Classification and typology of the countries of the world

The modern world is very large and diverse. If you look at the political map of our planet, you can count 230 countries that are very different from each other. Some of them have a very large territory and occupy, if not the whole, half of the continent, others may be smaller in area than the largest cities in the world. In some countries the population is multinational, in others all people have local roots. Some territories are rich in fossils, others have to do without natural resources. Each of them is unique and has its own characteristics, but the scientists still managed to outline common features that could unite the states into groups. Thus, the typology of the countries of the modern world was created.

The concept of types

As you know, development is a very ambiguous process, which can take place quite differently, depending on the conditions that affect it. This is the reason for the typology of the countries of the world. Each of them experienced certain historical events that directly influenced its evolution. But at the same time there is a group of indicators that can often meet in approximately the same set and with other territorial associations. Based on such similarities, the typology of the countries of the modern world is built.

But such a classification can not be based only on one or two criteria, so scientists do a great job of collecting data. Based on this analysis, a group of similar features is identified that connects similar countries.

Variety of typologies

The indicators found by the researchers can not be combined into only one group, since they relate to different spheres of life. Therefore, the typology of the countries of the world is based on different criteria, which led to the emergence of many classifications that depend on the chosen factor. Some of them assess economic development, others - political and historical aspects. There are those that are built on the standard of living of citizens or on the geographical location of the territory. Time can also make adjustments, and the main typologies of the countries of the world can change. Some of them become obsolete, others only appear.

For example, over the course of a whole century, the division of the economic structure of the world into capitalist (market relations) and socialist (planned economy) of the country was quite relevant. A separate group at the same time were the former colonies, which received independence and stood at the beginning of the development path. But over the past few decades, events have occurred that showed that the socialist economy has outlived itself, although it still remains the main in several countries. Therefore this typology was pushed to the background.

Value

It is understandable the value of the division of states from the point of view of science. Since this allows scientists to build their own research that could point to developmental errors and ways how to avoid them to others. But the typology of the countries of the world has great practical value. For example, the UN is one of the most famous organizations in Europe and the world - based on the classification carried out, it develops a strategy for financial support for the weakest and most vulnerable states.

Also, the division is made in order to calculate the risks that may affect the development of the economy as a whole. This helps to more accurately determine the financial growth and interaction of all parties in the market. Therefore, it is not only theoretically important, but also an applied problem, which is very seriously perceived at the world level.

Typology of the countries of the world in terms of economic development. Type I

The most common and often used is the classification of states at the socio-economic level of development. On the basis of this criterion, two types are distinguished. The first of these is developed countries. These are 60 separate territories that are distinguished by a high standard of living of citizens, great financial opportunities and considerable influence in the entire civilized world. But this type is very heterogeneous and also divided into several subgroups:

• The so-called "big seven" (France, USA, Japan, Great Britain, Canada, Italy and Germany). The leadership of these countries is undeniable. They are giants in the world economy, they have the largest gross domestic product per capita (10-20 thousand dollars). The development of technology and science in these countries occupies a high place. History shows that the past of the G-7 countries is inextricably linked with the colonies, which brought them huge financial injections. Another common feature is the monopoly of corporations in the international market.
• Smaller countries that have less power than the above, but their role in the international arena is undeniable and every year it increases. GDP per capita does not differ from those shown above. Almost all countries of Western Europe can be attributed here , which were not previously mentioned. Often they connect the "big seven" and form its relationship.
• The states of "migratory capitalism", that is, survived the colonial occupation of the British (Australia, South Africa, New Zealand). These dominions practically did not encounter feudalism, therefore their political and economic system is quite unique. Israel is often referred to here as well. The level of development here is quite high.
• The CIS countries are a special group formed after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. But most of the other Eastern European states are also here.

Thus, the typology of the countries of the world in terms of development level has this first group. These leaders equal the rest of the world, and they define all the processes on the international scene.

