History Main / DevelopingNationsLackCities

* ''Franchise/MarvelUniverse'': [[ComicBook/BlackPanther Wakanda]] is an inversion, being an [[{{Afrofuturism}} Afrofuturistic]] city that is more advanced than virtually every other country on the planet. On the other hand, the rest of Africa is more often than not depicted as being only villages, jungles and deserts, with cities very rarely being shown.

Africa and Latin America tend to be the most misrepresented due to many people's misconceptions formed because of their military and civil conflicts, slow economic development, exotic landscapes and their lack of "Global" cities which makes them perfect for poor rural settings in the minds of creators.

->'''Cartman:''' Oh my God! Dude, look at how dirty and crappy everything is!\\
'''Ms. Stevens:''' Eric, Costa Rica is a Third-World country. These people are much poorer than those in the U.S.
-->-- ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'', "[[Recap/SouthParkS3E1RainforestSchmainforest Rainforest Schmainforest]]"

** ''VideoGame/TiberianDawn'' (set all over Africa and Europe) and ''VideoGame/RedAlert'' (Europe) only have small buildings and huts that can at best look like a small village and don't really show the player invading large cities (although the pre-rendered cutscenes do show more urban environments). Averted in later games where the graphics and game engine had improved enough to represent more realistic cities.

* ''Series/{{Homeland}}'': The show has been [[https://imagininglebanon.com/2012/10/16/homelands-war-on-beirut/ criticized for portraying Beirut]], the capital city of Lebanon, as a rundown, war-torn village[[note]]The footage is actually from a tiny Palestinian village.[[/note]] rather than the thriving, colorful city it is in real life.

** Downplayed in "[[Recap/SouthParkS3E1RainforestSchmainforest Rainforest Schmainforest]]". The capital San Jose has crappy buildings that are falling apart, but the capital building is still in decent shape (apart from a few gunshot holes on the walls). Plus the city isn't the main focus of the episode, the rainforest is.

----

* ''Film/MrAndMrsSmith2005'': The film begins in Bogotá;, UsefulNotes/{{Colombia}}, which is portrayed as a river town rather than the cosmopolitan city it is.

This is done in many WideOpenSandbox video games set in underdeveloped or fictional nations to avoid overtaxing the console or engine as a city would need hundreds of [=NPC=]s and vehicles moving and thus creators either remove cities or downsize them to just a few skyscrapers and a dozen buildings.

This is done in many WideOpenSandbox video games set in underdeveloped or fictional nations to avoid overtaxing the console or engine as a city would need hundreds of [=NPC=]s and vehicles moving and thus either remove cities and downsize them to just a few skyscrapers and a dozen buildings.

This is done in many Sandbox video games set in underdeveloped or fictional nations to avoid overtaxing the console or engine as a city would need hundreds of [=NPC=]s and vehicles moving and thus either remove cities and downsize them to just a few skyscrapers and a dozen buildings.

A city is a large permanent and densely populated human settlement with extensive housing, and systems for transportation, sanitation, production of goods and communication. The city's ability to bring together people and resources in a close-knit setting is vital for any sophisticated state. Yet, media from developed countries tend to portray third world/underdeveloped nations as backwards agrarian societies with no cities, which is very far from the truth as even the poorest (sovereign and recognized) country in the world will have a cosmopolitan capital city with skyscrapers and modern technologies.

A city is a large permanent and densely populated human settlement with extensive housing, transportation, sanitation, production of goods and communication, and are vital for any sovereign state. Yet, media from developed countries tend to portray third world/underdeveloped nations as rural societies with no city in sight, which is very far from the truth as even the poorest (sovereign and recognized) country in the world will have a cosmopolitan capital city. This may be out of ignorance from the creator(s) or because the creator's city background makes them find the rural setting more exotic or because they believe that poor rural settings are better indicators of being in a third world nation or [[RealityIsUnrealistic because they think audiences will not believe that nations like]] UsefulNotes/ElSalvador, UsefulNotes/{{Uganda}}, UsefulNotes/{{Liberia}}, and UsefulNotes/{{Kazakhstan}} have shopping malls.

