A-Level Geography: Migration, Identity and Sovereignty EQ2

Question 1

8B.4 Nation-states are highly varied and have very different histories

What is a state?

Answer 1

A state is a territory that no other country has power or sovereignty over.

Question 2

8B.4 Nation-states are highly varied and have very different histories

As of 2016, the UN recognised how many states?

Answer 2

The UN recognised 196 states, with South Sudan being the most recent addition.

Question 3

8B.4 Nation-states are highly varied and have very different histories

What is a nation?

Answer 3

A nation refers to a group of people who lack sovereignty.

Question 4

8B.4 Nation-states are highly varied and have very different histories

What is are good examples of nations?

Answer 4

This includes the Welsh and Scottish nations as they are part of the sovereign state of the UK. These nations lack full control, despite having their own parliaments and language.

Question 5

8B.4 Nation-states are highly varied and have very different histories

Give two examples of natural barriers that determine borders.

Answer 5

• The Himalayas has traditionally separated India and China.

- The Iguazu Falls and the Iguazu River is right on the border of Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay.

Question 6

8B.4 Nation-states are highly varied and have very different histories

Give three examples of cultural and linguistic group barriers that determine borders.

Answer 6

• Spanish, Portuguese, French and Italian are historically Romance languages.
• English, German, and Swedish are historically Germanic languages.
• Russian, Polish and Bulgarian, are historically Slavic languages.

Question 7

8B.4 Nation-states are highly varied and have very different histories

Give three examples of politics determining borders.

Answer 7

• The Treaty of Versailles after World War One drew many of Europe’s borders. Many disliked the arbitrary nature of many of these borders.
• The 49th parallel separating the USA and Canada was agreed by the Treaty of Oregon in 1846.
• An armistice after the Korean War decided the location of the North Korean-South Korean border.

Question 8

8B.4 Nation-states are highly varied and have very different histories

Give an example of colonial decision-making determining borders.

Answer 8

The Spanish, German, English and Dutch colonial powers of 19th century Europe divided up much of the world arbitrarily based on their land grabs. The colonialists were concerned with dividing Africa’s raw materials and water resources amongst themselves.

Question 9

8B.4 Nation-states are highly varied and have very different histories

Why is the Ukraine and Crimea examples of contested borders?

Answer 9

• Crimea consists of 58% ethnic Russians and 24% ethnic Ukrainians.
• Russia annexed Crimea in 2014.
• International community condemned it and imposed sanctions on Russian trade.

Question 10

8B.4 Nation-states are highly varied and have very different histories

Why is Taiwan an example of contested borders?

Answer 10

• Since 1950, Taiwan has been independent.
• China claims sovereignty over it and regards Taiwan as a rebel province.
• China insists no country should have relations with Taiwan. However, Taiwan has become one of Asia’s economic successes through computer technology.

Question 11

8B.4 Nation-states are highly varied and have very different histories

Why are Syria and Iraq contested borders?

Answer 11

• Conflict in the region is traced back to the Sykes-Picot line, a border between French and British occupation of the Middle East.
• Kurdish, Shia, and Sunni populations were divided and extremist groups such as Daesh and Al-Qaeda have incited conflict between the social groups.
• UN security council (primarily the US and Russia) are involved in conducting airstrikes against the extremists perceived as terrorists.

Question 12

8B.4 Nation-states are highly varied and have very different histories

What is nationalism?

Answer 12

Identification with one’s own nation and support for its interests, especially to the exclusion of the interests of other nations.

Question 13

8B.4 Nation-states are highly varied and have very different histories

State the ways in which nationalism played a role in the development of the modern world.

Answer 13

• Colonial empires/colonial conflicts
• Independence movements
• Patterns of migration

Question 14

8B.4 Nation-states are highly varied and have very different histories

How did nationalism contribute to conflicts between European powers?

Answer 14

World War One was partly caused by the conflict between these colonial powers. Germany and Britain were engaged in a naval arms race and economic gain increased the tension between the nations.

