Political Geography Study Guide

chapters 9, 10, and 11 (Mrs. Wallace AP HUGE class)

nation

cultural entities; made up of individuals who've forged a common identity through a shared language, religion, ethnicity, or heritage (often all four of these).

state

a politically organized independent territory with a government, defined borders, and a permanent population. A country.

nation state

the territory occupied by a group who view themselves as a nation is the same as the politically recognized boundaries of the state they call their own.

multinational state

a country with various ethnicities and cultures living inside its borders (most countries this way)

multi state nation

consists of people who share a cultural or ethnic background but live in more than one country.

stateless nation

describes a people united by culture, language, history, and tradition, but not possessing a state.

autonomous

self-governing; independent

semi autonomous

describing a region that is given partial authority to govern its territories independently from the national government (ex. Choctaw, Cherokee, Basque)

Colonialism

the practice of claiming and dominating overseas territories

imperialism

the push to create an empire by exercising force or influence to control other nations or peoples.

neocolonialism

the use of economic, political, cultural, or other pressures to control or influence other countries - especially former dependencies (ex. China's Belt and Road Initiative)

choke point

a narrow, strategic passageway to another place through which its difficult to pass. (ex. Thermopylae in Greece)

shatterbelt

where states form, join, and break up because of ongoing, sometimes violent, conflicts among parties because they're caught between the interests of more powerful outside states.

irredentism

attempting to acquire territories in neighboring states inhabited by people of the same nation.

balkanization

the process by which a state or region breaks up into smaller, often hostile, units, usually along ethnic, cultural, or religious lines. (named after the Balkan region)

subnationalism

describes people who have a primary allegiance to a traditional group or ethnicity

exclave

territory that's part of a state, but separated by another country (ex. Alaska)

enclave

a country surrounded by another (ex. Vatican City, and San Marino (both in Italy)).

gerrymandering

majority party drawing legislative maps with a partisan advantage that favors their party over any other.

packing

drawing a district to give the opposition one district

cracking

breaking up opposition to dilute opposition's power.

electoral college

a set of people called electors - who are chosen to elect the president (538 electors - Senate, House of Reps, + 3 DC votes). To win, need a minimum of 270 votes.

total number of US Representatives

435

reapportionment

when one state loses people and another gains or a state's population doesn't grow as fast as others, House of Rep seats are reallocated to different states.

redistricting

state's internal political boundaries that determine voting districts for House of Representatives and state legislature are redrawn to accurately reflect new census data.

concurrent power

federal and state government have some shared powers.

decolonization: Dutch East Indies, South Asia, French Indochina

East Indies - controlled by Netherlands, India + Pakistan controlled by British, Indochina controlled by French

Cold War

war on communism, mainly US v USSR

collapse of communism

fall of the Berlin Wall (Germany reunification), dissolution of USSR in 1991, etc.

countries breaking up after the Cold War

USSR broke up into Yugoslavia which later broke into 15 countries.

satellite states

Eastern European states under the control of the Soviet Union during the Cold War

4 steps to create a boundary (in order)

define, delimit, demarcate, and administer

4 boundary conflicts

definitional, locational, operational, allocational

definitional boundary dispute

focus on the legal language of the boundary (ex. Chile and Argentina)

locational boundary dispute

concerned with the physical location of the boundary (ex. shifting of Rio Grande river - US and Mexico)

Operational boundary dispute

how the boundary functions (ex. immigration, trade, etc.)

*allocational boundary dispute*

when a boundary separates natural resources; boundaries serve as vertical planes. (ex. Oil between Iraq and Kuwait)

types of boundaries

antecedent, subsequent, consequent, superimposed, geometric, relic

antecedent boundaries

established before many people settle into an area (ex., the boundary between the US and Canada at the 49th parallel)

subsequent boundaries

drawn in areas that've been settled by people and where cultural landscapes already exist or are in the process of being established. The most common type of boundary. (ex. Most European boundaries are subsequent)

consequent boundary

a type of subsequent boundary that takes into account the differences that exist within a cultural landscape, separating groups that have distinct languages, religions, ethnicities, or other traits. (ex. India -> Pakistan, India, Bangladesh/or the Balkans (Yugoslavia separation).

