2.16 Globalization

Colonize
globalization
life expectancy
literacy rate
multinational corporation
raw material
specialize
United Nations

​Vocabulary

• Think about the items in your home. Many items, such as clothing and electronics, are manufactured in Asia.

• Perhaps the fruits and vegetables you ate most recently were grown in Mexico or a country in Central America, South America, or the Caribbean. If you look on a food package, you can sometimes find "Product of [country name]" somewhere on the label.

• You might enjoy entertainment from other countries, such as British movies, Canadian artists' music, or Japanese video games.

• The videos you watch online and the comments on those videos could come from people around the world.

​Never been outside of the Us? No problem!

Connections around the globe influence economies, cultures, and problem-solving.

In this lesson, you will learn about these global connections and answer the
Essential Question:

How does globalization shape the world?

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​The world is more connected than ever!

Globalization is the process of the world becoming more interconnected. Interactions between countries lead countries to trade with each other, influence each other, and depend on each other.

Globalization is nothing new. Throughout history, different civilizations have traded with each other. People have moved and spread their cultures. In some cases, globalization caused groups to come under foreign control they did not want.

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​History of Globalization

Globalization has a major effect on economies throughout the world. Recall that an economy is the way people make and spend money. Economic activities include buying and selling goods and services.

​Economic Globalization

A multinational corporation is a company that has a branch in at least one country outside its home country. There are many multinational corporations today. Major American fast food chains have restaurants throughout the world. It is common for manufacturing companies to open factories in multiple countries.

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​Multinational Corporation

Some countries specialize in a certain economic activity, meaning they focus their economies on a certain product or service. For example, a country might specialize in producing coffee beans: a large portion of its economy involves growing and exporting coffee beans.

​Specialization

Countries with lower economic development often specialize in exporting raw materials. A raw material is a natural resource taken from the earth that is used to make something else. For example:

• Cotton is a raw material that people use to make clothing.

• Iron ore is a raw material that people use to make steel.

​Raw Materials

Countries with higher economic development often import raw materials from other countries. They use the raw materials to make finished goods.

In a globalized economy, countries depend on each other. A country that exports raw materials depends on other countries to buy them. A country that imports raw materials depends on other countries to sell them.

While specialization allows countries to focus on what they do best, specialization can be risky. Imagine a country that specializes in tomatoes. If a disease destroys half of the crops, the country's economy would be seriously hurt. A country that produces a lot of different goods would be less affected.

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Countries depend on each other!

Economic conditions vary in places throughout the world. Geographers can compare countries' conditions by examining characteristics such as:

• wealth;

• education;

• healthcare;

• literacy rate, or what percentage of the population can read and write; and

• life expectancy, or how long people in a region live on average.

​Global Economic Inequality

If you said "Yes", you have been affected by cultural globalization.

​Globalization of Culture!

The United Nations (UN) is a global organization of governments throughout the world. Most of the world's countries are members of the United Nations. The organization's goal is to keep international peace and support economic cooperation between countries.

​United Nations (UN)