HUG Unit 4

What is poltical geography?

The study of political organization worldwide

Define a modern state

Synonymous with country.

A state has:

Spatial extent

A permanent population

Defined borders

A sovereign government

Has recognition from other states

Were early political states well defined? Why or why not?

They were not.

A leader’s power was determined by their relationship with the people.

People in the state were often loyal to a person and the state itself.

Borders were often unclear and changed

Which group of people designed the modern definition of a state? What happened as a result?

European political philosophers designed it.

People started to owe allegiance to the state and the rest of its people.

Borders were drawn to formalize political division, and European countries imposed these divisions in their colonies

When the U.S. declared independece in 1776, how many countries were there? How many after WWII, 150 years later? Why did this change happen?

There were only 35 modern states, but after the war there were around 70 due to a process called decolonization, where colonies claimed independence.

What happened to the political geography of the world after the Cold War?

the U.S.S.R broke up, and other parts of the EU (Yugoslavia, Czheckoslavakia) also devolved

What are all of the kinds of political entities?

States

Nations

Nation-States

Stateless Nations

Multination States

Multistate nations

Semi-autonomous and Autonomous Regions

Define nation.

A group with shared culture, historical attachment to an area or homeland, and often seek some degree of political control over that homeland

Define Nation-state. What are their tendencies?

A state that closely shares borders with a nation’s homeland. The population is linked through common culture and history. They tend to be small and isolated.

List two nation-states.

Japan and Iceland

Define Stateless Nation.

When a national group spreads across different states. The national group is often a minority and they have negligible political power in each state.

List two examples of a Stateless Nation.

Kurds, Palestinians

Define Multinational State. What is its tendencies?

A country with several nations within its borders. One group is often dominant and controls power in many respects

List 3 Multinational States.

Canada, the USA, and the UK

Define a Multistate Nation.

When a nation’s homeland has a state of its own and spreads into surrounding state. The national group has power in its own country and influences other countries.

List 3 Multistate Nations.

Germany, Korea, Hungary

Define Autonomous and Semi-autonomous States.

Defined areas within a state that have some or a high degree of self-government and freedom, respectively

List 3 examples of Autonomous and Semi-autonomous States.

Native American Reservations, Cook Islands, and Niue

Define sovereignty.

The right of a state to rule over itself

Define Self-Determination.

When a group, often a nation, want sovereignty and make efforts to achieve it

Where did the term Balkanization come from?

The devolution of Yugoslavia, a union of many states. In 1991, however, it collapsed, partially because of the self-determination of Yugoslavic nations

Define Balkanization.

When a country splits into smaller countries because of ethnocultural reasons

Describe self-determination in Spain.

Catalonians and Basques have a unique history and culture and have been fighting for autonomy from Spain.

Define Imperialism.

The larger idea of creating an empire by exerting force to control other nation potentially from afar

Define Colonialism.

The practice of claiming territories and settling there to exert economic and social control

What are the cultural results of Imperialism/Colonialism?

The diffusion of languages and religions

What are the economic results of Imperialism/Colonialism?

It can result in commodity dependence, being dependent on resources because of European legacy

What are the social results of Imperialism/Colonialism?

It can result in ethnic divisions and genocide

What are the political results of Imperialism/Colonialism?

Borders and government systems can be established by outside powers that really just harm the welfare of the people

What do many independence movements come from? Give an example.

Resistance to against the historical colonization of a place

Ex: India from Britain (Ghandi)

Define Devolution.

The breaking up of a state into smaller units, or the passing of power from central to lower governments

Give 5 examples of devolution.

Spain - Catolonia, Basque

Yugoslavia

Canada - Quebec, Nunavut

Belgium

Nigeria

Explain an important example of independence movements in Africa and how colonization affected the region.

After the Scramble for Africa, many nations claimed independence through independence movements or as a result of a lack of interest from colonizers.

The scramble greatly impacted African culture and political geography.

Explain an important example of independence movements in India and how the following events affected the region.

Gandhi led an Indian revolt against Britain, but Pakistan and India were partitioned by Britain to prevent conflict between Hindus and Muslims

What happened to Pakistan’s fragment east of India?

It became Bangladesh

What religion is dominant in India? In Pakistan and Bangladesh?

Hinduism; Islam

What is the conflict over Kashmir?

Pakistan and India have an ongoing dispute over the region of Kashmir at the northern part of their border. This came from unclear borders when they were partitioned by Britain

Which region do India and Pakistan have a dispute over?

