Political geography recording

Political Geography Terms

  • Country: An identifiable land area.

  • Nation: A population with a single culture. Example: Japan, where the culture is predominantly Japanese.

  • State: A population under a single government. Example: Argentina.

  • Nation-State: A single culture under a single government. Example: Iceland.

  • Sovereignty: Full independence, territory control, international recognition, and a permanent population. Example: Switzerland is recognized as a sovereign state.

Examples of Nations and States

  • Multinational States:

    • The United Kingdom: Includes England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Isle of Man, and Channel Islands.

    • People's Republic of China: Includes cultures such as Han, Manchu, Yuga, Tibetan.

    • The United States: Not a nation-state; a multinational state with diverse cultural groups including Hispanic, African American, Asian American, and more.

  • Nation States: Defined as states with a single culture group under one government. Examples:

    • Japan: Predominantly Japanese culture.

    • Ireland: Mainly Irish culture.

    • Portugal: Primarily Portuguese culture.

    • Lesotho: Contains a homogeneous Basotho culture.

    Note: No nation state is composed exclusively of one culture; there are minorities in every nation-state.

Stateless Nations

  • Groups without political representation within a state. Examples:

    • Kurds: Found in Iraq, Iran, Syria, and Turkey with limited autonomy.

    • Basques: In Spain and France, seek full independence despite some autonomy.

    • Tibetans: In China, seeking cultural and political autonomy.

    • Tartars: In Russia, faced with issues regarding cultural survival.

Federal States and Confederations

  • Federal States: Comprising smaller states or provinces under a single governmental structure. Example:

    • USA: Comprises multiple states with individual governance.

    • Canada: Provinces operate under a federal government.

  • Confederations: Allow states to maintain control while sharing some governance. Example:

    • European Union: Member countries maintain national control but cooperate in certain areas (e.g., trade, regulatory standards).

  • Unitary System: Centralized government with some local powers; significant example is the United Kingdom, which has devolved powers to regions but maintains a strong central government.

Microstates

  • Very small sovereign states with global significance. Examples:

    • Vatican City: The world's smallest sovereign state.

    • Monaco: Known for its wealth and casinos.

    • Malta: Rich in history and tourism.

Autonomous and Semi-Autonomous Regions

  • Autonomous Regions: Regions with a degree of self-governance, often based on historical or cultural factors. Example:

    • Basque region: In Spain, has its own parliament and police force.

  • Semi-Autonomous Regions: Similar to autonomous regions but with less independence. Example:

    • Hong Kong: Enjoys certain freedoms but is under Chinese sovereignty.

Supranational Organizations

  • Supranationalism: Two or more sovereign states aligned for a common purpose. Examples:

    • United Nations (UN): Focuses on peacekeeping and humanitarian efforts.

    • European Union (EU): Functions with shared laws and economic policies among member states.

  • Brexit: The UK's decision to leave the EU due to sovereignty concerns raised debates about national vs. supranational authority.

Territoriality and Citizenship

  • Territoriality: Control expressed over a space by a government. Example:

    • Canada exercises territoriality through its Comprehensive Land Claim Agreements with Indigenous peoples.

  • Citizenship: Legal identity based on the state of birth or residence. Example:

    • In Italy, citizenship can be obtained through ancestry (jus sanguinis).

Borders and Boundaries

  • Types of Boundaries:

    • Antecedent Boundaries: Existing before settled; e.g., the U.S.-Canada border established before extensive settlement.

    • Relic Boundaries: Historical boundaries with cultural significance; e.g., the Berlin Wall's impact on East and West Germany.

    • Subsequent: Established after settlement, influenced by cultural change; e.g., the boundaries in Ireland post-Partition.

    • Superimposed: Established for political reasons over existing cultures; e.g., Africa's colonial borders established during the Berlin Conference of 1884.

  • Boundary Processes:

    • Claiming: Initial assertion of borders.

    • Delimitation: Marking borders on maps, e.g., Treaty of Tordesillas.

    • Demarcation: Physical markers on the ground, e.g., fences along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Types of Boundary Conflicts

  • Definitional Disputes: Different interpretations of treaties. Example: Disputes over the boundary between India and Pakistan.

  • Locational: Physical border changes (e.g., river movements affecting the U.S.-Mexico border).

  • Operational: Issues with border usage or transit (e.g., the challenges at the U.S.-Mexico border).

  • Allocation: Resource disputes across borders; Example: water rights in the Colorado River among U.S. states.

Historical Examples of Boundary Conflicts

  • Frontier: Undefined territories, largely historical, e.g., Antarctica under the 1959 Treaty for peaceful use.

  • Yugoslavia: Balkanization and the emergence of multiple states due to cultural and ethnic divisions after the 1990s.

State Morphology Types:

  • Compact: No irregularity (e.g., Nigeria).

  • Fragmented: Broken pieces, often archipelagos (e.g., Philippines).

  • Prorupt: Has a panhandle (e.g., Florida, USA).

  • Perforated: Contains another state (e.g., Utah, which contains the Navajo Nation).

  • Landlocked: No ocean borders (e.g., Wyoming, a U.S. state).

Voting Rights and Democracy**

  • Historical variations of suffrage based on race and gender; for example, women in the U.S. gained the right to vote in 1920.

  • All democracies have representatives; electoral systems vary (e.g., first-past-the-post in the U.S. vs. proportional representation in Germany).

  • Gerrymandering: Manipulation of district boundaries for political advantage, e.g., in several U.S. states where district lines are drawn favorably for a political party.

Republics and Free Market Democracies

  • Republic: Armed separation of powers; aim to avoid aristocracy (e.g., USA).

  • Socialism/Communism: Historical attempts to balance inequality, with prominent examples like Cuba and North Korea.

Centrifugal and Centripetal Forces

  • Centrifugal Forces: Tear social/political fabric apart (e.g., ethnic conflicts in Bosnia).

  • Centripetal Forces: Unite societies (e.g., nationalism in countries like France).

Irredentism and Balkanization

  • Irredentism: Desire for state formation based on cultural similarity, as seen in Russia's interests in Ukrainian territories.

  • Balkanization: Process of fragmentation from a larger entity into smaller states (e.g., the breakup of Yugoslavia).

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