Lesson video

Hello and welcome.

My name is Ms. Harrison.

I'm so excited to be learning with you today.

Today's lesson is called Physical geography and development.

Grab everything you might need for today's lesson and let's begin our learning.

By the end of today's lesson, you'll be able to explain how physical geography influences development.

Before we can begin this lesson, we'll need to define the keywords that we'll be using today.

The key words are relief, natural resources, landlocked, natural hazards, and climate.

Relief.

This is the physical shape of the land in an area, including its height and steepness.

Natural resources.

This is materials or substances occurring in nature such as minerals, water, forests, and fossil fuels.

Landlocked.

This is a country with no coastline.

Natural hazards.

This is extreme natural events that have the potential to cause harm to people, property, and the environment.

Climate.

This is an average of weather conditions.

For example, rain, sun, wind in a place taking over a long period of time, usually 30 years or more.

Now that we've defined these keywords, we can begin our learning.

The first question we're going to explore in today's lesson is, how can physical geography influence development? Physical geography means natural features of the Earth, like mountains, rivers, and the weather.

These features can make it easier or harder for people to live and for countries to grow.

How might the physical geography of this location influence its development? Pause the video here whilst do you have a think and press play when you're ready to continue.

Excellent.

Aisha said, "It might make farming and building quite hard." Alex said, "It might help the tourist industry, though" Well done if you came up with those ideas.

There are five major factors that we'll look at today.

Relief, climate, natural hazards, location, and natural resources.

What is the missing factor? Pause the video here.

Press play when you're ready to continue.

Fantastic.

The missing factor is natural hazards.

Well done.

Mountains can affect how a place grows and develops.

In some ways they can help, but in other ways they can make it more difficult.

Let's start with the positives.

Mountains often attract tourists who want to hike, climb, or ski.

This brings money into the area and creates jobs.

Because there aren't many big cities or factories in the mountains, the air quality is usually very clean and healthy.

Also, people who live near mountains might enjoy outdoor hobbies like hiking or biking that can improve their wellbeing and quality of life.

Now, let's look at the negatives.

It can be really difficult to build roads, homes, and services like hospitals in mountainous areas.

The land is steep and rocky, which makes construction more expensive.

Farming can also be hard because the land isn't flat.

There is less space for crops and the soil may not be good for growing food.

So, overall, mountains can help a place develop through tourism and a healthy environment, but they also bring challenges with transport, building, and farming.

Nepal is a country in the Himalayas, one of the most mountainous places in the world.

The mountains give Nepal a natural defence, especially from the east, and that means it's harder for enemies to invade, which helped protect the country in the past, but the mountains also make life harder.

The steep and rocky terrain means it's difficult to build roads, towns, or factories.

This makes it harder for businesses to invest in Nepal because transport and building are more expensive and challenging.

So, while the mountains offer protection and attract tourists, they also slow down development by making trade and construction more difficult.

True or false? Having a mountainous relief is bad for economic development.

Pause the video here whilst you decide and press play when you're ready to continue.

Fantastic.

This statement is false.

I would now like you to explain why.

Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to continue.

Fantastic.

The reason why the statement is false is because the statement is too simplistic.

A mountainous relief can make economic development difficult, but it can also bring economic benefits, such as tourism.

Well done if you explained that correctly.

Climate has a big impact on how a country develops in both good and bad ways.

First, climate affects farming.

Places with good weather like warm temperatures and enough rain can grow lots of crops, but if it's too dry or too wet, farming becomes harder.

Secondly, climate effects investments.

Companies are more likely to build businesses in places with stable, comfortable climates.

Extreme weather like heat waves or floods might scare them off.

Third, climate affects how people live.

In places with extreme heat, cold or storms, it can be harder to build homes or to go to school safely.

People might struggle with more of their daily lives.

And lastly, climate influences disease.

Hot and humid places can have more mosquitoes which spread diseases like malaria or dengue fever.

This affects people's health and the country's ability to grow.

So, overall, the climates of a place can affect food, jobs, safety, and health.

So, all important parts of development.

Below are three different temperature graphs.

Remember, the line on a temperature graph is representative of temperature and bars are precipitation.

How might climate affect development in these locations? Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to continue.

Excellent.

Let's look at how different types of climate can help or harm a country's development.

Mediterranean climate.

A Mediterranean climate has a warm summer as a mild winters.

This is good for farming crops like grapes, olives, and citrus fruits.

It also attracts tourists to enjoy sunny weather, but it's not perfect.

Droughts can happen, which means not enough water, and wildfires and hot summers can damage land and homes.

A monsoon climate.

This is a monsoon climate where they have lots of heavy rain.

