1. Interaction of politics and place
POLITICAL GEOGRAPHY
Interaction of politics and place
The study of the interaction of geographical area and political process
It is the formal study of territoriality.
Covers forms of government, borders, treaties, trading blocs, conflicts and war.

2. STATE A politically organized territory
Administered by a sovereign government
Recognized by a significant portion of the international community.
A state must also contain:
a permanent resident population
an organized economy

3. ■ State: “…an independent political unit occupying a defined,
permanently populated territory and having full sovereign
control over its internal and foreign affairs”
• Example: Bhutan, Saudi Arabia, United States, Laos
■ State: Any of the political units forming a [federal]
University
government

4. ■ Nation: “…a group of people with a common culture
occupying a particular territory, bound together by a strong
sense of unity arising from shared beliefs and customs”
• Examples: Cree nation, Kurdish nation

5. Defining States and Development of the State Concept
Problems of defining states
Korea: one state or two?
China and Taiwan: one state or two?
Western Sahara
Varying sizes of states
Development of the state concept
Ancient and medieval states
Colonies

6. NATION - STATE Classic Example of a Nation-State: Japan
A country whose population possesses a substantial degree of cultural homogeneity and unity.
Classic Example of
a Nation-State:
Japan

7. Western Evolution:
• Ancient Greece‐ Republic. Mesopotamia‐ City state
• Roman‐ principalities
• Universal idea of the modern state developed by European
political philosophers in the 18th century
• European Nationalism
• Nation state‐ right to self governance without external
intervention

8. Antarctica national claims

9. Forms of Government Monarchies: Constitutional Monarchy
Traditional Monarchy
Absolute Monarchy
Republics:
Democracy
Restricted Democratic Practice
Authoritarian Regime
Totalitarian Regime
Non-Sovereign:
Protectorate
Colonial Dependency
Empire
Source: Matthew White, Adapted from FreedomHouse.org

10. Constitutional Monarchy Traditional Monarchy Absolute Monarchy
Monarchies:
Constitutional Monarchy
Traditional Monarchy
Absolute Monarchy
Republics:
Democracy
Restricted Democratic Practice
Authoritarian Regime
Totalitarian Regime
Non-Sovereign:
Protectorate
Colonial Dependency
Empire
Source: Matthew White, Adapted from FreedomHouse.org

11. Constitutional Monarchy Traditional Monarchy Absolute Monarchy
Monarchies:
Constitutional Monarchy
Traditional Monarchy
Absolute Monarchy
Republics:
Democracy
Restricted Democratic Practice
Authoritarian Regime
Totalitarian Regime
Non-Sovereign:
Protectorate
Colonial Dependency
Empire
Source: Matthew White, Adapted from FreedomHouse.org

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

13. U.S.-
Canada
boundary
Alberta-
Montana

14. U.S.-
Mexico
boundary
Calexico, California-
Mexicali, Mexico

15. Iguazu Falls, Argentina / Paraguay

16. Mexico-Guatemala Border Region

17. State’s power to control territory, shape international policy
GEOPOLITICS
State’s power to control
territory, shape international policy
and other states’ foreign policy

18. How Americans View the World?

19. East versus West: View of Communist “Red Bloc” during Cold War
Lumping failed to recognize
differences among Communists,
or local causes of conflict

20. Enlargement of
Soviet bloc after
World War II
Berlin
Wall,

21. Changes in Europe,

22. European Boundary Changes
Fig. 8-13: Twentieth-century boundary changes in Europe, 1914 to Germany’s boundaries changed after each world war and the collapse of the Soviet Union.

23. African
colonies

24. Decolonization, 1940s-1990s

25. International Cooperation Treaties and Trading Blocs
Economic Treaties and Free Trade Agreements
Military Alliances
Supranational Agreements
Map of NATO Countries

26. Trading Blocs

27. OPEC
The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is a large group of countries[1][2] made up of Algeria, Angola, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Nigeria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Venezuela, and Ecuador (which rejoined OPEC in November 2007)

28. Turkey and Romania want to join but have faced resistance.
European
Union
Began as
European
Economic
Community
(EEC), 1957.
Stronger in 1994
10 new members
joined, 2004
Turkey and Romania want to join but have faced resistance.

29. United Nations Member States (192)
The United Nations System is based on five active principal organs UN General Assembly
UN Security Council
UN Economic and Social Council
UN Secretariat
International Court of Justice
Non-member States
Taiwan (China)
Vatican City
Western Sahara (territory of Morocco)
Palestinian Territories
Tibet (China)

30. Sample United Nations Organizations
UNDP - United Nations Development Programme
UNIFEM - United Nations Development Fund for Women
UNV - United Nations Volunteers
UNEP - United Nations Environment Programme
UNFPA - United Nations Fund for Population Activities
UNHCR - Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
UN-HABITAT - United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT)
UNICEF - United Nations Children's Fund

31. Boundaries and Boundary Problems of States
Shapes of states
Five basic shapes
Landlocked states
Types of boundaries
Physical boundaries
Cultural boundaries
Boundaries inside states
Unitary and federal states
Trend toward federal government
Electoral geography

32. ■ What is the ideal shape of a country?
■ As a rule, the more compact the territory the better
■ Theoretically, the most desirable shape for a country is
round or hexagonal
• Allow short communication lines
• Minimizes amount of border to be defended
• No country has this ideal degree of compactness
• Some countries come close—France, Poland, Zaire, and Brazil

34. Political Geography of Elections Variation of voting districts
ELECTORAL GEOGRAPHY
Political Geography of Elections
Variation of voting districts
and voting patterns

35. ELECTORAL GEOGRAPHY VOTER TURN-OUT All elections since 1945-1998
Country
vote/VAP% 1
Italy
92.5 2
Cambodia
90.5 3
Seychelles
96.1 4
Iceland
89.5 36
Romania
77.2 37
Spain 77 75
Luxembourg
64.1 76
Nepal
63.7 95
Malaysia 59 96
Zimbabwe
58.8 97
Jamaica
58.5
106
Honduras
55.3
107
Russia 55
108
Panama
53.4
109
Poland
52.3
110
Uganda
50.6
114
USA
48.3
115
Mexico
48.1
116
Peru 48
Source: International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, 2005
ELECTORAL GEOGRAPHY

36. “Gerrymandering”
Redistricting for
partisan purposes

37. U.S. congressional delegation redistricting Reapportionment :
allocating seats to
a geographic area
(normally done after every census)

38. Tom Delay’s District in Texas
After Texas Republicans won a majority in 2002, they enacted redistricting legislation to protect their wins.

40. Congressional reapportionment

42. Led to Southern secession, Civil War
1860 Presidential Vote
Led to Southern secession, Civil War

43. 1996 Presidential Vote

44. Davis (D) 48%
Simon (R) 42%
Camejo (G) 5%
Copeland (L) 2%

45. 205
229 1 I

46. 2004 Presidential Vote

47. 2004 Presidential Vote

48. 2004 Presidential Vote