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political geography
the study of the political organization of the world
state
synonymous with the word ‘country’
What does a state need to exist?
a spatial extent
a permanent population
defined borders
sovereign government
recognition from other states around the world
When did the evolution of states to what they are today occur?
recently- states used to be not well defined
What did states used to be like?
political power was based on relationships between a leader and a group of people
loyal to the king, not the country
borders changed often and were not clearly defined
When and where was the modern state concept created?
in the late 1700’s in Europe
What happened when the modern state was formed?
people stated having allegiance to the state, not to the ruler
borders were formally drawn and agreed upon between countries
How did the modern state concept spread around the world?
European countries imposed these divisions on countries around the world when the colonized other countries
How many states are there currently in the world?
195
examples of new states
Kosovo, South Sudan, etc.
what is a nation?
a group of people
What are the 3 characteristics of a nation?
-people with a shared or similar culture
-have a historical attachment to a homeland
-want some degree of political control over that homeland
What is a nation state?
a state where the borders of a national group’s homeland coincides with he borders of a state
examples of nation-states
Japan, Iceland, Albania
stateless nation
a nation that is spread out over several different states
examples of stateless nations
Kurds, Romani
multinational state
a state with multiple nations within their borders
examples of a multinational state
Canada, US, UK
Multi state nation
when a nation has a state of its own but also spreads into other states
examples of multi state nations
Germans, Koreans, Hungarians
autonomous
have a high degree of self-government and freedom to govern themselves
semi autonomous
have a moderate degree of self-government and freedom to govern themselves
examples of autonomous regions
Native American Reservations, Cook Islands
examples of semi autonomous regions
Hong Kong
how many nations are there in the world?
several hundred
sovereignty
the right of a state to rule over itself
self-determination
people have a right to govern themselves/when a nation wants to become their own state
example of self determination
breakup of Yugoslavia
balkanization
when a country breaks up into smaller countries
colonialism
actually claiming a country and settling there (Spain —> South America)
imperialism
creating an empire by exerting force over an area (not settling there)
independence movements
group of people advocating for separation from a larger political entity (because of ethnic, religious, linguistic, etc reasons)
example of independence movements
USA becoming independent from UK
Catalonia fighting for independence from Spain
Kosovo gaining independence from Serbia
devolution
the breaking up of a state into smaller units (the passing of power from central to local governments)
Independence examples
Berlin Conference (Africa decolonization and independence movements), separation of India into Pakistan and Bangladesh
Example of nation seeking to be a nation state
the Kurds
territoriality
the connection of people, their culture, and economic systems to the land
how do groups express territoriality
delaminating the boundaries of the area they claim
controlling people and their activities in the area they claim
defending the area they claim from external groups
what can territoriality lead to?
conflicts as groups disagree over boarders, practice different cultures, or have competing economic interests in the area
neocolonialism
when developed countries exert economic power over developing countries
Does neocolonialism occur from the governments themselves or from the transnational companies based in those countries?
the transnational companies (foreign companies dominate oil extraction in the Middle East)
what are ways neocolonialism occurs?
developed loans a ton of money to developing
developed sends military troops to developing
developed sends aid to developing in times of crisis
effects of neocolonialism
developing countries loose their language as natives feel forced to learn the language of the colonizers
developing countries loose money trying to pay off debts
missionaries from global churches convert people in developing areas
Western style clothing and food becomes more common and popular in developing countries
shatter belts
an area where larger regional or global political or cultural divisions collide and cause conflict at a local scale (area between two fighting powers)
examples of a shatter belt
Eastern Europe, between Palestine and Israel, between India and Pakistan, Vietnam in the Vietnam war, Korea during the cold war
chokepoint
areas where the physical geography creates a narrow opening that makes it difficult for trade or travel between two points
why are chokepoints ignificant?
because if a state controls the chokepoint they control all the trade and travel through that area
Chokepoint examples
Strait of Hormuz (between Oman and Iran)
Strait of Gibraltar (between Morocco and Spain)
Strait of Bosporus (in Istanbul)
Strait of Malacca (between Indonesia and Malaysia)
What are political boundaries?
