Modules 28 - 30 AP Human Geography

Delimited Boundaries

fixed or defined to identify the limits or boundary of an area, lines shown on a map.

Demarcated Boundaries

set apart, to distinguish those limits. They are marked by physical objects like fences or signs.

Defined Boundaries

established in a legal document such as a treaty or property survey

Relic Boundaries

A boundary that no longer functions as an international border, but is still a part of the landscape today.

Hadrian’s Wall

Relic Boundary. When Romans invaded and defeated England, so they made a wall around the northwest frontier to protect from Scots in north.

Berlin Wall

Relic Boundary. When Germany was split into West and East sections at the end of WW2.

Who controlled East Germany?

The Soviet Union

Who controlled West Germany?

The United States and its allies. (Allied Nations)

Where was Berlin?

East Germany, but later divided into 2.

Who constructed the Berlin wall and when?

The Soviets, divided Berlin and ultimately the 2 countries. The wall was to keep EAST Germans IN, it wasn’t necessarily used by West Germany.

Superimposed Boundaries

A boundary that is placed on an area without regard to existing boundaries. They almost always ignore the different cultures occupying the area.

Subsequent Boundary

A political boundary that developed WITH the cultural landscape

Antecedent Boundaries

a boundary that was identified before an area was settled.

Consequent Boundaries

A boundary that is drawn to accommodate existing cultural differences

Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland

Consequent Boundaries. The border can be identified as a division between Protestant and Catholic religions. The northern part of the island is populated mostly by Protestants, while the people in the southern part of the island are primarily Catholic

Demilitarized Zone

An area in which treaties or agreements between nations, military powers, or contending groups forbid military installations, activities, or personnel; usually lies along an established frontier or boundary between two or more military powers or alliances (38th parallel)

Berlin Conference

When European powers started fighting for land in Africa because of good resources like gold, so Otto Von Bismark called a meeting that regulated European colonization and trade in Africa.

Buffer States

A politically and economically weak independent country that lies between the borders of two powers and serves to prevent conflict between them. These states often act as a protective barrier.

Thailand Buffer State

Thailand was an independent country (Siam) located between the large empires of France and England. These two powerful countries agreed to make Thailand a neutral zone to avoid fighting each other. This decision helped Thailand stay independent and not become a colony.

Satellite States

A nominally independent country that is politically, militarily, and economically controlled by a more powerful state

Why are satellite states called that?

The term “satellite,” which is borrowed from astronomy, refers to a small celestial body orbiting under the gravitational pull of a larger body.

United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)

Conference organized to define territorial boundaries and rights to the sea

What are the 4 maritime zones?

Territorial Sea, Contiguous Zone, Exclusive Economic Zone, and International Waters

Territorial Sea

It is 12 nautical miles from shore and it is under control of the coastal country. Here there is exclusive fishing rights and people can pass through here as long as they have innocent passage meaning they want no harm and are just passing through.

Contiguous Zone

It is 24 nautical miles from shore and the coastal state can enforce its customs, immigration, and sanitation laws. The coastal state can pursue vessels out of its territorial waters

Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)

200 Nautical miles from shore. The only thing they can do there is exploit, develop, manage, and conserve all resources like oil, fish, etc.

International Waters (High Seas)

This doesn’t have a specific distance away from shore, it is just waters that are outside of any country’s rule/jurisdiction. Open to all states, whether landlocked or coastal. Includes rights to fish and mineral resources in deep seabed. Anyone can sail through here.

What is the most important zone? Why?

The Exclusive Economic Zone because it provides the biggest economic help, since a lot of aquatic materials come from this zone specifically.

The Spratly Islands

The Spratly Islands are a group of small islands in the South China Sea that many countries want because they are important for fishing, trade, and natural resources. Countries like China, Taiwan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Brunei all claim parts of these islands. China and the other countries’ maritime borders over lap, and China thinks that it has the right to control the whole thing. The other countries don’t agree so China started building islands to show its dominance. They ignored lots of rules and harmed the environment making other countries worried.

Sea Level Rise

This was not taken into account when the maritime laws were first established. Because of global warming the Sea levels are rising and since the waters are warmer the ice is melting, adding extra water too. This can have dramatic worldwide effects.

