4.1 Introduction to Political Geography

What is Sovereignty?

  • Ultimate authority for decisions pertaining to government, defense, and foreign politics.

  • Complete control.

Features of a state

Population:

  • A body of people

Territory:

  • Living in a defined space

Sovereignty:

  • The power to make and enforce laws without having to check with a higher authority

Government:

  • With an organization to do this

Role of Governments

  • Keep order inside the country (run the country)

  • Defend borders/protect the state borders

  • Provide service for the needs of the people

  • Make laws and policies

Types of Governments

  • All states (countries) have a national government, but they take different forms.

  • Global trend toward democratic governments.

Authoritarian

Democracy

  • Leader power

  • No civil rights

  • No protesting

  • Limited/no voting

  • People power

  • Civil rights

  • Civil liberties

  • People serve as leaders

  • Voting in or running for elections

Authoritarian Governments

Absolute Monarchy:

  • Absolute power without limits

  • Monarch = King or Queen

  • Example: Oman

Dictatorship/Totalitarianism:

  • One person/small group using

    • Fear & force (Dictator)

    • Total Control (Totalitarian)

  • Example: North Korea

One-Party Rule (Communism):

  • One political party rules

  • Example: China

Theocracy:

  • Ruled by a religious leader/group

  • Law based on a holy book; religious beliefs

  • Examples: Iran and Vatican City

Democratic Governments

Representative Democracy & Republic:

  • People vote for elected officials

  • A document defines and protects rights

  • Examples: USA and Brazil

Constitutional Monarchy:

  • People vote for elected officials

  • Monarchs are just “symbols.”

  • Examples: the UK and Norway

Scales in Political Geography

Supranational Scale

Country Scale

Local Scale

Geographers study organizations that include many countries, such as the European Union

Geographers study how a country’s government is organized and interacts with its people

Geographers study how a country geographically distributes power to its people, such as establishing voting districts

Federal VS Unitary States

Federal System:

  • Accommodates regional interests by allowing for diverse needs and preferences, BUT ALSO features a central government that is strong enough to keep the countries from falling apart.

  • Examples: United States, Canada, Australia

Unitary System:

  • Historically, most European governments were highly centralized, and even though local governments have developed, they have had no separate powers

  • As a result, most European governments today remain Unitary States.

Nation VS Nation States

States:

  • State = country

  • Defined territory and government

Nation:

  • A group of people in a given geographical area with a common heritage and culture

Nation-States:

  • A sovereign state whose people are united by homogenous factors (culture, language, heritage, ethnicity)