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New
New
Year 11
AQA

Causes of global inequalities

I can understand a range of causes of global inequality, including physical, historical, economic and political causes.

icon-background-square
New
New
Year 11
AQA

Causes of global inequalities

I can understand a range of causes of global inequality, including physical, historical, economic and political causes.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. There are global inequalities in development.
  2. There are physical/environmental causes of global inequality.
  3. There are economic causes of global inequality.
  4. There are historical/political causes of inequality.

Keywords

  • Topography - the shape and height of the land

  • Landlocked - being surrounded by land of other countries, having no coast

  • Colonialism - the occupation, management and control of one country by another, often involving exploitation of its people and resources

  • International relations - the way in which nations interact with and regard each other, in relation to politics, economics and culture

  • Neo-colonialism - the indirect control of one country by another via economic power or cultural influence

Common misconception

That the physical environment is the key cause of global inequalities.

Physical geography is a cause of inequality but human factors, past and present, are as influential in affecting the pattern of trade and development.


To help you plan your year 11 geography lesson on: Causes of global inequalities, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Find out about the content of key stage 3 history in your school. To what extent is colonialism and the impact of the British Empire taught?
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This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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6 Questions

Q1.
Which of the following terms does the World Bank use to describe countries at different levels of development?
Correct answer: HIC, MIC and LIC
developed and developing
MEDC and LEDC
Q2.
Development is...
Correct answer: the process of a country becoming richer or having better healthcare & education
the processes of a country building more homes
the process of a country becoming poorer and having fewer resources
Q3.
The transition model is a theoretical model that suggests how birth rate, death rate and population change over time.
Correct Answer: demographic
Q4.
Which of the below are examples of physical geography?
Correct answer: climate
population size
Correct answer: topography
wealth
Q5.
Match the below:
Correct Answer:LIC - Low Income Country,countries with a GNI per capita of $1,045 or less
tick

countries with a GNI per capita of $1,045 or less

Correct Answer:MIC - Medium Income Country,countries with a GNI per capita of + $1,045 but less than $12,695
tick

countries with a GNI per capita of + $1,045 but less than $12,695

Correct Answer:HIC - High Income Country,countries with a GNI per capita above US$ 12,696
tick

countries with a GNI per capita above US$ 12,696

Q6.
What are some human geography factors that impact inequality?
Correct answer: economics
Correct answer: history
topography
Correct answer: politics
climate

4 Questions

Q1.
How does the physical geography factor effect inequality?
Correct Answer:climate,arid or semi-arid climate limits local food production
tick

arid or semi-arid climate limits local food production

Correct Answer:topography,elevation affects the impact of sea level rise
tick

elevation affects the impact of sea level rise

Correct Answer:location,being remote or landlocked reduces trade
tick

being remote or landlocked reduces trade

Correct Answer:hazards,earthquakes, eruptions and tropical storms risk disaster
tick

earthquakes, eruptions and tropical storms risk disaster

Q2.
What role does human geography play in inequality?
Correct Answer:historic factors,some countries colonised and exploited others
tick

some countries colonised and exploited others

Correct Answer:economic factors,some countries have very high levels of debt
tick

some countries have very high levels of debt

Correct Answer:political factors,some countries are at war or the government may be corrupt
tick

some countries are at war or the government may be corrupt

Q3.
Why are there so many straight international borders on the continent of Africa?
Correct answer: because Europeans knew little about the physical geography of Africa
Correct answer: because Europeans knew little about the ethnic groups of Africa
because they follow natural boundaries
Correct answer: because Europeans were under pressure to map it quickly
Q4.
Match the key terms with their definition.
Correct Answer:colonialism,the occupation, exploitation and control of one country by another
tick

the occupation, exploitation and control of one country by another

Correct Answer:neo-colonialism,the indirect control of one country by another
tick

the indirect control of one country by another

Correct Answer:international relations,the way in which nations interact with and regard each other
tick

the way in which nations interact with and regard each other