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Summary Paper 2 case studies
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A list of all the case studies from paper 2 geography
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SuperpowersBRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa)
Brazil
Economic
- Produces half of South America’s GDP in 2015
- Relies on primary products for export rather than manufacturing
- Natural resources and self-sufficient in food and energy → 3rd largest producer of
iron ore, 2nd for biofuel, 15th for oil and 3rd for HEP
- Has an economic history of boom/ bust
- Reliance on China
- Annual GDP growth rate of 8%
- GDP has fallen to 4.5% between 2005-2010, 1.9% in 2015
- GDP grew by an average of 3.6% between 2000 and 2011 very far behind Russia
and China at 5.3% and 10.2% respectively
- Industrial sector suffers from a lack of competitiveness
- Poor quality of infrastructure 107/144 in infrastructure ranking according to WEF
- Among the world’s largest exporters at 1.32%
- Trade deficit in 2014
- Protectionism
- 2011 it was revealed that 45% of Brazilian firms face competition from chinese
products
Political
- Less politically stable has been accused of corruption as well as protests every
year since 2013, caused by government spending cuts
- Expresses a preference for negotiated solutions for conflict
- Through political and diplomatic channels it has sought to raise its profile on the
international stage
- Driving force behind the South American Defence Council → consolidate the
region as one of peace and democratic stability
- Active member of the WTO, IMF and World Bank
Military
- It spends over 60% of South America’s total military budget
- $31.9 on the military budget
- Its economy is the least significant of the BRICS despite spending over 60% of
South America’s total military budget
Cultural
- Has a global reputation for being a footballing nation as it hosted the 2014 Football
World Cup as well as the 2016 Olympics/ paralympics
- Famous for the Rio Carnival
Demographic
- Contains half of South America’s population at 210m in 2016
- Young population with a median age of 31.3 in 2015 but ageing
- Fertility rate decreased from 6 in 1960 to 1.8 in 2015
Environmental
- Biodiversity includes 13% of all known species
- Supports global initiatives such as the UN Conference on Climate Change
- Leader in using ethanol
- Deforestation of the Amazon, illegal poaching, and pollution caused by mining
activities and oil spills
Russia
,Economic
- 9th as the largest global economy
- Holds the largest amount of gas reserves in the world, ¼ of the total and the 2nd
largest oil reserves
- Rubble has been as strong as other currencies
- Very dependent on oil and gas exports as it produces half of its GDP so vulnerable
to global price fluctuations
- Unbalanced economy, under the USSR it was a big producer of electronics,
vehicles, food and medicines but its manufacturing halved after 1991
- Most unequal 35% of wealth in the hands of only 110 people → 945 of Russians
have less than $10,000 in assets
- Hit the most severely by the 2008 global financial crisis which shows the
vulnerabilities of its economy to external turbulences → 2008 its GDP growth rate
was 5.2%
- Capacity for government to perform its core functions such as providing basic
so-cial welfare services is limited by financial stability
Political and military
- ‘Russian influence’ matters to Russians so there has been a reduction in Russia’s
global influence since 1991, although Putin tried to restore it it has been unable to
due to its role in Syria between 2012-2017
- Although military spending has increased much if Russia’s naval and aircraft stock
is ageing e.g its one aircraft carrier dates from the Soviet era
- Russia doesn’t support Ukraine’s application for membership of EU and NATO but
maintains political influence over its many members which are former republics of
the USSR
- The kto-kovo tradition means that it sees foreign states as either enemies or useful
tools to be manipulated
Cultural
- Russian is spoken little beyond the borders of the former USSR
- Russia’s history is of global significance
- Has a large cultural tourist industry
- Very diverse population of 81% ethnic Russians, Tatars at 4%, Ukrainians at 1.4%
and Chechens ta 1%
Demographic
- Between 1991-2015, Russia’s population declined in 21 of the 25 years and has
never recovered to its 1991 level
- Natural increase is now only 0.02 per 1000
- Fertility rate of 1.78 in 2015
Environmental
- Has a pollution legacy from industrialisation between 1930 and 1960 →
deforestation, mining, spillages or toxic waste, Chernobyl nuclear reactor explosion
in 1986
India
Economic
- The Indian economy averaged at 7% annual growth and quadrupled between 1997
and 2015
- Manufacturing peaked at 17% of GDP in 1995
- Has an English-speaking education system and industries therefore out-source
industries for IT
- Now GDP is only 14%
- Infrastructure is poor both in energy and water supply as well as transport, long
way behind China
- Frequent power cuts, in July 2012 it affected 620m people
, - Government is facing large debts which led to the reduction in the value of the
rupee
- 20% live in abject poverty
Political
- 672m voters is the largest democracy
- Founding member of the UN and part of G20
- Takes part in UN peacekeeping missions as well
Military
- The ‘Global Fire Power’ ranks India as the world’s 4th largest power in terms of its
weaponry
- $45.2B military budget
Cultural
- India was the birthplace of the 4 world religions (Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainiam and
Sikhism
- World’s largest film industry - Bollywood produces 1200 films a year
Demographic
- At 1.27b in 2016 it has the world’s 2nd largest population after China
- Has a youthful and massive working population (66.2% of India’s population are
aged 15-64) expected to exceed China by 2020
Environmental
- Has the richest biodiversity at 6% of the world’s bird and plant species
- Population and economic growth threatens diversity
- Has the world’s worst environmental conditions as it suffers from serious pollution
- World’s 3rd largest emitter of CO2
China
Economic
- Unequal wealth as it has a 1.37b population but GDP per capita is only 10% of
USA
- In 2009 only 2% of adult population graduated from university
- Annual GDP growth rate has fallen from 12% to 7.7% in 2013 and 6.9% in 2014
- Major player in global investment due to state-run companies and banks that invest
heavily overseas
- Pragmatic approach to the economy
Political
- Unlike the USA China rarely gets involved in global crises such as natural
disasters, military or political crises
- China has an authoritarian one party government
Military
- Has the world’s largest army
- Spends $216.4 on the military
Cultural
- Has few global brands
Demographics
- One child policy created an ageing population
- In 2015 the median age was 35.2 compared to India's 27.5
- 12% of Chinese will be over 65 compared to India’s 6%
- Isolated in terms of international migration
- Only 18% of chinese were aged 0-14 in 2015 compared to India’s 29%
Environmental
- World’s largest polluter of CO2, emissions rose by 286% from 1990-2013
- Produces 33% of global emissions and in 2016 began to commit to reduction
targets
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