political geography

What is a state in political geography?

A state is an area organized into a political unit ruled by an established government with control over its internal and foreign affairs.

What is the synonym for a state?

Country

How many countries were there in the world in the 1940s?

About 50 countries

What is the largest state in the world by land area?

Russia, encompassing 17.1 million square kilometers.

What percentage of the world's land area do the six largest states occupy?

40 percent

What is a microstate?

A microstate is a state with very small land area.

What is the world's smallest microstate?

The Vatican, at 0.49 square kilometers.

Which microstate is the smallest member of the United Nations?

Monaco, which is 2 square kilometers.

What is the smallest island state in the world?

Nauru, at 21 square kilometers.

What does sovereignty mean in the context of a state?

Sovereignty means independence from control of internal affairs by other states.

When was the United Nations established?

In 1945.

How many original members did the United Nations have?

51 original members.

What significant event caused an increase in U.N. membership in 1955?

Sixteen countries joined, mostly European countries liberated from Nazi Germany.

What year saw the addition of 17 new members to the U.N.?

1960.

What was a major reason for the increase in U.N. members between 1990 and 1993?

The breakup of the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia.

What was the League of Nations?

An earlier organization for international peacemaking established in 1920.

Why was the League of Nations ineffective?

The U.S. did not join, and key nations withdrew, preventing effective peacekeeping.

What role does the U.N. play in conflicts between member states?

The U.N. can authorize military and peacekeeping actions.

What challenges does the U.N. face in peacekeeping?

It often lacks enough military forces and must rely on individual countries to supply troops.

Which countries are permanent members of the U.N. Security Council?

China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

What power do the permanent members of the U.N. Security Council have?

They can veto a peacekeeping operation.

What is the significance of national boundaries in political geography?

National boundaries are often more meaningful than natural features and divide Earth's surface into spaces occupied by countries.

What is the relationship between states and territories?

A state occupies a defined territory on Earth's surface and contains a permanent population.

What is the approximate number of countries in the world today?

Approximately 200 countries.

What is a formal or uniform region in political geography?

A region managed by a national government, laws, army, and leaders, exemplified by a state.

How does the concept of states relate to the allocation of land?

Virtually all habitable land on Earth is organized into states.

What is the significance of the year 2011 for the United Nations?

The number of U.N. members reached 193.

What are some examples of U.N. member states smaller than 1,000 square kilometers?

Andorra, Antigua & Barbuda, Bahrain, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Kiribati, Liechtenstein, Maldives, Malta, and Marshall Islands.

What year did the U.N. vote to send troops to support South Korea?

1950

Which countries' opposition has complicated international efforts to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons?

China and Russia

What is a major role of the U.N. in the international community?

To promote international cooperation to address global economic problems, promote human rights, and provide humanitarian relief.

What is the difference between a unitary state and a federal state?

A unitary state centralizes power in the national government, while a federal state allocates strong power to local governments.

Which country is an example of a federal state that accommodates multiple cultural groups?

Belgium

What is a characteristic of a unitary government?

Most power is placed in the hands of central government officials.

Which country has a long tradition of unitary government?

France

What principle is embedded in the Tenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution?

Powers not delegated to the United States are reserved to the States or the people.

What trend has been observed in recent years regarding government structures?

A global trend toward federal government and the curtailing of unitary systems.

What historical region is known as the birthplace of the first states?

The Fertile Crescent

What geographical feature is central to the development of ancient states in the Fertile Crescent?

The Tigris and Euphrates rivers

What is a city-state?

A sovereign state that comprises a town and the surrounding countryside.

Which modern city is an example of a city-state?

Singapore

What was the political structure of Mesopotamia in ancient times?

Organized into a succession of empires by various groups such as the Sumerians and Babylonians.

What was the maximum extent of the Roman Empire?

Controlled most of Europe, North Africa, and Southwest Asia.

What led to the collapse of the Roman Empire?

Attacks by frontier peoples and internal disputes.

What was the impact of the Roman Empire's collapse on Europe?

Fragmentation into estates owned by competing nobles.

What development occurred around the year 1100 in Europe?

Powerful kings began to consolidate neighboring estates under unified control.

Which modern European states emerged from the consolidation of estates?

France and Spain

What does the U.N. represent in terms of international relations?

A forum where virtually all states can meet and vote on issues without resorting to war.

Why have only a small handful of states joined the U.N. since 2000?

Various geopolitical factors and the challenges of statehood.

What is the significance of the Tenth Amendment in the context of federalism?

It reserves powers to the states, reinforcing the federal structure.

What is the role of local governments in a federal state?

They are allocated strong power to govern local affairs.

How did the Fertile Crescent influence the development of religions?

It was a center for early civilizations and cultural exchanges.

What is a key characteristic of unitary states in Europe?

They are common and often have strong central governments.