How does Sea Level Rise affect the world?

Territorial boundaries will change as more land is overwhelmed in water. Territorial seas will also be affected because they will loose access to important fisheries. Finally, as international boundaries shift with rising waters, the potential for international disputes over sovereignty rights increases.

The Arctic Circle

he 66°34′ north latitude line. As the temperatures rise the glaciers will melt making more passages for transport to form, making it faster and cheaper. This will also lead to some resource excavation like oil, which will cause territorial disputes.

Electoral Geography

a subfield of political geography that analyzes the geographic character of political preferences and how geography can shape voting outcomes.

Voting district

A territorial division for casting votes in public elections; generally, only those who live in the voting district are permitted to cast their votes there

What is the U.S. Congress composed of?

The Senate and House of Representatives

Reapportionment

The process by which the 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives are divided proportionately by population among the 50 states following every U.S. census

Redistricting

The process of drawing new boundaries for U.S. congressional districts to reflect the population changes since the previous U.S. census

Gerrymandering

The manipulation of voting district boundaries to favor a particular political party, group, or election outcome

Packing

Gerrymandering a voting district by concentrating all of the opposition party into one district, thereby creating a large majority of that party in the district while ensuring that it cannot win any election

Craciking

Gerrymandering a voting district by dividing opposition votes into many districts, thus diluting the opposition’s vote to ensure it does not form a majority in any district

Subnational units

The smaller areas into which a larger state is divided (e.g., states in the United States, provinces in Canada)

Unitary State

An independent state that concentrates power in the central government and grants little or no authority to its subnational units

Federal State

An independent country that disperses significant authority among subnational units

What characteristics of a country influence the type of government it adopts?

The key characteristics are physical geography (specifically, size) and primary cultural types (religion, culture, and language).

When do Unitary Governments work best?

In small countries that have few internal cultural differences and a strong sense of nationalism (sense of belonging to and self-identifying with a national culture). Unitary Governments make it easier to enforce strict laws. This government type is most popular in Europe and Africa.

When do Federal Governments work best?

In large countries where the capital is not centrally located and there are significant cultural, ethnic, or regional differences. The country does not have to be large, it can be small too. local governments have greater authority and can pass their own laws, levy taxes, and administer school districts. (ex. Belgium (small) 3 different groups, Germans, Flemish, Walloons).

Spatial Organization of Unitary States

Rwanda and Iceland

United States

California wanted tougher rules for cleaner car exhaust than the US government's rules. At first, the government disagreed, but California and other states fought for it. In 2023, California got permission to make its own, stricter anti-pollution rules for cars and trucks. This shows that in the US, states can sometimes have stricter laws than the federal government, especially for things like protecting the environment.

Canada

Canada uses a system called federalism, which means different parts of the country have some of their own rules. This helps keep French-speaking people in Quebec happy and less likely to want to leave Canada. Canada has two main languages, English and French, and even though not everyone speaks both, this system lets provinces make their own language choices while still being part of the country. This helps keep Canada united.

Belgium

A federal government. Is split into 3 parts. Flanders where they speak Dutch, Walloon where they speak French, and Ostbelgien (liege) where they speak German. Each region has an independent legislative and executive branch in the form of a regional parliament and a regional government. The central government is responsible for foreign affairs, national defense, justice, and finance.

US Native American Reservations

Native American reservations are special areas in the U.S. that have their own rules, acting like separate small nations based on old treaties. This means they can do unique things, like build casinos or own resources like oil under their land, even if surrounding areas have different laws. They've had to stand up for these rights, sometimes going to court to get fair deals for their resources or to stop projects like pipelines from harming their land and water.

Canadian Nunavut Territory

In 1999, Canada created a special, huge area in its far north called Nunavut. Most of the people living there are Inuit, who are Indigenous (native) people of the Arctic. This territory has its own government chosen by the people, which helps them make decisions about their own land. Even though they have their own government, the main Canadian government still helps run things, especially with big decisions and controlling things like oil or minerals found in Nunavut's land. This is a bit different from how Native American reservations work in the United States.

Geometric Boundaries

A boundary that has regular, often perfectly straight, lines drawn without regard for an area’s physical or cultural features