Recap: When I wrote my letter as the Ambassador from Hippotron, I learned a lot about earth’s geography and the impact on the development to the people, cultures, and societies. I learned how the people or countries that could farm, developed well. They were able to provide food for themselves and sell to the more unfortunate people who could not grow their own food. Farming is a very important part of developing a society. Farming can only be done if you are geographically put in a good spot on the earth. Certain foods can only grow and survive in certain areas. Like grapefruit – can only grow in very warm areas (Florida/California/Texas). Corn can only grow in and around fertile soil with temperatures around 80 degrees and well watered. Wheat has its own needs as well. So, for the countries who are in a well fertile part of the earth, has its own water supply and the technology to grow their own food, they are much better off. These are First World Countries. The Third World Countries, dry, hot, mountainous, no water countries, are the countries that can only survive by the help of other countries. Technology is also a huge part of a developing country. Technology takes money, money is in the already-developed countries, and technology is what helps farmers farm better, technology is used also for means of travel, the economy, and other important parts of living. Without technology, you cannot survive/thrive. I also learned that plants were domesticated as well as animals. Years ago, plants only survived in certain areas. Seeds were used from these plans, taken to other areas and learned how to grow with the help of humans. Same with the animals. Horses have been taken out of the wild, tamed, and used for working. Llamas were also used to help farmers farm. Some lands are not able to raise some working animals because of the land and temperatures. For the countries that cannot domesticate animals, they are poorer countries and the richer countries help them out. There is an inequality to the land. Some can have farms, some cannot have farms. If you live close to water, you are more likely to be able to farm. Living on flat lands allows you to farm easier. The Europeans brought steel. Tools were made from steel that made work and farming easier. Guns use steel and guns also helped countries develop. Natural resources were used also to help countries develop. A country must be able to use technology to get and use their natural resources. Undeveloped countries are not lucky enough to have natural resources and use them. Disease is also an important part of being developed or undeveloped. Diseases, if left untreated, will take over a population and kill them. If a society is lucky, they can come up with an immunization to keep you from getting sick. Or, if a person gets the disease and doesn’t die, then they build up immunity against the disease and pass it down to their kids. If a society is not use to a germ and they get infected, then more than likely will mostly die off. The Small Pox was the disease that killed 95% of the first Americans years ago. There are a lot of other diseases that are harming people now – H1N1 flu, AIDS, measles, mumps, and tuberculosis. While there are immunizations against the measles and mumps, still, some people are getting these diseases and some die. A person can build up an immunity against the immunizations too. So, it is very important to live in the best area of the earth to be able to develop and live well.
Revisit: http://www.kenya-advisor.com/poverty-in-kenya.html. Kenya is the country I chose for the revisit/update. Kenya still has problems with poverty. Close to ½ of the population earns less than $1.00 a day. Kenya is doing all it can to reduce poverty. Tourism is a very big source of money for them and tourism is a fast growing help for them. Every three years, the staff of the World Bank and people who are interested in helping Kenya, make a Kenya: Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper. The latest one I found is January 2005. This paper discusses many plans to reduce poverty in Kenya. It is very interesting to me that in Kenya, they are trying to equal out the education of everyone, which gives everyone a better chance of getting good jobs. Primary education is free and the enrollment of children increased by 1.5 million children in 2003. Disadvantaged areas and urban areas are looked for and brought to schools for education in order to give them a better chance of reducing their poverty. http://www.nation.co.ke/business/news/-/1006/801762/-/hggi0rz/-/. According to this website, Kenya is trying to be able to get into the U.S. Market by selling their flowers, vegetables, and fruits that they grow. Right now, there are not any airlines that are direct between Kenya and the U.S., so Kenya is going to bring their goods to the U.S. by sea. This should start in 2010. This will help the poverty rate go down in Kenya, as well as other countries in Africa. HISTORY: Masai and Kikuyu are the tribes that came to Africa that is now called Kenya. They arrived in Africa in the middle 18th century. These people were known for their agriculture and fierce fighting. In 1885/86, Germany and Britain fought over the Kenya territory. It took a year before they decided who would get which territories. In the end Germany got the south and Britain got the north of the dividing line that is latitude 1 degree S. This line that was drawn then, is still drawn and lived by today, which is the border between Kenya and Tanzania. The British East Africa Company is brought in to develop their part. They developed all the way from the east coast, to the kingdom of Buganda. This area could only be developed if railroads were brought in. In the meantime, the British company was in the middle of a civil war between them and the French Catholics. During this struggle, it was decided that the British company was not able to do their duty in developing their part of Africa. In 1895, the East Africa Protectorate was established to develop the Kenya territory. This company encouraged Kenya’s settlements to farm their region to help provide the money needed to build the railroad. The Kenya Colony started in 1920 – 1963. Settlers from the southern part of Africa were given the land and the people who were already there had to move to reservations. This caused a lot of anger. The best farming land was given to the Europeans, which also caused anger. It seems to me that the early meeting between the Europeans and the people from Kenya did not go so well. The Europeans came in and took over and did not give the people from Kenya much. They were forced off their fertile land onto land that could not be farmed, which caused starvation and poverty. The Europeans made out better than the people from Kenya. The British too more land from the Africans then was originally decided. All African adults were forced to carry ID whenever they left their reservation. In a way, the people of Africa was treated just as bad as the American Indian. I was unable to find any information on the diseases that the Europeans brought over that infected the Kenyans, but I would have to agree and state that this probably did happen.
