Human Geography Unit 5 Flashcards
What is a state?
An area organized into a political unit with a government and control in foreign affairs that also has sovereignty
What does political geography help explain?
Factors that lead to political unrest
What is sovereignty?
Independence when dealing with internal affairs
When were North Korea and South Korea divided into two separate governments?
After WWII
Why did South Korea decide not to unify with North Korea in the early 2000’s?
North Korea pursued development of a nuclear weapon when their citizens were suffering
Why did Taiwan form?
Nationalist in the late 1940’s, who had just lost the civil war against the communists, fled to present-day Taiwan off of the Chinese coast
True or false: China believes that Taiwan is under their control while most other countries recognize it as a sovereign nation.
True
What country claims control over the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (Western Sahara)?
Morocco
True or false: Most African countries view Western Sahara as property of Morocco.
False
True or false: Parts of Antarctica are claimed by many different states. Many other states do not recognize these claims.
True
What did the Antarctic Treaty permit and ban?
The agreement allowed research stations to be built and scientific experiments and research to be conducted; it also banned all military activity in the area
What are microstates?
States with little land area
True or false: Most microstates are islands.
True
What are city-states? In what ancient civilization were they common?
City-states are sovereign states that have a town and surrounding countryside that were commonly found in ancient Mesopotamia
After the Roman Empire collapsed, it formed into many different a._________ that were controlled by competing b._________, c._________, d._________, and other e._________
a- estates b- kings c- dukes d- barons e- nobles
What is a colony?
A territory that is legally tied to a sovereign state and is not completely independent
What is colonialism?
The effort of one country to heavily influence another country with its customs and culture
What is imperialism?
Control of a territory that is already independent
What is currently the most populated colony?
Puerto Rico
What is a boundary?
An imaginary line that divides a territory
What are the five basic shapes of states?
Fragmented, compact,prorupted, perforated, and elongated
What is a compact state?
A state with the capital in the center and the boundaries relatively equal around it
What is an elongated state? Give an example.
A state with a long and narrow shape. Ex: Malawi, Chile, Italy, Gambia
What is a prorupted state? Give an example.
A compact state with an extension. Ex: Congo, Namibia
What is a perforated state? Give an example.
A state that completely surrounds another. Ex: South Africa (Lesotho), Italy (Vatican City)
What is a fragmented state? Give an example.
A state that has multiple completely separate territories. Ex: Equatorial Guinea, Indonesia, Angola, Russia
What is a landlocked state?
A state that does not have direct contact to a sea, whether it be by a river that empties into it or a direct border of an ocean body
What are the two types of boundaries?
Cultural and physical
What are the types of physical boundaries?
Mountains, deserts, and water bodies
What are the types of cultural boundaries?
Geometric (straight line), language, and religious
What is Cyprus’s “Green Line” boundary?
Cyprus is composed of Greek and Turkish nationalities; the population is mostly Greek but Cyprus is closer to Turkey. There was a dispute between government power, so a wall was built between the nationalities
What is a frontier?
An area with no complete political control
What is the difference between unitary and federal states?
Unitary- mostly powered by central government
Federal- promotes smaller government power
What are two examples of states that are changing from unitary governments to federal?
Poland and France
What is gerrymandering?
Dividing boundaries to give a certain group political power
What is the United Nations? How many countries does it contain?
The most important global organization that was created at the end of WWII. It consists of 192 countries
What were the two “superpowers” during the Cold War Era?
US and the Soviet Union
What happens during a balance of power?
Opposing alliances are equal
What were the two main European military alliances after WWII? What views did these alliances have?
The democratic NATO and the Communist Warsaw Pact
What are four other regional organizations?
OSCE (Organization on Security and Cooperation in Europe), AU (African Union), OAS (Organization of American States),and the Commonwealth
True or false: The most important elements of state power are increasingly economic rather than military.
True
What is Western Europe’s most important economic organization?
The European Union
What was the European Union primarily founded for?
Recover from WWII damage
What is currently the main task of the European Union?
Promote development through economic cooperation
How many members of the European Union were there when it was first founded? How many are there now?
Started with 6, now 27
What group is currently the leading cause of terrorism in America?
Al-Qaeda
Who founded Al-Qaeda? How was he able to do this?
Osama bin Laden, whose father became very rich after founding a successful construction company
What did Libya do that showed their support for terrorism? What is their view on terrorism now?
Libya supported a nightclub attack in 1986, killing 3. They also planted bombs on a flight over Scotland that killed 270. They no longer sponsor terrorism
What group led the government in Afghanistan in the late 1990’s? Why did America attack them in 2001?
The Taliban sheltered Osama bin Laden
True or false: The US attack on the Taliban in 2001 ended their power.
True
What caused the Gulf War?
Iran was occupying Kuwait
Who was president of Iraq during the Gulf War? Was he removed during the war?
Saddam Hussein, who was not removed from power until after the Gulf War
What country did Iran fight from 1980-1988? Why?
