{"id":114746,"date":"2023-10-08T18:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-10-08T22:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=114746"},"modified":"2023-10-09T11:57:15","modified_gmt":"2023-10-09T15:57:15","slug":"geographic-inequality","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/geographic-inequality\/","title":{"rendered":"Geographic Inequality: How Resources &#038; Topography Impact Wealth"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>When are natural resources a detriment rather than a benefit to a nation? How can the presence of a coastline make a country richer?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The geography theory of international inequality argues that differences in the physical locations of countries determine\u2014or at least strongly influence\u2014their economic success. Proponents of this theory point to two main geographical factors: natural resources and topography.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Read more to learn about these factors that can lead to geographic inequality among nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-natural-resources\">Natural Resources<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The first key factor of geography theory is access to natural resources\u2014everything from farmable land to oil to fresh water. These resources can determine whether a nation becomes rich or poor and result in what could be called geographic inequality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-how-resources-make-nations-rich\">How Resources Make Nations Rich<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Journalist Tim Marshall\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/shortform.com\/app\/book\/prisoners-of-geography\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Prisoners of Geography<\/em><\/a> argues that, in some cases, simply <a href=\"https:\/\/shortform.com\/app\/book\/prisoners-of-geography#geography-influences-development\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">having more natural resources makes a nation richer<\/a>. Resource-abundant nations can generate more wealth through extraction and then use that wealth to develop faster than their neighbors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Some geography theorists make a similar argument on a more historical scale. In <a href=\"https:\/\/shortform.com\/app\/book\/guns-germs-and-steel\/1-page-summary\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Guns, Germs, and Steel<\/em><\/a>, anthropologist Jared Diamond argues that early in the history of civilization, <a href=\"https:\/\/shortform.com\/app\/book\/guns-germs-and-steel\/1-page-summary#it-started-with-adequate-food-production\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">access to natural resources gave some nations a head start on development that snowballed into greater differences in wealth<\/a> over time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How Resources Make Nations Poor<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Economist Paul Collier\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/shortform.com\/app\/book\/the-bottom-billion#trap-3-being-landlocked\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>The Bottom Billion<\/em><\/a> argues that, <strong>in the modern world, <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/shortform.com\/app\/book\/the-bottom-billion#trap-2-the-natural-resource-trap\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>economies based primarily on natural resources<\/strong><\/a><strong> are often more likely to be poor<\/strong>. This is because nations dependent on natural resources are vulnerable to shifts in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/globalization-and-economy\/\">the global economy<\/a> and prone to government corruption.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Topography<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The second geographical factor that impacts international inequality is <em>topography<\/em>, or a nation\u2019s physical location and natural features\u2014mountains, plains, rivers, and so on. Geography theorists argue that topography often determines the relationships between nations, which in turn has a large impact on a nation\u2019s ability to generate wealth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Topography Determines Trade<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Marshall (<a href=\"https:\/\/shortform.com\/app\/book\/prisoners-of-geography\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Prisoners of Geography<\/em><\/a>) notes that <a href=\"https:\/\/shortform.com\/app\/book\/prisoners-of-geography#trade-routes-shape-development\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">topography is one of the main factors that determines trade routes, which are crucial for a nation\u2019s economy<\/a>. Through trade, a nation can enter a global marketplace to generate wealth through exports and import goods it can\u2019t otherwise acquire. Therefore, nations with topography well-suited to trade\u2014rivers, a coastline, open terrain for highways or railroads\u2014can generate a great deal of wealth. On the other hand, nations with hard-to-navigate topography like jungles, mountains, or <a href=\"https:\/\/shortform.com\/app\/book\/the-bottom-billion#trap-3-being-landlocked\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">no waterways<\/a> have limited access to trade and the wealth it creates.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Topography Determines Conflict<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>In addition to trade, Marshall (<a href=\"https:\/\/shortform.com\/app\/book\/prisoners-of-geography\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Prisoners of Geography<\/em><\/a>) outlines how topography shapes conflict between nations. <a href=\"https:\/\/shortform.com\/app\/book\/prisoners-of-geography#nations-are-always-preparing-for-international-conflict\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Features like mountains, deserts, or cold climates can make nations difficult or nearly impossible to invade<\/a>, while <a href=\"https:\/\/shortform.com\/app\/book\/prisoners-of-geography#geography-leaves-some-nations-unprotected\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">wide open plains or access via water can make invasion easy<\/a>. Conflicts often have significant economic impacts\u2014they can destroy a nation\u2019s infrastructure, shut them off from the rest of the global economy, or earn them wealth through a favorable peace settlement. Therefore, by shaping the nature of conflict, topography also impacts global inequality.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, Switzerland <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/remaining-neutral\/\">remained neutral<\/a> during both World Wars and wasn\u2019t invaded in large part because of its mountainous topography\u2014invasion would have been too difficult. Because of this, Switzerland didn\u2019t suffer the large-scale destruction that other European nations faced at the time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When are natural resources a detriment rather than a benefit to a nation? How can the presence of a coastline make a country richer? The geography theory of international inequality argues that differences in the physical locations of countries determine\u2014or at least strongly influence\u2014their economic success. Proponents of this theory point to two main geographical factors: natural resources and topography. Read more to learn about these factors that can lead to geographic inequality among nations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":79559,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[81,39,275],"tags":[1286],"class_list":["post-114746","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economics","category-history","category-politics","tag-the-master-guides-the-global-wealth-gap","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.3 (Yoast SEO v24.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Geographic Inequality: How Resources &amp; Topography Impact Wealth - Shortform Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Geographic inequality can result from differences in nations&#039; locations and makeup. 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