Reflect: In thinking about the impact of “geographic luck” and global inequalities, I would have to say that the United States was the luckiest. The U.S. is has the best farming land, the most natural resources, and the best technology that lets us use the natural resources in the best way possible. We are a First World Country. The Third World countries are not so lucky. They do not have fertile land, good water, and land worth enough to plant seeds in it to grow. Third World Countries are unable to make any money to develop technology and sell to First World Countries or any other country. Our geographical luck also puts us far enough away from enemies that it is difficult for any enemy of ours to come to our country and attack us. It took years for terrorists to start invading our country. In Third World Countries, they are so close to other hostile countries that they are easy to take over. Third World Countries do not know how to defend their lands well enough to keep them, so they are lost in quick wars and take-overs. There are a lot of global inequalities too. The United States and other good countries like Canada, Britain, and Germany, are lucky enough where they have enough to provide for their own countries and at the same time, help the poorer countries. There are not just humanitarian things we do, but also military interventions and technology help. We provide new ways to farm to these countries, new transportation's, and education. If Third World Countries are not educated, then they cannot learn and grow into a better providing country. The U.S. is very lucky in where we are on the earth and the fact that we have been educated. If Europe had not come to our country, we may not have been so lucky. The influence of Europe and other people, have given us many ways to live, grow, and know what to do. Many foreigners come to our country to become better.
Revisit: http://www.kenya-advisor.com/poverty-in-kenya.html. Kenya is the country I chose for the revisit/update. Kenya still has problems with poverty. Close to ½ of the population earns less than $1.00 a day. Kenya is doing all it can to reduce poverty. Tourism is a very big source of money for them and tourism is a fast growing help for them. Every three years, the staff of the World Bank and people who are interested in helping Kenya, make a Kenya: Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper. The latest one I found is January 2005. This paper discusses many plans to reduce poverty in Kenya. It is very interesting to me that in Kenya, they are trying to equal out the education of everyone, which gives everyone a better chance of getting good jobs. Primary education is free and the enrollment of children increased by 1.5 million children in 2003. Disadvantaged areas and urban areas are looked for and brought to schools for education in order to give them a better chance of reducing their poverty. http://www.nation.co.ke/business/news/-/1006/801762/-/hggi0rz/-/. According to this website, Kenya is trying to be able to get into the U.S. Market by selling their flowers, vegetables, and fruits that they grow. Right now, there are not any airlines that are direct between Kenya and the U.S., so Kenya is going to bring their goods to the U.S. by sea. This should start in 2010. This will help the poverty rate go down in Kenya, as well as other countries in Africa. HISTORY: Masai and Kikuyu are the tribes that came to Africa that is now called Kenya. They arrived in Africa in the middle 18th century. These people were known for their agriculture and fierce fighting. In 1885/86, Germany and Britain fought over the Kenya territory. It took a year before they decided who would get which territories. In the end Germany got the south and Britain got the north of the dividing line that is latitude 1 degree S. This line that was drawn then, is still drawn and lived by today, which is the border between Kenya and Tanzania. The British East Africa Company is brought in to develop their part. They developed all the way from the east coast, to the kingdom of Buganda. This area could only be developed if railroads were brought in. In the meantime, the British company was in the middle of a civil war between them and the French Catholics. During this struggle, it was decided that the British company was not able to do their duty in developing their part of Africa. In 1895, the East Africa Protectorate was established to develop the Kenya territory. This company encouraged Kenya’s settlements to farm their region to help provide the money needed to build the railroad. The Kenya Colony started in 1920 – 1963. Settlers from the southern part of Africa were given the land and the people who were already there had to move to reservations. This caused a lot of anger. The best farming land was given to the Europeans, which also caused anger. It seems to me that the early meeting between the Europeans and the people from Kenya did not go so well. The Europeans came in and took over and did not give the people from Kenya much. They were forced off their fertile land onto land that could not be farmed, which caused starvation and poverty. The Europeans made out better than the people from Kenya. The British too more land from the Africans then was originally decided. All African adults were forced to carry ID whenever they left their reservation. In a way, the people of Africa was treated just as bad as the American Indian. I was unable to find any information on the diseases that the Europeans brought over that infected the Kenyans, but I would have to agree and state that this probably did happen.
Reflect: In thinking about the impact of “geographic luck” and global inequalities, I would have to say that the United States was the luckiest. The U.S. is has the best farming land, the most natural resources, and the best technology that lets us use the natural resources in the best way possible. We are a First World Country. The Third World countries are not so lucky. They do not have fertile land, good water, and land worth enough to plant seeds in it to grow. Third World Countries are unable to make any money to develop technology and sell to First World Countries or any other country. Our geographical luck also puts us far enough away from enemies that it is difficult for any enemy of ours to come to our country and attack us. It took years for terrorists to start invading our country. In Third World Countries, they are so close to other hostile countries that they are easy to take over. Third World Countries do not know how to defend their lands well enough to keep them, so they are lost in quick wars and take-overs. There are a lot of global inequalities too. The United States and other good countries like Canada, Britain, and Germany, are lucky enough where they have enough to provide for their own countries and at the same time, help the poorer countries. There are not just humanitarian things we do, but also military interventions and technology help. We provide new ways to farm to these countries, new transportation's, and education. If Third World Countries are not educated, then they cannot learn and grow into a better providing country. The U.S. is very lucky in where we are on the earth and the fact that we have been educated. If Europe had not come to our country, we may not have been so lucky. The influence of Europe and other people, have given us many ways to live, grow, and know what to do. Many foreigners come to our country to become better.
No comments:
Post a Comment