World Regional Geography Exam 3

What does the Russian Realm include?

mainly Russia, but also Georgia, etc. and sometimes include the "stans" countries in it; Russia dominates and is twice the size of Canada and spans 9 time zones

Geography Around Russia

- two transition zones make the realm: in west by Europe, and separation from southwest Asia and "stans"

- arctic ocean above it

- small ish population after Soviet Union fell

Climate in Russia

- very cold

- similar to upper Midwest US and Canada

- very frigid in North

- harsh climates effect soil and people

- humid cold climate

Insolation (Russia)

- amount of energy intercepted by Earth

- depends on two factors: intensity of solar radiation determined by angle of incidence

- variation in duration of sunlight by season

Solar Energy (Insolation/Solar Radiation) (Russia)

- solar constant: average amount of insolation (341 watts/m^2)

- drives all atmospheric process on Earth

Insolation Varies Place to Place (Russia)

directly overhead concentrated in smaller area than if hitting at an angle; equatorial parts receive most

Angles Between Sun and Surface (Russia)

equatorial regions are warmer then polar ones; at equator sun at 90 degrees (direct concentration), but at poles, could be at 0 degrees

Harsh Environments (Russia)

- climate context: continentality

- Iceland climatic environmental removed from moderating and moistening maritime influence

- environmental and ecological effect

Permafrost (NTK)

water in ground permanently frozen

Tundra (NTK)

bare ground and rock with lichen, mosses, and low grass; treeless and windy

Taiga (NTK)

"snow forest" of coniferous trees

Oymyakon, Russia

one of the coldest places on Earth; 600 people, tourism big part of town, hot springs, schools stay open in -52 degrees F

Verkhoyank, Russia

1400 people, south of north pole, -50.4 degrees F, used to be base

Yakutsk, Russia

city of 300,000 people, mining industry, -30 ish degrees F

Agriculture in Harsh Environment (Russia)

- climate and weather makes farming difficulty

- seasonal temp, extreme, variable rainfall, short, undependable growing seasons

- limitations on agriculture explain realm's pop. distribution people cluster in west and southwest because that is where the least harsh conditions are

Climate Change and Arctic Prospects (Russia)

- lengthy northern coastlines on the Arctic ocean = mostly frozen throughout the year

- global warming and possibility for the future

- melting arctic ocean ice cover, opening up arctic ports, and even passes through Bering Straight

- shrinking area of permafrost

- improvements of agriculture of the Russian plain, new oil and gas reserves, expanding the Russian geographic territory

Ecological Risk, Global Warming, and Environmental Aspiration (Russia)

- animals and humans adapted in harsh prevailing climate conditions of the arctic (e.g. polar bear, Inuit pop)

- new oil and natural gas exploration

- offshore environments could also face dangers as these new resources became exploited

- globalization forces are infiltrating a part of these new resources because exploited

- globalization forces are infiltrating a part of the world long protected by distance and nature

Russia's Natural Riches

- nearly all raw materials required by modern industry are present

- oil, natural gas, coal, iron ore, and other metals

- much of the realm is yet to be fully explored

Russian Roots

- 10,000 years ago: Slavic settlements: Rus

- established in present day Ukraine and Southwestern corner of the Russian Plain location had physical landscape favorable to settlement and agriculture

- near the Aniepes river

- many Russians today see Ukraine as their historical heartland

- steppes or semiarid grasslands

Mongol Invasion (Russia)

- Mongol-tarter horse armies sent to conquer Russia

- Russes/Russian plains where vulnerable on open steppes

- forest Russes able to fend off tarter

- Russes paid tribute to Mongol-tarter invaders

- Moscow established trade with Russes

- Mongols attacks Russes

- Mongols converted to Islam

Grand Duchy of Muscovy (Russia)

- 14th century rise

- extension of trade and religious ties

- rule of princes of dukes

- three centuries of territorial growls

- 16th century = Ivan IV (Ivan the Terrible) and reign of terror; concentrate power

- was a military power in nearly constant war force

- was an imperial state was centralized administrative contrast

Building the Russian Empire: Czarist Russia

- Peter the Great led a modern European style state: St. Petersburg (built as a forward capital on edge of Swedish

- hold fine and on the Baltic

- developed as Russia's leading port for trade

- researched ship building for Russia to become a normal power

- wanted it more European

- visited Versailles and made them dress as 18th century people

- continued to conquer other lands and other Czars after him

19th Century Expansion (Russia)