Kashmir

Which states do the Kurds reside in? Which of these is accepting of their autonomy?

They are within Iran, Iraq, Turkey, and Syria. Iraq is the only one that formally accepts its autonomy

How is political power expressed geographically?

Through control over people, land, and resources

Explain how governments control people, land, and resources in one word.

Territoriality

What is neocolonialism?

When developed countries exert political, economic, and cultural power over developing countries.

What are shatterbelts?

Regions where larger political or cultural divisions collide and cause conflict at a local scale

What do chokepoints do? Why are they important?

They limit access to people, land, and resources making control of these access points crucial for countries

What is territoriality?

The connection of people, their culture, and their economic systems to the land

How is territoriality often expressed?

Delimiting - Marking boundaries of a claimed area

Controlling people and their activities inside the claimed area

Defending the claimed area from external groups

How does neocolonialism often occur economically? Name 2 methods

Because transnational companies based in former mother countries often control the extraction of natural resources and the labor in former colonies

Can also be when a foreign country loans money to developing countries that can’t pay it back, giving them control through constant debt

Give 2 examples of economic neocolonialism.

Foreign companies dominate oil extraction in the Middle East

Foreign companies exploit cheap labor in factories in Southeast Asia to make clothing, electronics, etc.

How does neocolonialism often occur politically? Name 2 methods.

Developed countries remain involved in the political and military affairs of the developing countries to protect their interests.

Treaties with former colonies allow for military bases to be in their countries.

Give 2 examples of political neocolonialism.

The U.S. has intervented militarily in Latin America, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East for their own interests

France has maintained military basesin West Africa

Explain the effects of neocolonialism on culture.

Developing countries often lose their languages as the people are forced to learn the colonizers’ language

Missionaries from global churches convert people in developing areas, resulting in a loss of local cultural beliefs

Describe an example of the effect of neocolonialism on culture.

Western clothing has become a dominant form of dress globally

What global conflict created many shatterbelts. Describe these shatterbelts.

The Cold War made shatterbelts in…

Korea - UN fought communists for control of the peninsula

Europe - West and East Europe divide sprouted from the Cold War

Vietnam - The North was communists and the South was not. They fought, and outside forces like the US also participated in this conflict

Where are places that have shatterbelts due to religious conflicts?

India and Pakistan, Israel, and the Caucasus Region

What are chokepoints?

Areas where the physical geography creates a narrow opening, like a strait, that make it difficult to trade or other travel between two points.

Name some notable chokepoints. List the places they connect.

The Strait of Hormuz: Persian Gulf - Arabian Sea

The Strait of Gibraltar: Atlantic Ocean - Mediterranean Sea

The Strait of Bosporus: Black Sea - Mediterranean Sea

The Strait of Malacca: flows through the Malay Peninsula and Indonesia

What happened in the Strait of Hormuz?

The US fought Iran for the chokepoint

What is important about the Strait of Bosporus?

It provides access to southern Russia

What is important about the Strait of Malacca?

The majority of trade in the region flows through it

Describe an important political/economic conflict in Asia that has to do with territoriality.

China, Phillipines, and Vietnam all claim the Spratty Islands because they want to secure petroleum reserves, rich fishing grounds, and shipping lanes

What are the different power theories?

The Heartland Theory

The Rimland Theory

The Sea Power Theory

The Organic State Theory

Describe the Heartland Theory.

He who controls Eastern Europe and Eurasia controls the world.

Land power > Sea power

Describe the Rimland Theory. How does it compare to Heartland Theory?

Contrasts the Heartland Theory. States that coasts are superior as that is where people and commerce are

Describe the Sea Power Theory.

Whoever controls the sea controls the world

Describe the Organic State Theory. What is a notable example of it

Says that states are like organisms that must continue to grow.

Ex: WWII Germany

What are political boundaries?

Division of governance and boundaries between states

What do political boundaries reflect?

The balances of power that have been negotiated or imposed

What are the different types of political boundaries?

Relic

Superimposed

Antecedent

Geometric

Subsequent

Consequent

What is a Relic Boundary? Give an example.

A former boundary that doesn’t exist anymore but still holds some significance (economic, cultural, etc.)

Ex: Berlin Wall

What is a Superimposed Boundary? What do they tend to do? Give an example.

A boundary drawn by outside powers. They tend to ignore existing boundaries of social, cultural, or ethnic differences.

Ex: Africa after the Berlin Conference

What is an Antecedent Boundary? Give an example.