divisions of governance between states that reflect balances of power that have been negotiated or imposed
relic boundary
a former boundary that no longer exists but still hold some sort of economic or cultural significance
relic boundary example
the Berlin Wall
Superimposed boundary
boundaries drawn by outside powers that ignore any cultural, ethnic, social, or linguistic regions
superimposed boundary example
All of Africa (because of the Berlin conference)
antecedent boundary
boundary drawn before there was much settlement there
antecedent boundary example
US and Canada boundary
geometric boundary
boundary that follows a straight line (usually a longitude or latitude line)
geometric boundary example
US and Canada, many of the US states
subsequent boundary
boundary drawn after people were already settled there
subsequent boundary example
most of Europec
consequent boundary
drawn to accommodate for cultural differences or fighting happening in the region
what is the purpose of boundaries?
they define and enforce territoriality
they help create a sense of place
regulate and control people, businesses, and resources inside and outside the boundaries
how are boundaries established?
boundaries are defined, delimited, and demarcated
defined boundary
a boundary established by a legal document (treaties, property line documents, etc)
delimited boundary
a line drawn on a map that shows the limits of the government jurisdiction
demarcated boundary
a boundary that is identified by physical markers or barriers (Mexico/US wall, fence on a property line, town limits sign)
how are boundaries established?
they often coincide with cultural, national, or economic divisions
created through the use of demilitarized zones or through policies of other countries
Why are boundaries often contested?
if a boundary is defined but not delimited or demarcated, it can become confusing
if a boundary was drawn pre GPS, the measurements are often off
once a boundary is demarcated, it becomes hard to argue, even if the map says a different place
definitional boundary dispute
conflicts over the interpretation of documents defining a boundary
locational boundary dispute
conflicts between states or regions over the ownership of a certain area
operational boundary dispute
conflicts over national policies applied at a border
allocational boundary dispute
conflicts over the use of resources created or complicated by a boundary
internal boundaries
divide up countries into smaller regions (cities, states, counties, provinces, voting districts, etc.)
voting districts
local geographic area of a larger country in which you vote for representatives to congress
redistricting
redrawing voting districts every 10 years, after a census
gerrymandering
the majority party in power of the state legislature redraws the districts to give them an advantage
reappotion
change the number of representatives each state gets in the House of Representatives based on that state’s population
gerrymandering methods
packing- making a district full of the opposing party voters
cracking- spreading out opposing party voters so they don’t have any majorty
majority-minority districts
minorities are the majority voters in a district
unitary states
have a strong central government
federal states
share power between a national government and local/state governments
positive impacts of unitary governments
creation of a national identity and patriotic pride
laws and policies can be implemented faster and more efficiently
potential for corruption at the local level is reduced
negative impactsof unitary governments
minority groups and local cultures are often marginalized
outlying/small areas are often ignored by the government
laws and policies can be dominated by the interests of the dominant cultural group
higher potential of becoming a dictatorship
positive impacts of federal governments
laws and policies are created with local interests in mind
local governments can react faster in times of emergency
minority groups are able/allowed to maintain their culture and identity easier
negative impacts of federal governments
local governments have different lawsy across the country
redundancy in governments makes implementation of laws and policies slow
potential for devolutionary forces to gain acceptance is greater
devolutionary factors
division of groups by physical geography
ethnic separatism
ethnic cleansing
terrorism
economic and social problems
Irredentism
What is irredentism?
the movement by a nation to unite other parts of the nation that are spread over other borders
What is terrorism?
violence organized by a group for a specific political agenda, aimed at citizens to incite political terror
effects of communication technology on devolution
the internet is used to disseminate the beliefs of devolutionary groups
social media is used to organize protestssu
supranationalism
when several countries form an organization to achieve common goals and benefits for all the countries
examples of supranational organizations
UN, NATO, EU, African Union, Arctic Council
centrifugal forces
forces that pull a country apart/cause separation
centrifugal forces example
racism/discrimination
bad economy
corrupt government
marginalized cultures
centripetal forces
forces that unite a country
centripetal forces examples
strong government
equality
good economy
representation for minority groups
being a nation-state
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