What is a major reason for the differences in economic prosperity in various areas of the world today?

1) an unequal distribution of resources

2) the success of nationalist movements

3) religious unity between the nations

4) membership in the United Nations

The major reason for the differences in economic prosperity in various areas of the world today is 1) an unequal distribution of resources. Some areas of the world, such as some of the Arabian countries or Scandinavia have a lot of oil, which is quite expensive, which means that these countries are very rich because of those resources. Other countries that don't have such resources tend to be much poorer.