Political Geography

Political Geography

Some facts about states • The world’s largest state is Russia • The world’s smallest microstate is Monaco. • The world’s smallest colony is Pitcairn • Antarctica is not a state, and is considered a research community

Ancient States • The development of states can be traced to the Fertile Crescent • The Fertile Crescent: • Followed the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers • Extended from the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean Sea • Was the location of the first city-states in the Middle East • Is sometimes considered to be extended into the Nile Valley

City-States • The first states in Mesopotamia were city-states. • A city-state is a sovereign state that comprises a town and the surrounding countryside • Walls defined the boundaries

Early- European States • The Roman Empire helped unite the ancient city-states • At its height, the Roman Empire stretched across Europe, Northern Africa, and Southwest Asia • When the Roman Empire collapsed, European nation-states began

Colonies and Colonialism • European nation-states wanted colonies to increase their resources and access to local markets • A colony is a territory that is legally tied to a sovereign state • Colonialism is the effort by one country to establish settlements around the world

The Three G’s • Country’s wanted to establish colonies for the following reasons: • God • Glory • Gold

Great Britain • By 1900, Great Britain could claim the following: • The sun never set on the British Empire • British colonies were on every continent • They had the largest empire in Europe • Their empire controlled strategic islands • They allowed their colonies to practice their unique traditions

Imperialism • European efforts to control Africa and Asia • Imperialism is control of a territory already occupied and organized by an indigenous society • What’s the difference between imperialism and colonialism?

Colonies today • There are very few colonies today • Most are islands • The most populous colony is Puerto Rico, which belongs to the Commonwealth of the United States • Over the last 50 years, the number of nation-states has increased by more than 100 (why?)

Microstates • Microstates are states with very small land areas • Characteristics include: • Many are islands • All are smaller than 1,000 sq kilometers • Many of the islands are former European colonies • Most of the island states are in the Pacific

Types of Boundaries • Historically, frontiers separated states • A frontier is a zone where no state exercises complete political control • Boundaries can be two types: physical and cultural

Physical Boundaries • Physical boundaries coincide with significant features of the natural landscape like mountains, deserts, and water boundaries • Mountains can be good boundaries, if they are difficult to cross • Desert boundaries are also hard to cross, and can make good boundaries

Water Boundaries • Rivers, lakes, and oceans are the most common type of water boundary • Boundaries are typically in the middle of the water • Problems: • The dividing line can change • Oceanic boundaries usually extend into the water • Law of the Seas

Cultural Boundaries • Cultural boundaries follow the distribution of cultural characteristics • Cultural boundaries include geometric, religious, and language barriers • Geometric boundaries are boundaries drawn on a map (Ex: Aozou Strip) • Religious boundaries try to separate two religious groups (Ex: Ireland)

Language Barriers • Language barriers separate groups according to language • Extremely popular in Europe after World War I • What kind of boundaries separate the US and Canada?

Problems with Boundaries • One state containing more than one ethnic group (multinational state) • One ethnic group is divided among more than one state (multistate nation) • Korea is a good example of this

Cypress • One of three countries that is in both Europe and Asia • The northern part of the island belongs to the Turkish minority • The southern part of the island belongs to the Greek majority • The two parts of the island are separated by a buffer zone

Russia • Russia is the largest multinational state • After the Soviet Union collapsed, most Russians found themselves in the western part of the state

Multistate Nations • The Kurds live among six countries in Southwest Asia • There was a Kurdistan, until 1920 • The Kurds were promised a homeland by helping US troops during the Gulf War • They did not get a homeland, due to our relationship with Turkey

Unitary and Federal States • The unitary state places most power in the hands of the central government • A federal state shares power with local governments • This helps calm the tension of having many ethnic groups in one state • Poland did this after the Soviet Union collapsed

Supranational Organizations • The United Nations is a political organization with 189 members • Switzerland and Taiwan are the only populous countries without membership • NATO is a military organization with 16 members, including the United States and Turkey

Supranational Organizations • The European Union is an economic alliance with 27 member states • It has helped grow the economy is Western Europe • Today, it is the world’s economic superpower • NAFTA is an economic alliance with 3 member states

Political Geography