This is good for rice and helps with water supply, but too much rain can cause flooding, which can damage homes.

Water logging also spreads diseases, especially in poor areas with weak drainage.

Cold climates.

Cold climates can still be useful.

Tourists visit snowy places for skiing in winter holidays, which brings in money.

Some crops like barley can grow in cooler weather, but if it gets too cold, farming becomes difficult.

And heavy rain and snow can block roads, making transport and trade harder.

Some climates are so extreme that they make development really difficult.

A good example is the Kalahari desert in Southern Africa.

This desert has very high temperatures and very little rainfall.

Because it's so hot and dry, it's hard for food to grow, so farming is limited.

It also makes it hard for companies to invest.

Building things like factories, homes, and roads in such a harsh climate can be expensive and difficult.

So, the desert climate of the Kalahari limits both farming and business investment, which slows down development in the area.

A country's location, especially how close it is to the ocean, can really affect how well it develops.

Let's look at Chile.

It has a long coastline along the Pacific Ocean.

This makes it easier to trade with other countries by ship, which helps businesses grow.

Chili's GDP per person is around $29,000, which shows it's quite developed.

Now let's compare that to Bolivia, which is landlocked.

That means it has no coastline, so it can't use ships for trade.

It depends on other countries' ports, which makes trading slower and more expensive.

As a result, Bolivia's GDP per person is only $9,800, much lower than Chile's.

This shows how being near the ocean can really help a country grow and earn more.

Which of the following statements is true? Is it a, a long coastline guarantees economic wealth? b, a landlocked position may restrict a country's ability to trade? Or c, Chile is a landlocked country in South America? Pauses video here whilst you decide and press play when you're ready to continue.

Excellent.

The answer is b.

A landmark position may restrict a country's ability to trade.

Well done.

Some countries become very wealthy because of their natural resources.

Things like oil, gas, and diamonds that come from the Earth.

Let's take a look at Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

Both are in the desert, which normally makes development hard, but they have huge amounts of oil and gas, which they sell to other countries.

Qatar now has the highest GDP in the world at around $116,000 per person, and Saudi Arabia is also very high at $55,000 per person.

Their wealth shows how important natural resources can be even in places with harsh climates.

Another example is Botswana in Africa.

It's landlocked, so it doesn't have easy access to trade by sea, but thanks to its diamond industry, Botswana had the highest GDP per person in Africa in 2023, around $18,800.

These examples show that having valuable resources can help a country to grow and earn more money, even if it faces other challenges like deserts or no coastline.

Just because a country has a lot of money doesn't mean life is better for everyone who lives there.

In 2023, Saudi Arabia had a very high GDP per person, around $55,000, but on the World Happiness Index, it ranked only 28th, just one place above Kosovo, a country with 10 times less money per person.

This shows that even though lots of money, people might not feel much happier.

Another example is Botswana.

It's the richest country in Africa by GDP per person, but it was ranked 137th out of 143 for happiness.

That's very low.

So, it's important to remember that development isn't just about money.

We also need to think about health, education, safety, and happiness when deciding how developed a country really is.

Natural hazards like earthquakes, volcanoes, droughts, and tropical storms can have a big impact on a country's development.

Let's look at the positives first.

Some natural hazards actually bring benefits.

For example, volcanoes can attract tourists who want to see lava flows or hot springs.

Also, land around volcanoes is often very fertile, which means it's great for farming.

The ash from eruptions adds nutrients to the soil, but there are also negatives.

Natural hazards can cause massive destruction.

They can damage homes, roads, schools, and hospitals, and lead to loss of life.

Countries that often have natural disasters may struggle to get investment because businesses don't want to risk damage or delays.

So, while natural hazards can bring some opportunities, they often create big challenges that slow down development.

Iceland is a country in Northwest Europe that sits on volcanic hot spot.

That means it has lots of volcanoes and regular volcanic activity, but instead of it being a big problem, Iceland has used it to its advantage.

It has built a strong tourist economy by turning its volcanic landscape into an attraction.

People from all over the world visit to see volcanoes, hot springs, and lava fields.

This brings in money, jobs, and investment, which helps Iceland grow and develop.

So, our natural hazards like volcanoes can be dangerous.

Iceland shows how a country can adapt and use them in a positive way.

Haiti has the lowest human development index in North America.

That means people there often face more challenges with health, education, and income.

Haiti is very vulnerable to natural hazards like earthquakes and hurricanes.

There were two big earthquakes in 2010 and 2021, which caused serious damage to homes, roads, schools, and hospitals.

Many people lost their lives or left homeless.

In 2016, hurricane Matthew hit Haiti, causing more destruction.

Strong winds and flooding made life even harder for people already struggling.

