APHG Unit 4 Notes

Political Geography

The study of the political organization of the world

Territoriality

The attempt to affect or control people, phenomena, and relationships by delimiting (marking boundaries on a map) and asserting control over a geographic area.

Sovereignty

Having the last legal say over a territory

Sanction

Limits trade

Territorial integrity

The right of a states’ government to defend sovereign territory against other states - we have the right to protect our territory

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Ex: 9/11 - we declared war based on territorial integrity

Ex: Immigration - “When we let the masses in, we let the terrorists in” -Trump

Ex: Drugs - illegal drugs cause issues - we have the right to keep them out (its a flow between countries)

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Boundary

Vertical plane between states that Curt’s through the rocks below, and the airspace above the surface

Air- stops foreign military planes from flying over a state

Ground - Protect resources underground, like water

4 steps to establishing boundaries

Define, delimit, demarcate, administrate

Step 1 of establishing boundaries: Define

Create boundary by writing in a treaty (words)

Step 2 of establishing boundaries: Delimit

Mark the boundaries from the treaty on to a map

Step 3 of establishing boundaries: Demarcate

Physically marking the land

Ex: A sign or landmark

Step 4 of establishing boundaries: Administrate

Use and enforce rules on the border/boundary

What type of illegal phenomenon might try to cross borders?

Immigrants, drugs, plants, and animals

2 Major types of boundaries

Geometric

&

Physical-Political

Geometric boundary

Political boundaries that are defined and delimited by straight lines.

* Latitude and longitude
* doesn’t care about physical and cultural landscapes it passes through

Ex: 49th parallel - US and Canada border

Ex: DMZ 38th parallel - North and South Korea border

Physical-political boundary

Political boundary defined and delimited by a prominent physical feature in the natural landscape

Ex: US and Mexico border - Rio Grande

Ex: India and Nepal border - Himalayas

Ex: France and Spain - Pyrenees mountain range

Antecedent boundary

A boundary line established before the area in question is well populated

* Commonly corespondent to a physical feature

Ex: Rivers, bays, lakes, mountains

Ex: The Great lakes between US and Canada - before colonization

Subsequent boundary

A boundary line that is established after the area in question has been settled and that considers the cultural characteristics of the bounded area

* After different groups meet
* Often corresponds to their respective ecúmene

Ex: Most European countries not including Germany)

Ecumene

The land we live on

Superimposed boundary

Imposed by an outside force or treaty, may not reflect cultural landscape

Ex: Most African countries- due to Berlin conference

Ex: Germany - more powerful countries made Germany smaller and smaller over time

Ex: Israel and Palestine (The UN imposed the boundaries)

Ex: India and Pakistan border partitioned by Britain

Relic boundary

A former boundary line that is still discernible and marked by some cultural landscape features( sometimes a physical imprint on landscape) - often outcome of political changes

Ex: Berlin Wall (separated east and west Germany)

Ex: Great Wall of China

Ex: US and Mexico

Consequent boundary

A boundary line that coincides with some cultural divide, such as religion nor language

* There’s been conflict, so we put a boundary to separate ethnic groups

Ex: Sudan and South Sudan

Ex: Former Yugoslavia

Ex: Czechoslovakia

Ex: Northern Ireland and Ireland

What boundary is both geometric and subsequent?

The 49th parallel between the US and Canada

Definitional boundary dispute

Dispute over the vagueness of wording in a treaty

Ex: Summit of mountains can change or can be multiple. Vagueness causes dispute

Locational boundary dispute

Conflict over the location or place of a boundary

Ex: River’s course can change over time from Glacier melts

Operational boundary dispute

Conflict over the way a boundary should operate or function, such as the conflict over allowing migration across the border.

