Standard of Living Reflections

I think it is important to know about the standard of living because we have to be aware of the indicators that impact our own standards of living, and how different countries have higher or lower standards depending on where they are. We should know about the statistics on countries regarding their wealth, health, education, and infrastructure. Another reason why we should know these things are because they help us understand economic concepts and the 5 themes of geography. They help us do this because we understand economic activity and human and physical characteristics and how they work and affect our lives better. For example. In North Korea, the economic system they use (command) causes them to build a barbed wire fence around the perimeter of their country to keep people from coming in and out. This boundary/border does not let them trade, which affects their overall GDP, and effects everyone’s GDP per capitas.

Ideas about economics and standard of living can be analyzed using the 5 themes of geography because you need to take physical and human characteristics (place), movement, human development and interaction, region, and location into consideration when you think about economic systems, natural resources, needs and wants, and economic activity. All of these ideas tie together and help you figure out a standard of living for a country, and the indicators that impact it.

(stephan). “North Korea - Pyongyang, Arirang (Mass Games).” Flickr, Yahoo!, 6 Aug. 2007, www.flickr.com/photos/fljckr/1028111184/in/photolist-2yRkCU-2yM3hg-2yQJZN-9uuWM5-2yLqSi-8v7bta-2yNsPu-aoq2mG-8HsVv1-2yLnTm-4Y31jB-2yKyyY-2yRpus-8HtMzN-8HpVA2-8Hq6bi-2yKv49-4YcLe3-8HqiYz-8HsGVU-2yQwKj-8HsVv3-aoq3YN-8HtmYJ-ccQ6rL-4YcKXG-8Hq6b8-fmsuRW-2yKufC-2yGjxa-8HqiYD-4YcfnU-4Y2Zvc-8HtMzY-4Y32mg-aongDH-p8FxoH-4Y865x-4Y7fko-4YckmC-2yLsv9-4YcgSb-4YcMD3-fnPmr-4Y85B2-82pkKa-8HtmZ3-8HqiYv-2yMGu9-oJR3x3.