APHG Unit 8 Flashcards
Political geography
the study of the political organization of the world
state
a politically organized territory with
1) defined territory
2) permanent population
3) a government
MUST be recognized by ALL other states (Taiwan is NOT a state as China claims sovereignty over it
Territoriality
the attempt by an individual/group to affect/control people/phenomena/relationships by delimiting and asserting control over a geographic area
soverignity
having the last say over a territory — legally
territorial integrity
a governments right to keep the borders and territory of a state in tact and free from attack
modern state idea
a state is tied to a particular territory with defined boundaries
the modern state idea diffused through…
North American Indian tribes
Europe’s policies of mercantilism (limit imports, increase exports—leading to the accumulation of wealth) and colonialism
In North America, Indian tribes behaved territorially but not exclusively—held it communally. Boundaries were NOT delineated.
Peace of Westphalia (1648)
Peace negotiated in 1648 to end the Thirty Years’ War—Europe’s most destructive internal struggle over religion.
The treaties contained:
1) new language recognizing statehood and nationhood
2) clearly defined borders
3) guarantees of security
changes after the peace of westphalia (1648)
1) territory defined the society
2) wealthy became increasingly out of touch with the lives of their subjects
3) the power of the nobility was increasingly challenged
4) traditional measure of power (LAND) became LESS important, merchants and businessmen demanded POLITICAL recognition
French Revolution of 1789… political power rested with the citizens
nation
culturally defined community with a shared past and common future who relate to a territory and have political goals
imagined = one will never meet all the people in their nation
community = one sees themselves as part of it
nation-state
a politically organized in which a nation and a state occupy the same space
FEW, if any
what is the idea behind a nation-state
choose to privilege one ethnic group at the expense of others.
might challenge state’s territorial integrity.
democracy
the French Revolution promoted the idea that people are the ultimate sovereign—the nation has ultimate say.
Thus, people began to see nation-states as the best.
multinational state
nearly EVERY state in the world.
a state with more than one nation within its borders
–> Yugoslavia - Slovenes, Croats, Serbs etc. soon collapsed
multistate nation
nation stretches across borders/states
–> Transylvania - homeland for both Romanians and Hungarians
stateless nation
a nation without a state
–> Palestinians; gained certain degrees of control over the Gaza Strip and fragments of the Occupied Territories of the West Bank and Golan Heights
–> Kurds (25-30 million people) living in an area called Kurdistan that covers parts of six states
colonialism
a physical action in which one state takes control over another, taking over the government and ruling the territory as its own.
increased economy, made the world economy interdependent
two waves of European colonialism
1500-1825; focused on the decolonization of the Americas; exported goods and labor
1825-1975; focused on decolonization of Africa and Asia; cheap materials and plantations
commodification
process of placing a price on a good and then buying/selling/trading it
capitalism
produce goods and exhange them in the global market, to receive profit
–> when labor became the most expensive component of production, corporations moved production to Mexico, and then to China
Immanuel Wallerstein’s World-Systems Theory
- The world economy has one market and a global division of labor.
- Although the world has multiple states, almost everything takes place within the context of the world economy.
- The world economy has a three-tier structure.
core
1) higher levels of education
2) higher salaries
3) more technology
generate more wealth in the world-economy
periphery
1) lower levels of education
2) lower salaries
3) less sophisticated technology
generate less wealth in the world economy
semi-periphery
places where the core and periphery are both happening.
Places that are exploited by the core but then exploit the periphery.
Acts as a buffer between the two, preventing polarization of the world into extremes
centripetal forces
forces within the state that unify the people:
widespread commitment to a national culture, shared idealogical objectives, and a common faith
governments attempt to unify people through a sense of nationalism:
nation-building, defining and defending boundaries, etc.
centrifugal forces
forces within the state that divide the people:
religious, linguistic, ethnic, or ideological differences
unitary form of government
highly centralized government where the capital city serves as a focus of power
–> French government divided the state into more than 90 departments, but reps always came to Paris to take any actions
federal form of government
a government where the state is organized into territories, which have control over government policies and funds.
–> many states are between a strong/weak form of federal government
——–> in the US, states take different approaches to matters (abortion), but many of the fundamentals of the legal system do not differ among the states
factors that support unitary forms of government
1) strong sense of national unity
2) smaller states
3) multinational states might adopt this to impose the values of one nationality on others
CHINA is an example of a large unitary state.
factors that support federalist forms of government
1) suitable for large states esp. over remote locations
2) when multinational states have multiple regions
BELGIUM is a small federalist state.
devolution
Movement of power from the central government to regional governments within the state.
- Ethnocultural forces
- Economic forces
- Spatial forces
ethnocultural forces of devolution
Sri Lanka Civil War: Sinhalese (Buddhist) majority suppressed the drive by the Tamil (Hindu) minority for an independent state
Economic Devolutionary Movements
Barcelona is the center of banking and commerce in Spain and the region is much wealthier than the rest of Spain.
Spatial Devolutionary Movements
Honolulu, Hawai’i has a history apart from the United States, and a desire to live apart in order to keep traditions alive.
forward capital
capital city that is relocated for either economic or strategic reasons.
