Areas of the world with inadequate education
Lack of education or inadequate education mainly occurs in developing regions of the world. Seven regions are classified as less developed, though the level of development varies widely among them. Latin America has the highest level of development among the seven regions, Behind Latin America, four of the five Asian regions - East Asia, Southwest Asia (with North Africa), Southeast Asia, and Central Asia - have similar levels of development. South Asia and sub-Saharan lag behind the others. Thus, the main focus of inadequate education presides in these two regions.
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South Asia: HDI 0.61
South Asia includes India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Bhutan. The region has the world's second-highest population and second-lowest per capita income. Population density is very high, and the natural increase rate is among the world's highest. The overall ratio of population to resources in the region is unfavorable because of the huge population.
India, South Asia's largest country, has become the world's fourth-largest economy, behind the United States, China, and Japan, and the rate of growth of its economy is second only to China's. However, poverty is still prevalent in India, as the percentage of urban dwellers in slums increases. This allows for harder access to quality education. |
Sub-Saharan Africa: HDI 0.51
Sub-Saharan Africa refers to the region of Africa south of the desert. Among the countries of this region, South Africa is a major source of minerals. Other countries in the region also contain resources important for development, including bauxite, cobalt, diamonds, manganese, petroleum, and uranium.
Despite these assets, sub-Saharan Africa offers the least favorable prospect for development. The region has the world's highest percentage of people living in poverty and suffering from poor health and low education levels. Also, economic conditions in sub-Saharan Africa have deteriorated in recent years: The average African consumes less today than three decades ago. Some of the region's economic problems are a legacy of the colonial era. Mining companies and other businesses were established to supply European industries with needed raw materials rather than to promote overall economic development in sub-Saharan Africa. Africa's many landlocked states have difficulties shipping out raw materials through neighboring countries. In recent years, African countries have suffered because world prices for their resources have fallen.
Political problems have also plagued sub-Saharan Africa. European colonies were converted to states without regard for the distribution of ethnicities. After independence, leaders of many countries in the region pursued personal economic gain and local wars rather than policies to promote development of their national economies. These frequent internal conflicts, as well as those between countries in the region, have retarded development.
Though, the fundamental problem in many countries of the region is a dramatic imbalance between the numbers of inhabitants and the capacity of the land to feed the population. Nearly the entire region has either a tropical or a dry climate. Both climate regions can support some people, but not large concentrations. Yet, because sub-Saharan Africa has by far the world's highest rate of natural increase, its land is more and more overworked, and agricultural output has declined.
Despite these assets, sub-Saharan Africa offers the least favorable prospect for development. The region has the world's highest percentage of people living in poverty and suffering from poor health and low education levels. Also, economic conditions in sub-Saharan Africa have deteriorated in recent years: The average African consumes less today than three decades ago. Some of the region's economic problems are a legacy of the colonial era. Mining companies and other businesses were established to supply European industries with needed raw materials rather than to promote overall economic development in sub-Saharan Africa. Africa's many landlocked states have difficulties shipping out raw materials through neighboring countries. In recent years, African countries have suffered because world prices for their resources have fallen.
Political problems have also plagued sub-Saharan Africa. European colonies were converted to states without regard for the distribution of ethnicities. After independence, leaders of many countries in the region pursued personal economic gain and local wars rather than policies to promote development of their national economies. These frequent internal conflicts, as well as those between countries in the region, have retarded development.
Though, the fundamental problem in many countries of the region is a dramatic imbalance between the numbers of inhabitants and the capacity of the land to feed the population. Nearly the entire region has either a tropical or a dry climate. Both climate regions can support some people, but not large concentrations. Yet, because sub-Saharan Africa has by far the world's highest rate of natural increase, its land is more and more overworked, and agricultural output has declined.