Rich and Poor Countries

407 Words2 Pages
Why are some countries rich while Others are poor? Economic success takes: 1. Excess capital 2. Natural resources 3. Excess labor 4. A market to sell goods to Imperialism is an obvious answer, but it is important to remember that it can benefit the country. Most countries which are poor today, especially in Africa, are poor because of colonialism by other countries. When the country was ruled by another, the colonial power may have taken valuable resources, or caused conflicts, for years on end. Whenever the power pulls out, the country may be left in a state of conflict as a result of issues with leadership, land ownership etc. or, in some cases, the colonial power may have decided the borders of the countries, which could force people together against their will; as a result, the conflicts and disagreements take even more time and resources . Some countries have access to large amounts of natural resources. This could potentially fix a country's economy but could also hurt it, because the money made may not find its way back the the population (again, corruption plays a part in this), or it could hurt the other areas of the economy because the government may divert too much money to getting the resources in the first place. As a result, other industries could lose out. Poor leadership, internal strife, and the location of said countries, to name a few. Some countries happen to be rich in natural resources while others are devoid of such. Some countries have troublesome geography. Many South American countries for example, are covered in jungle, and jungles aren't very good for industrialization (a key component for the enrichment of a nation). This is why so many South American countries are under-industrialized and why so many African countries are impoverished to the point of starvation. It's all about location, and America and Europe are very
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