Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
GREENLAND
U.S.
(Alaska)
60
°
CANADA
40
°
40
°
UNITED STATES
ATLANTIC
BERMUDA
OCEAN
BAHAMAS
MEXICO
Tropic of Cancer
CUBA
DOMINICAN
REPUBLIC
20
°
20
20
°
°
JAMAICA
U.S.
(Hawaii)
BELIZE
HONDURAS
NICARAGUA
HAITI
PUERTO
RICO
PACIFIC
GUATEMALA
EL SALVADOR
COSTA RICA
PANAMA
BARBADOS
TRINIDAD & TOBAGO
OCEAN
VENEZUELA
SURINAME
FRENCH GUIANA
COLOMBIA
GUYANA
0
°
Equator
ECUADOR
BRAZIL
PERU
BOLIVIA
20
°
20
°
20
°
DEPENDENCY RATIO
BY COUNTRY, 2007
Tropic of Capricorn
PARAGUAY
Over 0.85
URUGUAY
CHILE
ARGENTINA
0.65-0.85
40
°
40
°
40
°
40
°
0.55-0.65
0.45-0.55
160
°
140
°
120
°
80
°
60
°
40
°
60
°
60
°
60
°
60
°
Under 0.45
SOUTHERN
OCEAN
No data
0
1000
2000
3000 Kilometers
0
1000
2000 Miles
Figure 10.4
Dependency Ratio.
The dependency ratio is a measure of the number of people under the age
of 15 and over the age of 65 that depends on each working-age adult. The working-age adults in
the formal economy contribute to a country's tax base, thereby supporting the young and old in
the country. The higher the number, the more “dependents” (under 15 or over 65) each working
age adult supports through taxes.
Data from:
World Health Organization, 2006.
fi rst stage, the society is
traditional
, and the dominant
activity is subsistence farming. The social structure
is rigid, and technology is slow to change. The second
stage brings the
preconditions of takeoff
. New leadership
moves the country toward greater fl exibility, openness,
and diversifi cation. These changes, in turn, will lead to
the third stage,
takeoff
. Now the country experiences
something akin to an industrial revolution, and sustained
growth takes hold. Urbanization increases, industrializa-
tion proceeds, and technological and mass-production
breakthroughs occur. Next, the economy enters the
fourth stage, the
drive to maturity
. Technologies dif-
fuse, industrial specialization occurs, and international
trade expands. Modernization is evident in key areas of
the country, and population growth slows. In Rostow's
model, some countries reach the fi nal stage,
high
mass
consumption
, which is marked by high incomes and wide-
spread production of many goods and services. During
this stage, a majority of workers enter the service sector
of the economy.