Ex: US and Mexico regarding the illegal drugs crossing both borders

Allocational boundary dispute

A dispute over resources

Ex: Water or oil

5 characteristics of a STATE

1. A politically organized territory
2. A permanent population
3. A defined territory
4. Has a government
5. Recognized by other states

Keyword-Land

4 characteristics of a NATION

1. A culturally defined group of people
2. Have a shared past and a common future
3. Relate to a territory
4. Have political goals (self-determination)

Key word- people

Self-determination

Concept that ethnicities have the right to govern themselves

Nation-state

A politically organized area in which a culturally defined group of people and politically organized territory occupy the same space

* homogenous

Ex: Iceland - very purebred, need DNA tests before marriage

Ex: Japan

Ex: North Korea

Ex: Sometimes France (They try and preserve their culture by subsidizing French movies, shows, etc)

Nationalism

A strong feeling of pride and devotion to one’s country

Stateless nation

A culturally defined group of people who want the right to rule but have no politically defined territory (no land)

Ex: Palestinians (They are not recognized as a state by the US)

Ex: Basques (They live in the Pyrenees mountains between Spain and France. They do not have land of their own)

Ex: Kurds, (They are spread out between multiple countries like Turkey and Kazakhstan. Do not have own land)

Multi-state nation

A culturally defined group of people with self determination that stretched across borders and across states.

Ex: Kurds(spread over multiple states like Turkey and Kazakhstan)

Ex: Basques(Basques spread over Spain and France)

Multinational state

Politically organized territory that’s recognized that contains two or more ethnic groups with traditions of self-determination

Ex: Israel

Multi-ethnic state

A politically organized territory that contains more than one culturally defined groups of people, who coexist in relative peace.

Ex: Montenegro

Autonomous

Ex: American Indian reservations

Semi-autonomous

Ex: Nunavut - Inuit people in Canada

Modern state idea

A state is tied to a particular territory with defined boundaries

* Came from Europe
* Diffused through Mercantilism
* Colonialism, imperialism

Industrial revolution time period

1800’s

WW1 time period

1914-1918

WW2 time period

1939-1945

Mercantilism

Trade for economic benefit of the mother country

Colonialism

Attempt by. One country to establish settlements and to impose nits political, economic, and cultural principles in another territory.

Imperialism

A policy of extending a country’s power and influence through diplomacy or military force

Who was the dominant colonial influences

Great Britain- the one that industrialized first

3 factors of production

1. Land
2. Labor
3. Capital

What was the scramble of Africa

Europeans began rushing for land in 1884 - Berlin Conference

Berlin Conference

Meeting at which Europeans agreed on rules for colonizing Africa - just drew lines nto make borders - no regard for ethnic groups

Capitalism

The World was made by desire to make money

Our world is made by colonization and capitalism

\-Wallerstein

Commodification

The process through which something is given monetary value

Wallerstein’s World Systems Theory

Core, Semi-periphery, and periphery

Unitary Government

One highly centralized government in which the capitals city serves as a focus of power

Pros:

* Shorter time to make choices
* Less confusion
* More efficient

Cons:

* Not balanced
* More corruption
* Under representation
* Political bias

State shape: Compact

Federal Government

A form of government in which powers are divided between a central government and several local governments.

Pro:

* Balanced
* More representations
* Several levels of checks and balances

Cons:

* Longer to make a decision
* Less voice for marginalized groups
* Less Efficient
* More confusion

Elongated state shape

Long-more resource variety’s

Ex: Chile

Fragmented state shape

Broken into pieces

Ex: Indonesia

Perforated

Hole punched into it

Ex: South Africa

Devolution

The transfers of powers and responsibilities from the federal government to the state governments (trickle down)

Causes of devolution

Ethnocultural forces

Ex: Language in Belgium

Economic forces

Spatial forces

Devolutionary forces in Canada

Quebec - they’re French(catholic), rest of Canada is English(Protestant)

Nunavut-Inuits language, they’re semiautonomous

Devolutionary forces in Catalonia/Spain

Catalonia originally was semi-autonomous, but Spain took that status away, but the region had a huge portion of Spains wealth, so they voted for independence.

Devolutionary forces in Belgium

Flemmings and Walloons have different languages. The government shifted from centralized to federal. The regional governments grew stronger

Balkanization

Process by which a state breaks down through conflicts among its ethnicities

Ex: Yugoslavia

Annulled/Annexed

Annulled - cancelled

Annexed - take in

Soviet

Governing council

Russian history from 1917 to 1924

1917 - Communist(Bolshevik) revolution

Then Czar Nicholas II abdicates bolsheviks in power

Lenins ideas based on Karl Marx(utopia)

Lenin promised people, land, and bread

1924 Lenin dies

Joseph Stalin takes up (not good)

He left behind USSR as an industrial giant in weaponry and millions were exiled, in labor camps, or executed

