Climatic Patterns and Economic/Cultural Development
Different
crops, e.g., rice, bananas, and human
cultures,
e.g., Sahelian kingdoms of West Africa, Hmong in Southeast Asia, respond
to each of these climatic types in distinctive ways; hence,
the study of
geography! Yet, weather, daily occurrences, and climate, the
seasonal average of weather, does not cause hunger or any particular level
of cultural and economic development, as climatic determinists argue.
Read about the 12 myths of hunger by FoodFirst.
Are famines the result of environmental or human factors? Read about the 2005 case in Niger, West Africa.
The
availability of water is dependent on weather and climatic patterns and
ground water supplies and how people use and misuse water.
Correlate the location of rich countries and poor countries with the kind of water scarcity shown on the map, which appeared in The Economist, 13 September 200.
Another example: Can climatic and environmental factors explain these changing economic conditions in China? -- just reflect. Until the 15th century, China had the largest income per head and was the technological leader. Measured by GDP per person, China was only overtaken by Western Europe by 1500, but remained the largest economy for long thereafter. However, by 1950, after a century of civil war and foreign suppression, China's share of world output had fallen to less than 5 percent.