Political Geography Notes

Political Geography

Definition and Scope

  • Political Geography: The study of geographical influences on political systems and power relationships.

  • Geopolitics: The study of the influence of geographical factors on the political, economic, and military affairs of nations and regions.

  • Core Country: A well-developed country with a strong economic base.

  • Periphery Country: A less developed, economically poor country.

State

  • State (Country): A defined territory with a permanent population and an established government.

    • Largest state: Russia (11% of Earth’s surface).
    • Smallest state: Vatican City.

  • Formal Region Example: A state like Illinois exemplifies a formal region due to its official boundaries.

Sovereignty

  • A state is ruled by an established government with sovereignty over its internal and external affairs, free from outside influence.

  • Sovereignty: The political authority of a state to govern itself.

  • Popular Sovereignty: A system of government based on the consent of the people, adopted by countries like the US, Canada, and Mexico.

Independent Countries

  • Currently, there are 195 independent countries or states.
  • Examples of places that are NOT countries/states:
    • Hong Kong
    • Bermuda
    • Greenland
    • Puerto Rico

Nation vs. State

  • Nation: A group of people with a common ethnic and cultural identity.

  • Nation-State: A state in which the cultural borders of a nation correspond with the state borders of a country (e.g., Japan, Iceland, US).

  • A nation can be a state, but a state cannot be a nation.

Multinational State vs. Multi-State Nation

  • Multinational State: A state that has more than one nation within its borders (e.g., United States).

  • Multi-State Nation: A nation that has a state of its own but also resides in other states.

Stateless Nation and City-State

  • Stateless Nation: A nation of people without a state that it considers home (e.g., Palestinians).

  • City-State: A small sovereign state made up of a town or city and the surrounding area (e.g., Ancient Greece - Athens, Sparta, Thebes; Vatican City).

Stateless Nation Characteristics

  • Lacks:
    • Control over political boundaries.
    • Government with sovereign rule.
    • Control over its internal and external affairs.
    • Recognition from other states.

Self-Determination

  • Self-Determination: The right or desire for a nation or group of people to govern themselves.

  • Example: The Kurds' struggle for self-determination.

Autonomous vs. Semi-Autonomous Region

  • Autonomous Region: A geographic region within a state with a high degree of autonomy from the state (e.g., Native American Reservations in the United States).

  • Semi-Autonomous Region: A geographic area controlled by another state but with a moderate degree of self-governance; has less control over its own policy (e.g., Hong Kong).

Key Definitions Matching Activity

  1. Nation: A group of people with a common ethnic and cultural identity.
  2. State: A defined territory with a permanent population and an established government.
  3. Stateless Nation: A nation of people without a state that it considers home (Kurds).
  4. Nation-State: A state in which the cultural borders of a nation correspond with the state borders of a country (France, Egypt, Germany, Japan, Iceland).
  5. Self-Determination: The right or desire for a nation or group of people to govern themselves.

Political Processes: Colonialism and Imperialism

  • Colonialism: The practice of acquiring territories and settling there to exert political, economic, and social control over the area.

  • Imperialism: The idea of growing a state or empire by exerting force over other nations to gain economic and political power without establishing settlements; similar to but not the same as colonialism.

Differences between Colonialism and Imperialism

  • Colonialism involves claiming territories and settling there.

  • Imperialism does not necessarily involve creating a colony.

  • Both have reshaped the world, leading to:

    • Global diffusion of languages, religions, cultures, resources, people, and ideas.
    • Creation of new countries and reshaped political boundaries.

Effects of Colonialism and Imperialism

  • Forced migration of enslaved people (e.g., Atlantic Slave Trade).

  • Imbalance in power between core and periphery countries.

Examples of Imperialism

  • Roman Empire: Controlled a vast territory from Britain to Northern Africa to Spain/Middle East.

  • Soviet Russia (USSR): Controlled territory from Eastern Europe to Siberia and from the Arctic Ocean to the Indian Ocean (1922-1991).

  • Modern Examples:

    • US Military Interventionism: US military presence in the Middle East and South-East Asia.
    • Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine: Attempt to expand influence and impose its culture.

Neocolonialism, Shatterbelts, and Chokepoints

  • Neocolonialism: The use of political, cultural, or economic power to influence or control other countries.

