Unit 4 Notes: Organization of Political Space Part 1

Human geographers focus on a thematic approach which includes: - Concern with the location of activities in the world. - Investigation into the reasons for specific spatial distributions. - Examination of the significance of these arrangements.
Political geographers study: - Organization of Earth’s land surface into countries and alliances. - The underlying reasons for the observed arrangements. - The conflicts that arise from this organization.

The end of the Cold War in the 1990s led to significant changes in the global political landscape.
Geographic concepts are useful for understanding the changing political organization of Earth’s surface.
Geographic methods are applicable for examining causes of political change.
National boundaries, although not physically painted on Earth, are perceived as very real and meaningful compared to natural features.

In the post-Cold War era, traditional division of the world into countries or states is deteriorating.
From mid-1940s to late 1980s: - The United States and Soviet Union were dominant superpowers.
The current political landscape shows reduced dominance of the United States and the absence of the Soviet Union.
Globalization leads to increased connections among states.
Power dynamics are increasingly exercised through economic cooperation.

Challenges in defining states include: - Korea: Is it one state or two? - China and Taiwan: Are they one state or two? - Western Sahara: A territory under dispute. - Varying sizes of states present additional complexities.
Development of the state concept covers: - Ancient and medieval states. - Colonization and its impact on state formation.

Antarctica is unique as it is the only major landmass not part of any state.
Claims to portions of Antarctica exist from several states, but: - The United States, Russia, and other states do not acknowledge these claims.
The Treaty of Antarctica (1959, renewed 1991) provides legal management of the region.

Korea was under Japanese colonial rule for many years.
Post-World War II division: - The United States and former Soviet Union created two occupation zones.
Both Korean governments aim to reunify into a single sovereign state.
Despite aspirations, North and South Korea entered the United Nations as separate nations in 1992.

The Chinese government considers Taiwan a part of China, not an independent state.
The confusion originates from a civil war where retreating nationalist leaders proclaimed Taiwan as the legitimate government of all China.
As of 1999, Taiwan's leadership declared itself an independent sovereign state, complicating international recognition.

Western Sahara is recognized as a sovereign state by many African countries.
Morocco controls the area and refers to it as Western Sahara.
The United Nations is facilitating a referendum for locals to decide on independence or remaining part of Morocco.

Land area among states varies widely: - The largest state is Russia, covering 17.1 million square kilometers (or 6.6 million square miles), amounting to 11% of the global land area. - Other sizable states exceeding 5 million square kilometers include China, Canada, United States, Brazil, and Australia. - Approximately two dozen microstates exist; the smallest being Monaco at 1.5 square kilometers (approximately 0.6 square miles).

The idea of organizing the world into independent states is relatively new historical development.
Prior to the 1800s, human organization included: - City-states - Empires - Tribes - Extensive unadrive land.

The Fertile Crescent was historically significant, fostering early city-states and several ancient empires.

The first states to form in Mesopotamia were city-states, defined as: - A sovereign state comprising a town and surrounding countryside.
In Mesopotamia, military dominance sometimes led a single city or tribe to form an empire.
Egypt emerged as a separate empire along the Nile River, enduring from approximately 3000 B.C. to the fourth century B.C.

By 1914, European states held colonies globally, with: - The United Kingdom possessing the largest colonial empire across all continents. - France had the second-largest, primarily in West Africa and Southeast Asia. - Several European countries, including Portugal, Spain, Germany, Italy, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Belgium, established colonies but controlled less land than Britain or France.

Varied colonial practices included: - France's approach of attempting to assimilate colonies into French culture. - The British employed decentralized governance catering to various cultural norms.
Most African and Asian colonies gained independence post World War II.

Several small colonies exist, particularly in the Pacific and Caribbean, with populations and areas depicted in precise measurements.

Boundaries can be classified by: - Shapes of states: compact, prorupted, elongated, fragmented, perforated, and landlocked states. - Types of boundaries: physical and cultural.

Unitary vs. federal states: highlights the trend towards federal governance and its impact on electoral geography.

Compact States: - Defined as having minimal distance from center to any boundary, maximizing communication efficiency.
Prorupted States: - Characterized by large projecting extensions (e.g., to access resources), with implications for neighboring states.
Elongated States: - Long and narrow shapes; examples include Chile and Italy; may face internal communication difficulties.
Fragmented States: - Comprising several separated pieces, either by water or other boundaries; these can complicate governance and communication, e.g., Panama divided by the Canal.
Perforated States: - States that surround another completely, such as South Africa enclosing Lesotho.
Landlocked States: - States deprived of ocean access, common in Africa as a remnant of colonial rule; they must rely on neighboring countries for trade.

Physical Boundaries: - Include mountains, deserts, and water bodies, usually serving as natural markers between states.
Cultural Boundaries: - Often align with ethnic differences or geometrical demarcations on maps.

Water boundaries present unique challenges due to constantly shifting water positions, impacting claims and jurisdiction.
The Aozou Strip exemplifies a geometric boundary established by colonial powers leading to ongoing territorial disputes.