Iraq for control of the Shatt al-Arab waterway
Who was Ayatollah Ruholiah Khomeini? What did he do in 1979 that built tension?
The Islamic leader of Iran who rewrote the constitution so that he would remain powerful
True or false: Iran’s relationship with America deteriorated after they were accused of sheltering al-Qaeda members and began to pursue a nuclear weapon.
True
True or false: Pakistan is over 80% Punjab.
False (about 45%)
What does Pakistan’s location have to do with its involvement in terrorism?
The wars taking place in the Middle East often spill into Pakistan
What does HDI stand for? What does it measure?
Human Development Index; recognizes development in a country
What are the three types of indicators in development?
Economic, social, and demographic
What does GDP stand for? What does it measure?
Gross domestic product; the value of products and services produced in a country (typically measured annually)
What are three types of jobs? Briefly describe each.
Primary- items produced directly from Earth
Secondary- manufacturing
Tertiary- Selling goods for a profit
What is productivity?
The measure of profit after labor costs are factored in
What is the equation for value added?
Gross value - cost of materials
What two things do consumer goods improve?
Travel and communication
What are two factors that measure a country’s educational system?
Literacy rate and teacher to student ratio
True or false: Although LDC’s are generally poor, they spend more money on health and welfare than MDC’s.
False
What demographic factors is accounted for when calculating HDI?
Life expectancy
What three “rates” also help distinguish an MDC from an LDC?
Infant mortality, natural increase, and crude birth
What two factors lowered America’s HDI?
Education and life expectancy
What country has the highest percentage of tertiary jobs?
America
What country has the highest HDI?
Norway
What is the cumulative HDI of North America?
0.95
True or false: Western Europe is much more economically stable than Eastern Europe.
True
What is the cumulative HDI of Europe?
0.93
Why did Russia’s unemployment rate grow after the Soviet Union dissolved?
They converted to a market economy which caused many businesses that were able to stay open under Communist rule to close
What is the cumulative HDI of Russia?
0.73
What is the cumulative HDI of Japan?
0.96
True or false: Japan’s HDI suffered as a result of it’s poor education.
False
How is Japan able to manufacture goods at an extremely low price?
Many people are willing to work for low wages
What is the cumulative HDI of Oceania?
0.90
What two Oceanic countries are the most economically stable?
Australia and New Zealand
What industry is causing Australia to become more important in the global economy?
Mining
What is the cumulative HDI of Latin America?
0.82
True or false: Latin America has a high concentration of people living along the South Atlantic coast, resulting in a large variation of development.
True
What is the cumulative HDI of East Asia?
0.77
True or false: China’s economy is growing stronger.
False
What is the cumulative HDI of Southwest Asia and North Africa?
0.73
What causes slowed progress in Southwest Asia and North Africa?
Islamic practices often interrupt work and cultural disputes and wars
What is the cumulative HDI of Southeast Asia?
0.73
What island in Indonesia is the most fertile?
Java
True or false: Southeast Asia generally has fertile soil and good farming land.
False
What is the cumulative HDI of Central Asia?
0.70
Why is the HDI especially high in Iran and Kazakhstan?
High levels of oil and petroleum
What is the cumulative HDI of South Asia?
0.61
What slows agriculture in South Asia?
They have a seasonal rain cycle that only takes up one third of the year
What is the cumulative HDI of Sub-Saharan Africa?
0.51
What industry is the most common in Sub-Saharan Africa?
Mining
What are GDI and GEM?
GDI (Gender-Related Development Index)- Compares gender development using the same factors as HDI
GEM (Gender-Related Empowerment Index)- Compares rights using economic and social factors
True or false: Women and men are generally closer to equals in MDC’s as opposed to LDC’s.
True
What are the two forms of development that LDC’s use?
International trade and self-sufficiency
What are the elements of the self-sufficiency approach to development?
Every part of the economy gets an equal amount of money; promotes local businesses as opposed to large chains.
What problems arose from the self-sufficiency approach?
Many people often used the black market and businesses were rarely able to improve
What are the 5 steps of Rostow’s development model?
- The traditional society
- Preconditions for takeoff
- Takeoff
- The drive to maturity
- The age of mass consumption
How did the Arabian Peninsula get money to fund large-scale projects?
Revenue from petroleum
How were the four Asian dragons able to become economically successful if they had poor farmland?
Manufacturing
What were the benefits of international trade?
Better quality, reduced monopolies, and lower importing taxes
What does the World Trade Organization do?
Popularize world trade
What is an FDI (Foreign Direct Investment)?
An investment from one country to another
What are the two major lenders to LDC’s?
The Word Bank and IMF
True or false: The IMF supports international trade.
True
How do Policy Framework Papers help LDC’s attain their economic goals?
Providing a structural adjustment program the includes economic tips and tricks
What does a company that promotes fair trade do?
Promotes small businesses in LDC’s