  • Shatterbelts: Areas where countries or people are subjected to political, cultural, and economic pressure from external powers in conflict (e.g., Eastern Europe during the Cold War).

  • Chokepoint: A strategic narrow route providing passage through or to another region.

Puerto Rico

  • Treated as one of the last remaining colonies by Congress.

  • Not a state, part of US territory.

  • Severely distressed economy, high population density, limited political freedom.

13 Colonies

  • Original 13 Colonies:
    • New Hampshire
    • New York
    • Massachusetts
    • Rhode Island
    • Connecticut
    • Pennsylvania
    • New Jersey
    • Delaware
    • Maryland
    • Virginia
    • North Carolina
    • South Carolina
    • Georgia

Trivia

  • First colony founded by the British: Jamestown, Virginia in 1607.

  • First of the original 13 colonies to officially become a state: Delaware.

Decolonization

  • Decolonization: The process by which a colony becomes independent of the colonizing country.

  • Today, there are still non-self-governing territories (e.g., Cayman Islands, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands).

Shifts in Power: Devolution

  • Devolution: The transfer of power from a national government to regional governments.

  • Example: The United Kingdom (Scotland, England, Northern Ireland, and Wales).

Buffer State

  • Buffer State: A small neutral country between 2 larger hostile countries, preventing regional conflict (e.g., Mongolia between Russia and China; Lebanon between Israel and Syria).

Enclave and Exclave

  • Enclave: A state or part of a state surrounded by the territory of another larger state (e.g., Lesotho and Vatican City).

  • Exclave: A state that is completely separated from the main body of that state (e.g., Alaska).

  • Relic Boundary: A political boundary that is no longer necessary but still remains in place.

Geographic Boundaries

  • Boundary: A border that marks territory.

  • Frontier: A zone or area between states where no state exercises complete control (e.g., Arabian Peninsula).

Political Boundaries

  • Delimited, defined, and demarcated.
    • Delimited: Drawn on a map.
    • Defined: Formal agreement/treaty.
    • Demarcated: Visually marked (walls, fences, posts).

Antecedent and Superimposed Boundary

  • Antecedent Boundary: A boundary that existed before human settlement (e.g., boundary between Chile and Argentina formed by a mountain range).

  • Superimposed Boundary: A boundary created by a foreign state or group.

Religious and Language Boundary

  • Religious Boundary: A boundary separating different religions (e.g., boundary between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland).

  • Language Boundaries: Boundaries that form between areas where people speak different languages; often match with political boundaries.

Cultural Boundary

  • A geographic area where a group of people live under the same aspects of culture, such as language, religion, and traditions (e.g., Amish country; border between the US and Mexico).

Geometric and Physical Boundaries

  • Geometric Boundaries: Follow straight lines with little regard for the physical or cultural landscape (e.g., boundaries between many African states).

  • Physical Boundaries: Follow important physical features (water, mountains, deserts) (e.g., part of the boundary between the US and Mexico - Rio Grande River).

Examples of Physical Boundaries

  • Ural Mountains (border between Europe and Asia).
  • Lake Victoria (boundary separating Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania).

Types of States: Compact and Prorupted States

  • Compact States: Relatively rounded (e.g., Poland), enhancing communications between regions, especially with a centrally located capital.

  • Prorupted States: Compact states with a large projecting extension (e.g., Thailand), which can both disrupt and provide access.

Elongated and Fragmented States

  • Elongated States: Long and thin (e.g., Chile, Vietnam), often suffering from poor international communications.

  • Fragmented States: Divided into several discontinuous pieces of territory (e.g., The US with Alaska and Hawaii).

Relic Boundaries

  • Human-made boundaries no longer in use but still visible (e.g., Great Wall of China, Hadrian’s Wall, Berlin Wall).

Hadrian’s Wall

  • Built by Roman Emperor Hadrian to protect the northern edge of the Roman Empire.

  • Abandoned and now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Berlin Wall

  • Barrier built in 1961 to prevent movement between East and West Berlin.

  • Fall in 1989 signaled the end of the Cold War.

Boundary Disputes

  • Definitional Boundary Dispute: Over interpretations of the original documents defining the boundary.

  • Locational Boundary Dispute: Over the location of the boundary and the ownership of the land.

  • Operational Boundary Dispute: On how to manage the boundary and handle different issues.

