1. CHAPTER 8
POLITICAL GEOGRAPHY

2. INTRO Political Geographers study:
how people have organized the Earth’s surface into countries and alliances
reasons for those agreements
conflicts arising from the organization of the Earth

3. INTRO cont.
Political landscape changed after end of the Cold War (post WWII )

4. Where are States Located?
ISSUE #1
Where are States Located?

5. STATE or COUNTRY?....STATE is a COUNTRY
Up until the 1940s there were only about 50 countries, now there are about 200
State – KNOW the definition (text uses it as a synonym for country) X

6. United Nations Members
Fig. 8-1: The UN has increased from 51 members in 1945 to 192 in 2007.

7. PROBLEM of DEFINING STATES
Antarctica – only large landmass not part of a state (parts of it are claimed by many)
Treaty of Antarctica (1959, 1991)
Scientific research allowed, military activities are not
Korea – divided along the 38th parallel during the 1940s
(N.Korea – Democratic People’s Republic of Korea;
S. Korea – Republic of Korea)
no change after Korean War (1950s)
Both admitted to UN in 1992 as separate nations
recent developments are not good

8. Antarctica National Claims
Fig. 8-2: Antarctica is the only large land mass that is not part of a state, but several countries claim portions of it.

9. North and South Korea
Nighttime satellite image shows the contrasting amounts of electric lighting in South Korea compared to North Korea.

10. PROBLEM OF DEFINING STATES cont.
China & Taiwan – China says Taiwan is not an independent state but is part of China
Confusion goes back to Chinese Civil War (1940s)
People’s Republic of China (mainland China – the big one)
Republic of China (island of Taiwan – the small one)
1999 – announced it would regard itself as an independent state
Western Sahara (Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic) – most Africans consider the SADR a sovereign state
- Morocco has claimed it since the late 1970s
- controlled by Spain until (declared independent by the Polisario Front)
- signed a cease fire in 1991
- Spain still controls two cities Morocco (Milill & Ceuta)

11. VARYING SIZE OF STATES
What do you think are the 10 largest states/countries by geographic size?
Microstates – states with very small land areas (about 24 of them)
Exs. Monaco, Vatican City
Where are some others?
Cia World Factbook

12. Tonga
Tonga is a microstate, including 102,000 inhabitants and 169 islands.

13. WORLD’S LARGEST STATES
Russia
Canada
U.S.
China
Brazil
Australia
India
Argentina
Kazakhstan
Algeria

14. DEVELOPMENT OF THE STATE CONCEPT
Prior to the 1800s the Earth was not organized into independent nations
city-states, empires, tribes, large unorganized territories…
Modern movement to organize into states originated in Europe but the development of states can be traced back to the Middle East (Fertile Crescent)

16. ANCIENT & MEDIEVAL STATES
City-states in Mesopotamia (town & surrounding countryside)
Also in ancient Greece (Athens and Sparta)
European political unity best seen in Roman Empire
Colonialism led to European control of much of the world
God, gold, and glory

17. Colonial Possessions, 1914
Fig. 8-4: By the outbreak of World War I, European states held colonies throughout the world, especially throughout Africa and in much of Asia.

18. Image of British Colonialism
An 1840 painting of Queen Victoria receiving an emissary from Africa.

19. Colonial Possessions, 2006
Fig. 8-5: Most of the remaining colonies are small islands in the Pacific or Caribbean.

20. Why Do Boundaries Cause Problems?
ISSUE #2
Why Do Boundaries Cause Problems?

21. SHAPES OF STATES
Boundaries result from a combination of physical and cultural features; act as a centripetal force
Exs. U.S./Mexico…
Portugal/Spain
Japan/China
The shape of a boundary affects the potential for communication and conflict between neighbors

22. LANDLOCKED STATES
lacks direct outlet to the sea because it is completely surrounded by other countries
Ex. Lesotho
Most common in Africa
Can lead to major problems and cause trouble with neighbors
Ex. Rhodesia/Zimbabwe

23. SHAPES OF STATES Title: name of the shape Definition of the shape
SHAPES FOLDABLE
Compact
Prorupted
Elongated
Fragmented
Perforated
Title: name of the shape
Definition of the shape
Benefits and/or drawbacks
Example

24. African States
Fig. 8-6: Southern, central, and eastern Africa include states that are compact, elongated, prorupted, fragmented, and perforated.

