Comparing and Contrasting Development in Germany and Kenya - Research Paper Example

A country that has developed technology, economy, and infrastructure is a developed country. Many parameters are used when measuring the development of the country. It is still debatable on which criteria is the most appropriate in ranking countries regarding their level of development. However, the commonly analyzed factors include the gross domestic products (GDP), industrialization level, per capita income, life expectancy, literacy level, and living standards. Human Development Index (HDI) is another prominent term used to ascertain the development level of a country. The HDI puts together national income and economic measure with life expectancy and education to come up with a reliable rating (Taylor 376). These HDI split countries into four categories of development: very highly developed, highly developed, medium developed, and low developed. The paper will compare and contrast the development levels of Germany and Kenya. It will discuss how physical geography has contributed or retarded the economic development of Germany and Kenya. The physical geography of the two nations has played a big role in shaping their population settlement patterns, geopolitics, economic and social development, imperialism, and other areas that ultimately determine development. According to the HDI ratings given on 24 July 2014 in Tokyo, Germany is the sixth most developed country. It is highly industrialized and populous country with the largest national economy in Europe. It is among the largest world exporters and is rich in minerals like natural gas, copper, iron, and nickel. She has a GDP of $3.2 trillion, a per capita income of $39,028 and life expectancy is 80.44 years. Its population is at 82.2 million. Furthermore, its people are highly educated with a 99% literacy level (Knowles 36). On the other hand, Kenya is less developed than Germany, although it is the most highly developed country in the Eastern Africa. It is less industrialized and has fewer minerals than Germany. It majorly depends on agricultural exports, which tend to fluctuate considering harsh climatic conditions (Mwanzi 78). Currently, the GDP of Kenya stands at $ 44.10, and it has a per capita of 606.21. Its life expectancy is 70 years and has a population of 44 million. Furthermore, Kenyans are less educated than Germans, with only 58% literacy level. Population Settlement Patterns Germany’s most densely populated areas are along or near rivers. The first civilization in Germany stated around rivers since people were looking for more productive and fertile soil. Thus, people were able to produce more crops, and allowed every person to become productive (Knowles 37). The overall result was the development of the country. Berlin City, the most populated city, is the capital city of Germany, which is located along the river. The other parts of Germany that are not along rivers are evenly distributed, hence promoting even distribution of resources and uniform development (Gabler 68). Thus, Germany sprung up to be highly developed due to improvement of agricultural production that began during civilization. In Kenya, there is a dense population along the coastal regions in cities such as Mombasa and Lamu, along major rivers and lakes, in highlands and around Nairobi, the capital city. The regions have sufficient supply of water, ambient climate for agriculture, availability of infrastructure and valuable physical resources. These areas have attracted a dense population to the point of overpopulation (Mwanzi 78). As such, especially in major cities, a scramble for the scarcely available resources has led to underdevelopment. People cannot produce enough to contribute to the national development. To make the matter worse, the rest of the country is sparsely populated, especially the Northern and eastern regions. These areas are semi-arid and therefore lack suitable climatic and soil conditions necessary for Agriculture. The overall result is the uneven population settlement pattern across the country. As such, there is unequal production as well as distribution of food, social amenities, infrastructure, and other developmental resources. Geopolitics, Imperialism, Violence, and Cultural Factors Germany has had a stable political policies and rule since its birth; it has developed over years to become more politically stable pertaining to domestic affairs. In foreign affairs, Germany has strived to build international political relationship to enable the country gain what she lacks and dispose of off her surplus (Knowles 46). For example, her increasing need of oil and natural gas has seen her accessing foreign energy sources. Germany energy companies are now controlling most of European Energy supply. Several countries rely on German for their natural gas supplies. Germany is increasingly reaching out to her former colonies in Africa to obtain energy and other resources necessary for the development. Her massive interest in the Gulf region and cooperation in shaping the New Order are the reasons behind her wanting to be a political leader in the region. All these internal and foreign political engagements increase and secure a great development position on the world map. As it grew in power and industrialization, Germany had to look for sources of energy, labor, and market for its products. These are some of the reasons it joined other European nations to scramble and colonize foreign countries. The foreign countries include those in Africa. Germany was able to take fertile lands in African colonies. She thus was able to produce and export agricultural produce from the colonies. She forced locals into cheap labor to work for her in the farms and other economic areas. Furthermore, she took most of the valuable minerals from these colonies into home country. The overall result was higher growth and development of Germany (Taylor 578). Kenya was a colony of the British. She got independence just recently; that is in the year 1963. Therefore, she is still recovering from the colonial rule. The British masters took most of her resources, for example, by occupying fertile lands and exploring her other resources (Mwanzi 89). After independence, the locals struggled to grab what the British left. The first leaders were thus greedy and served their interests before considering the common people. Therefore, many people remained poor and unable to develop themselves. Few Kenyans grabbed the properties and land in the post-colonial period. The result was the unequal distribution of property that has continued until now. The poor are unable to contribute to the national development while they depend on the government for the scarce resources. Kenya, on the other hand, has suffered from a history of political instabilities. The ruling party consisted mostly of influential tribes that settle around the capital city. These regions are rich in the fertile soil and have ambient climatic conditions. Furthermore, the regions are geographically close to the capital city. Thus, they are more highly developed than the rest of the country. The development saw them securing top governmental positions and ensured that the positions stayed within their locality. They alienated the rest of other parts from holding strategic positions in government. Therefore, the past political governments and regimes were corrupt and practiced many other vices that retard development, such as tribalism, nepotism, political intolerance, and briberies. She reached the peak of internal conflicts in the year 2007/2008 after the general election. The post-election violence saw her dropping further behind in development. Kenya is richer in terms of physical geographical features than bordering countries like Somalia, Ethiopia, and Sudan. It has several lakes and rivers, a coastal line, forests, and highlands (Gabler 87). Thus, the resultant climatic conditions have made it emerge a head higher than these countries. Bordering countries like Somalia has experienced an unstable government for the past decade due to poor endowment that lead to scrambling for resources. The effect is the sprouting of terrorist groups like Al-Shabaab in Somalia and internal conflicts in Sudan. Kenya has extended its foreign policy by supplying armed forces in Somalia, holding, and maintaining peace talks in Sudan. However, this has led to insecurity within the country as terror groups retaliate. Lack of insecurity has further led to crippling of the economy. Conclusion Germany is more developed than Kenya since it has a greater GDP and per capita, higher population, improved infrastructure and higher level of literacy. Her development is possible because of ambient physical geographical features that sparked her historical development. Her foreign policies and the fact that she colonized many African countries enable her to grow further and establish an enviable position. Kenyan is less developed because of the vast semi-arid regions that have caused uneven distribution of population. She has experienced a recent colonial oppression and then poor governments. Furthermore, she has had a poor foreign policy, insecurities, and violence. Works Cited Gabler, Robert E. Physical Geography. Belmont: Brooks/Cole, Cengage Learning, 2009. Print. Knowles, L C. A. Economic Development in the Nineteenth Century: France, Germany, Russia, and the United States. 3rd ed. London: G. Routledge & Sons, 2010. Print. Mwanzi, Henry A. The Roots of Underdevelopment in Kenya. 2nd ed. Nairobi: Historical Association of Kenya, 2009. Print. Taylor, A J. P. The Course of German History: A Survey of the Development of Germany Since 1815. New York: Capricorn Books, 1999. Print. Read More