Abstract This paper explains that the Democratic Republic of Congo, formerly known as Zaire, has been plagued with ethnic turmoil and civil war, exacerbated by the massive influx of refugees from Rwanda and Burundi, which has reduced a once prospering country into a state of turmoil. The author points out that there are over 200 African ethnic groups in the Democratic Republic of Congo of which the majority of these are Bantu. The paper explains that the U.N.'s Human Development Index (HDI), which is a composite of human development indicators, such as longevity, knowledge and education, and economic measurements, is a better system of determining living standards than the GDP alone; Democratic Republic of Congo ranks very near the bottom. Many graphs and charts.
Table of Contents
Democratic Republic of Congo Background
Introduction
Geographic Placement
Ethnic Composition of the Democratic Republic of Congo
Religious Composition of the Democratic Republic of Congo
Colonial History of the Democratic Republic of Congo
Form of Government for the Democratic Republic of Congo
Main Sources of Economic Activity
Structure of the Economy of Democratic Republic of Congo
Economic Background
Nominal and Real GDP Per Capita for the Previous 10 Years, in US$
Nominal and Real GDP Per Capita for the Previous 10 Years, in LCU
Comparison of Two Graphs
Life Expectancy
Adult Literacy Rate
Primary School Enrollment Rate
Human Development Index (HDI)
HDI Formula
HDI Versus GDP
5 Obstacles to Economic Development in the Past 5 Years
Actions that Could be Taken to Overcome These Challenges
From the Paper "Currently the country is under a dictatorship and is presumably transitioning towards a representative government; however, this has yet to be realized. A 500-member transitional National Assembly, along with a 120-member Senate was installed in July of 2003. These members were drawn from groups that signed the Pretoria Accord in December 2002. Elections were scheduled to be held in June of 2005; however, these are not likely to take place. Instead, it is likely that the transitional government will remain in place until the early part of 2006. President Joseph Kabila heads this transitional government. The transitional government includes an executive president, four vice-presidents, and a cabinet that is drawn from five armed groups, the unarmed political opposition, civil society, and the previous government of Joseph Kabila."
Abstract This paper explains that, in 1972, the government of Indonesia created the master plan for the development of tourism to make Bali the "showcase" of Indonesia and to serve as the model of future tourism development for the rest of the country. The author points out that the tourism industry including transportation, hotel, hospitality and traveling services is the biggest industry in Bali, which provides quality employment opportunities for the Balinese, and is still one of the fastest growing sectors in the island. The paper relates that the environmental problems created by the industry are due to the failure to control the growth of tourism facilities such as golf courses and hotels because economic expansion tends to overtake planning.
From the Paper "According to Hitchcock (2001), tourist brochures make much of this religious affiliation of the Balinese, often describing it as the "land of a thousand temples". Bali is internationally known for its dances, temples, and beaches, which have long time been recognized as main tourist attractions. In 1996, Bali attracted a total number of 3 million tourists, or about 30% of the total number of foreign tourists coming to Indonesia. The trend shows an escalating number over several years. The increase is supported by the infrastructures and facilities: more than 25,000 hotel rooms of various qualities, international airport, which can accommodate large airplanes, ports, and more than 500 thousands Balinese involved in tourism activities."
Abstract This paper explains that the Republic of Chile is a presidential system of democracy; whereas, Japan adapted the parliamentary system. The author compares the roles and powers allocated within the executive and legislative branches in both countries, as ascribed by their Constitutions and their veto players, and defines who plays a vital role in policy making and changes. The paper examines (1) the relationship between the two branches of government of each country indicating how legislation is carried out and (2) the different approaches to decision making in Chile and Japan.
From the Paper "There are two chambers in Chile's Congress, namely the Chambers of Deputies and Senate. The Chamber of Deputies comprises of 120 members who are directly elected by their electoral districts through popular vote. The Chamber is renewed every four years, and the president has the right to dissolve it. The Senate is comprised of 49 parliamentarians. Thirty eight senators are directly elected from their designated districts and serve for eight years. The others include former Presidents, and various other high ranking former officials. Party coalition in both Chambers is common as the last Senate and Chamber elections unveil this trend."
