Download Unit IV Political Organization of Space

Unit IV Political Organization of Space
Ch. 8 Political Geography Key Issue 1: Where are states located?
State
nation
Nation-state
territoriality
sovereignty
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politically organized territory administered by a sovereign govt & recognized by a large % of the international community
occupies a defined area on Earth’s surface & has a permanent population.
--ex: France
--Antarctica (Treaties of Antarctica 1959 & 1991)
cultural concept implying a group of people occupying a particular territory & unified by shared beliefs.
when a nation and state occupy the same territory
Ex: Japan; Denmark
an individual or group’s attempt to identify & establish control over land? (often leads to defense of the land)
exercise of state power over people & territory, & being recognized by other international states
ex: India is considered a sovereign state
Kurds – one of largest nationalities in the world without a state
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Located in Turkey, northern Iran, and northern Iraq with some in Armenia and Azerbaijan
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Most Kurds have own language and practice Islam
Basques – independent group in Pyrenees Mountains
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Majority live in Spain with some in Andorra and southwestern France
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Basques have their own language (Euskara) and desire to have their own nation-state called Euskal Herria
Flemish – live in the north of Belgium
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Official language is Flemish (Common Dutch) and religion (Roman Catholic)
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Distinct from Walloons in language (French) and religion (Protestant)
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Desire own nation-state called Flanders
Zulu – live in eastern South Africa
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Apartheid – white minority ruled South Africa, Zulus forced to occupy low status – suffering discrimination in all
aspects of life
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Zulus have their own language (isiZulu) desire to have own homeland (KwaNdeebele)
Palestinians – live in the W Bank, Gaza Strip, Golan Heights of Israel
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Palestinians fled to other countries after Israel created in 1948
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Most practice Islam, speak Arabic – desire to create state called Palestine
More examples of sovereignty & territoriality issues:
1) Korea was originally a colony of Japan, but was divided into two occupation zones along the 38th parallel by the U.S. & former Soviet
Union after Japan’s defeat in WWII. The division became permanent in the 1940s when the zones were turned into autonomous
states. North Korea became the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, & South Korea became the Republic of Korea. In 1950, N.
Korea invaded the South, sparking a three-year conflict that ended with a cease-fire line near the 38th parallel. Both governments are
committed to reuniting the country; however, attempts at reconciliation were halted when N. Korea decided to build nuclear weapons
while its people starved.
2)
Chinese Nationalists who fled the country after communist takeover, established control over the island of Taiwan. The Nationalists
claim that they still are the legitimate rulers of China, but for the time being will rule Taiwan. The communists claim control over
Taiwan, but most other world states believe the two are separate & sovereign states. After ruling power was shifted in 1971 from the
Nationalists to the communists, Taiwan became the most populous state not in the United Nations.
3)
Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (Western Sahara) is considered by most to be a sovereign state but Morocco claims the territory
& built a 3,000 km wall around it to keep out rebel forces. A cease-fire signed in 1991 is supervised by U.N. peacekeeping forces.
Spain controls two cities in Morocco.
frontier
stateless nation
hegemony
irredentism
Microstates
Multi-national
City-state
region not fully integrated into a national state that is often marginal or undeveloped is a called a
ex: NW Pakistan.
national group that aspires to become a nation-state but lacks the territory
ex: Kurdish
political dominance of a country or region by another country
ex: Soviet Union
a state wanting to add territory from another State inhabited by people who have cultural links to their own State
ex: Serbia
states with very small land areas & population
an impact of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea for maritime micro states Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)
provisions increased the resources & economic viability of these states
ex: Monaco (.6 square miles); Vatican City; Andorra
a state with more than one nation
a sovereign state that comprises a town & the surrounding countryside.
first states to develop in ancient times. Reached highest point in the Roman Empire.
Early European states evolved after the fall of the Roman Empire as powerful nobles emerged & began consolidating
surrounding estates into kingdoms--formed the basis for the development of states like England, France, Spain, etc.
Colonialism
the effort by one country to establish settlements & to impose its political, economic, & cultural agenda on an
uninhabited territory. The three reasons for colonialism are:
1.
European missionaries establishing colonies to promote Christianity.
2. Governments establishing colonies to access raw materials & resources—ECONOMIC REASONS
3. Governments establishing colonies to increase prestige of that country.
Colony
Imperialism
a territory that is legally tied to a sovereign state rather than being completely independent.
establishing control of a territory already occupied & organized by an indigenous society.
After colonization ended, many former colonies established their independence from the mother country. Thus,
very few colonies exist in the modern world, nearly all are small islands in the S. Pacific or Caribbean.
Pitcairn Island is the world’s smallest colony, with 54 residents on an island less than 2 square miles. It was
originally settled in 1790 by the crew of the British vessel Bounty. The islanders survive by selling fish &
postage stamps to collectors.
Key Issue 2: Why do boundaries cause problems?
