1. Geographical Characteristics of the State
The Cultural Mosaic
Fellman, and Notes from
D.J. Zeigler of Old Dominion

2. Vocab Review Functional Region MDC LDC Postindustrial
State
Sovereignty
Nation
Nation-State
Part-nation State
Binational State
Multinational State
Multistate Nation
Stateless Nation
Nationalism
Functional Region
MDC
LDC
Postindustrial
Sectors of the Economy
Primary
Secondary
Tertiary

4. New Vocab
Wallerstein’s World Systems Theory: proposes that social change in the developing world is inextricably linked to the economic activities of the developed world
Core – Processes that incorporate higher levels of education, higher salaries and more technology; generate more wealth than periphery countries in the world economy
Semi-Periphery – Places where core & periphery processes are both occurring; places that are exploited by the core but in turn exploit the periphery
Periphery – Processes that incorporate lower levels of education, lower salaries, and less technology; and generate less wealth than core countries in the world economy

6. New Vocab
Brandt Line

7. Core Periphery Model

8. Territoriality
The modern state is an example of a common human tendency: the need to belong to a larger group that controls its own piece of the earth, its own territory.
AP Central: How earth’s surface should be organized
This is called territoriality: a cultural strategy that uses power to control area and communicate that control, subjugating inhabitants and acquiring resources.

9. Shapes of States Compact States Efficient Theoretically round
Capital in center
Shortest possible boundaries to defend
Improved communications
Ex. Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, Poland, Uruguay

10. Shapes of States Elongated States States that are long and narrow
Suffer from poor internal communication
Capital may be isolated
Ex. Chile, Norway, Vietnam, Italy, Gambia

11. Shapes of States Fragmented States
Several discontinuous pieces of territory
Technically, all states w/off shore islands
Two kinds: separated by water & separated by an intervening state
Exclave –
Ex. Indonesia, USA, Russia, Philippines, Azerbaijan, Angola

12. Shapes of States Prorupted States w./large projecting extension
Sometimes natural
Sometimes to gain a resource or advantage, such as to reach water, create a buffer zone
Ex. Thailand, Myanmar, Namibia, Mozambique, Cameroon, Dem. Rep. of Congo

13. Proruption Examples
Dem. Rep. of Congo – when Belgians colonized included Zaire River to Atlantic Ocean
Afghanistan – when British ruled, created a 200 mi. proruption to prevent Russia from sharing border with Pakistan
Namibia – Germans carved a proruption known as Caprivi Strip to gain access to the Zambezi River

14. Shapes of States Perforated States
A country that completely surrounds another state
Enclave – the surrounded territory
Ex. Lesotho/South Africa, San Marino & Vatican City/Italy

15. Enclaves and exclaves
An enclave is an area surrounded by a country but not ruled by it.
It can be self-governing (Lesotho) or an exclave of another country.
Can be problematic for the surrounding country.
Pene-enclave—an intrusive piece of territory with a tiny outlet such as Gambia.

18. Exclave
An exclave is part national territory separated from the main body of the country to which it belongs.
Example: Kaliningrad, separated from Russia, Cabinda from Angola, Alaska from US
Very undesirable if a hostile power holds the intervening territory.
Defense and supplies are problematic.
Inhabitants may develop separatist ideas.
Example: Pakistan and Bangladesh.

19. Distribution of territory— geographic characteristics of states
The more compact the territory, the easier it is to govern.
Ideal shape is round or hexagonal.
Types of shapes: compact, prorupt, elongated, fragmented and perforated (which contains an enclave).
The most damaging territorial distributions affect a country’s cohesiveness and stability: enclaves and exclaves.

21. Landlocked States No access to major sea or ocean
Must negotiate rights to move resources through other countries – problems exist when countries do not agree on fundamental policies

22. Location
Relative location: Some states are landlocked.

25. Boundaries Natural or Physical Boundaries Mountains Deserts
Water – rivers, seas, lakes, oceans

26. Boundaries
Physical / Natural Boundaries
Geometric Boundaries

27. Boundaries Cultural Boundaries Physical / Natural Boundaries
Geometric Boundaries
Cultural Boundaries
Antecedent Boundaries
Malaysia/Indonesia
Canada/US
Consequent Boundaries
Religious Boundaries
between Ireland & N. Ireland
Language Boundaries
Subsequent Boundaries
Yugoslavia
Superimposed Boundaries
Indonesia/Papua New Guinea

