services or exports. Lagos port is Nigeria's largest port and one of the largest in Africa, it brings Lagos exclusive trading opportunities and a constant supply of imports to fuel sectors of the economy where Nigeria is not self sufficient.

However, Lagos has a rapidly rising slum population and its government has been slow to improve transport infrastructure (the Lagos light rail project is not due for completion until 2012) and education is still for the elites or highly skilled. Lagos only has 7 secondary, University and college institutions. Tourist attractions include Oba's Palace, the Nigerian National Museum, Shrine of Fela, the beach resorts and Prophet T.B. Joshua's Synagogue and the Church Of All Nations.

Geography Courses

2010-11-18T21:16:00.001Z

UCAS Geography Courses

There are many types of geography based courses at British universities. There are the more standard geography courses and then the more obscure parts of geography plus geography courses integrated with other subjects.
These are the core geography courses:
Geography F800
Geography L700

There are Human geography courses:
Human Geography L701

And Physical Geography Courses:
Physical Geography F840

As well as geography with other subjects here are a few more examples:
Geography with Study in Continental Europe (F801)
Geography and Environmental Management (FF89)
Geography and History (LV71)
Geography with Animal Science (F8D3)
Geography and Sociology (FL83)
Geography with French (F8R1)
Geography with Psychology (F8C8)
Geography with English (F8Q3)
Geography and Economics (LL71)

The Millenium Development Goals

2010-11-17T22:01:00.001Z

The Millenium Development Goals

The MDG’s are a set of 8 international development goals that all 192 UN nations and 23 international organisations aim to achieve by 2015.

They are as follows:

Goal 1: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger

Halve the proportion of people living on less than $1 a day, achieve decent employment rates for men women and young people and halve the number of people who suffer from hunger.

Goal 2: Achieve Universal Primary Education

By 2015 all children will have the opportunity to complete a full primary education.

Goal 3: Promote Gender Equality And Empower Women

Eliminate the gender disparity in the education systems of the world by 2015.

Goal 4: Reduce the child mortality rate

Reduce the under 5’s mortality rate by 66% by 2015.

Goal 5: Improve maternal health

Reduce the maternal motality rate by 75% by 2015 and get access to contraception for all women.

Goal 6: Combat Major Diseases

Halt and begin to reverse the spread of HIV by 2015, achieve universal access by 2010 to HIV drugs to all who need it and have halted and begun to reverse the incidence of major diseases like malaria and sleeping sickness by 2015.

Goal 7: Environmental Sustainability

Integrate the principles of sustainable development into every countries policies and begin to reverse the process of environmental degradation. Have a significant decline in the rate of biodiversity loss by 2010. Improve access to sanitation and clean water and improve the lives significantly of at least 100 million slum dwellers by 2020.

Goal 8: Develop a Global Partnership For Development

Develop a non discriminating trading and financial system. Address the needs of LDCs. Address the special needs of landlocked or island underdeveloped states. Deal with worldwide debt problems. Make medicine and new communication technology available to developing countries by negotiating with large providers.

Problems With The MDGs

The major problem with the MDGs seems to be the fact they provide targets that for many nations are unattainable. For example a certain level of forest cover (around 50% is the average target) is almost impossible for an industrialized nation to achieve. And some gender equality targets are almost impossible for hard line Islamic states like Iran to achieve since women always play a more traditional role in society. As well as the fundamental problems of the objectives themselves the whole project is under-funded, the 0.7% of GNP agreed by the industrialized wealthy nations isn't being paid and some are refusing to give that much.

Progress

Progress is difficult to generalise some nations are doing well and others are progressing badly or even regressing. Check the progress of a nation of your choice from here:

http://www.mdgmonitor.org/

The World Bank

2010-11-03T17:41:00.001Z

What Is The World Bank?

Well as Keynes famously said they must have got the names of the world bank and the IMF mixed up. The world bank funds development projects and the IMF loans money to struggling nations. The world bank is an international organization with 187 countries as members. The function of the world bank is to loan money and provide assisstance with nations looking to construct large scale development projects. It was formed in the Bretton Woods agreement after world war two to aid with the reconstruction of a war torn Europe.

