Geography of States and Nations

1. Chapter 8 Review • One of Earth’s most fundamental cultural characteristics is the division of our planet’s surface into a collection of space occupied by individual countries. • A state is an area organized into a political unit and ruled by an established government that has control over its internal and foreign affairs. • – Occupies defined territory • – Permanent population • A state has sovereignty, which means independence from control of its internal affairs by other states. • Disagreement is closely tied to the history and geography of the places involved and most often involves neighboring states. • Microstates are states with very small land areas. The Vatican is the world’s smallest microstates at .044 square kilometers. (.17 square miles) • Many microstates are islands which explains both their small size and sovereignty.

2. Chapter 8 Review The United Nations • Created at end of World War II to serve the role of a facilitator for discussions regarding international problems. • Recognition from the UN is extremely important for economic and political influence. • Recognition also has international benefits, boundaries, resources and protection. • At times, UN has intervened in conflicts between or within member states. • UN Membership increased rapidly on three occasions. • 1. 1955: 16 mostly European countries joined as a result of the Nazi Germany breakup. • 2. 1960: 17 mostly former African colonies joined. • 3. 1990-1993: 26 countries joined as a result of Soviet Union and Yugoslavia breakup.

3. Issues with Claims • Polar Regions: • Many Claims – Several states claim portion of the South Pole region » Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, New Zealand, Norway, and the U.K. • Some claims in the South Pole region are overlapping and conflicting claims. • » Argentina, Chile, and the U.K. • – U.S., Russia, and many other states do not recognize claims to Antarctica. • – 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea permitted countries to submit claims inside the Arctic Circle by 2009.

4. Chapter 8 Review • A Nation state is a state whose territory corresponds to that occupied by a particular ethnicity. • To preserve and enhance distinctive cultural characteristics ethnicities seek to govern themselves without interference. • The concept of dividing the world into a collection of independent nation-states is recent. (Empires, Colonies, Conquest) • Homogenous societies shares a common language, ethnicity and culture. • Examples of Nation States: Denmark, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Japan Korea’s,

5. Chapter 8 Review Development of states can be traced to the Fertile Crescent. • 1. Evolution of States • • First states were known as city-states, which are sovereign states that are comprised of towns and their surrounding countryside. • 2. Walls defined boundaries. Protection from the environment and from outside threats. • – Area immediately outside walls controlled by city to produce food for urban residents. • 3. Medieval States • – Gained military dominance of individual city-states led to the formation of empires. e.g. Roman Empire – Roman Empire collapse in 5th century led to its land being parceled up and controlled by various monarchies.

6. Chapter 8 Review • Nation-States in Europe • A nation-state is a state this territory corresponds to that occupied by a particular ethnicity. • » The concept that ethnicities have the right to govern themselves is known as self-determination. • After WWI, leaders of the victorious countries met at the Versailles Peace Conference to redraw the map of Europe. • » Language most important criteria to create new European states and to adjust existing boundaries. • » Nation-states created by Versailles conference lasted through most of 20th century with little adjustment. • This undertaking by Wilson and geographer Isaiah Bowman created clear cut examples of nation-states, but many of the these states created today in the 21st century have not survived.

7. Chapter 8 Review A state that contains more than one ethnicity is a multi-ethnic state. • Multitude of ethnicities in some cases all contribute cultural features to the formation of a single nationality. e.g. United States of America • A multinational state is a country that contains more than one ethnicity with traditions of self-determination. e.g. Russia Examples of Nation-states and Multinational States:Nation-States in Europe: No state has a population that is 100% a single ethnicity, every state has a varying degree of multiethnic. • Denmark • – 90% of population are ethnic Danes • - 90% of Denmark is ethnically Dane. Only 12% of Greenland’s 58,000 residents are “Dane” – the remainder are primarily Inuit. • – Nearly all Danes speak Danish. Nearly all worlds Danish speakers live in Denmark • Slovenia • – 83% of population are ethnic Slovenes • – Nearly all of the world's Slovenes live in Slovenia • Recently with the collapse of the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia many leaders have pushed to developing nation states -Ex: Czechoslovakia was once an multinational state, in 1993 its split into two nations Czech Republic and Slovakia. -Czech Republic less than 1% of Slovaks -Slovakia less than 1% of Czech’s

8. Chapter 8 Review • Russia: The Largest Multiethnic State • During its existence between 1922 and 1991 the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) was the world’s largest state in land area as well as the world’s largest multiethnic state. • Consisted of 15 republics based on the largest ethnicities • Russians made up 51% of the states population • Ukrainians 15% of the population • Uzbeks 6% of the population • 28% spread among more than 100 other ethnicities “officially recognized” by the Soviet government. • The breakup of the USSR in 1991 resulted in the conversion of the 15 republics into 15 independent states. • Russia • Three Baltic States: Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania • Three European States: Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine • Five Central Asian States: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan • Three Caucasus States: Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia

