2. Typology of the world countries.

3. Political system: administrative and territorial division.

1. Stages and periods of the world map forming.

During XX century, amount of countries in the world had been increasing. First of all it was caused by redivision of the world after the First and Second World Wars. In the beginning of 1990, after disintegration of USSR (The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics – 15 states) , SFRY (The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia – 1992  Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, and Slovenia), Czechoslovakia ( Czech Republic and Slovakia from 1 January 1993), amount of countries in the world were 20 times as much. Since South Sudan became an independent state on 9 July 2011, there are now 195 independent sovereign states in the world (including disputed but defacto independent Taiwan), plus about 60 dependent areas, and five disputed territories, like Kosovo. 

Amount of the U.N.O countries-members

• was increasing in 1950–1989 thanks to joining the U.N.O. by countries that avoided from the colonial dependence.

• Nowadays, all CIS countries, six republics of the former Yugoslavia, Czech Republic and Slovakia enter the U.N.O. In 2002, after a special referendum, Switzerland entered the U.N.O. Now only Vatican, which is observer, doesn’t enter the U.N.O.

• Total amount is more than 190 countries.

Map of UN member states. Non-members shown: Vatican City, Palestinian territories, Western Sahara. Territories of states not recognized by the UN are not shown as non-members when they appear to be part of some UN member state on the UN's maps, including Kosovo, Abkhazia, South Ossetia, Somaliland, Taiwan, etc.

2. Typology of the world countries.

Typology of the world countries is one of the most difficult methodological tasks. Economists, geographers, sociologists and other scientists are dealing with those tasks. The country typology is an historical category. Really, before the beginning of 1990 of XX century, all countries of the world were divided in the three main types:

• socialist,

• capitalist and

• developed.

In 1990 of XX century, after the world socialist system disintegration, countries were divided into:

• economically highly developed (Norway, Australia, the Netherlands, the United States, New Zealand, Canada, Ireland, Liechtenstein, Germany, Sweden);

• Developing (Latin America, Africa, some countries of Asia);

• countries with transitional economy (CIS, China, Eastern Europe)

But the binomial countries’ typology is widespread; it is divided into:

• economically developed and

• developing.

3. Political system: administrative and territorial division

Political system of any country is characterized by administrative and territorial division (ATD). Usually such division is carried out with economical, historical, national, natural and other factors. According to form of government:

1. Unitary state is a form of the government system, when there are: common constitution, legislative and executive organs in the country. Such countries in the world are majority. For example: Byelorussia, Poland, France, Sweden, Japan, Turkey, Egypt, Chile and Cuba.

2. Federative state is a form of the government system, when with the common (federal) laws and authorities, there are self-governing administrative areas – republics, states, provinces, lands, cantons that have own organs of the legislative and executive powers, though «second-order». For example: the USA, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil etc.

At the republican system legislative power belongs to the parliament, which is elected by all urban population, and executive power belongs to the government.

In the presidential republic, president has a big power. There are 100 countries in the world. These countries are widespread in Africa (for example, Egypt, Algeria, Nigeria, South Africa) and in Latin America (for example, Mexico, Brazil, Venezuela, Argentina). There are few presidential republics in the foreign Asia (for example, Iran, Pakistan, Indonesia, the Philippines), and in the foreign Europe – less (for example, France). The USA is a striking example of the presidential republic. Also all 12 CIS countries are the presidential republics. Some of them (including Russia) are called super-presidential republics, so long as their constitutions give special rights to the presidents.

Parliamentary republics are typical for the foreign Europe, but there are many such countries in the foreign Asia (for example, China, India).

Monarchies

Monarchies also appeared in ancient times (Ancient Rome in empire period), but monarchies were widespread in the Middle Ages and in the modern time. In 2008, there were 29 monarchies on the political world map: 13 – in Asia, 12 – in Europe, 3 – in Africa and 1 – in Oceania. There are: one empire, kingdoms, princedoms, dukedoms, sultanates, emirates, Papal States – Vatican among them. Usual authorities are lifelong and descend, but in Malaysia and UAE monarch is elected in five years term. Monarchies in the world (map)

The UK, Bahrain, Belgium, Brunei, Cambodia, Denmark, Japan, Jordan, Kuwait, Lesotho, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Monaco, Morocco, Netherlands, Norway, Oman, Qatar, Samoa, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Swaziland, Sweden, Thailand, Tonga

Lesson 5

Тheme 5: World resources, their description

Plan:

1. Classification of the natural resources

2. The world water resources

3. The world climatic resources