The Structure Of The World Bank

There are 5 Sections to the world bank:

1) The International Bank For Reconstruction And Development, IBRD.

2) International Finance Corporation, IFC.

3) International Development Association, IDA.

4) Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency, MIGA.

5) International Center for Settlement of Investment Disputes, ICSID.

What Does The World Bank Do?

The IBRD and IDA provide loans and grants to countries looking to undertake development projects or lacking access to sufficient credit/loans. Loans cover areas such as health and education, agriculture, rural development, environmental protection, infrastructure and governance. 

The organization is demand by western free market theorists who are quite influential within the world bank, it promotes free trade and it likes to make nations it helps into large capitalist free markets. As much as people criticize the world bank, for being a "neo-colonialist" arm of the western world aiming to spread its economic structure and culture, it has helped international development substantially in its time.

The International Monetary Fund

2010-11-03T17:23:00.003Z

What Is The IMF?

The IMF is a global organization that aims to promote international monetary cooperation and international economic stability whilst increasing the prosperity of international trade. The IMF also works to solve financial crises in the international economy (Greece being the most recent example) by using pro-Keynesian methods as opposed to the alternative method which is devaluation (reducing AD in the hope imports will fall and rescue the trade balance).

What Is The Purpose Of The IMF?

> Promote international monetary cooperation.

> Facilitate the expansion and balanced growth of international trade.

> Provide exchange rate stability.

> Ensure multilateral payment systems are keep functioning fairly, efficiently and are regulated sufficiently.

> Provide financial aid to members who are struggling to cope with certain financial crises.

Drawbacks Of The IMF

>Places strict and sometimes unreasonable conditions with its financial aid packages.

>Dominated by the biggest contributors (i.e. the USA is significantly more powerful than other smaller nations like Poland even if they each give the same % of GDP).

> 2001 Argentinean crisis showed the failures of hefty budget restrictions and that the aid is not always beneficial.

> Critics say the IMF encourages Globalization and is increasing the global disparity of income by making LDC's more dependent on the developed nations.

Is There A Link Between Economic Growth and Water Demand?

2010-10-10T13:59:00.002+01:00

Generally it is accepted that as economies grow in size the amount of water demanded within the economy also increases. If you observe the graph to the right you can see over the past 100 years agricultural water demand has increase 600% , industrial usage has increased nearly 1000% and domestic use about 400%. In 1900 we used about 700km cubed of water, in 2000 we used about 4,500km cubed of water. Does this show a trend with economic growth in the world?

Note the scale can be deceptive (the space between 0 and 2000 is the same as the space between 2000 and 10000.

It seems quite obvious that generically water demand does follow economic growth. Throughout the 20th century both water demand and economic growth constantly increase. In both graphs the sharpest rises come after the end of World War II. Therefore it is logically to agree with the trend. However, you must not rule out the effects of other factors, for example population growth. Even though the above graph shows economic growth in terms of GDP per capita (which therefore factors for the additional population growth) the increase in water demand is also affected by a growth in population.

We can see from the first graph that the largest increase in water consumption in the whole century is clearly industrial usage. Since the 20th century was the era of vast industrialisation particularly from 1980 onwards when the Asian economies started developing rapidly (India, South Korea and China). Agricultural usage still uses the most water worldwide and Agricultural output is very closely linked with GDP levels; increasing food supply is a result of increasing demand within an economy which is a result of growth.

There is an extensive link that is easily proved between water demand and economic growth. Since water demand is the amount of consumers in an economy willing and able to buy water demand will increase when consumers have increased wealth to demand more and when consumer demand leads to demand for other goods or services which need water to be produced.

The Dependency Theory

2010-10-09T17:07:00.002+01:00

The Dependency Theory: In geographical terms the dependency theory is the way that low income states or groupings have become dependent on high income nations in order to survive. This has come about due to the way world economic integration has created winners and losers.

