political geography cont. Flashcards
what was the European colonialism? where did they take over?
a political event where different European nations had explored, settled and taken over large areas of the world.
ex: took over Primarily Africa
what was the Berlin conference and what was the impact of it?
a key event during the European colonialism when Europeans divided Africa without any input from Africa
impact: messed up borders, longer term instability, ethnic conflicts
difference between multinational state/ nation-state/ multi-state nation?
and what are some examples?
Multinational state- when one country has many different ethnic/cultural groups
ex: Russia, U.S., Canada, Belgium, and Nigeria
Nation-State - when borders of a a nation and state match up
Ex: Japan, Iceland, and Denmark
Multi-state nation - one cultural group that exists more than one country
ex: Korean in north/South korea
How do states organize their governments?
They organize them into centripetal forces (uniting a country) and centrifugal forces (dividing a country)
centripetal vs centrifugal forces
centripetal forces - force that unite a country through
-strong leader
-same religion/language
-national pride
centrifugal forces - forces that divide a country from
-civil wars
-ethnic tension
-economic inequality
-geography
-communication
unitary government vs federal system
unitary government - one central authority that controls everything
Examples: France, China, Japan,
federal system - power that is shared between strong and smaller governments
ex: United States, Canada, India, australia
What is devolution and what are the forces behind it?
Devolution - when power shifts from a central government to regional governments
forces behind it:
ethnocultural reasons - when ethnic groups want more independence (Scotland, African America, Arabians, Indians)
economic reasons: richer regions want more control
(Catalonia in Spain)
territorial reasons: distant areas want the ability to make their own decisions
(Nunavut in Canada)
define balkanization
when a state breaks apart due to ethnic conflicts (Former Yugoslavia became 5 independent countries)
what are shatterbelt states?
states that are in “tug of war zones” constantly being fought for control,
regions: Middle east, Africa, Eastern Europe are shatterbelts
ex: Eastern europe during the cold war between Western Europe/USA (NATO) and the Soviet Union (Warsaw Pact)
ex: The Balkans in southern europe relgious Sunni vs. Shia and ethnic (Arab vs. Persian
territorial representations
when representatives are based on geographic areas (districts)
reapportionment
the process when congressional districts are redrawn and seats are redistributed after a census (system count of population)
majority-minority districts
gerrymandering
boundaries and disputes:
what are the steps to make boundaries
- define (legal agreement)
- delimit (draw on a map)
- demarcate (mark with walls or signs)
- administrate (manage the boundary)
What is the UN (United Nations) Law of the Sea
Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) - a country controls resources 200 miles from its coast
Median Line: If the countries are too close, split the water equality
enclaves vs exclaves
enclave: a country completely surrounded by another (Ex: Lesotho is South Africa)
Exclaves: part of a country separated from the main part (ex: Alaska)
