Seas, Oceans, and Globalization: Practice Flashcards

800 flashcards covering seas, oceans, globalization, port geography, maritime transport, geopolitical powers, resource management, the European Union, and regional economic agreements, specifically reflecting statistics and proper nouns from the lecture notes.

Twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU)

A unit of measurement corresponding to a container approximately $6$ meters long, $2.5$ meters wide, and $2.5$ meters high.

Gigantism

The trend in maritime transport of using increasingly larger ships to reduce costs per tonne or unit.

Supertanker Capacity

Vessels that can carry over $300,000$ tonnes of cargo.

Modern Container Ship Length

Vessels over $400$ meters long.

Modern Container Ship Capacity

Capability to carry up to $23,000$ TEU.

Global Fleet Size

Comprises nearly $100,000$ vessels.

Cargo Transport Proportion

Half of the world's nearly $100,000$ vessels are used for cargo.

China's Shipbuilding Share

$40\%$ of global shipbuilding.

South Korea's Shipbuilding Share

$25\%$ of global shipbuilding.

Japan's Shipbuilding Share

$24\%$ of global shipbuilding.

Maersk

The 1st ranked shipping company in the world, based in Denmark.

MSC

The 2nd ranked shipping company in the world, based in Italy-Switzerland.

CMA-CGM

The 4th ranked shipping company in the world, based in France.

COSCO

A major Chinese shipping company ranked 3rd globally, placed between MSC and CMA-CGM.

Northern Range

A major global port front on the Northwestern European coast, stretching from Le Havre to Hamburg.

Hub Ports

Central points on the main circumnavigable shipping route where secondary routes branch off.

Feeders

Smaller vessels that serve smaller coasts from larger hub ports.

Most Transported Commodity

Oil remains the primary item transported by sea.

Dry Bulk Cargo Examples

Cereals, ores, and coal.

Asia's Container Traffic Share

$50\%$ of the $152\,million$ TEUs globally.

Suez Canal Capacity Expansion

Doubled its capacity in $2015-2016$.

Panama Canal Capacity Expansion

Doubled its capacity in $2015-2016$.

Strait of Malacca

A strategic maritime chokepoint and area of congestion in Southeast Asia.

Strait of Gibraltar

A strategic maritime chokepoint connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea.

Strait of Hormuz

A strategic maritime chokepoint in the Middle East, vital for oil transport.

South Pacific

A maritime area largely spared from high congestion due to its vastness and regional role.

Hinterland

The inland area served by a port.

UNCTAD

United Nations Commission on Trade and Development, which calculates the maritime transport connectivity index.

Yangshan Port

A deep-water port on nearby islands serving Shanghai to accommodate modern ship sizes.

Global Port Hierarchy - Top 20

$9$ are Chinese and $15$ are Asian.

Emerging Countries' Trade Share

They account for $60\%$ of maritime trade.

New York and Savannah Rank

The best-connected American ports, ranked only $36^{th}$ and $37^{th}$ in connectivity.

American Megalopolis Hubs

Historically centered on New York and the Northern Range's hubs like London and Rotterdam.

Pacific Ocean Trade Shift

Became the main transit zone since $1980$, surpassing the Atlantic.

California Hubs

The center of the American maritime front, featuring Los Angeles and San Francisco.

East Asian Front Hubs

Includes the Japanese megalopolis, South Korean ports, Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Singapore.

Indian Ocean Role

Primarily a transit ocean between Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and the US via Cape Town.

Mediterranean Sea Characteristics

Divided North-South by development but intensively traversed East-West.

Central American Mediterranean

Refers to the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico, dominated by the United States.

South and East China Seas

Highly dynamic economic zones and strategic routes experiencing aggressive Chinese imperialism.

Antarctic Ocean Status

Governed by a $1959$ status updated in $1991$ and $1998$; prohibits military and economic activity south of the $60^{th}$ parallel.

Arctic Ocean Ambitions

Heightened by climate change and the opening of new shipping routes and resources.

Quasi-Arctic State

Self-declared status of China, which has held observer status on the Arctic Council since $2013$.

String of Pearls

Chain of naval bases and facilities China established along the route to the Strait of Hormuz.

Number of people fed by fishing

$820\,million$ people worldwide.

Global fish production weight

$171\,million$ tonnes annually.

Average fish consumption per person

$20\,kg$ per year.

Fish Protein Contribution

$18\%$ of the animal protein consumed globally.

Post-1945 Fishing Technology

Sonar, pelagic trawls, and integrated factory ships.