How Are Low Income States Dependent On Others In This Theory?

Stock markets are too technology advanced for some dependent nations.

Low income states since they lack the skills and financial base to compete with high income states often are reliant on the provision of cheap labour and supplying natural resources to the high income states. High income states also exploit the low income nations by selling them obsolete technology. High income states very often make up the largest buyer of low income state's exports.

Since high income states are owners and developers of most technological advances low income states are very much dependent on high income states to sell them technology and capital which to them is an advancement (but very often for the high income states this kind of technology is outdated).

There are other ways in which high income states can make low income states dependent on them (economic functions is the most common way) such as economics, media control, politics, banking and finance, education, culture, sport, and human resource development.

How Did This Situation Occur?

globalisation has created the dependency theory

The globalisation of the world economy, the emergence of capitalist economies as the most successful, aggressive trading schemes, unstoppable Trans-national corporations and the general effects of an integrated world economy. All these factors have led to small income nations being disadvantaged partially because they are never given a chance, in the capitalist world markets those with significant comparative advantages win and those without them lose. High income nations posses these advantages (technology, skilled labour, solid infrastructure, high GDP, stable economies, international culture) and low income nations are therefore driven out of the wealthy markets and left to be the undervalued part of the world economy; manufacturing and resource extraction/cultivation.

Superpower Geography: Mackinder's Heartland Theory Explained

2010-10-07T20:56:00.003+01:00

Mackinder's Heartland Theory

English Political Geographer Sir Halford Mackinder came up with his heartland theory in the 1904. He submitted his theory to the Royal Geographic Society. The theory came about due to the fact that Russia was a huge nation at this point in time and even though slightly backwards in some respects at the same time they still held a vast empire yet to be defeated in battle.

The theory states that all of world power rotates around the pivot area. So the pivot area is the power stronghold of the world; it will always have power but the power in the areas around it will change. The pivot area places an importance on Eastern Europe and the Russian Empire.

Many believe that Mackinder's Heartland Theory was used by Adolf Hitler and the Nazi's as his way of planning a world takeover, however, how far this was used is yet to be fully deciphered.

Mackinder labelled Europe, Asia and Most of Africa the World island. It was in his opinion the land mass all connected together that held the most power. The offshore islands (including Britain and Japan) held the next amount of power, followed by the outer islands which are the North and South American and Australia.

Although the theory was proved successful, from World War II onwards the idea lost its significance. Since Russia the so called heartland of power crumbled to the German armies and the Japanese islanders ended up conquering vast areas of Asia which is connected to the World Island. Also the theory itself implies a weakness and insignificance of sea war craft which played a vital role in World War II.

The World Trade Organisation

2010-10-06T16:26:00.001+01:00

The World Trade Organisation

What is the world trade organisation?

The world trade organisation is an international regulatory body that is responsible for negotiating trade agreements, policing the rules of international trade and settling disputes involving one or more member nations.

Who are the members of the WTO?

The world trade organisation has 153 members of which they account for 97% of the value of international trade. The most recent member to join was the Ukraine in 2008. The WTO was formed in 1995 by the world’s biggest trading players such as the USA, the UK, Germany and India. China became a member in 2001.

What Does the WTO actually do?

The WTO has a statement of responsibility in which it states it will regulate world trade in accordance with non-discriminatory, predictable and fair policies. Whilst allowing trade to benefit developing nations through fair competition and removing their entry barriers into western markets.

What was the Uruguay round?

The Uruguay round was a WTO meeting in which key policy changes were made. Tariffs on industrial products were to be cut by 40% in the years 1995-2000, the end product of this was average cuts from 6.3 to 3.8%. Also developing nations were able to get the number of high tariffs down on their goods. The average number of goods with a tariff of 15% or more fell from 9% to 5%. Binding agreements were also decided whereby developed and developing nations cannot increase their tariffs above a pre-agreed level.

What Was The Doha Round?