9. Chapter 8 Review • Some of these new states are good examples of nation-states, and some are clearly multiethnic. • The best examples of nation-states are not necessarily the most stable and peaceful of the new states. • With the break-up of the Soviet Union, Russia is now the world’s largest multinational state in the world. • 81% ethnic Russian’s, the other 19% consist of the other 39 ethnic groups officially recognized by the Russian government. • Issue’s in Russia • Other ethnicities not officially recognized • Recognized ethnicities are given autonomy to government local affairs. • Independence movements are flourishing in Russia.

10. Chapter 8 Review • Russians in Ukraine • Ukraine after the break up of the USSR had high expectations of becoming independent. • It possessed economic assets, such as coal deposits, a steel industry, and proximity to wealthier countries. • Ukraine’s minority Russian population started a rebellion in the eastern region of the country where they were clustered. • Russia invades Ukraine and claims Crimea as part of Russia • 1783 and 1921 Russia took control of Crimea • 1954 Soviets turn over Crimea to Ukraine • 1991 Crimea becomes an independent autonomous republic in independent Ukraine. • 2014 Russia invades Crimea and annexed it claiming that the majority of the Crimean people are ethnic Russians who supported this action. • The world continues to recognize Ukraine's sovereignty over Crimea in spite of Russian control.

11. Chapter 8 Review • Types of Boundaries • – A state is separated from its neighbors by a boundary, an invisible line the marks the extent of a state’s territory. • – Historically, frontiers, which is a zone where no state exercises complete political control, rather than boundaries separated states. • – Three types of physical elements serve as boundaries between states: • 1. Desert Boundary – Effectively divide two states, because deserts are hard to cross and sparsely inhabited. • Ex: Desert Boundary – Mali and Mauritania: The unmarked border runs through the Sahara Desert • 2. Mountain Boundary – Effectively divide two states, if the mountains are difficult to cross.– Useful boundaries because of their permanent quality and their tendency to be sparsely populated. • 3. Water Boundary – Examples include rivers, lakes, and oceans. • – Less permanent overall than mountain boundaries because of tendencies of water levels to change in bodies of water and river channels to move over time.

12. Chapter 8 Review Types of Boundaries The Law of the Sea -States that have ocean boundaries are able to claim vast areas of the ocean for defense and for control of fishing areas. -The Law of the Sea Treaty is the international agreement that resulted from the 3rd UN Conference on the Sea, which took place between 1973 and 1982, and signed by 158 countries. Types of Boundaries Cultural Boundaries • Geometric Boundaries – Straight lines drawn on a map. – EX: 2,100-kilometer (1,300-mile) straight line along 49º north latitude that separates the U.S. and Canada. » Boundary established in 1846 by a treaty between U.S. and Great Britain. • Ethnic Boundaries – Boundary coincides with differences in ethnicity, especially language and religion. – Language differences influenced the demarcation of boundaries in England, France, Portugal, and Spain before the 19th century in Europe.

13. Chapter 8 Review 3. Prorupted States: Either gives access or disruption – Otherwise compact state with a large projecting extension. – Proruptions created for two principal reasons. 1. Provide a state with access to a resource, such as water. 2. Separate two states that other would share a boundary. 4. Perforated States: EX: South Africa – A state that completely surrounds another one. – Encompassed state is dependent on the surrounding state for interactions beyond its boundary. » E.G. Vatican City surrounded by Italy 5. Fragmented States: Problematic – A state that includes several discontinuous pieces of territory. – Two kinds of fragmented states 1. Fragmented states separated by water 2. Fragmented states separated by an intervening state. • Shapes of States • – Controls the length of its boundaries with other states. • • Affects the potential for communication and conflict with neighbors. – Shape is part of a country’s unique identity. • – Shape also influences the ease or difficulty of internal administration and can affect social unity. • Shapes of States– Countries have one of five basic shapes • 1. Compact States:Efficient – Distance from center of state to any boundary does not vary significantly. • » Ideal theoretical example would be circle-shaped with the capital in the center. • 2. Elongated States: EX: Chile: Potential Isolation • – Long and narrow shape. • – May suffer from poor internal communications. • – Example: Chile » 4,000 km. (2,500 mi.) long north and south » Rarely exceeds 150 km. (90 mi.) wide east and west.

