Physical and Environmental Variable Matrix
Israel
Climate:
Israel’s climate ranges are quite diverse: some regions are mild while others are dry; others are very humid.
Winters are rainy from November to May.
Summers are long and dry.
The North is always much rainier than the arid south and costal areas are much milder than elevated areas (Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 2010).
Topography:
Israel is a small country, only 8,630 sq. miles, according to its Foreign Ministry.
Its geography is extremely diverse, encompassing deserts and highly fertile farmland, mountains and flat lands (Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 2010).
The most significant topographical features are the long-standing hostility of its neighbors and the continuing political instability due to the Israel-Palestinian conflict within the nation’s borders.
Infrastructure, joint ventures, justification:
Israel is notable for its production of olive oil and its burgeoning wine industry. Tourism is also a major aspect of its economy, as many individuals wish to see the Holy Land for themselves. Tourist exchanges with travel-based companies and universities in the U.S. are frequent.
Because Israel’s citizens are made up of Jewish people who have lived all around the world, its population is very diverse. Many individuals are quite well-educated and familiar with the culture of the West. Intellectual and cultural exchanges in the field of academia and medicine have been frequent, but the downside to any joint ventures is the threat of terrorism within the country.
United Kingdom
Climate:
Temperatures are moderate, and according to the CIA Factbook, more than one-half of the days are overcast
Topography:
The total expanse of the nation spans: 243,610 sq km (CIA Factbook, 2010).
The United Kingdom is a small island, and exhibits frequent climate instability — rainfall is frequent and thus the land is very green. Winters and summers are usually mild in the midlands, but harsher in the hillier northern regions. Farmland and sea-based industries have been facilitated by the United Kingdom’s rainfall and proximity to the ocean.
Infrastructure, joint ventures, justification:
The United Kingdom is one of the leading financial centers of the world. Exchanges of intellectual resources and culture have dominated U.S.-UK interactions, and will likely continue into the future. The UK also has a robust agricultural industry, and is famed for some of its products such as Cadbury chocolates, beef, and wool-based textiles. Its social support network is more extensive than the U.S. (all citizens have ) but other aspects of the government’s once-entangling bureaucratic restrictions that could have hampered joint ventures have been reduced in the past decades.
Brazil
Climate:
Brazil’s climate is largely tropical. There are occasional droughts in the northeast and flooding in the south, according to the CIA Factbook.
Topography:
8,514,877 sq km (CIA Factbook, 2010).
Located in Latin America, Brazil is mostly flat with rolling plains, although it has some hilly areas as well as tropical jungles (CIA Factbook, 2010).
Infrastructure, joint ventures, justification:
Although hard-hit by the economic crisis, Brazil’s agricultural, mining, manufacturing, and service industries have allowed it to enjoy great prosperity, in comparison to its neighbors.
Currently, its exports in coffee, soybeans, wheat, rice, corn, sugarcane, cocoa, citrus and beef are rebounding (CIA Factbook, 2010). However, concerns about sustainability and a drive to eat more locally may threaten these agricultural exports in the future, making joint ventures with Brazil an uncertain prospect. The possible exception is coffee. Coffee is a necessary export for most of the world, and has become an ‘affordable luxury’ even when times are hard.
Canada
Climate:
Canada varies in its temperatures: its southern regions have a climate similar to that of the northern U.S., while its northernmost regions are arctic and subarctic in temperature.
Topography:
Canada spans a total of 9,984,670 sq km, according to the CIA Factbook.
It is the second-largest country in world although most of the population is located close to the U.S.-Canadian border.
Infrastructure, joint ventures, justification:
Canada boasts a highly-educated and sophisticated labor force. NAFTA’s facilitation of trade with the U.S. created an economic boom, and today Canada is the U.S.’s largest supplier of oil and gas as well as uranium and electricity (CIA Factbook, 2010). Canada’s hardiness as an economy speaks well of its ability to engage in joint ventures with U.S. firms. Additionally, remaining friendly with a is valuable. Canada also has several agricultural industries, such as maple syrup manufacturing, that are now difficult to pursue in the northern U.S. due to global warming, but are flourishing in Canada’s colder climate.
References
Brazil. (2010). CIA World Factbook. Retrieved August 8, 2010 at https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/br.html
Canada. (2010). CIA World Factbook. Retrieved August 8, 2010 at https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ca.html
Israel. (2010). Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Retrieved August 8, 2010 at http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Facts+About+Israel/Land/the+LAND-+Geography+and+Climate.htm
The United Kingdom. (2010). CIA World Factbook. Retrieved August 8, 2010 at https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/uk.html