The Doha round was held in Qatar in the Middle East. It was another WTO agreement in which improving conditions for the developing nations took centre stage. Industrialised nations agreed that by 2013 they would not subsidise any of their export industries. Also for the extremely impoverished nations, a “everything but arms” initiative was created by which they can sell their products to the western markets with no tariffs, this deal covers about 97% of these nations exports.

The Best Universities For Geography 2010

2010-10-05T18:54:00.000+01:00

The Best Universities For Geography 2010

Here are the best universities in the country for studying geography based courses. The information is courtesy of the complete university guide. As you can see the best university in the country for geography is Cambridge. There are many London universities which rank among the best such as LSE (London School Of Economics), UCL (university college London) and Royal Holloway. However, take note of the graduate prospects column, this clearly shows that if you are looking for the best employment prospects then LSE is the place for you.

Rank	Institution	Student Satisfaction		Research Assessment	Entry Standards	Graduate Prospects	Overall Score
1	Cambridge	4.25	5	A	511	79	100.0
2	London School of Economics	3.68	5	A	435	91	98.2
3	Oxford	4.04	4	A	492	78	97.1
4	Durham	3.68	5*	A	453	77	97.1
5	University College London	3.95	5*	A	436	74	97.0
6	Bristol	3.71	5*	A	459	71	96.1
7	Edinburgh	3.53	5*	A	442	72	95.1
8	St Andrews		4	B	444	67	94.0
9	Royal Holloway	4.13	5*	A	359	67	94.0
10	Dundee	3.83	4	A	429	69	92.6
11	Sheffield	3.82	5	A	398	66	92.4
12	Southampton	3.74	5	A	393	68	92.3
13	Newcastle	3.66	5	A	369	71	92.0
14	Nottingham	3.54	5	B	426	66	91.2
15	Strathclyde		3a	C	467	63	90.9
16	Loughborough	3.91	5	B	364	65	90.7
17	Cardiff	3.89	5*	A	321	59	90.2
18	Birmingham	3.94	4	B	379	65	90.1
19	Reading	3.92	4	A	356	65	90.0
20	Leeds	3.69	5	B	369	65	90.0

PC Games To Support Geography

2010-10-04T18:56:00.004+01:00

Being an avid gamer myself I have been able to appreciate that certain PC video games have to ability to provide additional enriching information that has provided useful in my high level Geographical studies. These games often provide geographic information in the terms of the spatial structure of our world, as well the history of how certain places came to be and why their geography is as it is today.

A game that I have found invaluable is Europa Universalis III. This game is a Strategy game based between the 15th and 19th centuries. It provides players with the ability to acquire detailed knowledge of the world and its places, it provides many regions not just countries so you are able to know that say Goa is in India or Seminole is in the USA etc. The game also shows depending on the start date you choose the position of European colonies which is useful knowledge. Map options also show the spread of different cultural groups and religions at any given start date you choose.

Another game , which is less thought-intensive is Far Cry 2, not obviously applicable to geographical concepts. However, playing the game it is clear it gives a fantastic view on the structure of impoverished and war torn African countries. Similar to Botswana in many ways it shows how the diamond trade and foreign intervention within the economy and military of the small African nation (the nation is fictional in the game) has led it to its almost total destruction. You can gain some good ideas from this game so why not give it a try.

Finally cities XL a game which is linked to the economic and social side of big cities and development. Take on the role of the all seeing and all dancing city planner who has the ability to control everything. This game gives you an insightful knowledge of what cities need to function fully and the effects of them growing in size. It will give you the ability to not only have fun but explore the role that big cities have to play within the social and economic structure of a country. Can you balance economic growth, with social equality and protect the environment?

How Far Is Economic Development Due To Energy Security?

2010-10-02T00:33:00.002+01:00

How Far Is Economic Development Due To Energy Security?

Economic development needs a range of factors to ensure it can be achieved. There must be the capacity within the economy to expand, this is determined by having enough labour, market demand and resources to grow and develop economically. Energy security plays a key role in economic development. Having enough energy allows the economy to enter new sectors i.e. from agriculture to industry. Partially one of the reasons why much of Africa struggles to develop is because it doesn’t have abundant energy resources to generate electricity from or run motor vehicles.