They are drawn before many people live in an area and establish a cultural landscape

Ex: Boundary of North US and South Canada drawn before people settled

What is a geometric boundary? What can they also normally be? Give an example.

A boundary that follows a straight line, often along latitude or longitude lines. They are oftentimes antecedent or superimposed

Ex: Straight line between the US and Canada or Alaska and Canada

Many US states

Many African boundaries

What are subsequent boundaries? What are they relative to antecedent boundaries? What is its subcategory? Give an example?

They are the opposite of antecedent boundaries. They are drawn after people already. A subcategory of subsequent boundaries is consequent boundaries

Ex: Many European countries

What are Consequent Boundaries? Give 3 examples.

A kind of subsequent boundary drawn to accomodate existing differences or some event which divides people of different ethnicities, languages, religion, and more

Ex: Balkans after Yugoslavia, India and Pakistan, Nunavut in Canada

Why are boundaries made?

To show the limits of political power. They…

Define and enforce territoriality

Help create a sense of place

Regulate and control people, businesses, and resources inside the jurisdiction

Regulate and control people and resources outside the jurisdiction

How are boundaries established?

They are defined, delimited, demarcated, and administrated

What does it mean to define a boundary?

To use a legal document to establish a boundary

What does it mean to delimit a boundary? What is it often done in concert with?

To draw lines on maps that show the limits of a government’s jurisdiction. Often done in concert with defining a boundary

What does it mean to demarcate a boundary?

To identify a boundary with physical markers or barriers

What does it mean to administrate a boundary?

When a boundary is governed and given laws

What were boundaries in Europe mainly based off of after World War I?

Linguistic lines

What were the boundaries between India Pakistan and Bangladesh based off of?

Religion. India is mainly Hindu while Pakistan and Bangladesh are Muslim.

What can demonetized zones or policies of other countries be used for in political geography? Give three examples.

Creating political boundaries

Boundaries in the Middle East were drawn by France and England, and they were formalized through the Sykes-Picot agreement after World War I

Boundaries in Africa were drawn by European nations as a result of the Berlin conference.

The North and South Korea border is a demilitarized zone created as the result of the armistice of the Korean War

Why should boundaries be delimited or demarcated?

So that people know where the boundaries are on the earth

What happened to demarked boundaries before GPS?

They were drawn in accurately by surveys, and these errors are hard to fix today

What are all of the different kinds of boundary disputes?

Definitional (positional)

Locational (territorial)

Operational (functional)

Allocational (Resource)

What is the definition of boundary disputes? give an example.

Conflict over interpretation of documents to finding a boundary or how it's shown on the ground

EX: inaccurate maps of the Andes caused a dispute over the border of Argentina and Chile

What is the locational boundary? Give an example

A conflict over the ownership of an area

EX: after World War I, France, and Germany disputed over the ownership of the Rhineland (led to World War II)

What is an operational dispute? given an example.

A conflict over national policies applied at a border

EX: visa requirements at the US to Canada border after 911

What is an allocational dispute? Give an example.

A conflict over the use of resources created or complicated by a boundary

EX: Iraqi – Kuwait conflict over access to the Rumaliah oilfield

What is a political enclave? Give an example.

A place completely surrounded by another state

EX: lesotho (South Africa)

What is a political enclave? Give an example.

A part of a state separated from the main body

EX: Alaska

What are the effects of political boundaries?

Boundaries and treaties influence, identity, interactions, and resources. They…

Influence, national and regional identity

Encourage and complicate interactions between groups

Contribute to disputes regarding resources

Why was UNCLOS created?

To settle disputes between countries

How do political boundaries influence, national and regional identities?

Political boundaries can formalize national and cultural identities by concentrating nationalities into one area

International agreements can make a regional block of shared identity

Give two example, examples of how international agreements can make a regional block of shared identity.

Agreements like the European Union or the Warsaw Pact create regional identity among the member of states

How do political boundaries and international agreements influence interaction among government's goods and people?

Boundaries can discourage international interaction

International agreements encourage and discouraged international

Describe how boundaries can discourage international interactions.

Walls, buffer zones, and other barriers can prevent people in goods from moving across the borders

How can international agreements encourage and discourage international interaction?

Agreements like free trade zones, European union and the Commonwealth make border crossing easier for people and goods

Agreements like embargo's prevent interaction between countries

How can political boundaries cause a resource disputes?

Resources are complicated by borders and claims of countries

Resource disputes happen when countries disagree on the harvesting of a natural resource