BTW just read an articel (german) about global poverty:
it says that the global poverty in general got - 50% in most countrys during the last 50 years EXCEPT AFRICA.
so in short: every country, even those who have similiar land/temprature/gold/oil etc make it to get with the evolution....except the country where they will live on trees for the next 50 years...
http://www.heise.de/tp/r4/artikel/26/26430/1.html