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1、沈阳环球雅思学校SNOWClimateandCountryWealthA.Whyaresomecountriesstupendouslyrichandothershorrendouslypoor?Socialtheoristshavebeencaptivatedbythisquestionsincethelate18thcentury,whenScottisheconomistAdamSmitharguedinhismagisterialworkTheWealthofNationsthatthebestprescriptionfo
2、rprosperityisafree-marketeconomyinwhichthegovernmentallowsbusinessessubstantialfreedomtopursueprofits.Smith,however,madeasecondnotablehypothesis:thatthephysicalgeographyofaregioncaninfluenceitseconomicperformance.Hecontendedthattheeconomiesofcoastalregions,withtheirea
3、syaccesstoseatrade,usuallyoutperformtheeconomiesofinlandareas.B.Coastalregionsandthosenearnavigablewaterwaysareindeedfarricherandmoredenselysettledthaninteriorregions,justasSmithpredicted.Moreover,anarea’sclimatecanalsoaffectitseconomicdevelopment.Nationsintropicalcli
4、matezonesgenerallyfacehigherratesofinfectiousdiseaseandloweragriculturalproductivity(especiallyforstaplefoods)thandonationsintemperatezones.Similarburdensapplytothedesertzones.Theverypoorestregionsintheworldarethosesaddledwithbothhandicaps:distancefromseatradeandatrop
5、icalordesertecology,Thebasiclessonsofgeographyareworthrepeating,becausemosteconomistshaveignoredthem.Inthepastdecadethevastmajorityofpapersoneconomicdevelopmenthaveneglectedeventhemostobviousgeographicalrealities.C.Thebestsingleindicatorofprosperityisgrossnationalprod
6、uct(GNP)percapita--thetotalvalueofacountry’seconomicoutput,dividedbyitspopulation.AmapshowingtheworlddistributionofGNPpercapitaimmediatelyrevealsthevastgapbetweenrichandpoornations.Thegreatmajorityofthepoorestcountrieslieinthegeographicaltropics.Incontrast,mostoftheri
7、chestcountrieslieinthetemperatezones.Amongthe28economiescategorizedashighincomebytheWorldBank,onlyHongKong,SingaporeandpartofTaiwanareinthetropicalzone,representingamere2percentofthecombinedpopulationofthehigh-incomeregions.Almostallthetemperate-zonecountrieshaveeithe
8、rhigh-income,economies(asinthecasesofNorthAmerica,WesternEurope,KoreaandJapan)ormiddle-incomeeconomies(asinthecasesofEastern