What does the term 'sovereign state' refer to?

A political entity that is represented by one centralized government that has sovereignty over a geographic area.

What is a state?

An area organized into a political unit.

What is a nation?

A large group of people united by common cultural characteristics, such as language and ethnicity, or by shared history.

What is a nation-state?

A state whose territory corresponds to that occupied by a particular nation.

What does self-determination mean?

The concept that nations have the right to govern themselves.

What was the goal of the Allied leaders at the Versailles Peace Conference in 1919?

To divide Europe into a collection of nation-states using language as the principal criterion for identifying ethnic groups.

What major event led to the division of Germany into two states?

World War II.

What were the two states of Germany after World War II?

The German Democratic Republic (East Germany) and the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany).

What is an example of a nation-state with low ethnic diversity?

Japan, with around 95 percent Japanese ethnicity.

What historical example illustrates the failure of a nation-state in Europe?

The breakup of Yugoslavia.

What happened to Czechoslovakia in 1993?

It was peacefully transformed into two nation-states: Czechia and Slovakia.

What is the significance of Hadrian's Wall?

It was constructed to protect the Roman province of Britain from people living to the north.

What characterized the organization of Europe in 1800?

Much of Europe was organized into empires.

What was the ethnic composition of Yugoslavia before its breakup?

It was a multinational state with various ethnic groups.

What does the term 'ethnic cleansing' refer to?

The forced removal of an ethnic group from a territory.

What was the primary criterion used to redraw the map of Europe after World War I?

Language.

What is the relationship between ethnicity and nationalism according to Karl Marx?

He believed nationalism was a temporary phenomenon as workers would ultimately identify with the working class across countries.

What is the significance of Checkpoint Charlie?

It was a crossing point between East and West Germany during the division of Germany.

What is a characteristic of states with the least ethnic diversity?

They are often considered the best examples of nation-states.

What was the outcome of the Allies' attempt to create nation-states in Europe after World War I?

Some clear-cut examples of nation-states were created, but many states did not survive as nation-states.

What was the role of Isaiah Bowman at the Versailles Peace Conference?

He was a chief adviser to U.S. President Woodrow Wilson and played a major role in the decisions made.

What was the impact of the end of communism in 1990 on Germany?

The German Democratic Republic ceased to exist, and its territory became part of the Federal Republic of Germany.

What does the term 'multinational state' refer to?

A state that contains multiple ethnic groups with distinct national identities.

What was a significant trend in Europe regarding nation-states in the late twentieth century?

Ethnic identity became increasingly important again.

What is an example of a peaceful conversion to a nation-state?

Slovenia's conversion from a republic in multinational Yugoslavia to a nation-state in 1991.

What was the primary ethnic group in the former Yugoslavia?

There were multiple ethnic groups, including Serbs, Croats, and Bosniaks.

What is the significance of the Mediterranean Sea in the context of the Roman Empire?

It was a crucial body of water for trade and military movement within the Empire.

What was the extent of the Roman Empire around 100 CE?

It controlled much of Europe, Southwest Asia, and North Africa.

What percentage of Slovenia's population is of Slovene ethnicity?

More than 80 percent.

What is a multinational state?

A multinational state is a state that contains more than one nation.

What was the U.S.S.R. an example of?

A multinational state consisting of 15 republics based on various ethnicities.

What ethnic group comprised the largest percentage of the U.S.S.R.'s population before its breakup?

Russians, comprising 51 percent.

What are the three Caucasus states mentioned as examples of nation-states?

Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia.

What conflict exists between Armenia and Azerbaijan?

They have fought over the possession of Artsakh, an enclave that is predominantly Armenian.

Which three countries are known as the Baltic states?

Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.

What significant event occurred in the Baltic states in 1940?

They were annexed by the former Soviet Union.

What is the predominant religion of Lithuanians?

Roman Catholicism.

What language family do Latvians speak?

A language of the Baltic group.

What is the ethnic composition of Kazakhstan?

70 percent Kazakhs and 16 percent Russians.

What ethnic group makes up the majority in Kyrgyzstan?

Kyrgyz, comprising 74 percent of the population.

What major conflict affected Tajikistan in the 1990s?

A civil war that lasted from 1992 to 1997.

What is the status of South Ossetia and Abkhazia?

They have declared independence from Georgia but are recognized by only a few countries.

What is the significance of the 2010 violence in Kyrgyzstan?

It included charges of ethnic cleansing against Uzbeks by Kyrgyz.

What is the main ethnic group in Russia?

Ethnic Russians, comprising 78 percent of the population.

How many ethnic groups are recognized in Russia?

193 ethnic groups among the remaining 22 percent.

What does Russia's constitution grant to numerous ethnicities?

Autonomy over local government affairs.

What is the primary language family classification for non-Russian ethnic groups in Russia?

By language family.