ap human geo unit 4: political geography

state

basic organization of a group of people in defined borders. aka countries

gaining statehood (5 things)

-defined borders

-permanent population

-functional government

*effectively gain independence

*other countries view as independent

things to help recognize a country

embassy, join the UN, and trade

sovereignty

complete control of decision making without outside interference

territory

area of land under jurisdiction of a state, but hasn’t gained the full rights of being part of a state

territorial integrity

a government has the right to keep borders+territories intact and free from attack

territoriality

countries sense of property and attachment toward its territory. assert control over the geographical area

neo-colonialism

the practice of using economical control/political influence by a MDC to indirectly control a LDC

origin of a “modern” state

influenced by Europe(the hearth)

political state

territory defines society

nation

groupof people in given geographical area with common culture/heritage. people define, not borders

nation state

most ethnically homogeneous state with a sovereign government with clearly defined border

-often nations will push for independence, which shows difference between nationality

example of nation-state: Basque region

• in northern spain and sw france

• has own unique heritage/culture that’s not French or spanish

multinational state

a state with many natons within. eg: usa and canada

multi-state nation

a single nation that spreads across many states. eg: arabs

stateless nation

nation that doesnt have a state to call home. not dominant in any state. eg: kurds

centriputal

force that unites. eg:religion, political party, education

centrifugal

force that divides. eg: race, class, war

boundary

goes up in the air and below surface

4 steps to establish a boundary

1. define: legally using longitude/latitude in legal documents

2. delimit: write/draw out on a map

3. demarcate: mark boundary(fence, wall, post)

4. administrate: determine how people and goods will get across

geometric boundary

use of longitude and latitude

natural/physical boundary

use of physical features(rivers, lakes, mountains). however a limitation is that features can move

antecedent boundary

drawn before area is poulated

subsequent boundary

drawn after cultural landscape has been developed. eg: jerusalem

relic boundary

no longer exists but left a cultural impact. eg: berlin wall

super imposed boundary

boundaries forces on a country by conquering/colonizing power. eg: all of africa (berlin conference)

definitional boundary dispute

problems with the legal language used to define property

locational boundary dispute

argue over the demarcation

operational boundary dispute

neighbors disagree on how border should function

allocational boundary dispute

over natural resources

exclave

region of a country that’s separated from the main part. eg alaska

enclave

state completely surrounded by another state

law of the seas (UNCLOS)

ocean/sea/water laws

UNCLOS zone 1: territorial sea

up to 12 nautical miles of sovereignty; commercial vessels may pass, but non-commercial vessels may be challenged

UNCLOS zone 2: contiguous zone

limited sovereignty up to 24 nautical miles- can enforce laws on customs, taxes, immigration and pollution.

UNCLOS zone 3: exclusive economic zone (EEZ)

can explore, extract minerals, and manage up to 200 nautical miles (230 miles)

exception- if your continental shelf is beyond the limit than can petition for up to 350 nautical miles

UNCLOS zone 4: high seas

beyond the EEZ is open to all states

median line principle

if zones overlap, most common is just to divide in half

federal gov

• 2 levels of gov(central+state)

• political powers shared(by 2 levels of gov)

  • 2 diff types of law (central+state)

unitary gov

• 1 level of gov(central)

• political power held by only central gov

  • only 1 set of law(uniform) for whole state

pros of federal gov

fits needs of people in different places

cons of federal

diff laws in diff places, harder to keep track/in order

pros of unitary

everyone has the same laws/rule

cons of unitary

minority groups feel as is if they have little to no voice

semi-autonomous

some independence

autonomous

full independence

compact state shape

small, more unified

fragmented state shape

scattered all over; divider because not well connected to each other

perforated state shape

completely surrounds another state

elongated state shape

long and narrow; divider bc hard to unite when far apart

prorupted state shae

long part that sticks out; divider bc harder to unite long part to main part

land locked state shape

no access to water

devolution

movement of power from central to regional gov. can lead to autonomous, semi-autonomous, or even a new state

type of devolution: ethnocultural

region in country that sees theirself as diff from the rest of the country. eg: Scotland and native groups in the us

type of devolution: economic

region/province that’s richer than the rest of the country. doesn’t wanna pay for everyone else

eg: catalonia

type of devolution: spatial

far away/separated from the rest of the country. eg: hawaii

balkanization

when devolution leads to a new country

irredentism

demand places back because culturally/historically connected to your country. eg: Russia wants crimea

shatterbelt

region has instability bc its in-between 2 feuding countries

gerrymandering

redistricting for the advantage of your party

packing

pack most of the opposing party into few districts so that your party has more districts

cracking

breaking up districts so that the opposing party isn’t in the majority

geopolitics

looks at who in the world has all the power

territoriality

how do countries exert power to protect their borders

impact of resources

resources give you power

regional conflicts

how does your location and access to things give you power

world systems theory: 3 tier system

top exploits middle and bottom.

middle exploits bottoms

bottom is exploited by everyone

world systems theory: core

the top: stage 4+5, MDC, everyone works for them, makes lots of money. eg: US

core proccesses

use advanced tech:computers, machines, robots.

semi-periphary

middle, tech+labor, exploited by top, and exploits bottom

periphery process

stage 2, LDC, most in sub-saharan africa, manual labor/by hand, works for every core country

supranational organization

an organization of 3 or more states whose goal is economic stability and growth, as well as political unity.

eg: EU, Africian Union, OPEC

pros of supranational organizations

• more powerful as a group rather than individual

• migration+trade moves freely across border

  • common policies

cons of supranational

• give up some sovereignty for the greater good for the organization

• common policies (doesn’t align w/ beliefs or doesn’t favor certain places)

• membership dues

• wealthy countries have to support poorer countries