* ''Series/{{Homeland}}'': The show has been [[https://imagininglebanon.com/2012/10/16/homelands-war-on-beirut/ criticized for its inaccurate depiction of Beirut]], the capital city of Lebanon, depicting it as a rundown, war-torn village[[note]]The footage is actually from a tiny Palestinian village.[[/note]] rather than the thriving, colorful city it is in real life.
* ''Series/PerfectStrangers'': The fictional island nation of Mypos is Balki's home country. The few times it is shown, we never see any cities, just small villages with carts and wagons for transportation rather than cars. It is also mentioned that only the royal family has indoor plumbing and the country has only one working telephone.

** The pre-3D games all wartorn nations are portrayed as rural societies. Later games avert this however.

* ''VideoGame/FarCry'': With the exception of the first game, the fictional settings are portrayed as only towns and villages with no cities. ''Far Cry 6'' is the first game to have a city and urban warfare.

[[caption-width-right:350:One example of why outsourcing your work to poorer countries is not always a good idea]]

This trope is often linked to SavageSouth, AfricaIsACountry, DarkestAfrica, EgyptIsStillAncient, LatinLand, {{Spexico}} and {{Ruritania}}. Tropical countries portrayed this way can have a WarmPlaceWarmLighting. Compare LandOfOneCity.

This trope is often linked to SavageSouth, AfricaIsACountry, DarkestAfrica, EgyptIsStillAncient, LatinLand, and {{Spexico}}. Tropical countries portrayed this way can have a WarmPlaceWarmLighting. Compare LandOfOneCity.

* ''Film/JurassicPark'': San Jose -- the capital of UsefulNotes/CostaRica -- is portrayed as a coast town rather than the inland metropolis it is.
* ''Film/MrAndMrsSmith2005'': The film begins in Bogotá, UsefulNotes/{{Colombia}}, which is portrayed as a river town rather than the cosmopolitan city it is.

* ''VideoGame/GhostReconWildlands'': The game is set in a UsefulNotes/{{Bolivia}} that has no cities, only towns and villages.

A city is a large permanent and densely populated human settlement with extensive housing, transportation, sanitation, production of goods and communication, and are vital for any sovereign state. Yet, media from developed countries tend to portray third world/underdeveloped nations as rural societies with no city in sight, which is very far from the truth as even the poorest (sovereign and recognized) country in the world will have a cosmopolitan capital city. This may be out of ignorance from the creator(s) or because the creator's city background makes them find the rural setting more exotic or because they believe that poor rural setting are better indicators of being in a third world nation or [[RealityIsUnrealistic because they think audiences will not believe that nations like]] UsefulNotes/ElSalvador, UsefulNotes/{{Uganda}}, UsefulNotes/{{Liberia}} and UsefulNotes/{{Kazakhstan}} have shopping malls.

* ''Series/{{Homeland}}'': The show has been [[https://imagininglebanon.com/2012/10/16/homelands-war-on-beirut/ criticized for it's inaccurate depiction of Beirut]], the capital city of Lebanon, depicting it as a rundown, war-torn village[[note]]The footage is actually from a tiny Palestinian village.[[/note]] rather than the thriving, colorful city it is in real life.

** ''VideoGame/TiberianDawn'' (set all over Africa and Europe) and ''VideoGame/RedAlert'' (Europe) only have small buildings and huts that can at best look like a small village, and don't really show the player invading large cities (although the pre-rendered cutscenes do show more urban environments). Averted in later games where the graphics and game engine had improved enough to represent more realistic cities.

-->'''Cartman:''' Oh my God! Dude, look at how dirty and crappy everything is!
-->'''Ms. Stevens:''' Eric, Costa Rica is a Third-World country. These people are much poorer than those in the U.S.

[[caption-width-right:350:One example of why outsourcing your work to poorer countries are not always a good idea]]

[[caption-width-right:350:some caption text]]

* ''ComicStrip/{{Dilbert}}'' once traveled to Elbonia on assignment. The whole country is hip-deep in mud, and most of its structures are huts. For a country that does much of the technology grunt-work under subcontract, the Elbonians seem to use it rarely.

* ''Franchise/MarvelUniverse'': [[ComicBook/BlackPanther Wakanda]] is an inversion, being an [[{{Afrofuturism}} Afrofuturistic]] city that is more advanced than virtually every country on the planet. On the other hand, the rest of Africa is more often than not depicted as being only villages, jungles and deserts, with cities very rarely being shown.