  • Allocational Boundary Dispute: Over the use of what is on or in the boundary (e.g., natural resources).

Territoriality

  • How people use space to communicate ownership of territory connected to their culture, economic system, or political interests.

  • Expressed through non-verbal communication, such as controlling boundaries, building border walls, or controlling activities in a region.

Perforated and Landlocked States

  • Perforated States: States that completely surround other states (e.g., Italy and South Africa).

  • Landlocked States: States completely surrounded by land and lacking access to the ocean (e.g., Lesotho).

Levels of Government

  • Unitary System: Key powers to the national/central government.

  • Federal System: Divides powers between national and state governments.

Unitary and Federal States Explained

  • Unitary States: Power held primarily by the central government (e.g., France).

  • Federal States: Power shared between the central and local government (e.g., The United States).

Types of Governments

  • Autocracy
  • Monarchy
  • Oligarchy
  • Democracy
  • Theocracy

Autocracy

  • Power and authority to rule belong to a single individual.

  • Oldest and most common form of government.

  • A form of autocratic government is a monarchy.

Monarchy

  • King or Queen exercises powers of government.

  • Monarchs usually inherit their positions.

  • Absolute monarchs have complete and unlimited power to rule (e.g., King of Saudi Arabia).

Oligarchy

  • A small group holds power.

  • Derives power from wealth, military power, or social position (e.g., Russia, China; Sparta in Ancient Greece).

Democracy

  • People choose leaders by government.

  • Citizens have power to deliberate and decide its leaders.

  • The United States is a representative democracy.

Types of Democracy

  • Direct Democracy: Citizens directly participate in government.

  • Representative Democracy / Republic: Citizens elect leaders to represent them in the government (e.g., United States).

Theocracy

  • A government run by religious leaders.

  • Like a monarchy, an old form of government.

  • Ancient Egypt and Vatican City are examples.

Boundaries and Gerrymandering

International and Internal Boundaries

  • International Boundaries: Border between 2 or more different countries (e.g., US and Mexico).

  • Internal Boundaries: Boundary within a country’s border (e.g., congressional districts, county boundaries, city boundaries, and school districts).

Voting Districts

  • A geographic area organized by state and local government for administering elections.

Reapportionment and Gerrymandering

  • Reapportionment: The redistribution of seats in the US House of Representatives based on changes in population.

  • The 435 districts are redrawn after the census every 10 years, known as redistricting.

  • Gerrymandering: The redrawing of legislative boundaries to benefit a specific political party.

Gerrymandering in the US Explained

  • Occurs in states such as Maryland, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Utah, and Texas.

  • Not generally illegal but can be challenged if it discriminates against minority populations.

  • Two methods: packing and cracking.

Two Ways to Gerrymander

  • Packing: Concentrates members of a party in a single district.

  • Cracking: Splits a group among multiple districts to dilute their voting power.

International Organizations

  • Alliances of 2 or more countries seeking cooperation.

  • Examples: United Nations (UN) and North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

United Nations (UN)

  • A global organization focusing on peace and security.

  • Established in 1945 after World War II.

North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)

  • An agreement from 1994 to 2020 promoting trade between the US, Canada, and Mexico.

  • Replaced by the USMCA (United States-Canada-Mexico Agreement).

European Union (EU)

  • A regional economic union promoting peace and offering freedom, security, and justice without internal borders.

  • The EU and the US are each other’s main trading partners.

  • The UN and EU are examples of supranational organizations.

Supranational Organizations

  • Include membership of 2 or more states that relinquish some sovereignty for the benefits of an alliance.

Disintegrate, Democratization, and Failed State

  • Disintegrate: When a state breaks up into smaller parts.

  • Democratization: A process through which a political regime becomes more democratic.

  • Failed State: A state that no longer has a functioning government.

  • Ethnic Nationalists Movement: When a cultural group wants to separate or wants control over themselves based on a specific ethnicity or nationality.

Terrorism

  • The systematic use of violence by a group to intimidate a population or pressure a government into granting its demands.

  • Examples include assassinations, kidnappings, hijackings, bombings.

Osama Bin Laden

  • Founded Al-Qaeda, responsible for the 9/11 attacks.

  • Killed on May 2, 2011, by US Navy SEALs.

  • The Islamic State (ISIS) became affiliated with Al-Qaeda in 2004 but split apart in 2014.