Physical Influences on Global Interactions (HL IB Geography)

A key factor on the ability of a country to develop and interact globally is its physical environment

Countries with natural resources are more globally interactive, with the potential for trade

However, they are not necessarily more globalised

Some countries are resource-rich but cash poor, such as the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)

• The DRC is considered the world's richest country in terms of wealth in natural resources

• Most of the deposits are untouched and worth an estimated $24 trillion

• Deposits include the world's largest coltan reserves and considerable amounts of cobalt

• Despite this, the DRC is the 4th poorest country in the world

• The World Bank estimated that 76% of Congolese people lived on less than $2.15 a day in 2023

Countries that are rich in resources and continue to exploit and export them include South Africa, Australia and Canada

HICs like the UK and Germany have used and exported the bulk of their natural resources and have had to diversify to continue their global interactions

MICs and LICs rich in raw materials, such as Brazil and South Africa, follow a similar path, using the wealth from exporting their raw materials to develop but they have also diversified and have a broader based economy

Countries with a heavy reliance on a single resource, called commodity dependence, such as Ghana and cocoa exports, are vulnerable to weather extremes, disease, currency fluctuations and competition as they lack an alternative way to earn overseas money

Isolation from global interactions is a barrier to development

Landlocked countries have:

• Increased time and transport costs reduce access to markets and profitability

• Pay extra tariffs to export their goods

  • South Sudan has to pay Sudan or Kenya to get its oil to the coast

• Pay for the use of another country's airspace

Geographically isolated regions have limited flows of knowledge, which can reduce effective production innovation

Other physical factors contributing to geographical isolation include mountains, oceans and a lack of suitable coastlines for ports

Many geographically isolated areas are globally unconnected and struggle to establish trade links with other countries

• Or the costs and benefits of linking outweigh each other

• Leaving regions underrepresented in global decisions and discussions

Unlike regions such as Singapore, which developed its ports due to its strategic location on the Malay Peninsula, the area is a natural stop-over and hub for global ocean trade