Political Regions Lecture Notes

Question 1

Roughly how many independent countries are there?

Answer 1

200

Question 2

Various forms of state are:

Answer 2

Greek city-states, Chinese Dynastic, and European Feudal State

Question 3

What is sovereignty?

Answer 3

The ability to control own affairs and the right to exist within the territorial boundaries

Question 4

The central idea of the state is:

Answer 4

A need to belong to a larger group that controls its own territory

Question 5

What does political geographer Robert Sack say:

Answer 5

Human territoriality uses power to control area, social and political space, and there are different forms

Question 6

Nationalism:

Answer 6

A sense of collective identity that springs from attachment; emotional; culturally reason for being

Question 7

Territoriality and Nationalism are tied to sovereignty:

Answer 7

Defined boundaries, means of having control, and rights to defend territorial integrity

Question 8

Types of Territorial Morphology

Answer 8

Compact, Enclave, Pene-enclave, Exclave, Elongated State, Fragmented States

Question 9

Compact (France and Brazil):

Answer 9

More compact = easier to govern; hexagonal or circular

Question 10

Enclave (South Africa and Lesotho):

Answer 10

Potentially very dangerous; District surrounded by a country, but not ruled by it

Question 11

Pene-enclave (Senegal and Gambia):

Answer 11

Intrusive piece of territory with only a small outlet; usually disruptive

Question 12

Exclave (Russia, Estonia, Lithuania):

Answer 12

Part of natural territory that is separated from the main territory by a different territory; Isolation

Question 13

Elongated State (Vietnam, Korea, Norway):

Answer 13

6x longer than they are wide; possible instability

Question 14

Fragmented States (Indonesia, Philippines):

Answer 14

Separate islands; communication and transportation troubles

Question 15

Boundaries (ZONES):

Answer 15

Marchlands, Buffer States, Satellite States

Question 16

Marchlands:

Answer 16

Neutral territory; Large swafts of ground

Question 17

Buffer States:

Answer 17

Independent country, small and weak, between 2 countries who do not like each other

Question 18

Satellite States:

Answer 18

When one of the bigger countries wants to control the buffer state

Question 19

Boundaries (LINES):

Answer 19

Natural, Ethnographic, Geometric, Relic

Question 20

Natural:

Answer 20

Usually follows some feature of the landscape

Question 21

Ethnographic:

Answer 21

Based on cultural trait (Language/Religion)

Question 22

Geometric:

Answer 22

Straight(ish) lines

Question 23

Relic:

Answer 23

Leave a trace in local culture, but no longer exists, hardest to define AND find

Question 24

Spatial Organization:

Answer 24

Unitary and Federal

Question 25

Unitary:

Answer 25

Centrally located power, policies are applied uniformly through the territory; fragile

Question 26

Federal:

Answer 26

More geographically located, Individual representation; Central government gives power to states (tension)

Question 27

Nationalism (Group Identity):

Answer 27

Sub-state and military service

Question 28

Centrifugal Forces:

Answer 28

Push people OUT

Question 29

Centripetal Forces:

Answer 29

Brings people IN; Factors that promote national unity and identity