25. WHAT SHAPE AM I?

26. NAMIBIA

27. MALAWI

28. RWANDA

29. ANGOLA

30. SOUTH AFRICA

31. NAMIBIA - PRORUPTED

32. MALAWI - ELONGATED

33. RWANDA - COMPACTED

34. ANGOLA - FRAGMENTED

35. SOUTH AFRICA - PERFORATED

36. TYPES OF BOUNDARIES
PHYSICAL
CULTURAL

37. BOUNDARIES cont.
Frontiers - a zone where no state exercises complete political control
-historically separated states (boundaries are more recent)
Only Antarctica and the Arabian Peninsula still have frontiers instead of boundaries
Boundary – an invisible line marking the extent a state’s territory
Invisible line

38. Frontiers in the Arabian Peninsula
Fig. 8-8: Several states in the Arabian Peninsula are separated by frontiers rather than precise boundaries.

39. PHYSICAL BOUNDARIES Mountains Deserts Water
effective if difficult to cross
can limit contact
are permanent
Not always effective (ex. Argentina/Chile)
Deserts
common in Africa & Asia
(ex. Sahara)
Water
physical feature most commonly used as a boundary
boundaries are typically in the middle of water
offer good protection
Can be problematic
precise position of water may move
how far out into the ocean is the boundary?

40. CULTURAL BOUNDARIES cont.
3. Language Boundaries - very important in drawing boundaries, particularly in Europe - played major role in determining boundaries after WWI (Versailles Peace Conference) - these boundaries were relatively strong/stable until the 1990s (why?)
4. Cyprus’s “Green Line” Boundary - 2 nationalities - Turks(18%) primarily in the NE - Greeks (78%) primarily in the south) - disputes go back to gaining of independence in 1960s - admitted to UN in 2004 as one island (opening of relations between the two sides since)

41. Division of Cyprus
Fig. 8-10: Cyprus has been divided into Greek and Turkish portions since 1974.

42. Nicosia, Cyprus Checkpoint
Checkpoint between Greek and Turkish portions of Nicosia, the capital of Cyprus.

43. BOUNDARIES INSIDE STATES
Unitary State vs. Federal State
Electoral College & Gerrymandering
PA Congressional district map

45. Why Do States Cooperate With Each Other?
ISSUE #3
Why Do States Cooperate With Each Other?

46. UNITED NATIONS Most important int’l organization (1945)
Replaced the League of Nations
UN members can vote to establish a peacekeeping force and request states to contribute military forces
Role of the Security Council
Tries to stay neutral

47. REGIONAL MILITARY ALLIANCES
Prior WWI the balance of power was maintained by the existence of numerous great powers (no single one could dominate)
During the Cold War many nations joined one of 2 new military alliances dominated by either the U.S. or the U.S.S.R.
The # of superpowers was smaller during the Cold War ( ) than previous eras in history
NATO (U.S.)
Warsaw Pact (U.S.S.R.)
What were their main objectives?
BALANCE OF POWER

48. OTHER REGIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
OSCE – concerned with ending conflicts in Europe
OAS – all 35 states in the Western Hemisphere
Promotes social, cultural, political, and economic links
AU – includes 53 African nations
Emphasizes economic integration in Africa

49. European Alliances, 1960

50. European Alliances, 2007

51. ECONOMIC COOPERATION
Since the end of the Cold War (1992) there are 2 major differences in the pattern of global power:
Growing importance of economic power (as opposed to military)
Leading superpower is not one state (ex. U.S. or the Soviet Union) but a an economic union of European states
BALANCE OF POWER is
CHANGING

52. EUROPEAN UNION Originally established with 6 countries in 1958
Created to heal Europe’s post- WWII problems
Now has 27 countries
Main task: promote development of the member states through economic cooperation
Has removed many barriers to free trade (common currency – Euro)

53. Why Has Terrorism Increased?
ISSUE #4
Why Has Terrorism Increased?

54. TERRORISM
the systematic use of violence by a group in order to intimidate a population or coerce a government into granting its demands.
Often targets civilians and the goal is to spread FEAR/TERROR

55. TERRORISM :
WHO AND WHY?
Terrorist – person whose extremist views have led them to believe violence is justified
Cause – feel their cause is being neglected and/or ignored
Violence – believe that they have no other option left but violence to bring attention to their cause , which will lead to change T C V

56. TERRORISM Term was first applied to French Revolution
Differs from other acts of political violence (ex. assassination) because it targets ordinary people instead of political/military leaders
Sometimes it can be hard to distinguish terrorism from acts of political violence (think of the Arab/Israeli conflict)
Does it depend on point of view/perspective or is it more black and white?

57. SEPTEMBER 11, 2001 & AL-QAEDA
World Trade Center, Pentagon and Shanksville, PA
Al-Qaeda – terrorists network responsible for 9/11 and many other attacks (Arabic for “base” or “foundation”)
Founded by Osama bin Laden in 1990 to unite jihad fighters
Consists of cells; not one unified organization
Not centralized, difficult to find and fight
United Streaming Vid – What is Terrorism?

