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Information about Least Developed Country

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Map of the Least Developed Countries 2006 as defined by the United Nations
Least Developed Countries (LDCs or Fourth World countries) are countries which according to the United Nations exhibit the lowest indicators of socioeconomic development, with the lowest Human Development Index ratings of all countries in the world. A country is classified as a Least Developed Country if it meets three criteria [1] based on:
  • low-income (three-year average GNI per capita of less than US $750, which must exceed $900 to leave the list)
  • human resource weakness (based on indicators of nutrition, health, education and adult literacy) and
  • economic vulnerability (based on instability of agricultural production, instability of exports of goods and services, economic importance of non-traditional activities, merchandise export concentration, and handicap of economic smallness, and the percentage of population displaced by natural disasters)
Countries may "graduate" out of the LDC classification when indicators exceed these criteria. The United Nations Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States coordinates UN support and provides advocacy services for Least Developed Countries.

The classification currently applies to around 49 countries (as of June 14, 2007).

In 2007 the United Nations graduated Cape Verde from the category of Least Developed Countries, this is only the second time it has happened to a country.[1] The first country to graduate from LDC status was Botswana in 1994.

Usage and abbreviations

Least developed countries can be distinguished from developing countries, "less developed countries", "lesser developed countries", or other terms for countries in the so-called "Third World". Although many contemporary scholars argue that "Third World" is outdated, irrelevant or inaccurate, others may use the term "Fourth World" in reference to least developed countries.

However, in order to avoid confusion between "least developed country" and "less developed country", which may both be abbreviated as LDC, and to avoid confusion with landlocked developing country, which can be abbreviated as LLDC, "developing country" is generally used in preference to "less developed country".

Characteristics

Least developed countries generally suffer conditions of extreme poverty, ongoing and widespread conflict (including civil war or ethnic clashes), extensive political corruption, and lack political and social stability. The form of government in such countries is often authoritarian in nature, and may comprise a dictatorship, warlordism, or a kleptocracy. The majority of LDCs are in Sub-Saharan Africa.

During the last United Nations review in 2003, the UN defined LDCs as countries meeting three criteria, one of which was a three-year average estimate of gross national income (GNI) per capita of less than US $750. Countries with populations over 75 million are excluded. [2]

Trade and LDCs

Issues surrounding global trade regulations and LDCs have gained a lot of media and policy attention thanks to the recently collapsed Doha Round of WTO negotiations being termed a development round. During the WTO's Hong Kong Ministerial, it was agreed that LDCs could see 100 percent duty-free, quota-free access to U.S. markets if the round were completed. But analysis of the deal by NGOs found that the text of the proposed LDC deal had substantial loopholes that might make the offer less than the full 100 percent access, and could even erase some current duty-free access of LDCs to rich country markets. [3] [4], Dissatisfaction with these loopholes led some economists to call for a reworking of the Hong Kong deal. [5]

Current LDCs

Africa (33 Countries)

Eurasia (10 Countries)

America (1 Country)

Oceania (5 Countries)

Graduated LDC's

See also

 •  • [ e]
Economic classification of countries

Notes

External links

In political geography and international politics, a country is a political division of a geographical entity, a sovereign territory, most commonly associated with the notions of state or nation and government.
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Headquarters
(and largest city)
Official languages Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, Spanish
Membership 192 member states
Leaders
 -  Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
Establishment
 - 
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Socioeconomics or Socio-economics is the study of the relationship between economic activity and social life. The field is often considered multidisciplinary, using theories and methods from sociology, economics, history, psychology, and many others.
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Human Development Index (HDI) is the measure of life expectancy, literacy, education, and standard of living for countries worldwide. It is a standard means of measuring well-being, especially child welfare.
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country, state, and nation can have various meanings. Therefore, diverse lists of these entities are possible. Wikipedia offers the following lists:

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Gross National Income (GNI) comprises the total value of goods and services produced within a country (i.e. its Gross Domestic Product), together with its income received from other countries (notably interest and dividends), less similar payments made to other countries.
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Nutrition is a science that examines the relationship between diet and health. Dietitians are health professionals who specialize in this area of study, and are trained to provide safe, evidence-based dietary advice and interventions.
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Education encompasses teaching and learning specific skills, and also something less tangible but more profound: the imparting of knowledge, positive judgment and well-developed wisdom.
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literacy is considered to be the ability to read and write, or the ability to use language to read, write, listen, and speak. In modern contexts, the word refers to reading and writing at a level adequate for communication, or at a level that lets one understand and communicate
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Anthem
Cântico da Liberdade


Capital
(and largest city) Praia

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Motto
"Pula"
"Rain"
Anthem
Fatshe leno la rona
Blessed Be This Noble Land


Capital
(and largest city) Gaborone

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developing country has a relatively low standard of living, an undeveloped industrial base, and a moderate to low Human Development Index (HDI) score. In developing countries, there is low per capita income, widespread poverty, and low capital formation.
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Landlocked developing countries (LLDC) are developing countries that are landlocked. The economic and other disadvantages experienced by such countries tends to place them amongst the least developed countries (LDC) in the world.
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Extreme poverty is the most severe state of poverty, where people cannot meet basic needs for survival, such as food, water, clothing, shelter, sanitation, education and health care.
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civil war is a war in which parties within the same culture, society or nationality fight against each other for the control of political power.

Some civil wars are categorized as revolutions when major societal restructuring is a possible outcome of the conflict.
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An ethnic conflict or ethnic war is a war between ethnic groups often as a result of ethnic nationalism. They are of interest because of the apparent prevalence in the aftermath of the Cold War and because they frequently result in war crimes such as genocide.
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political corruption is the misuse by government officials of their governmental powers for illegitimate private gain. Misuse of government power for other purposes, like repression of political opponents and general police brutality, is not considered political corruption.
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form of government is a term that refers to the set of political institutions by which a state is organized in order to exert its powers over a political community.[1] Synonyms include "regime type" and "system of government".
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Authoritarianism describes a form of social control characterized by strict obedience to the authority of a state or organization, often maintaining and enforcing control through the use of oppressive measures. Authoritarian regimes are strongly hierarchical.
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dictatorship is an autocratic form of government in which the government is ruled by a dictator. It has three possible meanings:
  • Roman dictator was a political office of the Roman Republic. Roman dictators were allocated absolute power during times of emergency.

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A warlord is a person with power who has de facto military control of a subnational area due to armed forces loyal to the warlord and not to a central authority. The term can also mean one who espouses the ideal that war is necessary, and has the means and authority to
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Sub-Saharan Africa is the term used to describe the area of the African continent which lies south of the Sahara desert. Geographically, the demarcation line is the southern edge of the Sahara Desert.
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Gross National Income (GNI) comprises the total value of goods and services produced within a country (i.e. its Gross Domestic Product), together with its income received from other countries (notably interest and dividends), less similar payments made to other countries.
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Doha Development Round commenced at Doha, Qatar in November 2001 and is still continuing. Its objective is to lower trade barriers around the world, permitting free trade between countries of varying prosperity.
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World Trade Organization
Organización Mundial del Comercio
Organisation mondiale du commerce

Current members of the WTO (in green)

Formation 1 January 1995
Headquarters Geneva, Switzerland
Membership 151 member states
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The Sixth Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization, also known as the WTO Hong Kong Ministerial Conference and abbreviated as MC6, was held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, Wan Chai, Hong Kong from 13th to 18th December 2005.
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Anthem
March of the Volunteers[1]



Capital None[2]
Largest district (population) Sha Tin District
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