Type 2

But the typology of the countries of the world in terms of economic development has a second subgroup - these are developing states. Most of the land on our planet is occupied by such territorial associations, and at least half of the population lives here. Such countries are also divided into several types:

• Key countries (Mexico, Argentina, India, Brazil). The industry is highly developed here, exports are also not the last. Market relations have a considerable degree of maturity. But GDP is relatively low here, which prevents the country from moving to another type.
• New industrial states (South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan and others). The history of these countries shows that until the 1980s their economy was weak, the majority of the population was engaged in agriculture or the extractive industry. This led to an undeveloped system of market relations and currency problems. But the last decades show that these states began to emerge as leaders in the international arena, the level of GDP has increased significantly, and foreign trade has shifted to the sale of manufactured products.
• Countries that export oil (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait and others). Many such states have united in the international organization of OPEC. The gross domestic product per capita here is very high, but the level of social relations has remained at a rather low level. The economy develops due to the export of oil and products derived from it.
• States that are lagging behind in development. These include most of the developing countries.
• The least developed countries are the countries of Asia (Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Nepal, Yemen), Africa (Somalia, Niger, Mali, Chad), Latin America (Haiti). This includes 42 states.

For the second type, characteristic features are poverty, colonial past, frequent political conflicts, poor development of science, medicine and industry.

The socio-economic typology of the countries of the world shows how different the living conditions of people who live in a particular territory. Historical events became one of the decisive factors in the development, as some were able to cash in on the colonies, while others at that time gave all their resources to the conquerors. Also, the mentality of the people themselves is important, because in some countries those who come to power seek to improve their state, in others they only care about their well-being.

Classification by population

Another of the most striking examples of the division is the typology of the countries of the world in terms of population. This criterion is very important, since it is people who are considered to be the most important resource that a country can only possess. After all, if the population decreases from year to year, this can lead to the extinction of the nation. Therefore, the typology of the world's countries in terms of numbers is also very popular. The rating for this feature is as follows:

• The first place belongs to the undisputed leader - the People's Republic of China with 1.357 billion people. From 1960 to 2015, the number of Chinese people increased by almost a billion, leading to a strict national policy on the birth of children. If in many countries large families are not only welcome but also supported financially, then China is not allowed to have more than one child in the family. Only in 2014, more than 16 million babies were born here. Therefore, in the coming decades, China will not lose its primacy precisely.
• The second place in India (1.301 billion people). From 1960 to 2015, the population of this country also increased by almost a billion. Over the past year, there were 26.6 million babies born, so with fertility in this state is also very good.
• Honorable third place in the United States, but the difference in the population between the first two countries and this is very large - today in the United States there are 325 million people who are replenished not only due to high birth rate (in 2014 - 4.4 million) , But also with the help of migration processes (in the same year, here came 1.4 million).
• Indonesia also can not worry about its gene pool, as there are 257 million people living here. The natural increase in population is high - 2.9 million (2014), but many are trying to leave their homeland in search of a better life (254,700 people left in 2014).
• Closes the top five leaders Brazil. The population is 207.4 million people. The natural increase is 2.3 million.

In this list, Russia stands on the 9th place with a population of 146.3 million. The natural increase in the population in the Russian Federation in 2014 was 25 thousand people. The smallest number of people live in the Vatican - 836, and this is easily explained by territorial conditions.

Classification by area

Typology of the world's countries by area is also quite interesting. It divides the states into 7 groups:

• Giants, the area of which exceeds 3 million square kilometers. This is Canada, China, the United States, Brazil, Australia, India and Russia, which is the largest on the territory with a total area of 17.1 million km ² .
• Large - from one to three million km ² . These are 21 countries, including Mexico, South Africa, Chad, Iran, Ethiopia, Argentina and others.
• Significant - from 500 thousand to 1 million km ² . It is also 21 states: Pakistan, Chile, Turkey, Yemen, Egypt, Afghanistan, Mozambique, Ukraine and others.
• Average - from 100 to 500 thousand km ² . They are 56 states: Belarus, Morocco, Japan, New Zealand, Paraguay, Cameroon, Great Britain, Spain, Uruguay and others.
• Small - from 10 to 100 thousand km ² . There are 56 countries: South Korea, Czech Republic, Serbia, Georgia, Netherlands, Costa Rica, Latvia, Togo, Qatar, Azerbaijan and others.
• Small - from 1 to 10 thousand km ² . These are 8 countries: Trinidad and Tobago, Western Samoa, Cyprus, Brunei, Luxembourg, Comoros, Mauritius and Cape Verde.
• Microstates - up to 1,000 km ² . These are 24 states: Singapore, Liechtenstein, Malta, Nauru, Tonga, Barbados, Andorra, Kiribati, Dominica and others. This applies also to the smallest country in the world - the Vatican. It covers an area of only 44 hectares, located in the Italian capital - Rome.

