North/South Divide of the WORLD....?

Question

Is the North/South a good way of separating developed countries fro m developing countries or in other words rich countries from poor countries? Explain why you think this ?

Answer 1

The North South divide is NOT I REPEAT NOT, a divide between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. (As our less than capable geologist friend has said.) Basically the theory states that countries that lie above 30 degrees N, Latitude are mostly developed countries, while many of 3rd world countries lie south of this line.

Now in my opinion, 50 years ago this was a VERY accurate way to divide developed and developing nations. It was commonly referred to by organizations dealings with developing countries such as the World Bank, WHO, etc. etc. However after the fall of the Soviet Union this situation changed somewhat. A lot of former Soviet Bloc countries are above said line and would generally be considered developing. Add to that the boom in certain areas of the world below the line (South-East Asia) for example and the theory no longer really rings true in the 21st Century.

Answer 2

It's a good approximation but there's several flaws with it.
Prosperity in China is divided east-west
Australia and New Zealand, two of the most developed countries in the world are much further south than 30 North. Russia, China overall, Eastern Europe are still developing.

Answer 3

NOT REALLY. AT FIRST IT SEEMS OK, BUT THEN U HAVE TO START CHECKING IF ITS TRUE. IN AMERICA, NORT IS PRETTY MUCH DEVELOPED AND HAS A RELATIVE RICHNESS SUPERIOR TO THE SOUTH. HOWEVER, THERE ARE DEVELOPED AND RICH COUNTRIES IN THE SOUTH (ARGENTINA, CHILE, BRAZIL). THESE COUNTRIES HAVE A CONSIDERABLE DEVELOPMENT, SOMETIMES OBSCURED BY THE U.S.'S. MOST EUROPE IS IN THE NORTHERN HEMISPHERE, BUT U MUST REMEMBER THE EX-U.S.S.R. COUNTRIES REMAIN MOSTLY POOR, AS WELL AS ASIAN COUNTRIES WITH MANY RICHES BUT POOR DEVELOPMENT AND HIGHLY POLARIZED SOCIETIES. THE MIDDLE EAST REGION IS QUITE TRICKY, ITS ONE OF THE RICHEST IN THE WORLD, DUE TO THE OIL WELLS, BUT HAS A CULTURE THAT REMAINS A BIT IN THE PAST. INDIA IS A GREAT COUNTRY, IT IS VERY RICH, YET REMAINS SO POLARIZED ECONOMICALLY SPEAKING, THAT MOST OF IT'S PEOPLE STARVE. AFRICA HAS OF BOTH, GREAT RICHNESSES AND MANY POOR PEOPLE, ALONG WITH FOREIGN EXPLOSION. FINALLY, AUSTRALIA IS IN THE SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE, STILL IT IS CONSIDERED A DEVELOPED COUNTRY. SO YOU HAVE TO ANALYZE THE EXACTNESS OF YOUR ASEVERATION.

Answer 4

No, it just seems that way because there is more land mass in the Northern hemisphere, so statistically, more well off countries will be found there. More poorly developed countries will too. More land mass = more countries. Think about how many countries Europe is split into.