Question 15

8B.4 Nation-states are highly varied and have very different histories

When did India and Kenya become independent from Britain?

Answer 15

• India - 1947

- Kenya - 1963

Question 16

8B.4 Nation-states are highly varied and have very different histories

When was the Tunisian independence movement against France?

Answer 16

Between 1952 to 1956.

Question 17

8B.4 Nation-states are highly varied and have very different histories

What led to the ‘winds of change?’

Answer 17

• This was a period of rapid independence for many African nations.
• The high cost of the two world wars, resistance to foreign rule and concern about the injustice of colonial rule among young European people helped the independence movements.
• Rapid population growth and improved education systems in colonised nations helped to accelerate the movement.

Question 18

8B.4 Nation-states are highly varied and have very different histories

What has rapid de-colonisation led to?

Answer 18

It has led to a ‘power vacuum’ and a lack of economic stability.

Question 19

8B.4 Nation-states are highly varied and have very different histories

State the post-colonial era outcomes.

Answer 19

• Army seizure of power- Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria, and Indonesia.
• Ethnic group seizure of power - Tutsi people in Rwanda working alongside Belgian colonialists.
• Interference - Cold War saw USA and Russia participate in proxy wars n Korea, Vietnam, Sudan, and Yemen.
• Migration to imperial countries - These migration patterns have changed the ethnic composition and cultural diversity of the host/imperial country. Often these migrants may share a language/culture and often these migrants were encouraged to fill jobs.

Question 20

8B.4 Nation-states are highly varied and have very different histories

By 1880, Britain controlled how much of the world’s land surface and population?

Answer 20

It had controlled a third of the world’s land surface and over a quarter of the world’s population.

Question 21

8B.4 Nation-states are highly varied and have very different histories

For some independent states, the conflicts and wars following the end of imperialism costed what?

Answer 21

• Costly to their development.
• Costly to the natural environment.
• Costly to human fatalities.

Question 22

8B.4 Nation-states are highly varied and have very different histories

What event led to post-colonial migration into the UK?

Answer 22

1948, the British Nationality Act gave all commonwealth citizens equal right to legally settle in the UK.

Question 23

8B.4 Nation-states are highly varied and have very different histories

State what skilled and unskilled migrants tend to work as?

Answer 23

• Skilled - NHS/healthcare professionals.

- Unskilled - Manufacturing, especially in textile towns such as Lancashire and Yorkshire.

Question 24

8B.4 Nation-states are highly varied and have very different histories

What is the difference between a state and a nation?

Answer 24

A state is a territory over which no other country holds power and sovereignty (e.g. Russia). A nation refers to a group of people who occupy a particular territory but may lack sovereignty (e.g. the Welsh and Scottish nations).

Question 25

8B.4 Nation-states are highly varied and have very different histories

What is meant by homogenous culture?

Answer 25

A society where there is very little cultural or ethnic diversity and most people share cultural traits with one another, including language, religions, dress and diets (e.g. Iceland).

Question 26

8B.4 Nation-states are highly varied and have very different histories

What is meant by heterogenous culture?

Answer 26

A society composed of different cultural or ethnic diversity. There is a diverse amount of cultural traits, languages, religions, dress, and diets.

Question 27

8B.4 Nation-states are highly varied and have very different histories

What was wrong with the borders drawn by the European colonists in Africa?

Answer 27

They were drawn in haste and paid little attention to the people living there, particularly their tribal and religious boundaries. The map of Africa shows large areas of the continent where political boundaries have partitioned the homelands of specific tribes. The boundaries were drawn more in a spirit of hastily dividing up the resources of Africa between rival colonial powers.

Question 28

8B.4 Nation-states are highly varied and have very different histories

What are two examples of contested borders?

Answer 28

Borders between Ukraine and Russia, and between Iraq and Syria.

Question 29

8B.4 Nation-states are highly varied and have very different histories

What are two examples of contested states?

Answer 29

Taiwan (not recognised by China); Kosovo (not recognised by Serbia and Russia). Could also use the example of Crimea in Ukraine being annexed by Russia.