China is a very good example of how economic development has been empowered by an abundance of energy. China has huge reserves of Coal, access to electricity from the three gorges dam and reserves of oil and gas. It has sustained nearly 10% growth in the past 10 or so years, with its energy needs climbing at an alarming rate. China’s industrial sector uses 71% of the countries energy.

Kuwait is another example. For much of its early history (up until the 70s and 80s) Kuwait was a relatively small and low income arab state. The GDP per capita in the 1970s was just around $4000. By 1997 it was $23,000. Standards of living and development has advanced at rapid rate, access to endless amounts of oil has allowed them to set up industry and for peoples homes to have access to electricity. Their citizens also can use cars cheaply. The excess oil they can sell to make further profits. All this growth wouldn’t have been possible without access to abundant energy supplies.

However an abundance of energy resources doesn’t always result in economic development, take for example Gabon in Africa, it produces about 150,000 barrels a day more than it uses but its people are still highly impoverished and economic development is similar to that of other African countries that have no oil. In a sense economic development is not solely affected by access to energy there are many other factors such as the government’s organisation of the economy and the skills and training your workforce has.

Looking at the Gazprom gas cut off of last year this is a good example of how some countries are vulnerable in terms of energy security, and for the period when the gas was turned off much of the Eastern European countries like Romania has people living without central heating, without electricity and the whole country came to a standstill. It can quite easily be assumed that if such a shortage were to be long-term the economic development in many countries (including developed ones) would see a decline in the economic development and the wellbeing of its people.

The main points for supporting that economic development is determined by energy security is by looking at the countries mentioned above that have significant energy security and have had fast and sustainable (so far) economic development. Energy security means countries can continue to grow industry and the economy as well as improving the living standards of its people. Economic development however in some countries that have abundant energy supplies does not always occur; some countries with access to energy security live in relative poverty. Therefore, it can be said that even though energy security is one of the most fundamental properties to a prosperous economy sometimes other factors such as corruption, bad government planning and a poorly skilled workforce can hinder countries from achieving satisfactory levels of economic development.

Trade Protectionism / Trade Disputes: The Banana Wars

2010-10-01T23:19:00.004+01:00

The Banana Wars

Past (1934 – 1935)

The Banana Wars were a series of occupations, police actions, and interventions involving the United States in Central America and the Caribbean. Reasons for these conflicts were largely economical i.e. American interests in these regions were largely made up of banana production.

Present

7% of European bananas come from the Caribbean; nearly 75% come from U.S.A controlled Central American plantations. The term banana war describes a six year trade quarrel between the U.S.A and the EU (roughly 1993-1999). The U.S.A complained that an EU scheme giving banana producers from former colonies in the Caribbean special access to European markets broke free trade rules. The U.S.A filed a complaint against the EU with the World Trade Organization or WTO and in 1997 won the case and the EU was instructed to alter its rules on its banana trade policy.

Since 1975 certain Caribbean countries have been allocated trade quotas by the EU allowing them to sell as many bananas to Europe as possible without facing trade competition from much cheaper, large scaled, mechanized, US run corporations. The EU hoped this would enable the economies of Caribbean countries to grow without depending on overseas aid.

Following the World trade organization ruling the quarrel continued and the U.S.A retaliated by imposing a 100% import duty tax on all EU products inbound for the U.S.A. The British government has been trying to negotiate with the Americans to get them to reverse their import duty and the WTO said it will investigate matters.

The U.S government says it is taking action because it believes in free and fair trade. However, the American trade deficit (i.e. value of imports is more than value of exports) which it wants to reduce and by exporting more bananas it can do that. Also the government had been taking action due to pressure from U.S transnational corporations, for example the American government took the issue to the WTO 24 hours after receiving a $500,000 donation from an American transnational corporation (Chiquita Brands).