- expansion through imperialism

- a country's way of extending their power and influence through diplomacy or military force

- instead of crossing an ocean, Russia crosses land

- had control of some present-day US, but eventually got rid of

- necessary because of the imitators of Russia's site

- went in search of warmer ports = build up economy by trade

A Multinational Empire (Russia)

- Russian Expansion annexed and incorporated many nationalities and cultures

- Russia controlled as much as 100 different nationalities

- the Russian revolution was a struggle among Russian citizens: communities won out, creating the Soviet Union

- Russia infamous for their treatment of peasant, exploitations of workers, excesses of the czars

- no democracy = no way to express their complaints

The Soviet Union: The Political Framework (NTK)

- Union of society socialist republicans (USSR)

- based on ethnic identities, divided into 5 soviet socialist republics (SSRs)

- broadly corresponded to a major nationality's territory

- within the SSRS, smaller minorities were designated autonomous Soviet Socialist Republics (ASSRs)

- below that were autonomous Regions

- complicated, cumbersome, and poorly designed political framework

- correspond to biggest nationality

- in long run, would not work out

A Phantom Federation (Russia)

- federation

- difficulty of multination federation

- Communist planners revised the cultural maps

- forced relocation of ethnic minorities in the East

- Russification saw the settlement of Ethnic Russians throughout the Russian SSR

Federation

indicates a sharing of power between central government and subdivision

The Soviet Economic Framework (NTK)

- economic experiment

- communism -> centrally planned economy by communist leaders had two principal objectives:

1. accelerate industrialization

2. Collectivize Agriculture

Accelerated Industrialization in Soviet Economic Framework (NTK)

- command economy

- state planners assign production of central goods to particular places

- railroad cars are built in Latvia and nowhere else

- no thought to existing if efficient economic geographies

- expensive manufacturing with no completions

Collectivize Agriculture in Soviet Economic Framework (NTK)

- took away private farms and consolidate everything until large state-run farms

- never productive and incurred loss of million lives

- 30-60 million people died due to starvation, Siberian exile, relocation

The New Russia

- demise; the centrally planned economy failed

- cold war, army race with the US drained resources

- russification fueled drive for independent by ethnicities of the non-Russian SSRs implosion of the Soviet Union 1991

- last soviet premise (Gorbachev) resigned, flag covered

- SSRs declared their independence depriving Russia of crucial agricultural and mineral resources

- became just plain Russia

A Complex Cultural Mosaic (Russia) (NTK)

- Russian dominance; minorities of realm's population

- most widely aspired; non-Russian

- along realm's borders; other Slavic peoples

- beyond the caucuses mountains; Turkish people from Central Asia

- Dagestan = small area facing the Caspian Sea (1/2 size of Maine)

- 3 million people, 30 ethnical nationalities speaking their own languages, Slavic and Muslim populations

The New Russia: Cities near and far

- comparatively low rates of urbanization

- 74% people live in urban areas (vs. 84% in Europe)

- transcaucaus region even less urbanized

- late to the Industrial Revolution; urban network

- Moscow and St. Petersburg anchored the Russian core

- historical urban centers

- 3 airports in Moscow

- post-czarist industrial cities along the Volga river

- cities then out east of the Ural mountains

The Near Abroad - Collapse of Soviet Union

- loss of Eastern European satellite states under Soviet political dominance and former Republicans

- satellite states that were once part of the USSR, but are not their own sovereign nation

- initial shock; hope for eventual better life for citizens

- collapse of union was a shock

Near Abroad

- former Soviet Republic and a new Russian "sphere of influence"

- Russian policy of intervention in any treats along its borders or against Russian minorities geographic area but how think seen

Russia and Ukraine

- half for Russia, half for Europe

- Crimea = Russian annexed area

- 60% of pop. Russian and lot of good iron industry, good ports

- separated from Ukraine = Russian separatists trying to get area

- Russo-Ukraine war = Russian officials denied plans to attack Ukraine

- take parts of Ukraine back

- because a lot messier than planned, still happening

- Russian occupiers 20% of Ukraine

Was Russia right in the near abroad? (for)

- strong Russian influence

- protected Russia and allies in near abroad

- strong Russian influence beneficial to country

- conflict directed at Russia just as much as Russia blamed for conflict

Was Russia right in the near abroad? (against)

- opposed to strong Russian influence

- experience of Russians in lower republics was never good

- nothing gains from assertive Russian violence in the near abroad

Generational Issue with Near Abroad (Russia)