Boundaries
Mark the outer limits of state’s claim to land; Define property limits b/t owners of land; Project below ground to
allocate subsurface resources; Mark political administrative divisions within a country.
study of border landscapes the political boundary as an expression of cultural landscape
the effect of the border on state policy
the effect of the border on economic activity
how the border affects the attitude of border inhabitants.
There are two types of boundaries:
-PHYSICAL BOUNDARIES
-Mountains are effective if they are difficult to cross. mts: Brazil & Peru
-Deserts are effective if hard to cross & sparsely settled. deserts: Iraq & Kuwait
-Water boundaries can be effective for defense because an assailant’s troops must establish a beachhead in order to
attack. Rivers pose problems because they tend to move across the Earth’s surface as a result of erosion. Oceans
are the cause of some controversy because of arguments about how far a state’s boundary protrudes into the
water. The Law of the Sea, signed by 117 countries in 1983, established the territorial limits for most countries at
12 nautical miles, & fishing rights at 200 miles
--Landlocked state
a state that lacks a direct outlet to the ocean. Especially common in Africa.
are at a commercial & strategic disadvantage
Ex: Mongolia; Bolivia (due to the results of the War of the Pacific)
--Frontier
a zone where no state exercises complete political control.
-CULTURAL BOUNDARIES
-Geometric boundaries are simply mathematical lines (ie L&L) drawn on a map.
Ex: many countries in Africa
-Religious boundaries are rarely used, b/c they normally coincide with state boundaries.
-Language boundaries are especially numerous in Europe.
-Implemented or superimposed boundaries are those established by the ruling organization.
Ex. The “Green Line” boundary in Cyprus. (p.277-78)
ex: Native Am reservations; India/Pakistan; Africa; Papua New Guinea/Indonesia.
-Relic boundaries are nonfunctional partitions that still exist.
Ex. The Great Wall of China.
-Antecedent--type of boundary line is established before an area is well populated
Ex: Canada
-enclave-creation of political boundaries that attempt to unite ethnic groups in nearby regions under the control of one govt
in order to decrease conflict in a region
ex: Russia; Italy
SHAPES:
compact
prorupted
fragmented
Elongated
generally circular w/ the capital located in the center of the state; distance from the center to any boundary varies little
ex: Poland
This type of shape can provide for efficiency in administration of a country; efficient communication & transportation
shape can provide access to a resource, or it can separate two countries that would otherwise share a boundary
an otherwise compact state with a large projecting extension.
Ex. Congo Namibia
Japan; Indonesia; strengthens Centrifugal forces
can weaken centralized control of state territory & increase regionalism particularly in the areas separate from main state
Ex. U.S.A.
type of countries usually encompass diverse types of climates, resources & peoples; poor communication; isolation
Perforated
enclave
exclave
Ex. Chile
a country’s morphology which can weaken its stability if an enclave is occupied by people whose values systems differ from
the surrounding state; ex: South Africa
territory completely surrounded by another (ie. Lesotho)
territory detached from the “mother country” (ie. Russia)
BOUNDARIES & DISPUTES:
Disputes
occur at the local, regional, national, & international scale
centrifugal force within Sri Lanka=religion; ethnicity; language; history of the conflict
Territorial
type of boundary dispute focuses on the ownership & control of surface area.
Positional/locational
dispute focuses on the delimitation, demarcation or interpretation of an agreement between countries.
Ex: Saudi Arabia and Yemen
subsequent
boundary that is drawn after the development of a cultural landscape; may cause problems
resource
Centripetal
Centrifugal
Devolution
self-determination
Random boundary factoids:
Israel/Palestine conflict
Cyprus
France
Africa
Sri Lanka
Kashmir
India & Pakistan
West US
Yugoslavia
ex: Ireland/Northern Ireland
dispute related to a resource
Germany and Netherlands – Natural Gas
Kuwait and Iraq – oil
U.S. and Canada –Fisheries
Boundary Disputes at sea
Water supplies when rivers cross international boundaries
forces that bind together citizens of a state (Richard Hartshorne education system; military; common language;
transportation system; Ideology-fascism, Communism, or Democracy; External threat)
aka Devolutionary Forces; things that divide or tear a state apart (Ethnic or Cultural differences; Linguistic
diversity; Economic diversity; Movement or circulation; Physical Geographical differences)
process whereby regions within a state demand and gain political strength and growing autonomy at the expense of
the central government
Ex: The Soviet Union and Eastern Europe; Yugoslavia; Czechoslovakia
concept that ethnicities have the right to govern themselves
ex: Chechen.
functional / operational
religious ethnic
territorial
drawn primarily to divide the Greeks from the Turks
This country used linguistic boundaries as a primary reason to establish their territory.
has political boundaries that most poorly represent the linguistic boundaries of the region
conflict in is differences of religion (Hindus & Buddhists)
conflict in is differences of religion (Hindus & Muslims)
boundaries established primarily to separate different religions
region of the US in which geometric boundaries predominate
Tito did not give ethnic minorities political rights; part of his “nation building”
How do states organize themselves?
Unitary States
a state that places most of the power in the hands of a central govt; capital city serves as a focus of power
Char: Highly centralized govt.; Primate city located within the core of country; Few internal cultural differences;
Borders that are both cultural & political.