Abstract This paper explains that because salt is needed the world over, for people and for animals, it has always been in demand; therefore, salt was probably the first traded commodity. The author points out that the world-over, in the past and in the present, salt is used for many different applications, such as, in the European Middle Ages, it was used not only to preserve food but also to cure leather, clean chimneys, glaze pottery, solder pipes and as a medicine for a variety of complaints. The paper describes salt manufacturing produce from edible sea salt in Japan, which has no known salt deposits and whose climate makes evaporation extremely impractical; nonetheless, today, Japan is the world's largest importer of salt.
Table of Contents
The Traditional Uses of Salt
Ancient China
African Uses of Salt
Salt in the Roman Empire
Advances in Salt Production
Venice and the Mediterranean
Britain
Japan
Salt in Today's World
From the Paper "Egyptian history starkly contrasts with that of the Chinese; they were the first civilization to preserve food on a large scale with salt. The Egyptians realized that by preserving a product with salt, such as fish, olives, or eggs, a value was added per pound. They exported vast amounts of salted food to the Middle East and trade in salted food would shape many economies for the next four millennia. The Egyptians also traded salted food with the Phoenicians who inhabited a narrow strip of land on the Lebanese coast, north of Mount Carmel. Not only did the Egyptians preserve food with salt, they also mummified bodies by keeping them in salt for 70 days. The Egyptians made thier salt by evaporating the seawater in the Nile; they also obtained salt from trade with Libya and Ethiopia."
Abstract This paper explains that, in Aruba, Dutch is the official language due to colonialism. The author points out that Papiamento is the native language, the "mother tongue". The paper discusses issues of the right to self-determination and the role of U.N..
From the Paper "Dutch may be the official language of Aruba but Papiamento is the native language that evolved over the centuries from a blending of Dutch, Afro-Portuguese, Spanish, Arawak Indian, French and English. Essentially a Creole language, Papiamento has been considered a pidgin and is spoken by very few people virtually all in Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao known as the ABC Islands of the Dutch Caribbean islands, The important point, however, is that, although very few people less than one half million use Papiamento as their primary language, it ..."
Tags: Papiamento, Aruba, Language, Dutch, UN, Colonialsm, Self-determination
Abstract This paper explains that the community influences the public sector, re-emphasizing the importance of the collaboration between community, citizens and government agencies toward creating a solid, driven and contemporary organizational system. The author points out that contemporary agencies now understand that government agencies have a responsibility to be focused on citizens and customer service oriented instead of being process and procedure driven. The paper stresses that the role and responsibilities of middle managers have changed and will likely continue to change as organizational structures within public service organizations become less bureaucratic and monopolistic in upcoming years.
Table of Contents
Key Factors That Have Produced Greater Emphasis on Relationships
Key Differences in Analysts Views of Public Sector Agencies
Managing Out Imperative and Changing Managers Roles
From the Paper "Multiple agencies have also expressed an interest in delivering processes which uphold more ethical standards, ones that can be easily identified and institutionalized; for this reason many agencies are working together to be more informed than they would be without communicating, and to improve not only the construction of but also the implementation of such regimes or policies. There has been great interest of late within the public sector for improving among other things ethics education, a sentiment expressed at the 5th International Ethics in Public Sector Conference held in Brisbane."
Abstract This paper explains that nationalism in the Middle East is defined, understood and acted upon by Arabs in accordance with their own history and religious traditions. The author points out that Arab nationalism exhibits a uniquely Muslim character. The paper relates that nationalism has gained and lost adherents over time as different regional and international forces have influenced the Arab world.
