The more developed a nation's economy, the higher its literacy rate.
Emerging Economies
Emerging economies are countries where industry, cities and incomes are growing quickly. This GCSE Geography quiz explores benefits, challenges and what rapid development means for people and environments.
Explore the Topic →
(quiz starts below)
Fascinating Fact:
Environmental problems such as air pollution, water pollution, deforestation, and traffic congestion are common challenges in rapidly growing cities.
In GCSE Geography, emerging economies are countries where growth is rapid but uneven. Students explore how industrial change, rising incomes, and expanding cities affect people’s lives and natural environments.
Key Terms
Emerging economy: A country where industry, trade, and income levels are growing quickly, but not yet as high as in richer nations.
Industrialisation: The process of moving from mainly farming to manufacturing and services as the main source of jobs and income.
Urbanisation: The increase in the proportion of people living in towns and cities rather than in rural areas.
Frequently Asked Questions (Click to see answers)
What is an emerging economy in GCSE Geography?
In GCSE Geography, an emerging economy is a country where wealth, industry, and city populations are growing quickly, but average income and living standards are still below those of richer countries.
Why are emerging economies important to the global economy?
Emerging economies are important because they create new markets for goods and services, supply manufactured products, and often provide raw materials and labour to the rest of the world.
What challenges do people face in rapidly growing cities?
People in fast-growing cities may face overcrowded housing, pressure on schools and hospitals, long journeys to work, and strain on water, energy, and waste systems as demand increases.
Which of the following is a reason that climate may influence a nation's economy?
Warmer nations have a great revenue from tourism
Some diseases thrive in hot humid conditions
It's harder to work in warmer climates
Countries in the tropics have longer histories
These diseases can limit people's life span or reduce their ability to work and take care of their family. Disease can have a bad effect on an entire family's chances of education
2 .
Many emerging economies rely on aid from other nations and charities. Sometimes this aid is tied to trade agreements. What is an advantage of tied aid to the donor country?
The receiving country is forced to buy goods and services from the donor country
The aid can be used in the short and long term to save lives
It may be a condition of the funding that foreign companies are in charge of the project, reducing the benefit to the local economy in terms of work
The receiving nations government may take a percentage, or give the money to a large corporation
Some cases of tied aid have stated that the receiving country purchases arms and weapons from the donor country, effectively making this a loan rather than a donation. Charities may also state that aid is only available to certain people, based on religion, gender, age, race etc.
3 .
Why are literacy rates a measure of a nation's development?
As literacy rates rise the GDP falls
As a country becomes more advanced more people enjoy reading
Literacy rates show how skilled and educated the population is
As people become better educated they demand higher wages, reducing the countries economic output
Egypt has a GDP/person of around $4000, and a literacy rate of less than sixty percent, whilst the USA has a GDP/Person of around $26,000 and a literacy rate in the high ninty percent range.
4 .
Why might some LEDCs' economies grow slower than others?
No access to the global market
No access to raw materials
High populations
Some are heavily in indebted
Many African nations have heavily borrowed from the World Bank and other institutions. These debts will be the focus of spending rather than health and education that can help the economy grow. Many of the slowest developing economies have access to raw materials including gold, oil, and diamonds, whilst the two fastest emerging economies have the largest populations
5 .
Which of the following is not an economic development indicator?
Gross domestic product (GDP)
Life expectancy
Inequality in wealth
Unemployment
Life expectancy is influenced by a host of factors, including health, security and access to health care. But nations with high life expectancies are also nations more likely to be advanced economically
6 .
Which sector of industry dominates emerging economies?
Primary
Secondary
Tertiary
Quaternary
Primary industries can make use of a low skilled work force and can operate at lower costs in areas with less stringent regulations
7 .
Which of these is not a reason that a landlocked nation may struggle to improve their economy?
Increased risk of hurricanes
Difficult and more expensive to ship goods because of export bureaucracy
Dependence on the infrastructure of neighbouring countries
Threats on all sides requiring military spending
Hurricanes are more of a coastal or 'island nation' problem, but shipping and technology are huge parts of the economy for emerging and advanced economies
8 .
How is the economic core of a nation defined?
The core revenues and services
The area with the most people in a county
The area with the highest standard of living, and generating the most wealth
The urban areas that have the greatest links and technology infrastructure
Often in emerging economies there is inequality internally with some areas having greater growth than others
9 .
As emerging economies grow they will start to use energy at a higher level. This will increase their production of greenhouse gases and so contribute more to global warming. What can economically advanced nations do to slow the rise in greenhouse gas emissions?
Prevent technology being shipped to these nations
Force these countries to lower emissions
Reduce our own carbon emissions to make up for it
Share technologies that reduce energy use
Many of the technologies being used today use a far lower amount of energy than their older predecessors, and so can reduce energy use worldwide. Since a lot of our products are made in these emerging economies, they already have access to them - although many may find they are out of their price range
10 .
Which of the following is an indication of an economically advanced economy, rather than an emerging economy?
Low life expectancy
High male/female inequalities
Literacy rates close to 100%
Poor access to technology
The literacy rates in India are as low as 60%, whilst this rises to 99% in the UK