Impact of Uneven Development (Edexcel IGCSE Geography)
Revision Note
Written by: Bridgette Barrett
Reviewed by: Jenna Quinn
Example Case Study: Impacts of Uneven Development - China
China has a wide variation in GDP per capita by province
Beijing and Shanghai have GDP per capita of over US$23,000
Four provinces all along the east coast have GDP per capita over US$13,000
The province of Gansu has the lowest GDP of US$4936
The provinces along the east coast can be regarded as the economic core of China
Most secondary and tertiary economic activity is located there
The economic periphery is to the west and far north-east of China:
Includes the Gobi and Takla Makan Deserts
Plateau of Tibet - mountainous region including the Himalayas
Social Impacts
The development gap can be seen in a range of areas affecting human welfare:
17 million people are still living on about US$2.30 a day
Over 90% of people living in poverty live in rural areas
The standard of housing is often poor
Increasing numbers of people are being moved to apartment blocks to free up land for factories
Over 25% of rural households have access to piped water
Literacy rates in rural areas are 65% whereas in urban areas they are 84%
Regional inequality has led to significant rural-urban migration in China
Economic Impacts
In some areas the rate of unemployment in rural areas is over 30%:
Leads to increased poverty
Difficult to attract businesses to these regions
The periphery is more dependent on primary economic activities
Environmental Impacts
Only 15% of rural sewage is collected and treated properly
This leads to water contamination and disease
Use of biomass for cooking and heating increases indoor air pollution
Lead, zinc and other mining waste increase water pollution
Small industries such as those that process electronic waste don't dispose of the waste safely
More than 40% of China's land is degraded from over-cultivation, overgrazing and erosion
19% of farmland is contaminated by heavy metals and chemical pollutants
Worked Example
Suggest one impact of uneven development within a country
(3 Marks)
Your answer needs to identify an impact, explain it and then outline its impact to gain the full three marks. Below are two examples of how you could answer the question.
Answer
People may have a low quality of life (1) due to the lack of access to clean water (1) this can lead to people drinking unclean water which makes them ill/spreads diseases (1)
OR
People may have little access to schools (1) this means that children do not learn to read and write (1) which means they are not able to get better jobs and increase their income (1)
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