The effects on Europe were a decrease in trade profits and potentially a loss of European jobs related to trade, for example Cashmere producers in Scotland. As Bananas provide nearly half of Caribbean jobs if the deal with the EU is instructed to be cancelled then it could cost the Caribbean economy a lot. The Lome convention (a deal which allowed former colonies special free access to European markets) was ruled as unfair by the WTO. Meaning in theory Caribbean colonies weren’t allowed to get any special agreements from the EU.

To this day the situation is not fully resolved and legally the Caribbean is now on a level playing field with American Transnational Companies when it comes to banana exports and competing for markets. However, the market doesn’t remain ‘Free’ as the Americans like to suggest when their incredibly wealthy transnational corporations dominate trade with violent market controlling policies.

Singapore – Crowded Coasts Case Study

2010-10-01T22:58:00.004+01:00

Singapore (City Guide)– Crowded Coasts Case Study

Singapore is a country that has been growing very quickly in recent years. It can be classified as a NIC (Newly Industrialised Country) as it has undergone substantial Industrial development over the past 150 years, since becoming a British colony in 1867.

Singapore is a very successful example of a well managed crowded coastline. This is partly due to the fact that URA or Urban Redevelopment Authority has had a significant input in managing the countries land use.

“Given Singapore's small size, judicious land use planning is critical for the nation's future. URA has to take into consideration not just the needs of the city but all the needs of an independent nation and provide sufficient land for economic growth and future development.” – URA

A Physical feature which makes Singapore so crowded is that the area has ideal conditions for a port. The port in Singapore is deep and sheltered meaning it makes a very successful port. It is the second biggest port in the world behind Kobe, Japan. The port brings with it vast amounts of trade and wealth and provides directly and indirectly many thousands of jobs across Singapore.

Some of the Human features that have made Singapore very crowded are its efficient traffic management and transport systems. The traffic management is such that it is very rare for people to own cars, road tax is very expensive. Owning a car in Singapore is a sign of wealth, there is also a yearly new car quota to restrict the growth or cars and the potential negative consequences this could have. The public transport is excellent, highly efficient and widespread train and bus networks and good taxi services. Singapore also utilises a ‘smart card’ transport system similar to the Oyster card which makes travelling easy and efficient.

Singapore’s growth has been fuelled to an extent by Links with China these mainly have been trade links and the use of China’s cheap manufacturing. Recently, in Singapore there has been a desire amongst the population to enjoy their leisure time a lot more and there is a lot of tourist area regeneration happening across Singapore, not only is this for the inhabitants but also for the growing tourist industry in Singapore. The $8 -10 billion dollar Sentosa re-development plan is aimed at turning the South of Singapore into an even more successful tourist and recreational destination. This is because in recent years the area had suffered negative impacts from overcrowding and had started to look worn and unattractive, this is one of the general negative impacts across Singapore of the dense population.

Singapore’s land has been planned in such a way that the prevailing wind (useful Physical Feature) blows all air pollutants out to sea rather than across the city. Although this is an ingenious way of getting good air quality it also shows that Singapore does get air pollutions problems because of its dense population and lack of green space to absorb pollutants (impact).

The impacts of Singapore’s crowded population remain relatively low and unnoticeable due to the fact the city is so well planned and managed. For example pollution levels are relatively low because of good transport management, the prevailing wind and the dominance of the Commercial sector over industry.

Singapore has grown increasingly in recent years due to the fact that it has a very well educated workforce. The country provides very skilled labour and as a result this attracts wealthy companies and corporations and then as a result of that more skilled labour is attracted. One of the negative impacts of Singapore rapid growth has been a substantial increase in house and property prices. This graph shows the growth in property prices from 1990 to 2009.

In Summary I would say the key human features which have led to Singapore becoming a crowded coast are favourable weather conditions for keeping pollution under control and ideal conditions for housing a busy port. The key human features are lots of highly skilled labour, well managed transport and meticulously planned land use. The impacts of the Growth have been increased pollution levels and rising house prices. As well as increased GDP and improved living conditions.