Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
Activity distribution around the world
The relative presence of these four categories of economic activity varies geographically around the
world. Generally, the economies of the least developed countries tend to have a very high percentage
of their workforces engaged in primary activities, and progressively lesser percentages for the others
(as shownin Figure 15-3).Asnational economies become more developed, the workforce tips toward
the higher end of the range. And as a result, the most advanced economies tend to have a high per-
centage of their workforces in the tertiary and quaternary categories, and much smaller figures for the
primary and secondary groups.
Figure 15-3:
The
generalized rela-
tionship between
development and
the proportion of
the workforce en-
gaged in different
economic activit-
ies.
Also, while these four categories of economic activity involve separate and distinct means of liveli-
hood, they are nevertheless linked, especially in the more advanced societies. Thus, tuna caught by
the crew of a trawler (primary activity) may be offloaded at a factory for processing and canning
(secondary activity). Wholesalers then purchase large quantities of canned fish and distribute them to
local grocery stores for sale (tertiary activity). Over-seeing this buying and selling, as well as attend-
ant marketing, are company executives (quaternary activity).
Putting Economic Systems into Place
In contrast to economic activities, which may be viewed as individual livelihoods,
economic system
refers to the organization and functional nature of a national economy as a whole.
Subsistence eco-
nomies,
which are prevalent in the less developed countries, and
commercial economies,
which are
prevalent in the more developed countries, are the two principal types of economic systems. Technic-
ally, a third category,
planned economies,
is characterized by government control of supply, demand,
prices, employment, and distribution. With the collapse of most Communist societies, however, this
has ceased to be a significant player on the world stage, at least for the time being.