Examples: France, China and newly independent states developed out of former colonies
Federal states
A government where the state is organized into territories, which have control over government policies and funds
Power is shared between a central government and the governments of provinces
Examples: the US, Canada, Germany, Australia.
Confederation
permanent union of sovereign states created in order to deal w/ common interests of defense, trade or policy
Key Issue 3: Why do states cooperate with each other?
Supranational Organizations
group of 3 or more states joined for mutual benefit & shared goals
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Global and regional peacekeeping organizations
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The United Nations (est. 1945)
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Original members: 49 States; As of 2006: 192 sovereign states
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Greatest increase has occurred in Africa: In 1945 only 4 sovereign states from Africa
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Breakup of the Former Soviet Union and Yugoslavia stimulated the formation of new states
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Regional military alliances Post–World War II: NATO or the Warsaw Pact
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Other regional organizations
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AU or African Union (est. 1963)
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The Commonwealth includes UK and 52 other states that were once British colonies
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NAFTA--attempt to create a free trade zone in N America
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Economic cooperation: With the fall of the soviet states balance of power is now economic
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OPEC (Organization of Oil Producing Countries)
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The leading super power is not a single state but an Economic union of states. The EU or European Union
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main purpose--create an economic free trade zone for member countries; also developed the Euro
Other political geography terms
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Satellite states – under the control of the Soviet Union – created a cultural wall (Iron Curtain)
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Iron Curtain – divided democratic, capitalist Western Europe from totalitarian, communist Eastern Europe
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Shatterbelt regions – regions caught up in the conflict between two superpowers
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Boundaries often changed – Vietnam and Korea
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Eastern Europe; Yugoslavia (Balkanization=Chechnya, Serbia, Estonia, Vietnam)
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Buffer state – country that lies between two other states, but remains neutral in the conflict between them
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Mongolia between China and Soviet Union
Geo-Political Theories
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Heartland Theory – Halford MacKinder wrote “The Geographical Pivot of History”
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Suggests that whoever owns Eastern Europe and Western Asia has the political power and capital to rule the world
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Eastern Europe contained one of the richest agricultural regions in the world – sustain a large population
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Also contained abundant raw materials (coal) needed to develop strong military and industrial base
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Adolph Hitler believed in this theory – which is why he attempted to invade/conquer Eastern Europe
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Putin—modern day Russia forming a Eurasia Union
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Rimland Theory – Nicholas Spykman wrote in “The Geography of Peace” – was known as the “godfather of containment”
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Believed in forming alliances is necessary to keep Heartland in check (no individual country could contain by itself
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Rimland theory would control the sea
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Domino Theory – adopted by U.S. in 1960s – 1970s
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When one country experiences rebellion or political disunity, other countries around it will also experience turmoil as a result,
leading to a domino effect of political instability
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Established in response to the communist incursions that had been occurring around the world
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Irredentism – the attempt by one country to provoke coups or separatist movements in another country
Immanuel Wallerstein’s World-Systems Theory:
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According to Wallerstein, the modern nation state exists within a broad economic, political, and legal framework which he calls a
“world- system.”
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Just as individual behavior cannot be understood without reference the socio-cultural system in which they are members, individual
societies or nation states cannot be understood without reference to the world-system in which they are embedded.
1.
The world economy has one market and a global division of labor.
2. Although the world has multiple states, almost everything takes place within the context of the world economy.
3. The world economy has a three-tier structure.
CORE COUNTRIES
The most economically diversified, wealthy, and powerful (economically and militarily)
Have strong central governments, controlling extensive bureaucracies and powerful militaries
Have a sufficient tax base so these state institutions can provide infrastructure for a strong economy
Highly industrialized; produce manufactured goods rather than raw materials for export
Increasingly tend to specialize in information, finance and service industries
More often in the forefront of new technologies and new industries.
Has strong bourgeois and working class
Have significant means of influence over noncore nations
Relatively independent of outside control
PERIPHERY COUNTRIES
Least economically diversified with relatively weak governments
Little tax base to support infrastructure development
Tend to depend on one type of economic activity, often on extracting and exporting raw materials to core
nations = Less industrialized
Are often targets for investments from multinational corporations from core nations that come into the
country to exploit cheap unskilled labor for export back to core nations
Has small bourgeois and large peasant classes
Tend to have a high percentage of their people that are poor and uneducated.
Inequality tends to be very high because of a small upper class that owns most of the land and has
profitable ties to multinational corporations
Tend to be extensively influenced by core nations and their multinational corporations.
SEMI_PERIPHERY
Semi-periphery nations are those that are midway between the core and periphery.
They tend to be countries moving towards industrialization and a more diversified economy.
Those regions have relatively developed/diversified economy, but aren’t dominant in international trade.
They are not as subject to outside manipulation as peripheral societies
While in the sphere of influence of some cores semi-peripheries also tend to exert their own control over
some peripheries.
Semi-peripheries act as buffers between cores and peripheries