Answers to Geography Questions

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Question 1
The success or failure of a nation state is evaluated based on how well it delivers the critical political goods (Bosker and Garretsen 446). The majority of indicators used to assess the failure or success of nations are political. However, a change in the nation’s GDP, which is also an indicator, is influenced by various geographical factors. Some of the geographical factors that influence the GDP and consequently failure or success of a nation include climate, location, resources, and stability (Bosker and Garretsen 449). Climate influences the level of productivity and thus directly impacts the GDP. The location of a nation determines the ease of access to markets where the country’s citizens can either trade off surplus or buy to fill deficits. The natural resources with which a country is endowed determine its wealth. The level of environmental stability regarding calamities like earthquakes impacts a nation’s GDP directly and consequently influences its success or failure.
Question 2
Overpopulation. Human population is increasing at an alarming rate thereby putting more pressure on the essential natural resources.
Soil degradation. Through various anthropogenic activities, the soil is getting degenerated thereby making it lose its potential to support plant life. As a result, agricultural productivity is reducing thereby making it hard to feed the rapidly growing population.
Species extinction. Man’s activities are causing loss of species on both land and sea.

Apart from these species having an inherent right to exist, they are also a source of products and services that are essential to the survival of man.
Deforestation. Deforestation leads to the loss of forest cover which acts as a carbon sink to keep carbon out of the ocean and atmosphere.
Desertification. It causes the land to lose agricultural productivity thereby exposing the world’s population to the risk of famine.

Work Cited
Bosker, Maarten, and Harry Garretsen. “Economic geography and economic development in Sub-Saharan Africa.” The World Bank Economic Review 26.3 (2012): 443-485.