Political Organization of Space Study Guide
ADVANCED PLACEMENT HUMAN GEOGRAPHY UNIT IV: STUDY GUIDE: POLITICAL ORGANIZATION OF SPACE
BIG IDEA 1: Patterns and Spatial Organization
Key Question: How do historical and current events influence political structures around the world?
BIG IDEA 2: Impacts and Interactions
Key Question: How are balances of power reflected in political boundaries and government power structures?
BIG IDEA 3: Spatial Patterns and Societal Change
Key Question: How can political, economic, cultural, or technological changes challenge state sovereignty?
TOPIC 4.1: INTRODUCTION TO POLITICAL GEOGRAPHY
Learning Objective
For world political maps:
Define the different types of political entities.
Identify a contemporary example of political entities.
Essential Knowledge
Independent states are the primary building blocks of the world political map.
Types of political entities include:
Nations: A group of people who share a common identity, often connected by culture, language, or history.
Nation-states: A political unit wherein the boundaries of the state coincide with the territory occupied by a particular nation.
Stateless nations: Nations without a state of their own, seeking sovereignty.
Multinational states: States that contain more than one nation within their borders.
Multistate regions: Regions that are split across national boundaries, containing a shared identity among people in different states.
Autonomous and semiautonomous regions: Regions that have a degree of self-governance, such as American Indian Reservations.
Examples of Political Entities
Examples of a nation: (Provide specific nations here)
Examples of nation-states: (Provide specific nation-states here)
Examples of multinational states: (Provide specific multinational states here)
Examples of multi-state nations: (Provide specific examples here)
Examples of autonomous regions:
American Indian Reservations
Alaskan Native Corporation Lands
Hawaiian Home Lands
Examples of stateless nations: (Provide specific stateless nations here)
TOPIC 4.2: POLITICAL PROCESSES
Learning Objective
Explain the processes that have shaped contemporary political geography.
Essential Knowledge
The concepts of sovereignty, nation-states, and self-determination shape the contemporary world.
Colonialism, imperialism, independence, and devolution along national lines have influenced contemporary political boundaries.
Colonization Overview
Colonizing Countries and Their Territories:
COLONIZING COUNTRY
COLONY/TERRITORY
England
American colonies, South Africa, Australia
France
Spain
Portugal
Italy
United States
Political Cartoon Discussion
Discuss what concepts the political cartoon shows.
Identify laws or agreements associated with the depicted ideas.
TOPIC 4.3: POLITICAL POWER AND TERRITORIALITY
Learning Objective
Describe the concepts of political power and territoriality as used by geographers.
Essential Knowledge
Political power is expressed geographically as control over people, land, and resources. Examples include:
Neocolonialism: Control exerted by a country over a previously colonized region, often through economic means.
Shatterbelts: Regions that are characterized by political, ethnic, and cultural conflicts, often influenced by external powers.
Choke points: Strategic narrow passages or waterways that are critical for controlling trade routes.
Territoriality: The connection of people, their culture, and their economic systems to the land.
Example: The map detailing countries in Africa where private investors and foreign governments have leased farmland demonstrates practices tied to territoriality, where local populations may be marginalized despite their cultural ties to the land.
Major Shatterbelt Regions
Create a list of significant shatterbelt regions and explain the conflicts present in each.
TOPIC 4.4: DEFINING POLITICAL BOUNDARIES
Learning Objective
Define types of political boundaries used by geographers.
Essential Knowledge
Types of political boundaries include:
Relic boundaries: Former boundaries that still hold some cultural or political significance.
Superimposed boundaries: Boundaries that are imposed on the landscape, often without regard for existing cultural patterns.
Subsequent boundaries: Boundaries that are drawn after significant settlement has occurred, modifying existing patterns.
Antecedent boundaries: Boundaries established before the area is populated.
Geometric boundaries: Boundaries based on a geometric pattern.
Consequent boundaries: Boundaries that take into account the cultural characteristics of the area.
Boundary Definitions and Examples
Type of Boundary
Definition
Example(s)
Relic
Superimposed
Antecedent
Geometric
Consequent
TOPIC 4.5: THE FUNCTION OF POLITICAL BOUNDARIES
Learning Objective
Explain the nature and function of international and internal boundaries.
Essential Knowledge
Boundaries are defined, delimited, demarcated, and administered to establish limits of sovereignty, but they are often contested.
Political boundaries often coincide with cultural, national, or economic divisions.
Boundaries may also be demarcated by demilitarized zones or policies (e.g., the Berlin Conference).
Land and maritime boundaries: International agreements can influence national or regional identity and regulate interactions or disputes over resources.
The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea defines the rights and responsibilities of nations in the use of international waters, established territorial seas, and exclusive economic zones.
