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CHAPTER 8

CHAPTER 8. POLITICAL GEOGRAPHY. INTRO. Political Geographers study: how people have organized the Earth’s surface into countries and alliances reasons for those agreements conflicts arising from the organization of the Earth. INTRO cont.

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CHAPTER 8

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  1. CHAPTER 8 POLITICAL GEOGRAPHY

  2. INTRO • Political Geographers study: • how people have organized the Earth’s surface into countries and alliances • reasons for those agreements • conflicts arising from the organization of the Earth

  3. INTRO cont. • Political landscape changed after end of the Cold War (post WWII-@ 1990)

  4. ISSUE #1 Where are States Located?

  5. STATE or COUNTRY?....STATE is a COUNTRY • Up until the 1940s there were only about 50 countries, now there are about 200 • State – KNOW the definition (text uses it as a synonym for country) X

  6. United Nations Members Fig. 8-1: The UN has increased from 51 members in 1945 to 192 in 2007.

  7. PROBLEM of DEFINING STATES • Antarctica – only large landmass not part of a state (parts of it are claimed by many) • Treaty of Antarctica (1959, 1991) • Scientific research allowed, military activities are not • Korea – divided along the 38th parallel during the 1940s (N.Korea – Democratic People’s Republic of Korea; S. Korea – Republic of Korea) • no change after Korean War (1950s) • Both admitted to UN in 1992 as separate nations • recent developments are not good

  8. Antarctica National Claims Fig. 8-2: Antarctica is the only large land mass that is not part of a state, but several countries claim portions of it.

  9. North and South Korea Nighttime satellite image shows the contrasting amounts of electric lighting in South Korea compared to North Korea.

  10. PROBLEM OF DEFINING STATES cont. • China & Taiwan – China says Taiwan is not an independent state but is part of China • Confusion goes back to Chinese Civil War (1940s) • People’s Republic of China (mainland China – the big one) • Republic of China (island of Taiwan – the small one) • 1999 – announced it would regard itself as an independent state • Western Sahara (Sahrawi Republic) – most Africans consider the SADR a sovereign state - Morocco has claimed it since the late 1970s - controlled by Spain until 1976 (declared independent by the Polisario Front) - signed a cease fire in 1991 - Spain still controls two cities Morocco (Milill & Ceuta)

  11. VARYING SIZE OF STATES • What do you think are the 10 largest states/countries by geographic size? • Microstates – states with very small land areas (about 24 of them) • Exs. Monaco, Vatican City • Where are some others? Cia World Factbook

  12. Tonga Tonga is a microstate, including 102,000 inhabitants and 169 islands.

  13. WORLD’S LARGEST STATES • Russia • China • Canada • U.S. • Brazil • Australia • India • Argentina • Kazakhstan • Sudan

  14. DEVELOPMENT OF THE STATE CONCEPT • Prior to the 1800s the Earth was not organized into independent nations • city-states, empires, tribes, large unorganized territories… • Modern movement to organize into states originated in Europe but the development of states can be traced back to the Middle East (Fertile Crescent)

  15. ANCIENT & MEDIEVAL STATES • City-states in Mesopotamia (town & surrounding countryside) • Also in ancient Greece (Athens and Sparta) • European political unity best seen in Roman Empire • Colonialism led to European control of much of the world • God, gold, and glory

  16. Colonial Possessions, 1914 Fig. 8-4: By the outbreak of World War I, European states held colonies throughout the world, especially throughout Africa and in much of Asia.

  17. Image of British Colonialism An 1840 painting of Queen Victoria receiving an emissary from Africa.

  18. Colonial Possessions, 2006 Fig. 8-5: Most of the remaining colonies are small islands in the Pacific or Caribbean.

  19. ISSUE #2 Why Do Boundaries Cause Problems?

  20. SHAPES OF STATES • Boundaries result from a combination of physical and cultural features • Exs. U.S./Mexico… Portugal/Spain Japan/China • The shape of a boundary affects the potential for communication and conflict between neighbors

  21. LANDLOCKED STATES • lacks direct outlet to the sea because it is completely surrounded by other countries • Ex. Lesotho • Most common in Africa

  22. SHAPES OF STATES 5 BASIC SHAPES SHAPES FOLDABLE Title: name of the shape Definition of the shape Benefits and/or drawbacks Example • Compact • Prorupted (they get paid the most) • Elongated • Fragmented • Perforated

  23. African States Fig. 8-6: Southern, central, and eastern Africa include states that are compact, elongated, prorupted, fragmented, and perforated.

