Year 8 - Geography
Physical geography and development
Global inequalities and development: how does life vary around the world?
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This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
This unit teaches pupils about the patterns, causes and impact of inequality around the world. Pupils will investigate how patterns of inequality affect people and places and how attempts have been made to reduce the development gap.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to explain how physical geography influences development.
Key Notes
- Physical geography can help or hinder development.
- Relief, natural resources, natural hazards, climate and location may all be barriers to development.
- Countries can overcome physical barriers to development in a variety of ways.
- HICs are often more able to overcome physical barriers than LICs due to having more financial resources.
Vocabulary To Learn
- relief: the physical shape of the land in an area, including its height and steepness
- natural resources: materials or substances occurring in nature, such as minerals, water, forests, and fossil fuels
- landlocked: a country with no coastline
- natural hazards: extreme natural events that have the potential to cause harm to people, property, and the environment
- climate: an average of weather conditions (e.g. rain, sun, wind) in a place taken over a long period of time (usually 30 years or more)
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Economic development can be fully explained by physical geography.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain this geography topic using two clear key points.
Physical geography can help or hinder development. Relief, natural resources, natural hazards, climate and location may all be barriers to development.
2. Define this geography term and use it in an example. 'relief'
the physical shape of the land in an area, including its height and steepness.
3. Correct this common geography misunderstanding.
Mistake: Economic development can be fully explained by physical geography. Correction: Physical geography is one factor in influencing a country's development. Other factors such as history and politics often have a greater influence.
More Lessons In This Unit
- Changes in wealth and quality of life over time Study Guide
- Climate justice and environmental inequality Study Guide
- Gender and inequality Study Guide
- GIS: Analysing inequality at different scales Study Guide
- Grassroots movements and development Study Guide
- Inequality and migration Study Guide
- Lives around the world Study Guide
- Measuring and mapping development Study Guide
- Past and present causes of inequality Study Guide
- Perspectives on inequality and development Study Guide
- Strategies to support development Study Guide
Browse all guides in the Year 8 Geography guide library.