if you notice, the vast majority of first world countries tend to come from regions further away from the equatorial regions and likewise the vast majority of third world and undeveloped countries tend to be located near the equator. before a generalisation that the northern hemisphere (excl n.korea) contains all the developed countries, south africa is considerably better off than the rest of that continent, and for those of us who have been to argentina and brazil, it is obvious which nation has the better quality of life (compare sao paulo and buenos aires and you will see what i mean). despite brazil continuously improving, it is still one of the most unequal countries on the earth, making america look mild by comparison. additionally, great empires have also tended to come from the aforementioned regions.
now although this is nothing new, what i have always wanted to ask is why is it like this? such a question, let alone even a suggestion along these lines would conjur accusations of racism, evolution playing a part, and everything perjorative thing you can imagine if i asked this in real life. given that i can hide behind these forums, so why is this the case?
i did come across a book by Jared Diamond that did try to explain something relating to this but i cant remember the title of it.