Name: ________________________________________
Date: _______________________
Comparative Systems Worksheet
Geography
Natural Resources – How
many and what type of
natural resources are
available?
Land Use – What percentage
of the land is arable (capable
of being farmed)?
USA
NORTH KOREA
CHAD
Coal, copper, lead,
molybdenum,
phosphate, rare earth
elements, uranium,
bauxite, gold, iron,
mercury, nickel,
potash, silver,
tungsten, zinc,
petroleum, natural
gas, timber
18.01%
Coal, lead, tungsten,
zinc, graphite,
magnesite, iron, ore,
copper, gold, pyrites,
salt, fluorspar,
hydropower
Petroleum, uranium,
natron, kaolin, fish,
gold, limestone, sand
and gravel, salt
22.4%
2.8%
Total population:
78.32 years
- Male: 75.92 years
- Female: 80.93 years
2.06 children
born/woman
Total population:
68.89 years
- Male: 65.03 years
- Female: 72.93 years
2.02 children
born/woman
Total population:
48.33%
- Male: 47.28%
- Female: 49.43%
5.05 children
born/woman
Total population: 99%
- Male: 99%
- Female: 99%
Total population: 99%
- Male: 99%
- Female: 99%
Total population:
25.7%
- Male: 40.8%
- Female: 12.8%
Constitution-based
federal republic;
strong democratic
tradition
$3.456 trillion/$14.66
trillion
=24%
Communist state –
One-man dictatorship
Republic
3.3 billion/ 28billion
x100
=12%
$2. 928 billion/ $7. 848
billion X100
=37%
4.06% of GDP
NA
1.7% of GDP
People
Life expectancy at birth –
How long are children born
today expected to live?
Total Fertility Rate – How
many children does each
woman have, on average?
Literacy Rate – What
percentage of people over
the age of 15 can read and
write?
Government
Government Type – How are
leaders elected?
Government Spending as
Percent of GDP (Budget
Expenditures Divided by
GDP).
Military Spending as a
Percentage of GDP.
Economy
Economy Overview – What
are the most serious
economic problems facing
each of these three nations?
GDP Per Capita – What is the
value of goods and services
produced per person?
Population Below Poverty
Line – How many people live
in poverty?
GDP Composition by Sector –
What percentage of GDP is
industry and services?
Labor Force by Occupation –
What percentage of workers
is in agriculture?
Industries – What are the
primary industries? Are they
primarily producing for
consumer or government
consumption?
Agriculture Products - What
are the primary agricultural
goods produced?
Facing higher barriers
to enter their rivals’
home markets than
foreign firms face
entering US markets,
inadequate
investment in
economic
infrastructure, rapidly
rising medical and
pension costs of an
aging population,
sizable trade and
budget deficits,
stagnation of family
income in the lower
economic groups
$47,200
Large military
spending, shortages
of spare parts, poor
maintenance,
underinvestment
Landlocked position,
high energy costs,
history of instability,
has to rely on foreign
assistance
$1,800
$1,600
12%
NA
80%
Agriculture: 1.1%
Industry: 22.1%
Services: 76.8%
0.7%
Agriculture: 20.7%
Industry: 47.8%
Services: 31.5%
35%
Agriculture: 52%
Industry: 7%
Services: 41/1%
80%
Petroleum, steel,
motor vehicles,
aerospace,
telecommunications,
chemicals,
electronics, food
processing, consumer
goods, lumber,
mining – Mostly for
consumers
Military products,
machine building,
electric power,
chemicals; mining
(coal, magnesite, iron
ore, limestone,
graphite, copper, zinc,
lead, precious
metals), metallurgy;
textiles, food –
Government
consumption
Rice, corn, potatoes,
soybeans, pulses;
cattle, pigs, pork, eggs
Oil, cotton, textiles,
meatpacking,
brewing, natron,
soap, cigarettes,
construction
materials
Wheat, corn, other
grains, fruits,
vegetables, cotton;
beef, pork, poultry,
dairy products; fish;
forest products
Cotton, sorghum,
millet, peanuts, rice,
potatoes, manioc;
cattle, sheep, goats,
camels
Industrial Production Growth
Rate
Electricity Production
Telephones – Main Lines in
Use
Internet Service Providers
Railways
Paved Highways
Airports with paved Runways

5.3%
NA
3%
4.11 trillion kWh
141 million
22.5 billion kWh
1.18 million
100 million kWh
13,000
439 million
Total: 224, 792 km
4,374,784 km
5,194
3
Total: 5,242 km
724 km
37
5
NA
267 km
8
Market – Market economy is an economic system where the decisions related to goods and services
are done mostly by the private sector to make profit, and the government does not interfere with
the businesses much.
-

Example: USA – USA is an example of market economy because in the US, the government is not
really interested about the businesses. There are lots of private businesses aiming to make
profits.
Command – Command economy, also known as planned economy, is a type of an economic system
where the government decides or ‘plans’ what type of businesses can be established for what
purpose, for whom and how much to produce. The government has a control over the business
market.
-

Example: North Korea – North Korea has a command economy because there is dictatorship,
meaning to say that there is one ultimate power that has control of everything. The government
decides on what the type of goods and services are to be produced. The people are provided
with all the necessities by the government.
Developing economy – Developing economy is not fully developed but not underdeveloped as well.
It is found in nations seeking to develop by industrialization. There is a healthy balance between
the public sector and the private sector.
-
Example: Chad – Chad is a poor nation that is slowly developing at the moment. The
government doesn’t provide everything for the people, but they do have certain amount of
power and there are some private companies as well.