Lasting Impact of the Berlin Conference on Africa
Explain how the Berlin Conference has shaped modern African political boundaries and conflicts.
Theories on Territorial Power
Discuss the three theories on territorial power: Organic, Heartland, and Rimland.
Organic Theory: The idea that states are like living organisms and must acquire territory to survive.
Heartland Theory: The geopolitical pivot area is central to controlling world affairs; control over Eastern Europe is critical.
Rimland Theory: The coastal fringes of Eurasia hold the key to global power.
Visual Understanding
Draw a picture to demonstrate the United Nations Laws of the Sea with proper labels.
TOPIC 4.6: INTERNAL BOUNDARIES
Learning Objective
Explain the nature and function of internal boundaries.
Essential Knowledge
Voting districts: The creation and redistricting of voting districts can significantly affect political outcomes.
Gerrymandering: The manipulation of electoral district boundaries to favor a particular political party or candidate.
Impact of Gerrymandering
Discuss the effects of gerrymandering on the political landscape in the United States, including both positive and negative aspects.
TOPIC 4.7: FORMS OF GOVERNANCE
Learning Objective
Define federal and unitary states.
Explain how federal and unitary states affect spatial organization.
Essential Knowledge
Unitary states tend to have a more top-down, centralized form of governance, allowing power to be more concentrated in a central authority.
Federal states have more distributed power, with authority shared between national and regional governments.
Examples of Governance Forms
Identify examples of a unitary state and a federal state, explaining the rationale for each classification.
Discuss when federal organization is more effective using at least one specific example and when a unitary system is preferable to state organization.
TOPIC 4.8: DEFINING DEVOLUTIONARY FACTORS
Learning Objective
Define factors that lead to the devolution of states.
Essential Knowledge
Factors contributing to state devolution include:
Physical geography: Natural barriers can isolate groups.
Ethnic separatism: Distinct ethnic groups seeking autonomy or independence.
Ethnic cleansing: The systematic extermination or removal of an ethnic group.
Terrorism: Violent acts aimed at political change can lead to fragmentation.
Economic and social problems: High unemployment or social inequality can fuel devolutionary pressures.
Irredentism: A political or popular movement intending to reclaim lost territory that is considered part of the homeland.
Define and Example Section
Define each term:
Irredentism: (Provide definition)
Redlining: (Provide definition)
Terrorism: (Provide definition)
Separatism: (Provide definition)
Ethnic Cleansing: (Provide definition)
For the provided map, describe the process indicated and its geographical context.
Devolution: Define the term and give at least two examples from different continents where devolution occurred.
TOPIC 4.9: CHALLENGES TO SOVEREIGNTY
Learning Objective
Explain how political, economic, cultural, and technological changes challenge state sovereignty.
Essential Knowledge
Devolution occurs when states fragment into autonomous regions (e.g., within Spain, Belgium, Canada, and Nigeria) or when completely new states arise from disintegration (e.g., Eritrea, South Sudan, East Timor).
Advances in communication technology have facilitated devolution and movements towards supranationalism and democratization.
Global efforts help to address transnational and environmental challenges while creating economies of scale and facilitating trade agreements and military alliances.
Supranational organizations (e.g., UN, NATO, EU, ASEAN, AU) can challenge state sovereignty by limiting the actions of member states.
Table of Organizations
NAME OF ORGANIZATION
WHERE IT IS LOCATED/INVOLVED
WHAT IT DOES AND EXAMPLES
United Nations (UN)
Worldwide
Promotes international cooperation and peace
European Union (EU)
Europe
Economic and political union promoting economic integration
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
North America/Europe
Military alliance for collective defense
Oil and Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)
Various
Coordinates oil production and prices
World Bank
Worldwide
Provides financial and technical assistance to developing countries
Amnesty International
Worldwide
Advocates for human rights
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
Southeast Asia
Promotes political and economic cooperation in Southeast Asia
African Union
Africa
Promotes unity and cooperation among African nations
TOPIC 4.10: CONSEQUENCES OF CENTRIFUGAL AND CENTRIPETAL FORCES
Learning Objective
Explain how the concepts of centrifugal and centripetal forces apply at the state scale.
Essential Knowledge
Centrifugal forces: Factors that may lead to the disintegration of a state, including failed states, uneven development, stateless nations, and ethnic nationalist movements.
Centripetal forces: Factors that promote national unity and integration, leading to ethnonationalism, equitable infrastructure development, and increased cultural cohesion.
Example Analysis
Using the provided map, explain how centripetal and centrifugal forces interplay in the region shown. Provide an example for each force.
World Events Impact
Discuss two examples from your lifetime illustrating how world events can unify people or divide them, particularly in the context of the United States.