Unit 4

Key Concepts:

UNITS OF POLITICAL ORGANIZATION

• Nation-state: single culture under single government.

• Sovereignty: state's independence from outside control with territory and international recognition.

• Multi-national states: made up of different nations.

• Nationalism: derives from culture or political state, used to support state and oppose foreign influences.

• Stateless nations: culture group without state political process.

ORGANIZATIONS OF STATES

• Federal states & confederations: protection, diplomacy, trade regulation; own governments with divided responsibilities.

• Unitary system: single centralized government.

• Microstates: small sovereign states.

• Autonomous regions: freedom from central authority.

• Semi-autonomous regions: have less freedom than autonomous regions.

Multi-State Organizations

• Supranationalism: states aligned for common purpose.

• Supranational organizations: trade, military, diplomacy alliances (e.g., EU).

• EU purposes: free-trade, open-border, monetary, judicial, legislative unions.

• Issues: costs, sovereignty threats, crime control, "Fortress Europe."

SPATIAL CONCEPTS OF POLITICAL GEOGRAPHY

• Territoriality: political control over space.

• Citizenship: legal identity based on state; retain status outside borders.

Political Borders

• Political boundaries: definable, clear expressions of control.

• Finite lines: borders between states/sub-units.

• Physical/non-physical boundaries: reflect geography or cultural divisions.

• Expatriate populations: citizens outside borders; consular services needed.

Enclave and Exclave

• Enclave: minority culture inside larger one.

• Exclave: fragmented territory separated from main state.

Water Borders at Sea

• UNCLOS: standard oceanic boundaries ratified in 1994; arbitration board.

• Territorial sea: 12-nautical-mile limit; full law application.

• Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ): 200-nautical-mile limit; resource control.

• Admiralty law: legal procedures on high seas.

• International Whaling Commission: moratorium on commercial whale hunts.

Boundary Origins

• Antecedent: prehistoric boundaries.

• Relic: former boundaries with meaning.

• Subsequent: boundaries from conflict/cultural change.

• Superimposed: politically imposed boundaries over cultures.

Boundary Process

• Delimitation: borders on map.

• Demarcation: markers on the ground.

Boundary Types

• Physical: natural boundaries.

• Cultural: boundaries between groups.

• Geometric: latitude/longitude lines.

Border Disputes

• Definitional: treaty interpretation.

• Locational: border movement.

• Operational: border passage problems.

• Allocational: resource disputes.

• Frontier: open, undefined territory.

Tyranny of the Map

• European-set African boundaries mismatched cultures.

• Superimposed boundaries.

Territorial Morphology

• State shape impacts society/relations.

Territorial Change

• Decolonization reduces holdings.

• Annexation: territory addition.

Capitals

• Capital city: seat of government.

• Planned capital cities: located in new places.

Electoral Politics and Internal Boundaries

• Suffrage varies historically.

• Parliamentary systems with representation.

• Gerrymandering: irregularly shaped districts.

GEOPOLITICS

• Geopolitics: global state relationships.

• Centripetal forces: hold state together.

• Centrifugal forces: tear state apart.

• Balkanization: larger state to smaller ones.

• Irredentism: ethnic group breaks away or aligns with similar state.

• Neocolonialism: economic control.