Diverse Structures and Common Characteristics of Developing Nations

It is hazardous to try to generalize too much about the 145 member countries of the United Nations (U.N.) that constitute the Third World. While almost all are poor in money terms, they are diverse in culture, economic conditions, and social and political structures. Thus, for example, low-income countries include India, with over 900 million people and 17 states, as well as Grenada, with less than 100,000 people, fewer than most large towns in the United States. Large size entails complex problems of national cohesion and administration while offering the benefits of relatively large markets, a wide range of resources, and the potential for self-sufficiency and economic diversity. In contrast, for many small countries the situation is reversed, with problems including limited markets, shortages of skills, scarce physical resources, weak bargaining power, and little prospect of significant economic self-reliance