Political Geography Notes

Political Organization of Space

Unit 4 focuses on the political organization of space, covering political geography, urban geography, and development.
- Chapters 8, 9, and 10 are dedicated to these topics, respectively.

Encompasses the organization of space, types of government, scales of government, and the viability of political units.
Includes electoral geography, which studies preferences, behaviors, coalitions, and trends in democratic regimes.
Also includes geopolitics, focusing on power and politics.

Examines the history of urbanization and the purpose of cities as nodes of human settlement.
Focuses as well on the layout of cities, land use, and how cities fit into the world economy.

Addresses how economic development is measured, including traditional dollar metrics and UN-proposed human metrics.
Covers the world economy.

It's the study of the political organization of the world, structured by states and supranational organizations like the EU, UN, and NATO.
The concept of nation-states emerged in the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries and identifying national groups is a European construct.
Leon Baradat defines nationalism as identifying with the interests of a national group and supporting the creation of a nation-state.
The nation-state model diffused globally through imperialism and colonization, with decolonization after WWII setting the stage for nationalism.
The world economy operates through transactions between states.
Evolution of spatial organization: Nomadism evolves into small villages, then sedentary civilizations, empires, kingdoms/feudalism (controlled by the Catholic Church), nation-states, colonies, and decolonization.
Political geography examines boundaries, divisions, and possessions of countries/states, including territories and colonies.
Major considerations: centralization vs. regionalism/localism, supranationalism vs. nationalism (e.g., EU vs. Brexit), and pressures within a politically organized unit at any scale (e.g. Super League vs. domestic leagues).

Political organization of space: settlements with organized government structures and delimited/demarcated space.
Methods of political organization vary across time (history) and space (until the modern state system's rise).
Examples: Empires, Caliphates, Feudal Kingdoms, States (Changing Maps!).
Political borders don't perfectly align with cultural boundaries. European Nationalism sought to align the “nation” perfectly with self-determining states, but this has been problematic, leading to devolutionary pressure and centrifugal forces.
Political organization occurs at different scales: Supranational, National, Sub-National, and Local. Governments manage this through Unitarism vs. Federalism, impacting the viability of each political unit.

The world is divided into political entities at different scales:
- Intergovernmental/Supranational
- State (National)
- Sub-national (sub state/territory/province/canton/emirate)
- Municipal (county/city/neighborhood)
From Global to Local

Image of the Roman Empire at its greatest extent, during the time of Jesus is presented.

A map depicting the political landscape at the end of the Western Roman Empire, including the territories of various Germanic and Celtic peoples.

A map illustrating the territorial expansion of Islam from 622 to 750 AD, including areas under Muhammad, the first four Caliphs, and the Umayyad Caliphs, as well as key military campaign routes.

A map depicting Medieval Europe, c. 950-1300, showing various kingdoms and regions.

A political map of Europe is shown, with different countries marked along with the British Empire.

A map of Europe during World War II, showing Axis-aligned, Allies-aligned, and neutral countries is shown.

A map is presented delineating the political divisions in post-World War II Europe, including NATO, Warsaw Pact, and non-aligned nations.

A map showing the contemporary political divisions of Europe, including the Eastern European Boundary and the Old Soviet Union Border.

A map delineating various regions and communities within Los Angeles County, including the Antelope Valley, San Fernando Valley, and Pomona Valley.

A detailed map of coastal communities in southwestern Los Angeles County, including Marina Del Rey, Manhattan Beach, and Long Beach.

A map focusing on Manhattan Beach, California, with street names and local landmarks.

Examples of sub-national divisions are provided.
- Eight Municipalities in Qatar, further subdivided into 98 zones, districts, and blocks.
- Twenty Regions in Italy, further subdivided into Provinces and Comunes/Municipalities.
These represent “1st level administrative divisions” (sub-national) to 2nd level and increasingly local.