From the Paper "Nationalism has been an extremely significant force in the world for several centuries, especially in the West where it first emerged. But nationalism in the Middle East is defined, understood, and acted upon by Arabs in accordance with their own history and religious traditions. Subsequently, Arab nationalism exhibits a uniquely Muslim character, and has gained and lost adherents over time as different regional and international forces have influenced the Arab world. The latest incarnation of Arab nationalism emerged in the twentieth-century, especially after the Second World War, when European powers withdrew from the region, ending a long era of colonialism. Nationalist fervor soon swept across the Arab world, as Egyptians, Syrians, Jordanians, and other Arab peoples established sovereign governments."
Abstract This paper examines how Alaska is a very diverse state with an abundance of mineral, wildlife, as well as oil and petroleum resources. The nature of those resources brings them into direct opposition. It also looks at how the economy and urban growth of Alaska has developed through resources and how the state is unique in many ways, with a very different set of problems and challenges from the remaining states.
Abstract The paper introduces the successful Grameen Bank experiment in Bangladesh, by its founder the economist Professor Yunus Muhammad. The paper discusses methods and results and further discusses Muhammad's model, which makes use of peasant ingenuity and the need for success in very poor economies. The paper examines how the loopholes of macroeconomic or other theoretical approaches are important to the study of geography.
From the Paper "This article by the individual to create the now world - famous Grameen Bank project provides a summary of how the Bank came into being. In 1972, Professor Yunus Muhammad had returned from Vanderbilt University where he had completed his Ph.D. to teach economics at Chittagong University. Bangladesh had just gained its independence from Pakistan of which it no longer represented one wing, separated by many miles from the more prosperous West Pakistan. Muhammad was inspired by the potential of his country, now that problems of membership in Pakistan were gone."
Abstract An analysis of how both minor and major faults can lead to earthquakes. The paper includes a summary of the background of the Bay Area and explains how not all the earthquakes are found in the regions where the major faults lie and notes there are also unmapped faults. The paper discusses how the area not only demonstrates historical significance with regard to earthquake activity, but it is a region of the nation that has recurring earthquakes on a daily basis, though small in scale.
From the Paper "There are seven major faults in the San Francisco Bay Area. These faults become active through the "strike slip motion" of the Pacific and North American tectonic plates ("Working"). Research contends that, Although most of the present-day seismicity in Bay Area generally follows the major faults (San Andreas, Hayward-Mission Creek, Concord-Calaveras, and Antioch faults), a significant fraction occurs in the large (8 km) right-step-over region between the Calaveras and Concord faults and along the Mt. Lewis seismic zone. In addition, numerous earthquakes locate in the regions between the major faults and seismic zones and appear to lie on either the minor faults or on unmapped faults ("Bay Area"). Although these major faults have historically played a role in the major earthquakes that have affected the San Francisco Bay Area, scientists now conclude that at any time minor faults could create..."
Abstract In this essay the writer points out that the relationship between labor and geography is a profoundly important one. Further, the writer notes that this is especially true when one considers how the exploitation of geographic space by Wal-Mart both in the United States and in the world at large has allowed it to curb labor organization and to impose employment conditions upon its workers that can often only be described as criminal. The following paper briefly examines how Wal-Mart has utilized geography both within and without America's borders to pad its bottom line and to keep labor in a state of abject obeisance.
Abstract This paper discusses the economy of Senegal, an African country with a colonial history much like that of other African nations. According to the paper, Senegal was a colony of France until 1960, after which it was ruled by the Socialist Party for forty years. This changed with the election of President Abdouulaye Wade in 2000.
From the Paper "Senegal is an African country with a colonial history much like that of other African nations. Senegal was a colony of France until 1960, after which it was ruled by the Socialist Party for forty years. This changed with the election of President Abdouulaye Wade in 2000. Senegal had earlier joined with The Gambia in 1982 to form the nominal confederation of Senegambia, but what was to be the integration of the two countries never took place as the union was dissolved in 1989. Senegal has remained one of the most stable democracies in Africa in spite of clashes with a southern separatist group. The nation has also long participated in international peacekeeping efforts. Senegal is a West African country on the North Atlantic coast between Guinea-Bissau and Mauritania."