- younger people do not support war, are against it and see it as unjust, treaties were broken

- older people around during Soviet Union support near abroad because when collapse, lots of work collapsed

- at a loss

- did not know purpose

- Russia wants control of near abroad

Post-Soviet Russia: Russia's Changing Political Geography

- problem of the realm's scale

- territorial size, vast distances, and remoteness

- distance decay

- difficulties of Moscow's location in the far west

- considerable variations in size of administration units

- territorially smallest Russian core area, largest are in the far east

- population size vary

- largest pop in the west

- sparsely pop. in the east

Distance Decay

how increasing distance between places tend to reduce interactions among them

Post-Soviet Russia: The Soviet Legacy

- soviet era complex administrative structure

- 83 entities in all

- varying degrees of power and autonomy from federal government

- needed a quick transition or rushed chaos

- democratization, economy, etc.

Post-Soviet Russia: Unitary vs. Federal Options

- organizing political territory

- unitary state system: centralized gov and administration exercise power equally across the state

- Moscow would make decisions for all of Russia

- looks like kingdom of past and dictatorships today

- federal system: national gov represents common interest, yet allows entities to have their own laws, policies, and customers in certain areas

- elected officials come to Moscow to represent their local area

Post-Soviet Russia: Russia chose a federal System

- shares power with Republics and regions

- allows elected regional leaders to represent their regions interested in Moscow

- wanted to work on the country's economy and accommodate the cultural diversity

- not an easy task

Post-Soviet Russia: Russia's New Federal Structure

- 1992 signing of the Russian federation treaty: republics are committed to cooperation in new federal system

- some units refused to sign but most eventually did

- chikunga's refused to sign led to military intervention

- wanted independence from Russia but lost the violent conflict

- 2000, Puttin created new geographic framework

- enhanced the power of Moscow over its regions and combined 83 units into 8 federal districts

- regional governors would be appointors

A Shrinking Population (Russia) (NTK)

- Post-soviet uncertainty affects birth rates

- uneasy people don't have babies

- abortion is widespread in Russia, birth rates (11 per 1,000) have stabilized

- death rates had skyrocketed; 13.5 per 1000; 9th highest in the world

- men are dying most cause of war and alcoholism, AIDs, heaving smoking, suicide, accidents and murder all have increased

- A Russian man is nine times more likely to die a violent or an accidental death than European person

Population Implosion (Russia) (NTK)

- pop. declines as death rate exceeds birth or immigration rates

- population changes = births - death +/- immigrants/emigrants

- more than 20,000 places have turned into "ghost towns"

- end of soviet pop. policies

- improved the life of the average Russian

- comparisons against alcoholism, careless lifestyle, people can leave difficult environments

- drawn to prosperous locations

- more immigrated (eg Koreans, Chinese) to Russians from east

- increasingly form poorer, mostly neighboring countries; migrant workers

Recent Emigration of Younger Generations (Russia) (NTK)

- no laws that say you have to stay in Russia; you can go back

- the exact number of emigrants is debated

- most leaving are well educated successful Russians

- high tax rates in Russia

- not happy with Puttan, especially once Crimea and Ukraine

- some moving to Ukraine

A Volatile Economy: Emerging Markets (Russia)

- increase in private properties, upstarts, trades, foreign investments and stock exchange

- one of the BRICS (Brazil, India, China, South Africa)

A Volatile Economy: Economically Precarious (Russia)

- based largely on exports of oil and gas uneven economic patterns of foreign investment are benefits to society

- a lot of billionaires and millionaires

- economic growth isn't benefiting the masses

- state corruption and collusion with organized crime

- growth impacted by global financial crisis

- not seen true democracy

Naming the Pivotal Realm: the "Middle East" (N Africa and SW Asia)

- term commonly used in western news and politics

- European perspectives

- geographers consider the "Middle East" to be a smaller region within the NASWA realm

- Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, etc.