Russian history 1945-1985

1945-USSR wins war with allies. It now occupies Eastern Europe

It is a superpower

Cold War

1953 - Stalin dies

Cold War continues

Gorbachev elected in 1985 and tries to reform USSR

Glasnost(openness) and perestroika(restructuring economy) occur

USSR economy fails

Russian history 1990 - now

Yeltsin elected as president of Russia

Transition to democracy


1. Economic collapse and recovery
2. Political power struggles
3. Rise of nationalism
4. Social decay
5. Environmental decay

Putin is elected as leader of Russia and helps Russia rise

Irrredentism

When an ethnic group has been split by a superimposed boundary and they try to reunite its population (usually trying to reclaim lost land)

Example of irredentism

Putin trying to pull back land by saying he is helping the ethnic Russians.

Afghanistan border with Pakistan (Durand line)

Border dispute and they want land back

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Pakistan - Kashmir territory dispute with India. They want land back

UNCLOS

United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea

0-12 nm territorial waters

Up to 12 nautical miles from shore

State can set laws regulating passage of other ships. Commercial vessels(container ships and cruises) may pass but military ships will be challenged.

12-24 nm contiguous zone

States can enforce laws on

* custoims
* Immigration
* Sanitation
* Taxation

24-200 nm Exclusive economic zone

EEZ 200 nm max from coast

States can

* explore
* Extract
* Minerals
* Have sole right to resources

High seas

Areas of seas considered beyond territorial waters. Open to all states. International waters.

Any country can arrest anyone for a crime

Median - line principle

An approach to dividing and creating boundaries at the mid-point between two places. (Divide NM in half)

Supranational organization

Organization of two or more states/countries that join together for political, economic, or military purposes

United Nations

An international organization formed after WWII to promote international peace, security, and cooperation

5 permanent seats- US, UK, France, China, & Russia

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1. Political
2. Economic

NATO

North Atlantic Treaty Organization; an alliance made to defend one another if they were attacked by any other country; US, England, France, Canada, Western European countries


1. Military

European Union (EU)

A political and economic union of 27 member states that are located primarily in Europe


1. Economic
2. Political (borders)

African Union (AU)

An organization of African nations pursuing greater political and economic integration across the continent


1. Economic
2. Political

ASsociation of Southeast Asian States (ASEAS)

Organization for economic, political, social, and cultural cooperation among Southeast Asian nations. Its all the islands like the Philippines


1. Economic
2. Political


1. No military at all

G20/G8

G20 includes developing and more developed countries - focus on sustainable development goals

G8 is 8 highly industrialized nations - Russia goes on and off

Both political

Arctic Council

A multilateral organization composed of representatives from the eight circumpolar states and size indigenous organizations

Protects arctic circle from drilling, pollution, etc


1. Political

North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) now its USMCA

Between Canada, US< and Mexico - helps make North America more competitive in the global marketplace

World Trade Organization (WTO)

A permanent global institution to promote international trade and to settle international trade disputes

Economic

International Monetary Fund

IMF, oversees worlds monetary systems stability

Choke point

A strategic, narrow waterway between two larger bodies of water - sea traffic control

Median line principle applies

Electoral geography

Splitting up a states territory into electoral districts (voting districts) is important to a states internal political geography

Territorial representation

System where in each representative is elected from a defined district

Reapportionment

The process of reallocation of electoral seats to define territories (based on census)

Ex: Texas pop grows from California, so it gains 2 seats and cali loses 2 seats.)

Gerrymandering

Process of redrawing legislative boundaries for the purpose of benefiting the party in power.

How many members are in the House of Representatives

435 permanent members

Redistricting

The redrawing of congressional and other legislative district lines following the census, to accommodate population shifts and keep districts as equal as possible in population.

Packing, stacking

To pack all of a party into a district to give them a voice, but no power

Cracking

Spreading voters of one type over many districts to where they will be unable to influence elections, no voice.

Electoral college

A group of people named by each state legislature to select the president and Vice President.

Majority-minority district

Packed districts in which the minority is the majority so that they have representation.

Exclave

Bounded (non island) piece of territory that is part of a state but lies separated from it by territory of another state

Ex: Alaska

Enclave

Piece of territory that is surrounded by another political unit of which it is not a part (landlocked within the country which surrounds them)

Ex: Lesotho

Geopolitics

The interplay among geography, power, politics, and international relations