14. Chapter 8 Review • Governing States – National governments can be classified as democratic, autocratic, or anocratic. • A democracy is a country in which citizens elect leaders and can run for office. • An autocracy is a country that is run according to the interests of the ruler rather than the people. • An anocracy is a country that is not fully democratic or fully autocratic, but rather a mix of the two. – National Scale: Regime Types • Democracies and autocracies differ in three essential elements: 1. Selection of Leaders » Democracies have institutions and procedures through which citizens can express effective preferences about alternative policies and leaders. » Autocracies have leaders who are selected according to clearly defined (usually hereditary) rules of succession from within the political elite. 2. Citizen Participation » Democracies have institutionalized constraints on the exercise of power by the executive. » Autocracies have citizen’s participation restricted or suppressed. 3. Checks and Balances: » Democracies guarantee civil liberties to all citizens. » Autocracies have leaders who exercise power with no meaningful checks from legislative, judicial, or civil society institutions. – In general, the world has become more democratic since the turn of the 19th century. • Approaches to the organization of government – Unitary State • Most power is placed in the central government: – Japan – Federal State • Allocates power to units of local government – The United States – Confederation • A union of states for common action – usually defense, currency, or foreign affairs – The EU or Switzerland

15. Chapter 8 Review • Electoral Geography – Boundaries separating legislative districts within the U.S. and other countries are redrawn periodically to ensure each has about the same population. • 435 districts of the U.S. House of Representatives are redrawn every 10 years, following the Census Bureau's release of the official population figures. – Process of redrawing legislative boundaries for the purpose of benefits the party in power is called gerrymandering. – Gerrymandering takes three forms: • 1. Wasted vote spreads opposition supporters across many districts but in the minority. • 2. Excess vote concentrates opposition supported into a few districts. • 3. Stacked vote links distant areas of like-minded voters through oddly shaped boundaries. – U.S. Supreme Court ruled gerrymandering illegal in 1985 but did not require dismantling of existing oddly shaped districts.

16. Chapter 8 Review • States compete for many reasons, including control of territory, access to trade, resources and influence over other states. • To further their competitive goals states may form alliances with other states. • In recent years, violence and wars have increasingly been instigated by terrorist organizations not affiliated with particular states or alliances.

17. Chapter 8 Review • Political and military cooperation • League of Nations-established after WWI: Replaced by the UN • The United Nations- created by the victorious allies after WWII. Today the UN is the most important global forum for cooperation among states. (First test came in the Cold War Era, US v. USSR) • Regional military alliances: NATO, Warsaw Pact designed for defense purposes and to combat tensions between the US and USSR. (Vietnam, Korea, Cuba) • Economic cooperation • The European Union; economic partnership between several European countries, France, Spain, Greece, UK, Germany and many more. • US Foreign Policy • 1. The Truman Doctrine: aid and defense to nations transitioning to democratic systems • 2. The Marshall Plan: aid to nations transitioning to democratic systems • USSR response with similar competitive policies to attract more communist nations. (Cuba, Cuban Missile Crises)

18. Chapter 8 Review • States sponsored terrorism at three increasing levels of involvement: 1. providing sanctuary for terrorists wanted by other countries; 2. supplying weapons, money, and intelligence to terrorists; 3. planning attacks using terrorists. • In response to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack against the United States, the U.S. government accused first Afghanistan, then Iraq, and then Iran of providing at least one of the three levels of state support for terrorists. • As part of its war against terrorism, the U.S. government in cooperation with other countries attacked Afghanistan in 2001 and Iraq in 2003 to depose those countries’ government leaders considered supporters of terrorism. • A generation earlier, the United States also attacked Libya in retaliation for using terrorists to plan attacks during the 1980s.

19. Chapter 8 Review • Other states considered by the United States to be state sponsors of terrorism in recent years have included the following: • Yemen, which served as a base for al-Qaeda cells and sheltered terrorists who attacked the USS Cole; • Sudan, which sheltered Islamic militants, including Osama bin Laden; • Iran, which had the capability to produce enriched uranium; • Syria, which was implicated in support of Iranian and Libyan terrorists; • North Korea, which was developing nuclear weapons capability. • See specific examples of State sponsored terrorism in Chapter 8-4 notes.

20. Chapter 8 Review • Terrorism by individuals and organizations • The United States suffered several terrorist attacks during the late twentieth century. • With the exception of the Oklahoma City bombing, which killed 168 people in 1995, Americans generally paid little attention to the attacks and had only a vague notion of who had committed them. • It took the attack on the World Trade Center and Pentagon on September 11, 2001, for most Americans to feel threatened by terrorism. • See notes 8-4 for specific examples of individual terrorism.