A "Dry World"? (N Africa and SW Asia)

- dominance of aridity, Sahara, and Arabians deserts

- most of realm's people cluster near the freshwater sources

- river valleys, basins, and deltas, moist coastlines

- well-watered mountain basins

- groundwater sources

Exploring Population Patterns (N Africa and SW Asia)

Nile, Med., Caspian, Red, and Black Seas, Tigris; dry/ vast areas not as much people

Is this an "arab world"? (N Africa and SW Asia)

- implies ethnic and linguistic uniformity that does not exist

- ethnologists restrict this term to certain occupant of the Arabian peninsula

- Turkey, Iran and Israel are just a few countries that are distinctly not Arab

- Turks speak Turkish

Is this an "Islamic World"? (N Africa and SW Asia) (NTK)

- the prophet Muhammad was born on the Arabian peninsula

- Islam spread across this realm long after his death

- Islam's impact on the realm is string and far reaching

- it implies that Islamic faith does not extend past this realm's border

- faith extends far outside it and today the largest Muslim state is Indonesia

- implies only Islam exists within the realm's border

- Christan minority populations in all the realm's regions

- Judaism has its base in the realm

- smaller regions community abound

States and Nations (N Africa and SW Asia)

- despite some cultural similarities Islam and its cultural expression dominate

- divided political and social geography exist

- internal divisions (Lebanon, Iraq)

- nations without states (Palestinians, Kurds, Berbers)

- territories in progress (Palestine, western Sahara)

- no one dominant country

- nearly 30 states and territories

- largest Egypt, Turkey, Iran, and smallest Bahrain, Qatar

Hearths of Cultures: Dimensions of Culture (N Africa and SW Asia)

- realm of cultural crossroads

- exhibits: cultural geography = wide ranges and comprehensive field study spatial aspects of human culture

- culture hearths: home of civilization and sources of dynamic ideas, innovations, ideologies, cultural diffusion

- cultural landscape = exploring opportunities or capacity with the extremes, found artifacts placed on the natural landscape by sequential human occupants

- hearths because of migration (ideas spread), trade, war, stability in cities, copy one another

Cultural Diffusion

set of processes that extended the spread of ideas and innovations far and wide

Rivers and Communities (N Africa and SW Asia)

- Mesopotamia (land between rivers)

- innovative farmers

- knowledge of crops and animal domestication

- ideas spread to nearby villages

- fertile crescent: region of significant agricultural productivity

Irrigation (N Africa and SW Asia) (NTK)

- irrigation was key to prosperity and power

- successful settlements developed into cities

- some thrived, grew, diversified socially and occupationally; others failed

- hydraulic civilization theory

Hydraulic Civilization Theory (NTK)

urban control over irrigated hinterland meant power over others and food as a weapon

Egypt and the Nile (N Africa and SW Asia)

- cultural evolution with the Nile River's environmental security

- surrounded by inhabitable dessert, natural fortress

- river was highway for trade and interaction

- river provided irrigation with predicable rhythms

- advanced urban civilization -> led to architectures like pyramids

- innovators in skills and technologies (math, astronomy, engineering, etc.)

Decline and Decay (N Africa and SW Asia)

- a theory for decline of civilization

- climate change: overpopulation and human destruction of natural vegetation

- possible less rainfall

- outlying areas dried up

- farmlands destroyed; people congregation in the already crowed

- old society disintegrated

Universalizing Religion

attempt to be global by appealing to all people regardless of location or cultural (diffused/spread from precise places of origin); often based on events in the life of an influential; ex. Christianity, Islam, Buddhism

Ethnic Religion

appealing primarily to one group of people living in one place; more clustered, unclear or unknown origins; ex. Hinduism

Stage for Islam: The Faith (N Africa and SW Asia) (NTK)

- founded about 1,500 years ago

- founder prophet Muhammad

- monotheist

- origins: Makkah/Mecca

- located in present day Saudia Arabia

- Makkah became spiritual center for a divided, wildly dispersed people

- on some ways Islamic ideas were a revision as Judaic and Christan beliefs

- collective focus on Islam was new

- today: about 2 billion Muslims/24% of global population

Islamic Practices (N Africa and SW Asia) (NTK)

- brought new set of values and new way of life to the Arab world

- Islam requires five pillars of observance

1. repeated expression of the basic creed

2. daily prayer

3. a month each year of daytime fasting (Ramadan)

4. the giving of alms

5. at least one pilgrimage to Mecca in each Muslim's lifetime

- forbids alcohol, snacking, and gambling

Islam Divided (N Africa and SW Asia) (NTK)

- division of Islam into sects: split over who should be Muhammad's successor

- Shi-ites wanted a blood relative (today about 15%)

- Sunnis saw any devout follower as qualified (today about 85%)

- Sunnis dominate in number and in expression of Islam

The Arab-Islamic Empire (N Africa and SW Asia) (NTK)

faith spread like wildfire: formation of Arab armies that invaded, conquered and converted Islam vast reach

Islam and Other Religions (N Africa and SW Asia) (NTK)

