Unit 4- COMPLETE SET (AP Classroom Videos)

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