superimposed boundaries

drawn over existing accepted borders, by an outside or conquering force. (ex. Africa by the Berlin Conference)

geometric boundaries

mathematical and typically follow lines of latitude and longitude, or are straight-line arcs between 2 points, instead of following physical and cultural features. (ex. US and Canada/North and South Korea)

relic boundaries

former boundaries that once existed but no longer have an official function (ex., Berlin Wall - boundary between East and West Germany)

UNCLOS laws

1) a nation's territorial seas extended 12 nautical miles off its coast, 2) contiguous zone (immigration, customs) extends 24 nautical miles, 3) a nation's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) (natural resource sovereignty) extends 200 nautical miles from its coast.

South China Sea

The biggest area of conflict at sea (DISPUTE): China is creating artificial islands (with military bases) and taking water (and rights to it) from Vietnam, Malaysia, and the Philippines.

Median Line Principle

If EEZs overlap, they split it down the middle (ex., 50 miles between 2 countries' EEZs? Both get 25 miles)

Berlin Conference

A meeting at which European colonizing powers agreed on rules for colonizing Africa. Drew a superimposed map to divide Africa into colonies for countries.

Unitary States

government that follows a top-down approach in which policies are conveyed by the central government and funneled down to regional units to be carried out. (ex., Japan, Norway, China, France, Poland, Spain, etc.)

Unitary State advantages

1) fewer government agencies = less corrupt on the local level, 2)VERY EFFICIENT.

unitary state disadvantages

1) Centralized local government can get disconnected from local areas and lose touch, 2) tend to favor the majority group (lack of diversity = one-sided policies), 3) policies serve the capital area, 4) are slower than federal governments for local issues

federal state

Power is shared between the federal and regional governments (concurrent powers) (ex., the US, Canada, Mexico, Germany)

Federal state advantages

1) reduction of conflict between regions that differ on civil and political issues, 2) diversity (pluralism - coexistence of parties exists), 3) efficient when local government can tend to local issues

Federal state disadvantages

1) focus on small areas causes local/regional leaders to prevent progress on issues that impact the whole country, 2) can give undue/improper power to localized special interests, 3) cost and benefits of federal policies and aid are often distributed unevenly among the country's regional or local governments, 4) spatial inequality, 5) federal state can also experience conflict within its constituent units

centripetal forces

forces that unite people

centrifugal forces

forces that divide groups of people

organic theory

political theory by Friedrich Ratzel that views states as living organisms that need to grow and expand to survive

the heartland theory

whoever controls Eastern Europe controls the Heartland. It also supported the concept of world dominance. Soviets used this during the Cold War.

the rimland theory

Spyman stated that Eurasia's rimland, the coastal areas, is the key to controlling the World Island. Influential to USSR in Cold War.

the domino theory

if one land succumbed to communism, then the surrounding would follow in domino effect.

frontier

a zone of territory where no state has governing authority (ex. Antarctica)

satellite nation

Eastern European nations under influence of the Soviets during the Cold War

devolution factors and types

FACTORS: physical geography, ethnic and cultural factors, economic and social factors, and political and security issues. TYPES: transfer of power from central to regional governments to keep a state together, OR the splitting of a state.

supranational organizations

an alliance of three or more states that work together with common goals (ex., the United Nations, the EU, the Arab League, ASEAN, the Arctic Council).

NATO

North Atlantic Treaty Organization, a military collaboration (made as a response to the USSR during the Cold War). An attack against one is an attack against all.

European Union

Created in 1993, was made to address economic, social, and security issues of Western Europe. They share common trade, foreign policies, citizenship rights, environmental rules, and judicial cooperation. Disagreements: immigration, asylum, and open borders, and losing sovereignty.

USMCA

trade agreement between the U.S., Mexico, and Canada

Brexit

In 2020, when the UK pulled out of the European Union.

Taiwan

considered a "renegade province" by China. Not recognized as a state by itself (too less international recognition).

Hong Kong

a special administrative region of China, not an autonomous region in the traditional sense, but it operates under the "one country, two systems" principle, which grants it a high degree of autonomy.