–> sometimes used to integrate outlying parts of a country
into the state
ex of CENTRIPETAL force
–> Brasilia, Brazil
–> Islamabad, Pakistan
–> Abuja, Nigeria
territorial representation
each representative is elected from a territorially defined district
–> US Constitution: each state gets 2 reps; House of Reps
Reapportionment
the process of reassigning representation based on population, after every census (every 10 yrs)
what happens, in the US, after reapportionment is complete?
redistricting, with each state following its own system
splitting
diluting the minority voters by splitting them among multiple districts, ensuring the white population holds the majority in each
why did states switch from splitting to majority-minority districts?
an amendement was made, making states ensure minority representation
majority-minority districts
packed districts in which a majority of the population is from a minority.
gerrymandering
drawing voting districts to benefit one group over another.
to give one political party an electoral majority in a large number of districts while concentrating the voting strength of the opposition in as few districts as possible
stacking
“stacked vote”- links distant areas if like-minded voters through oddly shaped boundaries
Prorupted
protruded
Perforated
a hole in the middle
boundary
vertical plane between states that cuts through the rocks below, and the airspace above the surface
often divide resources: oil between Iraq and Kuwait; in part, leading to Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait
define boundaries
treaty-like legal document in which actual points in the landscape or points of latitude/longitude are described
delimit
drawing on a map
demarcate
visible means to mark the boundary on the ground: steel posts, pillars, fences…
expensive and hardly worth the effort, especially in places with few permanent settlements
administrate
how boundaries will be maintained and determine which goods and people will cross them
geometric boundaries
grid systems such as latitude and longitude or township and range
–> Boundary between the US and Canada; 49th parallel
physical-political boundaries
agreed upon feature in the natural landscape
–> Boundary between US and Mexico; Rio Grande river
Physiographic boundary
a natural feature like a river, ocean, sea, desert, or mountain.
Geometric boundary
drawn as straight lines and sometimes follow lines of latitude or longitude.
Ethnographic boundary
might be based on one or more cultural traits such as religion, language or ethnicity.
Relict boundary
used to exist, but no longer counts as a formal boundary.
Antecedent Boundary
predates the development of large-scale politically organized communities
–> Boundary between Malaysia and Indonesia: passes through sparsely inhabited tropical rainforest
subsequent boundaries
evolves as the cultural landscape takes shape
–> border between China and Vietnam; long-term process of adjustment and modification
superimposed boundaries
forcibly drawn by outsides without reference to cultural patterns
–> Berlin conference
definitional boundary disputes
legal language
locational boundary disputes
delimitation and possibly demarcation of boundary
the language of boundary treaties is vague enough to allow mapmakers to delimit the line in various ways.
–> internal boundaries of Africa after the berlin conference (demarcation was not accepted by all parties)
operational boundary disputes
neighboring states that differ over the way their border should function (migration)
allocational boundary disputes
Iraq/Kuwait oil
geopolitics
the interplay among geography, power, politics, and international relations.
German School
Friedrich Ratzal
To prolong the existence of a state, you must nourish the state. (Acquire territories)
led to WWII
Lebensraum
‘living space’ or territory that a state or nation believes is needed for its natural development
Mackinder’s Heartland Theory
at the heart of Eurasia, there was a resource-rich “pivot-area” that’d ultimately rule the world
Rimland
the strip of coastal land that encircles Eurasia
Rimland Theory
Spykman thought the Rimland is more important than the Heartland for the control of the Eurasian continent
–> Containment politics which was ultimately put into effect by the US in the Cold War
who rules the rimland rules eurasia, who rules eurasia rules the rest of the world
critical geopolitics
intellectuals of statecraft construct ideas about geographical circumstances and places
–> American leaders spatialize politics into a world of “us” vs “them”
unilateralism
world order in which one state is in a position of dominance with allies following rather than joining the political decision-making process.
Shatterbelts
1) politically fragmented
2) typically located between larger, more powerful nations.
3) vulnerable to both internal strife and external intervention.
–> Middle East
–> Horn of Africa
Chokepoints
Narrow geographical passages crucial for transportation and trade, often considered a strategic location because controlling it can significantly impact the movement of goods and people between larger regions.
– Panama Canal
– Suez Canal
- Strait of Malacca
Irridentist Movement
movement seeking to reclaim and reoccupy land that a group believes was historically or ethnically theirs but is currently governed by another state.
Territorial Sea
sovereign area 12 nautical miles off a country’s coast; commercial vessels may pass, non-commercial may be challenged.
Contiguous Zone
extending 12 nautical miles beyond a country’s territorial sea; state can enforce certain laws like customs, immigration, and pollution control, but does not have full sovereignty.
Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ)
an area of the ocean, generally extending 200 nautical miles beyond a country’s coastline, within which a coastal nation has sovereign jurisdiction over both living and nonliving resources
high seas
international waters - beyond any countries EEZ
supernational organizations
A venture involving three or more nation-states:
1. Decisions often address economic issues impacting global commerce.
2. Can also mediate conflicts and promote stability among nations and avoid war or political unrest.
3. Membership often involves ceding a degree of sovereignty, as member states agree to adhere to collective decisions.
–> EU: NATO, OPEC, WHO
deterritorialization
political power less rooted in the power of the territorial state
reterritorialization
state moving to solidy control over its territory
