Human Geo Sessions 2.1-2.2

Political Geography

The study of human political organization of the earth at various geographic levels- supranational, national, regional, local

State

An organized and institutionalized political unit with a permanent population with established government that controls its internal and foreign affairs. Owns a monopoly on violence.

Sovereignty

Independence from control of its internal affairs by other states and the ability to conduct its own foreign policy and has international recognition.

Monopoly On Violence

the concept that the state alone has the right to use or authorize the use of physical force

Countries

often synonymous with state, are the fundamental unit of Political Geography.

Centripetal Forces

Factors that hold together the social and political fabric of the state. Can include national/ethnic unity, political harmony, religious unity, etc.

Nation

a group that desires self-government, often through the formation of an independent state.

Ethno-Nationalism

forms of nationalism that regard ethnicity and ethnic ties as core components of conceptions and experiences of the “nation”.

National Identity

defined by a sense of belonging to a nation and belief in its political aspirations, beliefs in a unique political destiny

Nation State

a geographic ideal…they have a homogenous population with similar identities and political goals and often resistant to diversification. includes Japan, Norway, Germany

Multi-Nation State

the geographic norm; they have a diverse population that may lead to internal issues and concerns over ethnic and political unity. includes UK, India, Nigeria

Multi-State Nation

Occurs when a nation of people lives in more than one state as a majority or a minority. includes Arabs, Germans, Russians

Stateless Nation

Occurs when a nation of people does not have a state of their own. Includes Palestinians, Kurds, Rohingya

Ecumene

Areas of great population concentration and density (where people live) and economic activity located in geopolitically strategic locations (near waterways) and connected with effective infrastructure.

Empty Areas

Areas devoid of a concentrated population (sometimes referred to as frontier regions) and may have limited prospect of human settlement.

Historic Core

Area where states originate, i.e. birthplace of dominant culture, national/religious identity and/or creates sense of “homeland” when tied to the physical environment.

Periphery/Borderlands

Area typically where the most ethnic diversity exists and can be less unified than the core

Effective Nat’l Territory

Regions that produce economic output for the country

Territorial Morphology

the relationship between a state’s geometric shape, size, relative location and situation and the political issues facing its people internally and internationally.

Perforated State

State that completely surrounds another state or states…the state that is surrounded “perforates” the other.

Fragmented State

State that geographically exists in several pieces which may include a mainland section and islands or may be an entirely an archipelago

Compact State

State that does not vary greatly in distance from its center point to any point on its boundary

Prorupted State

State that has a piece that protrudes from its core such as a peninsula or panhandle

Elongated State

State that has a huge expanse either N/S or E/W but has a narrow reciprocal.

Microstates

States that are tiny both in size and population and act more or less as a city-state with a one dimensional economy.

Landlocked States

States that geographically have no coastal access to a body of water and is surrounded on all sides by another state or states…some are double landlocked.

Enclave

a state or part of a state surrounded completely by another state.

Exclave

an enclave that is a political extension of another state

Neolithic Revolution

or the Agricultural Revolution, was the wide-scale transition of many human cultures from a lifestyle of hunting and gathering to one of agriculture and settlement, making an increasingly large population possible.

City-State

first settlements during the Neolithic Revolution, consisted of town and surrounding countryside. originated in Mesopotamia (Fertile Crescent)

Democracies

A system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives

Republics

representative democracies

Empires

an extensive group of states or countries under a single supreme authority, formerly especially an emperor or empress.

Colony

Territory legally tied to a mother country

Reformation

a 16th-century movement for the reform of abuses in the Roman Catholic Church ending in the establishment of the Reformed and Protestant Churches.

30 Years War

the war, often regarded as a series of wars (1618–48), in central Europe, initially involving a conflict between German Protestants and Catholics and later including political rivalries with France, Sweden, and Denmark opposing the Holy Roman Empire and Spain

Industrial Revolution

the transition to new manufacturing processes in Great Britain, continental Europe, and the United States, that occurred during the period from around 1760 to about 1820–1840.

Mercantilism

States avoided trading with their rivals by establishing colonies that gave them both economic advantage but also polit

Berlin Conference

In 1884 European powers meet in Berlin and divide Africa

Decolonization

the process of colonies breaking with their mother country and becoming independent

Frontiers

Underdeveloped territorial zones where no state exercises complete political control

Definition

The exact location of the boundary is legally described and negotiated

Delimitation

The boundary’s definition is drawn onto a map.

Demarcation

The visible marking of a boundary on the landscape with a fence, line, sign, wall, etc.

Administration

the establishment of government enforcement on the boundary.

Geometric Boundaries

Straight lines that do not relate to any cultural or physical feature…often a line of latitude or longitude…North and South Korea

Physical Boundaries

Based on some natural feature such as a river, mountains, etc.

Cultural Boundaries

Based on changes in cultural landscape (ethnicity, language, religion)... Sudan and South Sudan

Subsequent Boundary

Established after population has established itself

Antecedent Boundary

Boundary given to region before population

Superimposed Boundary

Drawn after a pop. has been settled (Tyranny of the Map)

Relict Boundary

Boundaries that no longer exist but you can still see effects

Incorporation

Territories or colonies integrated and merged with the controlling country and full rights of citizenship

Cession/Purchase

Land transferred from one state to another by voluntary treaty or by sale

Annexation

The forcible acquisition of a state's territory by another state

Amalgamation

the combination of two or more political or administrative entities within a sovereign territory.

Autonomy

ability to self-govern

Devolution

The process of a large multi-nation state breaking apart into smaller more ethnically homogeneous states… this may be peaceful or violent

Centrifugal Force

force that tear apart the social and political fabric of a country, and can cause territorial border change

Ethno-Nationalism

a powerful emotional attachment (raison d’etre) to one’s nation, can be the most dangerous centrifugal force for states that are multi-nation states

Balkanization

When split happens violently

Self-Determination

Strong feelings of being different from the dominant nation in a state leading to the desire for autonomy or separation, secession, and independence

Irredentism

Occurs in multi-state nations when a homeland spills into other state creating a desire for reunification