- levant is source area of major faith

- area extends from Greece eastward along the med coast to northern Egypt

- to other religions came for the area: older Christianity and Judaism

- conflict between faith

- Islam submerged some Jewish communities

- Christians waged "holy wars" against Muslim during the Crusades

- Christianity are minority in the region

- Jewish state is in conflict with Muslim neighbors

- Jerusalem: holy city for Judaism, Christianity, and Islam

The Power and Peril of Oil (N Africa and SW Asia)

Six of the ten biggest countries with oil reserves are here: 1. Saudi Arabia 2. Iran 3. Iraq 4. Kiwaid 5. United Arab-Emirates 6. Libya

Realm's two discontinuous zones of oil and natural gas are what? (N Africa and SW Asia)

North Africa and Persian Gulf

The Powers and Perils of Oil: Producers and Consumers (N Africa and SW Asia) (NTK)

- global oil production: Saudi Arabia is world's largest oil exporter

- realm's production exceeds all other global sources

- US was the world's leading import, but now China is because US has increased their domestic supply

- effects of oil revenues has elevated some into higher income category

The Powers and Perils of Oil: The Colonial Legacy (N Africa and SW Asia) (NTK)

- colonial boundaries laid without knowledge of underlying resource geographies

- oil and gas were not discovered until later

- some found themselves very wealthy/Kuwait Iraq Libia; other did not

- another source of division and district among neighbors

A Foreign Invasion (N Africa and SW Asia)

- discovery of oil needed a foreign presence

- states had a rich national resource, but lacked the skills, capital, and equipment to extract it

- enter the western world

- states also needed someone to sell their oil to

Effects of Foreign Intervention (N Africa and SW Asia)

- intervention in economies activates and political affairs

- penetration of Islamic society by Western ways

- intensification of contrasts: traditional vs modern and rich vs poor

- tall skyscrapers replacing the view of ornate mosques

- western elites neighboring less fortunate locals

The Geography of Oil's Impact (N Africa and SW Asia)

- urban transformation

- most visible transformation in urban modernization

- glass skyscrapers are engineering marvels

The Geography of Oil's Impact: Infastructure (N Africa and SW Asia)

- money available for transportation and government structure

- stark differences between oil-haves and oil-have-nots

- spending creates an image of comfort and affluences

- shopping malls, seaports, airports, rec facilities

The Geography of Oil's Impact: Variable Incomes (N Africa and SW Asia)

- fluctuating petroleum prices create states with alternating income levels

- many oil exporters stay in upper middle-income category

- pre-2008: 140/barrel; 2008, 40/barrel; now in 20s for barrel

The Geography of Oil's Impact: Industrialization (N Africa and SW Asia)

- some far-sighted governments are investing oil revenues back into economy

- building industries that well outlast oil exports

- manufacturing and high technology

The Uneven Impact of Oil (N Africa and SW Asia) (NTK)

- not all countries produce oil

- farmers (forges occupation), traders, working at jobs their parents and grandparents did

- oil brought the realm into contact with the outside world in ways unforeseen

- oil has strengthened and empowered some of its people

- but it has dislocated and imperialized others

- oil has amplified inequalities and disparities both within and between countries

Fragmented Modernization: The Absence of Democratic Tradition (N Africa and SW Asia)

- European colonies turned to independence, usually through conflict

- newly formed nations were not set up for democracy

- "varying politics of government"

- protect monarchy, protect oil: Saudi Arabia

Arab Spring (time period) (N Africa and SW Asia) (NTK)

popular uprising of 2011-2012

An Arab Spring: The Diffusion of Popular Revolts (N Africa and SW Asia) (NTK)

- Arab spring = desire for democracy and end to opponents to friends and associates

- corruptive, repression, and economic mismanagement states with 26-year-old Mahamed Bouazizi (Tunisia)

- aware of violent and nonviolent demonstrations, protests, riots, coups, and civil wars

- from Tunisia to Egypt, Syria, Yanan, and Bahamin, aided by modern communication systems: TV and the Internet

An Arab Spring: A New Rebelling Generation (N Africa and SW Asia) (NTK)

- youth rebelling

- many state pop have more than half under 25

- contrast is Arabic nature of realm's gov and many have only one leader in lifetime

- uprising predominantly led by youth

- used interwar's social networking to organize protests

- uncertain future

- lack of suitable social and political structure for the transition (eg Egypt)

- vicious attacks met with aerial bombing (eg Libya)

