AP HUMAN GEO UNIT 4

State

State

Political unit that has power over a political territory that has a population and a government.

Sovereignty

Power over borders and power to defend those borders

Rimland Theory

Spykmans theory of sea power and control of maritime areas(control of Southern Eurasia and the middle east needed to be earned).

Nation

Group of people who share a common language and culture(ex. Japanese, Najavo, Sami)

Nation-State

State consisting of a single, unified nation(ex. Japan, Iceland)

Stateless Nations

Group of people who posses common cultural values and do not have a state to their name(ex. Rohingya, Basque, Navajo)

Unitary Government

Form of government that is highly centralized(France), no states or districts

Multistate Nation

Single nation living in multiple states(ex. Kurds, Roma)

Multinational State

States containing multiple major ethnicities within their boundaries(ex. Belgium, US)

Autonomous Regions

Regions within a state that have a great deal of authority to operate independently of their national government(ex. Hong Kong)

Semi-Autonomous Regions

Regions within a state that have more limited authority granted by the national government(ex. Scotland and Northern Ireland)

Federal Government

Form of government that is governed by regions(ex. Canada, US, India). Districts and states within nations within their own government.

Political Geography Factors

• Sovereignty

• Nation-State(longing for ideal)

• Self Determination

Berlin Conference

Meeting that divided Africa among colonizers(scramble for Africa)

Self Determination

Right of people to choose and determine their own government

• Came out of the Enlightenment era of Europe

Organic Theory

Ratzel’s theory, countries need to consume others like organisms

Heartland Theory

Mackinders theory of land based power, “protect the heartland by occupying nearby states as buffers”

• Soviet Union, Russia

Other Factors Influencing Political Geography

• Imperialism and Colonialism

  • First and Second Waves of European Colonialism and Imperialism

• Independence Movements

  • Partition of India and American Revolution

• Devolution

Gerrymandering

Drawing odd shaped voting districts to gain an advantage; it keeps the same number of voters in a district

Scramble for Africa

Second wave of European Colonialism, Berlin Conference split up Africa into many different European controlled countries and combined rival ethnic groups. Causing problems(same thing happened with Yugoslavia).

What are the four steps of boundary creation?

1. Define

2. Delimit

3. Demarcate

4. Administer

Devolution

Power changes from one central authority to smaller, more local forces of power or government. Usually due to cultural differences/physical distance.

• Soviet Union

Shatterbelts

Groups of politically and ethnically fragmented states located between larger, more powerful states that often vie for control over the smaller states(ex. Balkan states).

• Usually home to valuable natural resources

Four main regions in which shatterbelts exist

• East Central Europe

• Sub Saharan Africa

• Southeast Asia

• Middle East

Political Power Factors

• Shatterbelts

• Choke Points

• Neocolonialism

Choke Points

Narrow, highly strategic, geographic passageways that restrict passage from one region to another

• Strait of Hormuz, Iran threatened to close it down

• Suez Canal, Egypt. Important for European and Asian trade

Neocolonialism

Powerful countries attempt to control less powerful countries through economic means. “New Colonialism”.

• African economies are dependent on former colonizers

Economic Devolution

Change in the location of a capital city. Usually to bring attention to another area of the country/balance economy.

Supranational Organization

Entity composed of three or more states for a mutual benefit

• NATO, OPEC, UN

Antecedent Boundaries

Boundaries drawn before an area was populated(49th parallel, drawn first and populated later)

Subsequent Boundaries

Boundaries drawn after an area is populated, often illustrating cultural boundaries(ex. Ireland and Northern Ireland, differences in political beliefs)

Consequent Boundaries

Type of subsequent boundaries, drawn in consideration of cultural and ethnic differences that existed prior.

Superimposed Boundaries

Drawn by an outside dominant power that is not affected by the drawing of the boundaries. Done during colonialism, usually for economic reasons(ex. Scramble for Africa).

Geometric Boundaries

Boundaries drawn along longitude and latitude lines that usually do not consider landscape or cultural differences(ex. Kenya and Tanzania, Algeria and Egypt).

Relic Boundaries

Boundaries that once existed but no longer function as boundaries. Serve as reminders of history and still has seen effects today. (ex. Berlin Wall)

What do countries do in the defining stage of boundary creation?

Stage 1. Countries define where their boundaries are located through legal documentation like treaties, and often reference natural or topographic features.

What do countries do in the delimiting stage of boundary creation?

Stage 2. Drawing the legal boundaries on a map.

What do countries do in the demarcating stage of boundary creation?

Stage 3. Mark the boundary through physical things on the landscape like pillars and signs.

Centrifugal Forces

Forces dividing people. Like religion, language and ethnicity(ex. Sunni vs Shia).

What do countries do in the administrating stage of boundary creation?

Stage 4. What states do to enforce those boundaries. Like visas and passports required to enter.

Definitional Boundary Disputes

Two countries disagree over the interpretation of legal documents establishing boundaries.

Locational Boundary Disputes

Occurs when an established border moves and competing claims to the land arise(ex. Mexico and US, Rio Grande river)

Operational Boundary Disputes

Borders are clear, but the function of the border causes conflict.

Allocational Boundary Disputes

Occurs when valuable resources lie on both sides of a boundary(who has the rights to that resource)

• Iraq and Kuwait, oil fields and disputes

Demilitarized Zones(DMZ)

Stretch of land between the borders of a country where both countries involved have agreed to have no military personnel present. (ex. North and South Korea)

How Boundaries and Border Policy is decided

• Demilitarized Zones

• Policy(Berlin Conference)

United Nations Conference on the Law of the Seas(UNCLOS)

International treaty that decided for all states that border the sea, their political boundaries would extend 12 nautical miles into what’s known as their territorial sea.

• International Law of the Sea!!

Exclusive Economic Zone(EEZ)

Extends 200 nautical miles from the coast. Within this zone each country has exclusive rights to natural resource extraction.

• Can cause disputes, Spratly Islands in the South China sea

Centripetal Forces

Forces that unite people

• Strong governments, economic growth, sports, etc.

Malapportionment

Not apportioning voting districts properly(imbalance of population). Different from gerrymandering, more obvious!

3 Parts of the World Systems Theory

• Core

• Semi-Periphery

• Periphery

What are Core countries in the World Systems Theory?

Most economically/technologically advanced countries. Globally dominant. Includes USA and Japan.

What are Semi-Periphery countries in the World Systems Theory?

Not particularly outstanding, countries not fully developed but not underdeveloped either. Includes India and Brazil.

Packing

Part of Gerrymandering. Districts are drawn so the opposition party is concentrated into a single unit.

What are Periphery countries in the World Systems Theory?

Countries that are still developing and often depend on Core and Semi-Periphery countries.

Compact Countries

Countries that kind of resemble a circle. Every side is equidistant from the center(ex. Poland)

Prorupted Countries

Largely compact but has one part that sticks out or prorupts(ex. Thailand)

Elongated Countries

Long countries that resemble a line(ex. Vietnam, Chile). Often have access to many natural resources.

Perforated Countries

Countries with another country inside of them(ex. South Africa).

Fragmented Countries

Countries consisting of multiple separate land clusters or islands(ex. Philippines)

Friction of Distance

The greater the distance between two locations, the weaker their connection and vice versa