28. Boundaries Relict Boundaries – North & South Vietnam
Physical / Natural Boundaries
Median-Line Principle - approach to dividing and creating boundaries at the mid-point between two places.
Geometric Boundaries
Cultural Boundaries
Relict Boundaries –
North & South Vietnam

29. Fortified Boundaries Great Wall of China Berlin Wall
Morocco/Western Sahara – earth berms

30. Cultural Regions

31. Boundary definition – determining the boundary by a treaty-like agreement through actual points, latitude/longitude, or landscape
Boundary delimitation – the boundary is drawn on the map
Boundary demarcation – the boundary is established by steel posts, concrete pillars, fences, etc. to mark the boundary on the ground

32. Boundary Disputes
Definitional: focus on legal language (e.g. median line of a river: water levels may vary)
Locational:  definition is not in dispute, the interpretation is; allows mapmakers to delimit boundaries in various ways
Operational: neighbors differ over the way the boundary should function (migration, smuggling) (e.g., US/Mexico)
Allocational: disputes over rights to natural resources (gas, oil, water) (e.g., Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait, in part, due to a dispute over oil rights regarding the Ramallah oil field (mostly in Iraq but straddling into Kuwait)

33. Ethnicities of Africa

34. Effect of place on politics
Politics of Geography
Effect of place on politics
Example:
Political Borders

35. Iguazu Falls, Argentina / Paraguay

36. Mexico-Guatemala Border Region

37. Deforestation in Bolivia

38. Spatial Organization of Territory--

39. How states organize their territory for administrative purposes.
Governments decide where power is localized so there is a locus of power within the state.
Power can be highly concentrated or widely diffused.
The two basic ways governments are administered are unitary and federal.

40. Unitary
Countries where the capital is associated with the core, and all power is concentrated in a single place, the capital.
Centralized governments, relatively few internal contrasts and a strong sense of national identity, little provincial power.
Examples: France, China and newly independent states developed out of former colonies.

41. Federal
Power is shared between a central government and the governments of provinces.
Acknowledges and gives some powers to its constituent parts; have strong regional government responsibilities.
Examples: the US, Canada, Germany, Australia.
--One result of federalism is to lessen public support for something so radical as secession (as in Canada).

42. Confederate

43. Devolution
The process whereby regions within a state demand and gain political strength and growing autonomy at the expense of the central government.
Example: the Soviet Union

44. Regional or asymmetric federalism
Gives some authority to subdivisions while keeping central authority in monetary policy, defense, foreign policy, etc. within the capital.
Canada: establishment of the self-governing Nunavut territory
United Kingdom: separate status for Scotland, Wales and Ireland.
Spain: Catalonia, Basque country.

45. Capital moves
The capital may be newly created or moved from another city: Karachi to Islamabad, Istanbul to Ankara.
Forward-thrust capital city: One that is purposely placed in the interior of a country to show government’s desire to encourage more uniform development:
Brazil moved its capital from Rio de Janeiro to Brasilia in the 1950’s.

46. Nigeria 100 million people speak more than 400 different languages:
Hausa – 35 mil
Yoruba – 25 mil
Ibo – 20 mil
Rest spoken by less than 1 mil
Abuja: New Capital
Lagos: Old Capital
School instruction in English

47. Capital of Turkey

49. Brazil

50. Size: a classification system
Very large
Over 1 million square miles
Large
135,000 to 1 million square miles
Medium
60,000 to 135,000 square miles
Small
10,000 to 60,000 square miles
Very small
Under 10, 000 square miles
Ministates
500 to 5,000 square miles
Microstates
Under 500 square miles

51. Ministates

52. Core-Periphery
Many states have grown to their present shape over a long time, from an original core area, which had good resources and was easily defensible.
This area usually contains the most economically developed base, densest population and largest cities, and most developed transportation and the resources that originally supported the economy.
Core area often is where the capital is located. It becomes the node of a functional culture region.

53. The outlying area or periphery is directed toward the core, but friction can exist between the two.
Countries which have developed from core areas are usually fairly stable countries.
But the absence of a core can weaken a country’s national identity.
Countries with competing core areas, such as Spain, can have problems too.