North–South divide

Click a letter for the index

Or search the encyclopaedia:

 

 

Go

 

Geographical division of the world that theoretically demarcates the rich from the poor. The South includes all of Asia except Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Brunei, and the South East Asian ‘dragons’ of Hong Kong, South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand; all of Africa; the Middle East, except the oil-rich UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Bahrain; and Central and South America. The North includes Europe; the USA, except Bermuda and the Bahamas; Canada; and the European republics of the former Soviet Union. Newly industrialized countries such as South Korea and Taiwan now have more in common with the industrialized North and fast-developing Argentina, Mexico, Brazil, Peru, and Chile than with other countries in the developing world.

The gulf between rich and poor is widening: in 1880 the average income of a European was twice that of an Indian or Chinese; by 1965 the ratio was 40:1; in 1995 it was 70:1. The richest 20% of the world's people had (1992) 150 times the income of the poorest 20%.

Blue recalls the clear sky, the Atlantic Ocean, water, and rain. Red represents Namibia's people reflecting their heroism and desire for equal opportunity. White stands for peace and unity. Green symbolizes vegetation and agriculture. Effective date: 21 March 1990. >>