Overfishing

The depletion of fish stocks that has caused production to stagnate since $1980$.

Aquaculture

The human-managed cultivation of fish, crustaceans, mollusks, and algae.

Aquaculture production weight

$80\,million$ tonnes, nearly half of total seafood.

Asia's Aquaculture Dominance

Produces $90\%$ of global aquaculture products.

China's Aquaculture Share

Accounts for $61\%$ of global aquaculture production.

Mangroves

Fragile ecosystems put under strain by aquaculture production, particularly for shrimp in Asia.

Marine Hydrocarbon Reserves

Seas and oceans hold approximately $30\%$ of the world’s gas and oil reserves.

Production Platforms

$17,000$ platforms are spread globally (Gulf of Mexico, North Sea, etc.).

Deep Offshore Drilling

Technology allowing drilling in $3,000$ to $4,000$ meters of water, making up over $6\%$ of global production.

BP Deepwater Horizon

Platform that exploded in the Gulf of Mexico in $2010$, highlighting environmental risks.

Polymetallic nodules

Mineral resources on the seabed that are currently not profitably exploited.

Marine Renewable Energy Types

Offshore wind farms, tidal energy (current power), and wave energy.

Territorialization

The phase of increasing state appropriation and competition over maritime spaces.

Montego Bay Convention (UNCLOS)

$1982$ convention defining the legal framework for maritime space and resources.

Territorial Sea

The zone up to $12$ nautical miles where the coastal State exercises full sovereignty.

Nautical Mile

A unit of distance equal to $1,852$ meters.

Contiguous Zone

The zone up to $24$ nautical miles where a state has a right of control.

Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)

The zone up to $200$ nautical miles where a state has exclusive rights to exploit natural resources.

International Maritime Spaces

Areas beyond $200$ nautical miles not subject to specific state regulations.

Peaceful Passage

The unrestricted right of passage through international straits despite state regulations.

US Navy Budget

$205\,billion$, accounting for $9\%$ of global military spending.

Nuclear Deterrence Component

Submarines carrying ballistic missiles.

Russian Fleet Capacity

Significantly reduced since the end of the Cold War; lacks significant power projection.

China's Fleet Size

World's second-largest by tonnage with over $600$ warships.

Sea of Azov Crisis

Following the $2014$ annexation of Crimea, Russia transformed it into a 'Russian lake' by closing the Kerch Strait.

Oil flow through Strait of Hormuz

$21\,million$ barrels of oil daily, representing one-third of global traffic.

US Fifth Fleet Base

Located in Bahrain to monitor the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz.

UNCLOS Membership

$168$ countries have ratified it; the United States is a notable absentee.

Global Container Traffic Volume

Approximately $750\,million$ containers are transported each year.

Drug Production Countries in Caribean Trade

Bolivia, Peru, and Colombia.

Operation Atalanta

EU military operation ($2008-2020$) that successfully reduced piracy near the Somali coast.

Somali Piracy reduction

Dropped from $168$ attacks in $2008$ to $1$ in $2018$.

Gulf of Guinea Piracy

Accounted for more than $80\%$ of global maritime hostage takings in $2019$.

Annual Marine Pollution

Approximately $6\,million$ tons of pollutants are discharged annually.

North Pacific Gyre

The largest accumulation of plastic, known as the 'seventh continent' or 'plastic continent'.

Ocean CO2 Storage

Oceans store a quarter of the $CO_2$ produced by human activities.

Albedo

Reflectivity of a surface; higher for white sea ice than for darker ice-free surfaces.

French EEZ size

$10.2\,million\,km^2$, the second largest in the world.

French Extended EEZ

$11.7\,million\,km^2$ if uncontested extension claims are included.

French Overseas Population

Nearly $3\,million$ inhabitants.

Clipperton

An uninhabited French overseas territory claimed by Mexico.

Scattered Islands and Tromelin

French territories claimed by Madagascar.

Marseille-Fos Traffic

$80\,Mt$ (million tonnes).

Le Havre Traffic

$72\,Mt$.

Rotterdam Traffic

$469\,Mt$, outperforming the total of all French ports combined.

French Container Competitiveness

$50\%$ of containers entering France do so through foreign ports.

Charles de Gaulle

The French aircraft carrier at the center of its naval task force.

SSBN

Nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines, of which France has four.

Atlantic Coast French Ports

Calais and Dunkirk (tied at $50\,Mt$).

Percentage of French EEZ Protected

$20\%$ by $2020$ via nine marine natural parks.

French Navy Rank

$6^{th}$ in the world.