A developed country is a This article describes a type of political entity. Country is also a short form for the Rural areas are sparsely settled places away from the influence of large cities and towns. Such areas are distinct from more intensively settled urban and suburban areas, and also from unsettled lands such as... country that is technologically advanced and that enjoys a relatively high The Standard of living refers to the quality and quantity of goods and services available to people. It is generally measured by real (i.e. inflation adjusted) income per person, although sometimes other measures may be used; examples are access to certain goods (such as number of refrigerators per 1000... standard of living. In most cases, countries with a high per capita In Economics is the social science studying production and consumption through measurable variables. It involves analysing the production, distribution, trade and consumption of goods and services. Economics is said to be positive when it attempts to explain the consequences of different choices given a set of assumptions and normative when... GDP are "developed countries," however high GDP can be achieved (usually temporarily) through -1... natural resource exploitation (e.g. The Republic of Equatorial Guinea is a nation of Central Africa. It borders on Cameroon, Gabon, and the Gulf of Guinea. The capital is Malabo. República de Guinea Ecuatorial République de la Guinée Équatoriale (In Detail) (Full size) National motto: Unidad, Paz, Justicia (Spanish: (Unity, Peace, Justice... Equatorial Guinea oil; For other uses, see Nauru (disambiguation). The Republic of Nauru (pronounced nah-OO-roo), formerly known as Pleasant Island, is an island republic in the South Pacific Ocean. It is the worlds smallest independent republic both in terms of population and land area. Much of its past prosperity derived... Nauru, phosphate) without the country becoming developed.

Synonyms include industrialised countries, more economically developed countries (MEDC) and the The terms First World, Second World, and Third World were used to divide the nations of Earth into three broad categories. The three terms did not arise simultaneously. After World War II, people began to speak of the NATO and Warsaw Pact countries as two major blocs, often using such... First World.

Other terms sometimes used to describe the developed/ A developing country is a country with low average income compared to the world average. The term has tended to edge out earlier ones, including the Cold War-defined Third World. The developing part of developing country may be considered euphemistic or perhaps optimistic, as many of the poorest countries... developing country dichotomy are The terms First World, Second World, and Third World were used to divide the nations of Earth into three broad categories. The three terms did not arise simultaneously. After World War II, people began to speak of the NATO and Warsaw Pact countries as two major blocs, often using such... first world/ For the Jamaican reggae band, see Third World (band). Third World is a term originally used to distinguish those nations that neither aligned with the West nor with the East during the Cold War and most were members of the Non-Aligned Movement. These countries are also known as the... third world (the term The terms First World, Second World, and Third World were used to divide the nations of Earth into three broad categories. The three terms did not arise simultaneously. After World War II, people began to speak of the NATO and Warsaw Pact countries as two major blocs, often using such... second world was during the Cold War reserved for This article is about one-party states ruled by Communist Parties. For information regarding communism as a form of society, as an ideology advocating that form of society, or as a popular movement, see the main Communism article. This article is part of the Communism series. edit (http://en... communist states,) The term the North is often used to refer to the wealthy and technologically advanced nations of the world, as opposed to the South, which is poorer and less developed. In some cases the compass direction north is not accurate; Australia is in this sense a Northern country, even though... North/ The term The South is often used to refer to the poorer, less technologically advanced nations of the world as opposed to The North, which is richer and more developed. In some cases the compass direction south is not accurate; Australia is in this sense a Northern country, even though... South, or industrialized countries/non-industrialized countries. The term For alternative meanings for The West in the United States, see the U.S. West and American West. The term Western world can have multiple meanings depending on its context. Originally defined as Europe, most modern uses of the term refer to the societies of Europe and their genealogical, colonial... Western countries has similar, though not identical, connotations.

Different observers and theorists often see different reasons for why certain countries (and not others) enjoy a high level of Economic development is the development of economic wealth of countries or regions for the well-being of their inhabitants. The economic development process supposes that legal and institutional adjustments are made to give incentives for innovation and for investments so as to develop an efficient production and distribution system for... economic development. Some have argued that This article deals with democracy in its Modern can simply mean something that is up-to-date, trendy, new, or from the present time. It can also refer to the modern age, a very loosely defined time period which generally commences at or some time after the Renaissance in Europe... democracy is required for a robust modern economy. Others believe that an economic model close to a A free market is an idealized market, where all economic decisions and actions by individuals regarding transfer of money, goods, and services are voluntary, and are therefore devoid of coercion and theft (some definitions of coercion are inclusive of theft). Colloquially and loosely, a free market economy is an economy... free market facilitates development. Yet others hold that rich countries grew wealthy by In political economy, economics, and sociology, exploitation usually does not include simple theft, since the latter is not a persistent economic or social relationship, as when a pimp exploits his prostitute. Rather, exploitation involves some persistent aspect of the socioeconomic system, an institution. This corresponds to one ethical conception of... exploiting poorer countries in the past, through Imperialism is the policy of extending the control or authority over foreign entities as a means of acquisition and/or maintenance of empires, either through direct territorial or through indirect methods of exerting control on the politics and/or economy of other countries. The term is used by some to... imperialism and Colonialism is a system in which a state claims sovereignty over territory and people outside its own boundaries, often to facilitate economic domination over their resources, labor, and often markets. The term also refers to a set of beliefs used to legitimize or promote this system, especially the belief that... colonialism. Some claim that this exploitation continues in the present, through the process of Globalization is a term used to describe the changes in societies and the world economy that are the result of dramatically increased trade and cultural exchange. In specifically economic contexts, it refers almost exclusively to the effects of trade, particularly trade liberalization or free trade. Between 1910 and 1950, a... globalization.

