Environmental Science: Land Use in Developing Countries

Use the tools that scientist use to investigate the relationships within large demographic data sets -- and see how our use of land changes as countries develop.

Summary:

In this activity, students will consider how best to measure country development.

By comparing demographic trends such as percentage of land devoted to agriculture, percentage of population living in urban areas, illiteracy rates, and sanitation, students can reflect on the difference between developed and developing countries.

In the end, students will devise a definition of development and distribute mock funds to developing countries on behalf of the Foundation for World Improvement. All data needed for the activity is packaged in My World -- included with the more than 50 free data sets on your disk.

This activity is available for download at the My World Activity Center. Click on the Activity Center link and look for the activity entitled:

"My World Intro Activities: (5) Developing Countries Activity"

Here's what you need:

• My World GIS

My World GIS is a Geographic Information System (GIS) designed by educators specifically for learning with a GIS--not about a GIS. It is a powerful mapping and analytical tool that provides visual representation of data in a geographic context.

PASCO offers a variety of licensing options for K-12 and University students.

See the product description and licensing options.