These disasters have slowed down Haiti's development, because they destroy buildings, cost a lot of money to fix, and make it harder for people to live safely.

This shows how natural hazards can have a long-term impact on a country's development.

Which country is this describing? "Has a built a strong tourist economy based on its volcanic landscape." Pause the video here whilst you decide if this is Iceland or Haiti and press play when you're ready to continue.

Excellent.

The answer is Iceland.

Well done.

The 2010 Haiti earthquake caused between 220,000 and 300,000 deaths and caused a significant downward spike in Haiti's HDI value, as you can see on the graph.

It is important to remember that levels of development are always a result of multiple factors.

Let's take a look at the Dominican Republic and Haiti.

They're the same island with similar physical geography, but they have a different HDI value.

I would like you to complete the fact file.

I want you to use examples in your work.

You're going to focus on location, natural resources, climate, relief, and natural hazards.

Pause the video here whilst you complete this task and press play when you're ready to continue.

Excellent.

Let's check our answers.

Your answers might look like this.

For location, how this can promote development? A long stretch of coastline, like Chile's, can help a country to trade around the world.

How this can hinder development? A landlocked country like Bolivia's, limits a country's ability to trade with other countries around the world.

Natural resources.

How this can promote? Having resources such as Saudi Arabia's oil and gas can help a country grow its economy.

How it can hinder? Lack of natural resources may mean a country has to import what it needs and stop it from making money from exports.

Climate.

A climate which promotes farming and tourism will support these industries.

However, extreme heat and cold can limit farming and make building infrastructure hard.

Relief.

A mountainous country such as Switzerland may be able to use its relief to boost tourism.

Mountains can make building transport and infrastructure hard, which will limit trade.

And natural hazards.

Some countries like Iceland are able to create a tourist industry from natural hazards.

However, natural hazards can cause widespread destruction to lives, property, and the economy.

Well done on this task.

You've done brilliantly.

We're now going to explore our final question of today's lesson.

How can physical barriers to growth be overcome? Humans often try and overcome the physical barriers to development, like mountainous relief, high risk of natural hazards, desert climate, lack of natural resources, and landlocked location.

How might they do this? Pause the video here whilst you have a think and press play when you're ready to continue.

Excellent.

Mountains can make it harder to build roads, railways, and cities, but people have found very clever ways to solve this problem.

In Europe, countries like France and Italy have the money, technology, and skilled workers to build tunnels through mountains.

A good example is the Mont Blanc tunnel, which goes straight through the Alps and connects France and Italy.

This helps people and goods travel more easily between two countries.

It improves trade, transport, and tourism.

This shows how human factors like money, technology, and planning can help overcome physical barriers like mountains.

High risk of natural hazards.

Japan is a high-income country that experiences lots of earthquakes because it sits on a fault line, but Japan has found smart ways to reduce the damage these earthquakes cause.

First, people are given education and training so they know what to do if an earthquake happens.

Second, there are early morning systems that alert people before the shaking starts.

This gives them time to get to safety.

And third, Japan uses strict building rules.

Buildings are designed to move safely with the ground so they don't collapse.

These human solutions help protect lives and reduce damage, showing how wealth and planning can overcome natural hazards.

Desert climate.

Deserts are usually too hot and dry for farming, but Saudi Arabia has found a way to grow crops in the desert.

The country uses aquifers, which are underground stores of water.

They pump this water up to the surface to irrigate or water their crops.

This allows Saudi Arabia to grow food like wheat and vegetables even in a very dry climate.

It's a great example of how countries can use technology and planning to overcome difficult physical environments like deserts.

Tick the correct statements.

a, France uses education to reduce the impact of earthquakes.

b, there are tunnels through mountains to help transport links in the European Alps.

c, water from aquifers help plants grow in the Saudi Arabian desert.

And d, Japan uses building regulations to help reduce the impact of natural hazards.

Pause here whilst you attempt this task and press play when you're ready to continue.

Excellent.

The correct statements are b, there are tunnels through mountains to help transport links in the European Alps, c, water aquifers helps plants grow in the Saudi Arabian desert, and d, Japan uses building regulations to help reduce the impact of natural hazards.

Well done on this task.

Lack of natural resources.

Singapore is a small country with very few natural resources.

It doesn't have oil, gas, or farming like some other countries, but that didn't stop it from developing.

Instead, Singapore became a global financial hub and trade hub.

This means that it focused on businesses and banking, education, and shipping to grow its economy.

It shows that even if a country doesn't have much land or natural wealth, it can still be successful by using smart planning, skills, and location.

Landlocked.

Switzerland is a landlocked country, which means it doesn't have a coastline.

