1.5 MEDC vs. LEDC

MEDC and LEDC ... you are going to see these acronyms a lot in this course.  They are very important to understanding the impacts that different groups of people have on the environment.  So...what do they stand for???

MEDC:  More Economically Developed Country

LEDC:  Less Economically Developed Country

While each country's population is different, we can classify all of them in one of these 2 categories, depending on how far along they are in something called the demographic transition...but we'll discuss that a lot more in the population section of the biosphere unit.  What's important for you at this point is to know that the people in MEDCs are generally more affluent and have what economists deem a "better quality of life" than people in LEDCs.  

            (LEDC example:  Cambodia)                          (MEDC example:  USA)

Here is a general map that shows countries that belong to each group...you can definitely see a distinct line as to where the shift happens (except for Australia):

Here are some of the countries that belong to each...you should memorize a few from each to be able to reference in the future:

MEDCS: 
Australia, the UK, USA, Switzerland, Canada, France, New Zealand, Belgium, Germany, Ireland, Japan , Republic of Korea 


LEDCS: 
Bangladesh, Mali, Sudan, Peru, Fiji, Cambodia, Nigeria, Egypt, Zimbabwe

The two groups use resources differently for reasons we learn, and thus have different impacts on the environment.  You will see these acronyms discussed in every sphere, so it is important that you understand the basic difference before we even begin.