Kurds

largest stateless nation spread across Syria, Iran, Iraq, and Turkey.

Palestinians

a contested territory and a stateless nation with a history of conflict over sovereignty, borders, and national identity.

Basque

an ethnic group in Spain that wants its own state but only have an autonomous region. They speak Euskera and are sub nationalist (want they own state).

Belgium

Previously unitary, but now a federal state. Split into Flanders, Brussels, and Wallonia. Devolution to keep the country together.

Rwanda

home of the Hutu and Tutsi - rival ethnic groups (strong centrifugal forces)

south china sea

biggest area of conflict on the sea. China is created artificial military islands and this is causing Vietnam, Malaysia, and the Philippines to lose coveted water rights.

sri lanka

feeling the affects of neo-colonialism with China's Belt and Road Program*. they couldn't pay back their loan and have to give up rights to a port to China instead - losing sovereignty in the process.

balkan peninsula

a shatterbelt, a region fragmented by internal ethnic tensions (subnationalism) and external imperial power struggles. Where balkanization got its name. resulted in the breakup of Yugoslavia in the 1990s, which resulted in the creation of new, ethnically-based nation-states.

nigeria

Federal state. North is Muslim, South is Christian+ animist. Hausa, Igbo, and Yoruba tribes make up this country. Civil War led to devolution (giving powers to the states) to keep the country together. They stay together because this country has oil resources. broke into subnational political units. 36 states today

balkans

a key example of a shatterbelt region and the process of balkanization, illustrating the interplay between ethnicity, nationalism, and political geography. These concepts are exemplified by the region's fragmentation into multiple states, often due to ethnic tensions, a history of conflict, and the break-up of larger states like Yugoslavia.

Sudan

defined by its devolution and the 2011 secession of South Sudan, which was caused by ethnic, religious, and economic conflicts. The country's Balkanization resulted from a history of internal conflict between the Muslim North and the predominantly Christian/animist South.

eritrea

on the Red Sea and was once part of Ethiopia (devolution). Heterogeneous, multiple regions and languages. Not doing well economically.

Uyghurs

a Turkish ethnic group that lives in Northwest China, in the Xinjiang province. A stateless nation (wants its own area). They are a minority in an area of mainly Han Chinese people. Due to fear of terrorism, the Chinese government uses mass surveillance, assimilation, and cultural genocide to weaken its culture. A sort of devolution is trying to occur, but the Chinese government won't allow it.

Rohingya

a minority group of Muslims in Myanmar. Due to ethnic cleansing (the government considers them illegal immigrants, not indigenous people) they've been driven to neighboring countries.

Falkland Islands

The Falkland Islands are near Argentina (250 nautical miles east). They call them the Malvinas Islands. They are British-controlled. Argentina and Britain went to war about this in 1982. Argentina lays claim to the islands due to historical ties (irredentism) and the UK promoted their self-determination (the Falkland Islands voted to stay part of UK).

East Pakistan

East Pakistan was an exclave of Pakistan (separated by India), which led to political instability and secessionist movements (devolution due to physical geography and culture). They also had a cultural divide. What started as the Pakistan Civil War became the 3rd Indo-Pakistani War (India supported East Pakistan). India and East Pakistan won, and East Pakistan became Bangladesh.

Kashmir

A region in Northern India that is highly disputed by India and Pakistan (also bordered by China). This happened because of the Partition (carried out by the British). Kashmir is mainly Muslim, but was ruled by a Hindu ruler, who chose to join India. Kashmiris are considered a stateless nation by some. They are not allowed to make their own choice with a referendum (which they were supposed to do). Conflict is a classic example of irredentism.

Hmong

a stateless nation due to the victory of communism in Vietnam (they helped the US against communism). They have been subject to forced migration and autonomy.

Turkey

Not a part of the EU. Also, a geopolitical "chokepoint" due to its control of the straits connecting the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. Turkey is a key player in a shatterbelt region where external pressures from major powers create ongoing regional instability and affect its foreign policy decisions. Also includes some of the Kurds (a stateless nation).