That can make trade harder, but Switzerland is still one of the richest countries in the world.

How? Let's find out.

First, it has a very skilled workforce.

People are well-educated and the country is known for innovation, science, and advanced industries like technology and medicine.

Second, Switzerland is a global financial centre.

Its banks and finance companies attract investment from all over the world.

Third, it has excellent transport links with fast roads and railways connecting it to the rest of Europe.

And finally, it borders three of Europe's biggest economies, France, Germany, and Italy, and has the strongest trade links with them.

So, even though it's landlocked, Switzerland uses education, finance, transport, and smart location to stay successful.

Switzerland has lessened the impact of its landlocked position by a, having a big military, b owning ports in other countries, or c, developing its banking and finance industry.

Pause the video here whilst you decide and press play when you're ready to continue.

Fantastic.

The answer is c, developing its banking and finance industry.

Well done.

Overcoming physical barriers like deserts or natural hazards is usually easier for high income countries because they have more money and resources, but that doesn't mean low income countries can't find smart solutions, too.

Let's look at Jordan.

It's a country with very few natural resources, but it has focused on growing tourism and services to support its economy.

Tourists visit Jordan to see historical sites like Petra.

Now, take the Philippines.

It faces lots of typhoons, but it has taken action.

The country has built early warning systems and stronger buildings to protect people and reduce damage when storms hit.

These examples show that with good planning and effort, even lower income countries can overcome physical barriers and keep developing.

Some countries have used their natural landscapes to their advantage, finding smart ways to develop.

Let's start with Bhutan.

It's a very mountainous country.

Instead of seeing that as a problem, Bhutan uses a steep plan to produce hydroelectric power.

That's electricity made from fast moving water.

It even sells electricity to India, which helps its economy.

Now, let's look at Mauritania.

A dry desert country, has vast arid land, which isn't great for farming, but it's perfect for solar farms. It also is now investing in renewable energy by building huge solar power stations.

And in Ethiopia, trade used to be difficult because it didn't have a coastline, but now it is built a major railway from its capital city, Addis Ababa, all the way to Djibouti's ports.

This helps Ethiopia's trade goods more easily with the rest of the world.

These countries show that even with physical barriers, like mountains, deserts or being landlocked, clever planning and investment can lead to success.

I would like you to match the country to the physical barrier to development.

Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to continue.

Excellent.

Let's check our answers.

Jordan, a country with limited natural resources has invested in tourism and services and it has a lack of natural resources.

The Philippines has developed early warning systems and typhoon-resistant infrastructure.

It's a high risk of natural hazards.

Bhutan has developed hydroelectric power using its steep relief to generate electricity, and this is a mountainous terrain.

Mauritania has invested in large scale solar farms, making use of its arid land for renewable energy.

This is a desert climate.

Ethiopia has developed a major railway linking its capital, Addis Ababa, to Djibouti's port.

This is a landlocked location.

Well done on this task.

True or false? Physical barriers to development are often harder to overcome for low income countries than high income countries.

Pause the video here whilst you decide if this statement is true or false and press play when you're ready to continue.

Excellent.

The answer is true.

I would now like you to explain why.

Pause here and press play when you're ready to continue.

Fantastic.

The reason why this statement is true is because low income countries often struggle to overcome physical barriers, because they have fewer financial resources to invest in infrastructure that could reduce their impact.

Well done on this task.

You've done brilliantly.

I would like you to suggest ways that each country may be able to overcome their physical barrier to development.

An atlas will be helpful for this activity.

I would like you to focus on Bolivia, Indonesia, and Algeria.

Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to continue.

Fantastic.

Let's check our answers.

Your answers could look like this.

For Bolivia, the Bolivian government may try to get an agreement with neighbouring country, Chile, to operate a port in their country, to make sure goods can be transported to it freely.

Indonesia.

Indonesia can help develop warning systems to make sure people are educated about what to do when a natural hazard occurs.

Algeria.

The government could build solar panels in the desert and then export its electricity to make money.

They may also explore the potential of irrigating the desert using water from aquifers.

Well done on this task.

You've done brilliantly.

We've now come to the end of our learning on Physical geography and development and you've done fantastically, but let's summarise everything we've learned in today's lesson.

Physical geography may affect development through a number of factors, mainly through mountainous relief, high risk of natural hazards like earthquakes, volcanoes, hurricanes, or typhoons, a desert climate, lack of natural resources, and being landlocked.

This means when they have no access to the coast.

Countries can overcome physical barriers to development in a variety of ways.

High income countries are often more able to overcome physical barriers than low income countries due to having more financial resources.

Well done on this task, you've done brilliantly, and I look forward to learning with you again very soon.