chapter 7 notes

Question 1

Political Geography

Answer 1

the study of the spatial aspects of political affairs, including their impact on other components of society and culture

Question 2

Territoriality

Answer 2

Geographer Stuart Elden: modern concept of territory arose in early modern Europe as a system of political units came into being with fixed, distinct boundaries and at least a quasi-independent government
process by which this happens is territoriality

Question 3

How Is Space Politically Organized into States and Nations?

Answer 3

Today, territoriality is tied to the concept of sovereignty.
Sovereignty means having a recognized right to control a territory both politically and militarily.
Under international law, states are sovereign, and they have the right to defend their territorial integrity against incursion from other states.

Question 4

State (country)

Answer 4

a politically organized territory with: 1) a permanent population, 2) a defined territory, 3) a government, 4) to be a state, an it must be recognized as such by other states – must have control over internal and external affairs

193 countries

• -ambiguity
• –around 200 countries

Question 5

Nations

Answer 5

Nation is a culturally defined term, and few people agree on exactly what it means

The term was originally meant to refer to a group of people who think of themselves as one based on a sense of shared culture and history, and who seek some degree of political-territorial autonomy

all nations are ultimately mixtures of different peoples

a nation is identifies by its own membership; therefore, we cannot simply define a nation as the people within a territory

Question 6

nationalism

Answer 6

relates to nation

Question 7

patriotism

Answer 7

relates to state

Question 8

Multinational State –

Answer 8

A state with more than one nation in its borders

• often no single ethnic group dominates

Question 9

Nation-State

Answer 9

a nation state is a politically organized area in which nation and state occupy the same space

The goal of creating nation-states dates to the French Revolution:

Key problem associated with the idea of the nation-state is that it assumes the presence of reasonably well-defined, stable nations living in discrete territories.

When people have a strong sense of nationalism, they have a loyalty to and a belief in the nation itself

A state, in contrast, seeks to promotes sense of nationhood that coincides with its own borders

To help people within the borders relate to the dominant national ideal, states provide security, infrastructure, and goods and services for their citizens.

Question 10

The stateless nation

Answer 10

Some examples of stateless nations: Cherokee nation, kurds, palestinians

Question 11

Colonialism

Answer 11

a physical action in which one state takes over control of another, taking over the government and ruling the territory as its own
Profits
Power
Convert indigenous populations to colonists’ religion
Characteristics: domination over another people, economic/political dependence, resource exploitation

Question 12

European Colonial Objectives

Answer 12

A port along the West African coast (initially the Portuguese)

A water route to South Asia and Southeast Asia

1500’s- looking for resources; Slaves
slaves not new, but slave raiding was
30 mi slaves forced from their homes

1850- Industrial Revolution occurs in Europe
increased demand for mineral resources
Need to expand agricultural production

Question 13

Berlin Conference (1884)

Answer 13

13 States divided up Africa without consideration of cultures

Results of superimposed boundaries
– African peoples were divided
– unified regions were ripped apart
– Hostile societies were thrown together
– Hinterlands were disrupted
– migration routes were closed off
When independence returned to Africa after 1950, the realm had already acquired a legacy of political fragmentation.

Question 14

boundaries

Answer 14

A vertical plane (down into rock and up into airspace) that fixes the territory of a state

Boundaries often divide resources, such as oil between Kuwait and Iraq

Question 15

Establishing Boundaries

Answer 15

Define
legal document where longitude and latitude are described
Delimit
draw the boundary on a map
Demarcate
Use steel posts, fences, pillars, walls, etc to mark the boundary on the ground
Administrate
determine how a boundary gets maintained and how goods/people will get across it

Question 16

Informal/implied boundaries :

formal boundaries:

Answer 16

Informal/implied boundaries – often marked by symbols but wont see in maps or defined in legal documents (ie turf of a city gang)
Formal boundaires: on maps, in international law,

Question 17

geometric boundarie

Answer 17

based on grid systems

eg boundaries between the US and Canada

Question 18

physiographic (physical political) boundaries

Answer 18

follow an agreed-upon feature in the physical geographic landscape
eg rio grande – boundary between the us and mexico