In the This article is about the United Nations, for other uses of UN see UN (disambiguation) United Nations Nations Unies Naciones Unidas Объединённых Наций 联合国 امم متحدة (In... United Nations system there is no established convention for the designation of "developed" and "developing" countries or areas. In common practice, For other uses, see Japan (disambiguation). 日本国 (Nippon/Nihon-koku) Dual status seal. See National and Imperial Seal for more of this issue. (Flag of Japan) Official language Japanese Capital Tokyo Largest City Tokyo Emperor Akihito Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 60th 377... Japan in For other uses, see Asia (disambiguation). A satellite composite image of Asia The continent of Asia is defined by subtracting Europe and Africa from the great land mass of Africa-Eurasia. The exact boundaries are vague (especially for non geographers), especially between Asia and Europe: Asia and Africa meet somewhere... Asia, Canada is an independent This article discusses states as sovereign political entities. For other meanings, see state (disambiguation). In international law and international relations, a state is a geographic political entity possessing politicial sovereignty, i.e. not being subject to any higher political authority. In casual language, the idea of... Canada and the For other uses, see United States (disambiguation) and US (disambiguation). The United States of America, also referred to as the United States, U.S.A., U.S., US, America¹, or the States, is a federal republic of fifty states, mostly in central North America. The U.S. has three land... United States in Political highlights of North America North America is the third largest continent in area and the fourth ranked in population. It is bounded on the north by the Arctic Ocean, on the east by the North Atlantic Ocean, on the south by the Caribbean Sea, and on the west by... northern America, Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is the sixth-largest country in the world, the only one to occupy an entire Dymaxion map by Buckminster Fuller shows land mass with minimal distortion as only one continuous continent A continent (Latin continere, to hold together) is a large continuous mass of... Australia and For alternative meanings, see New Zealand (disambiguation). New Zealand is a country formed of two major islands and a number of Pacific Ocean. A common Māori name for New Zealand is Aotearoa, popularly translated as Land of the Long White Cloud. New Zealand also maintains responsibility for the... New Zealand in For the fictional superstate in George Orwells novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, see Oceania (fiction). Map of Oceania. Oceania is a name used for varying groups of islands of the Pacific Ocean. In its narrow usage it refers to Polynesia (including New Zealand), Melanesia (including New Guinea) and Micronesia. In... Oceania and This article is about the continente. For alternative meanings, see: Europe (disambiguation) World map showing location of Europe A satellite composite image of Europe Europe is Geology (from Greek γη- (ge-, the earth) and λογος (logos, word, reason)) is the science and study of the... Europe are considered "developed" regions or areas. In international trade statistics, the Southern African Customs Union is also treated as a developed region and For other uses, see Israel (disambiguation). The State of Israel (Hebrew: מדינת ישראל, translit.: Medinat Yisrael; Arabic: دولة اسرائيل, translit.: Daulat Israil) is a country in the Middle East on the... Israel as a developed country; and countries of Eastern Europe is, by convention, that part of This article is about the continent. For alternative meanings, see: Europe (disambiguation) A comprehensive collection of continental features is found in Europe, albeit on a smaller scale than elsewhere. Mountain ranges, peninsulas, islands and more arid or cold regions can be seen... eastern Europe and the former Soviet redirects here. For other uses, see Soviet (disambiguation). The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) .( Russian (русский язык) Spoken in: The Russian Federation ( Russian (русский язык) Spoken in: Russia and many... U.S.S.R. countries in Europe are not included under either developed or developing regions. [1] (http://unstats.un.org/unsd/mi/mi_worldmillennium.asp)

Generally, according to various sources ( The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD, in The Romance languages, also called Romanic languages, are a subfamily of the Italic languages, specifically the descendants of the Vulgar Latin dialects spoken by the common people evolving in different areas after the break-up of the Roman Empire. Latin itself... World Bank, This page is about the International Monetary Fund; IMF can also mean the International Metalworkers Federation, a global union federation. This image may not have information on its source. It may be usable under fair use but this has yet to be verified. It might be public domain or under... IMF, The World Factbook is an annual publication by the Central Intelligence Agency of the United States with basic almanac-style information about the various countries of the world. The factbook gives a two- to three-page summary of the demographics, location, telecommunications capacity, government, industry, military capability, etc, of all... CIA World Factbook and United Nations), developed countries include the following:

Some sources also consider Visegrád group along with The Republic of Slovenia (Slovenian: Slovenija) is a coastal sub-Alpine country in south central Europe bordering Italy to the west, the Adriatic Sea to the southwest, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north. Republika Slovenija (Flag) (Coat of Arms) National motto... Slovenia as developed countries and also the following:

• Hong Kong (香港; Cantonese IPA: [hœːŋ1kɔːŋ2]; Jyutping: hoeng1 gong2; Yale: heūng góng; pinyin: Xiānggǎng; Wade-Giles: Hsiang-kang) is one of the two Special Administrative Regions of the Peoples Republic of China. (The... Hong Kong
• Republic of Singapore 新加坡共和国 Republik Singapura சிங்கப்பூர் குடியரசு (Flag) (Coat of Arms) National motto: Majulah Singapura (English: Onward, Singapore) Official languages English, Mandarin Chinese, Malay, Tamil Capital... Singapore
• South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK; Korean: Daehan Minguk (Hangul: 대한 민국; Hanja: 大韓民國)), is a country in East Asia, covering the southern half of the Korean Peninsula. To the north, the Republic of Korea borders North Korea, with which it formed a... South Korea