  24. WHAT SHAPE AM I?

  25. RWANDA

  26. NAMIBIA

  27. MALAWI

  28. ANGOLA

  29. SOUTH AFRICA

  30. RWANDA - COMPACTED

  31. NAMIBIA - PRORUPTED

  32. MALAWI - ELONGATED

  33. ANGOLA - FRAGMENTED

  34. SOUTH AFRICA - PERFORATED

  35. TYPES OF BOUNDARIES PHYSICAL CULTURAL

  36. BOUNDARIES cont. • Frontiers (a zone where no state exercises complete political control) -historically separated states (boundaries are more recent) • Only Antarctica and the Arabian Peninsula still have frontiers instead of boundaries • Boundary – an invisible line marking the extent a state’s territory Invisible line

  37. Frontiers in the Arabian Peninsula Fig. 8-8: Several states in the Arabian Peninsula are separated by frontiers rather than precise boundaries.

  38. PHYSICAL BOUNDARIES • Mountains • effective if difficult to cross • can limit contact • are permanent • Not always effective (ex. Argentina/Chile) • Deserts • common in Africa & Asia (ex. Sahara) • Water • physical feature most commonly used as a boundary • boundaries are typically in the middle of water • offer good protection • Can be problematic • precise position of water may move • how far out into the ocean is the boundary?

  39. CULTURAL BOUNDARIES(often used to separate different languages and/or religions) • Geometric Boundaries - straight lines drawn on the map (ex. U.S./.Canada; Chad/Libya) - can lead to conflict (Aozou strip) • Religious Boundaries • Religious differences often coincide with boundaries but are rarely the determining factor in selecting the boundaries • Some exceptions: Ex. India/Pakistan; Rep. of Ireland/N. Ireland

  40. CULTURAL BOUNDARIES cont. 3. Language Boundaries - very important in drawing boundaries, particularly in Europe - played major role in determining boundaries after WWI (Versailles Peace Conference) - these boundaries were relatively strong/stable until the 1990s (why?) 4. Cyprus’s “Green Line” Boundary - 2 nationalities - Turks(18%) primarily in the NE - Greeks (78%) primarily in the south) - disputes go back to gaining of independence in 1960s - admitted to UN in 2004 as one island (opening of relations between the two sides since)

  41. Division of Cyprus Fig. 8-10: Cyprus has been divided into Greek and Turkish portions since 1974.

  42. Nicosia, Cyprus Checkpoint Checkpoint between Greek and Turkish portions of Nicosia, the capital of Cyprus.

  43. BOUNDARIES INSIDE STATES • Unitary State vs. Federal State • Electoral College & Gerrymandering

  44. ISSUE #3 Why Do States Cooperate With Each Other?

  45. UNITED NATIONS • Most important int’l organization (1945) • Replaced the League of Nations • UN members can vote to establish a peacekeeping force and request states to contribute military forces • Role of the Security Council • Tries to stay neutral

  46. REGIONAL MILITARY ALLIANCES • Prior WWI the balance of power was maintained by the existence of numerous great powers (no single one could dominate) • During the Cold War many nations joined one of 2 new military alliances dominated by either the U.S. or the U.S.S.R. • NATO (U.S.) • Warsaw Pact (U.S.S.R.) • What were their main objectives? (obsolete after the Cold War???) BALANCE OF POWER

  47. OTHER REGIONAL ORGANIZATIONS • OSCE – concerned with ending conflicts in Europe • OAS – all 35 states in the Western Hemisphere • Promotes social, cultural, political, and economic links • AU – includes 53 African nations • Emphasizes economic integration in Africa

  48. European Alliances, 1960

  49. European Alliances, 2007

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