58. World Trade Center June, 2000
Ikonos satellite image of World Trade Center on June 30, 2000

59. World Trade Center Site September 15, 2001

60. World Trade Center, Sept. 11, 2001

61. World Trade Center Sept. 11, 2001
United Flight 175 approaches Tower 2. Tower 1 has already been hit by American Flight 11.

62. World Trade Center Sept. 11, 2001
United Flight 175 crashes into Tower 2.

63. World Trade Center Topographic Map: Sept. 19, 2001
Fig. 8-14: Elevations above sea level are depicted in green; those below sea level are in red.

64. STATE SUPPORT FOR TERRORISM
Some states in the Middle East have supported terrorism by:
Providing sanctuary for terrorists
Supplying terrorists with weapons, money, and/or intelligence
Planning attacks with terrorists
Exs:
Taliban (located in Afghanistan) supporting Al Qaeda in the late 1990s/early 2000s

65. AFGHANISTAN U.S. invaded in 2001 due to Taliban support of Al-Qaeda
Muslim extremists
Gained control in 1995 after civil war
Soviet Union fought mujahedeen throughout the 1980s
Removed from power by end of but still powerful and influential

66. Chapter 08: Review

67. 08.01 Which country controlled the most colonial territory in 1914?
1. United States
2. Japan
3. Germany
4. France
5. United Kingdom

68. 08.01 Which country controlled the most colonial territory in 1914?
1. United States
2. Japan
3. Germany
4. France
5. United Kingdom

69. 08.02 From a shape perspective, Chile can best be described as a(n)
1. Prorupted state
2. Compact state
3. Elongated state
4. Fragmented state
5. Centralized state

70. 08.02 From a shape perspective, Chile can best be described as a(n)
1. Prorupted state
2. Compact state
3. Elongated state
4. Fragmented state
5. Centralized state

71. 08.03 The largest number of landlocked states are found in
1. East Asia
2. The Middle East
3. Southeast Asia
4. South America
5. Africa

72. 08.03 The largest number of landlocked states are found in
1. East Asia
2. The Middle East
3. Southeast Asia
4. South America
5. Africa

73. 08.04 Libya and Egypt are separated by a
1. Desert boundary
2. River boundary
3. Mountain boundary
4. Religious boundary
5. Language boundary

74. 08.04 Libya and Egypt are separated by a
1. Desert boundary
2. River boundary
3. Mountain boundary
4. Religious boundary
5. Language boundary

75. 08.05 Federal government
1. Is most common in small countries
2. Places nearly all power with a central government
3. Was rejected by the writers of the United States Constitution
4. Has become more common in recent years
5. Is practiced in China

76. 08.05 Federal government
1. Is most common in small countries
2. Places nearly all political power with a central government
3. Was rejected by the writers of the United States Constitution
4. Has become more common in recent years
5. Is practiced in China

77. 08.06 In the United States, congressional district boundaries are usually drawn by
2. An independent non-partisan commission
3. The Federal Election Commission
4. State legislatures
5. The United States Supreme Court

78. 08.06 In the United States, congressional district boundaries are usually drawn by
2. An independent non-partisan commission
3. The Federal Election Commission
4. State legislatures
5. The United States Supreme Court

79. 08.07 The United Nations
1. Currently has nearly 300 members
2. Was founded in 1935
3. Has so far been less effective than the League of Nations
4. Has had substantial success with peace- keeping missions
5. Places nearly all power in the hands of the U.N. Secretary General

80. 08.07 The United Nations
1. Currently has nearly 300 members
2. Was founded in 1935
3. Has so far been less effective than the League of Nations
4. Has had substantial success with peace- keeping missions
5. Places nearly all power in the hands of the U.N. Secretary General

81. 08.08 At the end of the Cold War, several new countries emerged in
1. Eastern Europe
2. Western Europe
3. Northern Europe
4. North Africa
5. Latin America

82. 08.08 At the end of the Cold War, several new countries emerged in
1. Eastern Europe
2. Western Europe
3. Northern Europe
4. North Africa
5. Latin America

83. 08.09 This group predominates in the far north of Iraq:
1. Shiites
2. Sunnis
3. Turkomen
4. Kurds
5. Persians

84. 08.09 This group predominates in the far north of Iraq:
1. Shiites
2. Sunnis
3. Turkomen
4. Kurds
5. Persians

86. 08.10 United States’ hostility toward Iran began with
1. The 1953 overthrow of a democratically elected government
2. The 1979 Islamic revolution
3. The war with Iraq
4. Iran’s refusal to support the American invasion of Iraq in 2003
5. Iran’s desire to develop nuclear energy in the early twenty-first century

87. 08.10 United States’ hostility toward Iran began with
1. The 1953 overthrow of a democratically elected government
2. The 1979 Islamic revolution
3. The war with Iraq
4. Iran’s refusal to support the American invasion of Iraq in 2003
5. Iran’s desire to develop nuclear energy in the early twenty-first century