- conflict resulting in serious civil war (eg Syria)

A Realm in Turmoil (N Africa and SW Asia) (NTK)

- the Arab spring and terrorism have destabilized the realm

- internal conflict sparked refugee flows

- flows directly toward Europe

- routes the med sea (taken advantage of by smugglers) or over land via Turkey

- Giahits: fight holy organizations

- make small minority of pop, but disrupted lots of people's lives

- 10,000s people drowned on boats because unsafe boats and too many people on boats

Egypt and the Lower Nile Basin: Gift of the Nile (N Africa and SW Asia)

- crosses countries

- major water source for Egypt and Sudan

- 2nd longest river (amazon is first)

- flows south to north

- two major tributaries: the white Nile (longer, headwater) and the blue Nile (provides most of the water and salt

- 100,000 million people hug the river

Egypt and the Lower Nile Basin: Irrigated Farming (N Africa and SW Asia) (NTK)

- basin irrigation used since ancient times

- crop fields we surrounded by earthen ridges to trap the Nile's annual floodwater

- they could trap and store enough water for the next years crops

Egypt and the Lower Nile Basin: Perennial Irrigation Used Today (N Africa and SW Asia)

- permanent dams along the Nile to help control the annual flood and expand cultivable area

- provides electricity

- conflicts along Nile Between Egypt and others

Israel -> Gaza War (N Africa and SW Asia) (NTK)

- ongoing conflict between Hamas and Israel

- cease fire, but war could still resume

- last living hostages have been released

- Israel has lot of support from countries

Israel and Pakistan (N Africa and SW Asia) (NTK)

- historical homeland of Jewish and Muslim peoples

- partition plan post WW2, one displaced group displaced another = divided British colonies into Muslim and Jewish states

- have been conflicts and peace

- Israel created so there were displaced Palestinians

Gaza Strip (N Africa and SW Asia) (NTK)

- Hamas, gov of Gaza, terrorist org, refugee camps

- 2.05 million (2020), deaths and displacements

- Israel = longtime ally to the US, attacked by Hamas on 10/7/25, deaths and kidnapping, entered Gaza, used to defend self -> troops from US

Defining Pacific and Polar Realm

- huge

- lots of water -> center around Pacific's 10s of thousands of years ago of islands

- linked to Antarctica and Arctic Ocean (distinct polar regions

- least populated

Polar Futures: Partitioning the Antartic

- a physiological Realm almost all covered in ice

- center = 2 miles thick

- 2012: Lake Vostok

- desert, low precipitation, very windy

- attraction of scientists and explorers

- 20th century obsessions

- attractive future resources

- whale and seal hunting, fossil fuels, fresh water

- Norwegian first to get to South Pole

Geopolitics in Arctic Basin: Partitioning Antarctica

- Antarctic treaty ensures continental collaboration, prohibits military activities, protect the environment and suspends national claims (in theory)

- no claims for now

- complicated by the ice shelves attached to coast

- many countries claimed parts of area

- sea claims unsupportable

Geopolitics in Arctic Basin: Disputations and Navigation

- global warming: Greenland ice sheet is experiencing significant losses

- consequences: ecological habitats

- northwest and northeast passages open

- competition for claims and ownership of waterways vacated by ice

- threatening animals like polar bears, walruses, etc.

Defining the Pacific Realm

- sea hemisphere: sea cover nearly an entire hemisphere

- fragmented culturally complex realm

- high-island cultures vs coral based low-island culture

- total land area: roughly equal to Texas and New Mexico

- 90% of land is island vs New Guinea outside of realm

- Indonesia, Philippians, Australia, and New Zealand

- farming more successful on high islands and fishing on low islands

- atoll, volcanoes, tsunamis, lots of tectonic plates

Colonization and Independence (Pacific)

- most have been colonized or annexed by French, British, US

- changing politics: some have stayed colonized, some have become independent (Fiji), some are somewhere in between

- Island nations are rather disadvantaged in a world of large area states often rely on remittances

- foreign aid

The Pacific Realm and its Marine Geography (NTK)

- biogeography e.g. coral formations,

- geomorphology e.g. beach erosion

- political boundaries at sea

- vast pacific ocean where pacific waters meet surrounding shores

- incorporates several seas: Sea of Japan, East China sea, South China Sea

- Pacific Coastal countries competed for jurisdiction over the waters that bound them

Marine Geography (NTK)

a field encompassing a variety of approaches to studying the ocean and seas