Abstract The paper indicates the advantages of the subfield of landscape geography that is distinct from other sub-disciplines, discussing two Ontario examples that reveal how landscapes can shape more than one culture according to human relationships. The paper presents research/fieldwork towards inner city Toronto's landscape shaping 'homeless' culture and also how the Muskoka landscape influences local and visiting cultures. The paper examines how it is the same landscape but different phenomena, due to use/economic interaction with an environment.
From the Paper "The study of landscape geography has involved a long struggle to distinguish its subject matter and approaches from those of physical geography. Landscape geographers make much not of local details within phenomena, but towards a good deal of theory to do with both a landscape's influence on culture and the aesthetics of geography. In some respects, landscape geography is like the study of ecology in attention to soil types, vegetation and the effects of land formations or waterways. There is much in common with fields of historical and human geography, too, in the attention given habitation, patterns of settlement or how local cultures have been influenced by terrain and climate."
Abstract This paper analyzes hurricanes. It discusses how hurricanes are formed and describes their structure. The paper discusses the affects of hurricanes on their surrounding environment. It then describes what is needed in order for a hurricane to increase in strength, as well as how it can become weaker. The paper concludes with the writer's personal memories and experiences with hurricanes.
From the Paper "Hurricanes are warm storms fueled by thunderstorms near their center. But before we can call any storm a hurricane, there are certain criteria that have to be met. Sometimes hurricanes can use pre-existing systems of disturbed weather to form; although in this system they must have some sort of circulation as well as a low pressure center. Another component that helps to form a hurricane is low wind shear. High wind shear would prevent the formation of a feedback loop which helps power the storm. Warm water is another and probably the most important component in the formations of hurricanes. Water temperatures have to be at least 80 degrees Fahrenheit down to a depth of at least 150 feet. Hurricanes are known as warm storms so it would only make sense that they form in warm water. The last component that will be mentioned is, distance from the equator. The minimum distance that a hurricane can form from the equator is 310 miles or 5 degrees on a map. This distance allows the Coriolis Effect to circulate the storm system giving it the appearance of a pin wheel (Wikipedia, 2007)."
Abstract This report provides an introduction to the current development of Yangtze River transportation in the aspects of economy, hinterland, dredging and container port. A further development plan of Yangtze River as well as a blueprint of dredging work announced by the central government are also briefly revealed. Finally, an introduction to three of the top five ports along the Yangtze River are given, in addition to PSA's China's prior research work on the remaining two of the top five ports i.e. Taicang and Zhangjiagang.
Outline:
Brief Introduction on Yangtze River
Economy & Hinterland
Yangtze River Transport
Development in Yangtze River Transportation
Port Along Yangtze River
Further Development Plan of Yangtze River
Dredging
The whole truck line
Responsible parties
Blueprint of dredging work
Lower Reaches
Brief Introduction on 3 of the Top 5 Ports Along Yangtze River
Nanjing
Wuhan
Chongqing
From the Paper "The emergence of important cities and industrial belt along the Yangtze is closely related to shipping on the river. By transporting raw materials, components and finished goods to and from industrial bases, the river plays a vital role in Yangtze region today. Statistics shows that the Yangtze Rivers carries 80% of the iron ore, 72% of the crude oil and 83% of the coal demanded by large factories and enterprises along the river. In some provinces and cities, more than 80% of foreign trade relies on the Yangtze River. Moreover, the transport of liquefied petroleum gas, chemicals and asphalt, as well as ro-ro transport, are also developing rapidly."
"According to the Yangtze Administration of Navigational Affairs, cargo throughput on the Yangtze reached 990m tons in 2006, 3.5 times as much as in 2000, and 3.8m TEU, 5.6 times higher than that of in 2000, making it the world's largest river in terms of freight volume."