Question 19

ethnographic boundaries

Answer 19

based on cultural traits

Ex. India and Pakistan: separates Hindus and Muslims

Question 20

relic boundaries

Answer 20

no longer exists

Question 21

exclave

Answer 21

territory that is separated from, but politically attached to, it’s state by another state (i.e. Kaliningrad)

Question 22

enclave

Answer 22

territory (or part of one) surrounded by the boundaries of another state (ie Vatican city)

Vatican city is an enclave of rome

Question 23

pene enclave

Answer 23

Territory with one other country also being bordered by a body of water

Question 24

unitary government

Answer 24

highly centralized government where the capital city serves as a focus of power

Question 25

federal government

Answer 25

a government where the state is organized into territories which have control over government policies and funds

Federalism accommodates regional interests by vesting primary power in provinces, States, or other regional units over all matters except those explicitly given to the central government

Question 26

US Federal Government

Answer 26

Allows states within the state to determine moral laws such as death penalty , access to alcohol, and concealed weapons

Question 27

Centrifugal Forces

Answer 27

refer to forces that tend to divide a country

Religious, linguistic, ethnic, or ideological differences

Question 28

centripetal forces

Answer 28

forces that unite and bind a country together

A strong national culture, shared ideological objectives, and a common faith

Question 29

Devolution

Answer 29

movement of power form the central government to regional governments within a state

Sometimes devolution is achieved by reworking a constitution to establish a federal system that recognizes the permanency of the regional governments.
In other places, governments devolve power without altering constitutions, almost as an experiment.

What causes devolutionary movements?
Ethnocultural forces
Economic forces
Spatial forces

Question 30

seperatism

Answer 30

desire of nation to split from state (ie Quebec from Canada)

Question 31

Economic Devolutionary Movements

Answer 31

Catalonia, Spain
Barcelona is the center of banking and commerce in Spain and the region is much wealthier than the rest of Spain.
-economic strength

Question 32

Spatial Devolutionary Movements

Answer 32

Hawaii

a history apart from the united states, and a desire to live apart in order to keep traditions alive

Question 33

Geopolitics

Answer 33

Geopolitics – the interplay among geography, power, politics, and international relations
Ratzel: states need resources to grow

Question 34

Classical Geopolitics

Answer 34

Late 19th century/early 20th century geopoliticians were usually either part of the German school or the British/American school.

Question 35

the german school

Answer 35

Tried to explain why certain states were powerful and how they became powerful
Friedrick Ratzel: influenced by Darwin; the state resemble a biological organism whose life cycle extends from birth through maturity and ultimately decline and death

Question 36

The British/American School

Answer 36

Sir Halford J. Mackinder, “The Geographical Pivot of History” in the Royal Geographical Society’s Geographical Journal.
land based power, not sea power, would ultimately rule the world

Question 37

Influence of Geopoliticians on Politics

Answer 37

NATO

Geopolitics: term with negative connotations

Question 38

Mackinder’s Heartland Theory

Answer 38

“Who rules East Europe commands the HeartlandWho rules the Heartland commands the World Island Who rules the World Island commands the World

Question 39

Spykman’s Rimland

Answer 39

Who controls the Rimland rules Eurasia;

who rules Eurasia controls the destinies of the world

Question 40

Supranational Organizations

Answer 40

A separate entity composed of three or more states that forge an association and form an administrative structure for mutual benefit in pursuit of shared goals

* How many supranational organizations
	exist in the world today? at least 60  ie NATO (military), NAFTA (economic

Question 41

History of European Supranationalism

Answer 41

1944 – Benelux Agreement
1947 – marshall plan
1948 - Organization for European Economic Cooperation (OEEC)
Coordinate American aid
1957 - Treaty of Rome
Signed by France, W.Germany, Italy, Benelux to establish EEC
1958 – European Economic Community (EEC) effective
1992 – EEC becomes European union (EU)

Question 42

Supranationalism

Answer 42

Benefits
joint economic structure to coordinate the financial assistance
Ease the flow of resources and products
Political security

Problems:
Loss of autonomy
Disparities in levels of economic development
 cultural barriers
 political co operation