Unit 4: Political Geography
Types of states/nations:
State: Formal term for country, has boundaries, a population, sovereignty, and recognition from other states
Sovereignty: Ultimate power without any external influence
Ex: Taiwan claims sovereignty but China doesn’t agree
Nation: Group of people who share cultural heritage, beliefs, land claims, desire for self-determination
Ex: French, German
Nation-state: Nation of people who meet requirements to become a state
Ex: Japan, Iceland
Stateless nation: Nation of people without a state of their own
Ex: Kurds, Hmong, Cherokee
Multi-national state: Country that contains more than one nation
Ex: France, Canada, Mexico, China
Autonomous region: Area within a state with a high degree of autonomy
Ex: Hong Kong, Basques in Spain
Semi-autonomous region: Area that can govern itself in certain areas, but not complete power
Ex: Kashmir in India/Pakistan
Multi-state nation: Nation has a state but nation is divided among several states
Nationalism: Identification and support for one’s nation, sometimes to the detriment of other nations
Ex: French revolution, people united for one cause
Centripetal vs. Centrifugal:
Centripetal forces: Unite people
Ex: Nationalism, shared religion, common language
Centrifugal forces: Divide people, break apart states
Ex: Lack of shared religion, globalization, violence
-Devolution/balkanization: State breaks down due to struggles, transfer of power from large to small government
Ex: Balkans breaking down
Imperialism and Colonization:
Imperialism: Ways of influencing another country including direct military conquest, economic control, or cultural dominance
Colonialism: Type of imperialism where people move and settle on the land of another country
Ex: Britain colonizing Africa, Africa’s borders now don’t line up with language/ethnicity groups
Neocolonialism: Transnational businesses control extraction of natural resources through mining, crops, etc. to make/sell products globally. This often leads to economic dependency of the host country.
Genocide: Planned mass killing of a group because of race, ethnicity, religion, or nationality
Ethnic cleansing: Forced removal of people with a particular ethnic background from an area
Ex: The Rwandan Genocide of 1994 resulted in the systematic murder of approximately 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus, showcasing the devastating impact of ethnic tensions.
Geopolitics: Study of ethics of geography on politics and relations among states
Territoriality: Willingness to defend the space someone claims
Boundaries:
Partition: Dividing territory into separate countries/regions
Annexation: Adding territory to pre-existing state
Self-determination: Ability of a region to govern itself
Gerrymandering: Political borders are drawn to purposefully benefit a party or candidate to manipulate electoral outcomes, often resulting in unequal representation and political advantages.
Ex: Census every 10 years to redraw HoR lines
Frontier: Area between boundaries where no one has governing authority
Creating a Boundary:
Definition: Wording of a treaty that creates a boundary
-Takes a while
Delimitation: Drawing border on paper
Demarcation: Physically representing border
Administration: Boundary is maintained
Border landscape: Area on either side of a boundary
-Inclusionary border-welcoming, exclusionary border-not welcoming
Types of Boundaries:
Antecedent: Naturally occurring
Ex: Great Lakes (US and Canada), Himalayas (India and China)
Subsequent: Created based on cultural differences among groups
Ex: Break-up of India (Hindu and Muslim)
Superimposed: Created by a 3rd party
Ex: North/South Korea divided by UN
-Irredentism: Border splits ethnic groups and they want to be back together
Relic: Boundaries that have disappeared, but people still act like it’s there
Ex: Mason Dixon Line, Berlin Wall (Eastern and Western Europe), Iron Curtain
Geometric: Based on latitude and longitude, straight lines
Ex: 49th parallel (US and Canada)
Consequent: Accommodates cultural differences
Ex: India (Hinduism) and Pakistan (Islam)
Boundary Disputes:
Definitional: Wording of a treaty
Locational: Disagreement on border location
Operational: Disagreement on use or abuse
Allocational: Challenge to use of a border’s natural resources that often leads to conflict between nations or groups over rights and access
Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)
Territorial waters: 12 miles from border’s coast where state has sovereignty
Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ): Extends 200 miles from the coast, other countries can travel but can’t export/extract resources
Median-line principle: If claims overlap, line is drawn that splits EEZ
Global commons: No one can extract resources but may conduct research
Ex: Antarctica
Nine dash line: Line China’s government drew that they say represents historical claims of South China Sea, but overlaps with other EEZs
Types of Government:
Unitary: A form of government where power is centrally located, often in a single national government, which holds the majority of authority over its subdivisions. Usually found in ethnically homogenous countries
Ex: Cuba, Japan, France
Strengths: Clear rules across country, efficiency in law enforcement, better coordination of trade/economic policy
Weaknesses: Natural differences among country may not be respected, minority population could be abused, authority of gov. can become unchecked by smaller governments
Federal: Multiple levels of government share power at different levels
Ex: US, Germany, Canada
Strengths: Can create laws better pertaining to certain areas, allows for cultural diversity
Weaknesses: Isn’t as efficient as unitary when trying to pass certain laws, policies can be confusing
Confederation: Multiple states agree to work together, but remain mostly independent
Ex: Articles of Confederation
Strengths: Citizens and states can govern themselves how they want, which can lead to a greater sense of local autonomy and satisfaction with governance
Weaknesses: Hard to accomplish big tasks and can create confusion and lack of action
Supranationalism: “Over” government that supplements pre-existing governments in a particular way
Ex: EU
Strengths: Increased cooperation can lead to more trade and economic benefits, war between members is unlikely
Weaknesses: Potential loss of national sovereignty, cooperation may be difficult for logistical and communication reasons
Supranational organizations:
NAFTA/UMC: Trade bloc of Mexico, Canada, and US
NATO: Military alliance created after WWII
MERCOSUR: Trade bloc of South American countries including Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Venezuela that encourages economic development
Trans-Pacific Partnership: Trade bloc of Pacific nations including Australia, Canada, Japan, Mexico
ASEAN: Trade bloc/peace pact of South East Nations including Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos
OPEC: Cartel of oil-producing countries
AU: Weaker version of EU in Africa with trade and peace as its focus
Types of States:
Landlock: No access to sea
Coastal: Access to sea and global trade
Microstate: Very small state
Ex: Singapore, Moracco
Unitary: Concentrated power in government, works best in nation-states
Ex: U.K., North Korea, France
Federal: Power is split among levels of government, suitable for larger states
Enclaves: State that’s completely surrounded by another
Ex: Lesotho is surrounded by South Africa
Exclaves: Land that’s a political extension of another state
Ex: Alaska and Hawaii
Choke point: Narrow passage that restricts movement
Ex: Straight of Hormuz, the way to 30% of the world’s oil, English Channel
Shatterbelt: Region prone to breaking up and can be pressurized by external power
Ex: Ukraine, located at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, has experienced significant geopolitical tensions and conflicts due to its strategic position
Economies of scale: Selling a lot for a little, a little for a lot