Thus, the basis of the typology of the world's countries in size is an area that can range from 17 million square kilometers (Russia) to 44 hectares (Vatican City). These indicators may change due to military conflicts or the willingness of a part of the country to disconnect and create their own state. Therefore, these ratings are constantly updated.

Geographical classification

Much of the development of the state decides its location. If it is located at the intersection of sea routes, then the level of the economy is significantly rising due to cash flows around water transport. If there is no exit to the sea, then such a profit of this territory can not be seen. Therefore, according to the geographical situation, countries are divided into:

• Archipelagos are states that are located on a group of islands that are a short distance from each other (Bahamas, Japan, Tonga, Palau, Philippines and others).
• Island - located within the boundaries of one or more islands that are not connected with the mainland (Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Madagascar, Fiji, Great Britain and others).
• Peninsular - those that are located on peninsulas (Italy, Norway, India, Laos, Turkey, UAE, Oman and others).
• Primorski - those countries that have access to the sea (Ukraine, USA, Brazil, Germany, China, Russia, Egypt and others).
• The inland ones are landlocked (Armenia, Nepal, Zambia, Austria, Moldova, Czech Republic, Paraguay and others).

The typology of the countries of the world by geographical feature is also quite interesting and diverse. But it has an exception, which is Australia, since it is the only state in the world that occupies the territory of the whole continent. Therefore, it combines several types.

Classification by GDP

The Gross Domestic Product is all the benefits that a single state could produce per year on its territory. This criterion has already been used above, but it should be noted separately, since scientists say that the economic typology of the countries of the world in terms of GDP takes place to be separate. As is known, on June 1 of each year the World Bank updates the list of countries on the estimated GDP level. The categories of income are divided into 4 types:

• Low level of income growth (up to 1035 US dollars per capita);
• Income below the average (up to $ 4,085 per person);
• Income level above the average (up to 12,615 dollars);
• High level (from 12,616 dollars).

In 2013, the Russian Federation, together with Chile, Uruguay and Lithuania, was transferred to a group of countries that have a high level of income. But, unfortunately, there is a reverse trend for some countries, for example, for Hungary. She again returned to the third stage of classification. Therefore, it should be noted that the economic typology of countries for GDP is very unstable and is updated every year.

Separation in urbanization level

On our planet, less and less territory remains, which would not have been occupied by cities. This process of developing untouched virgin lands is called urbanization. The UN carried out research in this field, as a result of which the classification and typology of the countries of the world was compiled according to the proportion of urban residents in the total population of a single state. The modern world is designed in such a way that cities become the site of the greatest concentrations of people. Despite the rapid growth of these settlements, urbanization in different countries has a different level. For example, Latin America and Europe are very densely populated by these settlements, but South and East Asia has a larger rural population. This indicator is updated every 3 years. In 2013, the most current rating was published:

• Countries with 100% urbanization - Hong Kong, Nauru, Singapore and Monaco.
• States that have over 90% are San Marino, Uruguay, Venezuela, Iceland, Argentina, Malta, Qatar, Belgium and Kuwait.
• More than 50% have 107 states (Japan, Greece, Syria, Gambia, Poland, Ireland, Morocco and others).
• Between 18 and 50% of urbanization is observed in 65 countries (Bangladesh, India, Kenya, Mozambique, Tanzania, Afghanistan, Tonga and others).
• Below 18% of 10 countries - Ethiopia, Trinidad and Tobago, Malawi, Nepal, Uganda, Liechtenstein, Papua New Guinea, Sri Lanka, Saint Lucia and Burundi, which has 11.5% urbanization.

The Russian Federation in this list ranks 51st with 74.2% of urbanization. This indicator is very important, because it is a component of the country's economic development. It is in the cities that most of the production is concentrated. If the majority of the population is engaged in agriculture, this indicates a low level of prosperity for citizens. If you look at the statistics, you can easily note that the richest states have a very large share of urbanization, but they are also industrial.

Thus, our world is filled with a variety of countries. There are a lot of them, and they are not alike. Each has its own culture and traditions, its language and mentality. But there are factors that unite many states. Therefore, for greater convenience, they are grouped. Criteria for typology of the countries of the world can be very different (economic development, GDP growth, quality of life, area, population, geographical location, urbanization). But they all unite states, making them closer and more understandable to each other.