Chapter 8 Political Geography

Introduction Independence is better than servitude –Colonization- powerful nations taking over less powerful nations for resources –Decolonization- process of colonies becoming free –Colonization brought European ways to the whole world

Decolonization African countries usually went to war and fell apart after colonies left South Africa was the only country the Europeans did not leave –Created apartheid meaning “apartness” which was a government sponsored segregation –United Nations fought this and it ended in the 1990s with their first black President, Nelson Mandela

States and Nations Political geography- study of political organization of the planet with 195 countries State an expanse of land with some political organizational other states must recognize a state

Territoriality- many different views on the need for territory as a human being –Sovereignty- being an independent state, having your own “say” over issues –Sovereign states have a right to defend their territory

Mercantilism- accumulation of wealth through shipping (plunder, colonizing, foreign markets –Led to a new wealthy middle class which created an upheaval

Nations- includes the feelings of the people and their common culture and history –Does NOT mean the same thing as state –Example: Belgium has two nations (Walloons and Flemings) Nation state- where the state is occupied by one united nation of people Nation state almost impossible to have with migration so many have nationalism- a loyalty to the state (like the US after 9-11)

Multinational state- state with more than one nation inside its borders –Yugoslavia was 1 country with 4 different nations Multistate nation- when a nation stretches across the borders through more than one state –Kurds are in Turkey, Iran, Iraq, and Syria Stateless nation- group of people who have no country of their own –Palestinians and Kurds

Colonial influence- main colonizers Spain, Portugal, Britain, France, Netherlands, Belgium –Berlin Conference- all the countries met and “carved” up Africa –Typically colonialism known for being ruthless and exploiting countries for resources –Originally began to bring Christianity to the rest of the world –“free” colonies not really free –Created a “world order” a sort of ranking system

Wallerstein world systems theory –There is one global market and one global labor force –Three tier to the countries of the world Core- higher levels of education, salaries, technology, world leaders (U.S.) Periphery- low education; generate little wealth in the world economy (Bangladesh) Semi periphery- somewhere in between; exploited by the core but the can still exploit the periphery (Mexico)

How do the States Spatially Organize their Government? Centripetal force- things that unify a country (new leader) Forward capital- when you move the capital city to try and improve the country: Brasilia, Brazil Centrifugal force- things that divide a country (war)

Government types Unitary- centralized governments, usually come across as a bully gov. and favor the state over the nations Federal- the state is organized into various smaller areas and have control over their own area (US state versus federal laws)

Exclaves and Enclaves Exclaves- pieces of your country that are not touching the major part of your countryAlaska Enclaves- a piece of your country that is completely surrounded by another country –Vatican City Frontier- area of your country that is low population and tends to be on the margin (Alaska)

Devolution- moving power from the central government to the states government and can lead to the breakup of a county (Yugoslavia) –Most comes from nations within a state wanting freedom Balkanization- when one country splits into many different countries –Yugoslavia

Cultural devolution: Sudan (Muslims v. Christians) Political devolution (Great Britain v. scotland/wales) Economic devolution- when the rich regions want to be independent (Catalonia Spain produces 40% of exports and makes 25% of Spain’s income) Most devolution occurs on the margin of the states (Hawaii)

Electoral geography Territorial representation- each state has a proportional rep. based on their population Based on the census taken every 10 years and go through reapportionment- where districts are redrawn based on new pop. Info Gerrymandering- creating territories to benefit a person –Majority-minority districts where they ensure representation of minorities in Congress

Boundaries Boundary- vertical plane between states that divides soil, subsoil, and airspace Issues arise when resources intersect boundaries –Coal in Europe, oil in Middle East, airspace with military issues

Establishing boundaries –Define- treaty or legal document –Delimit- drawn on a map by a cartographer –Demarcate- create a physical boundary (wall) –Administrate- determines how boundary will be governed and resources used

Types of boundaries –Geometric- drawn using straight lines –Physical-political- natural boundaries with physical features (rivers, mountains) Can change over time

Boundary disputes Definitional- when the legal definiton of the boundary is unclear (river recedes) Locational-interpretation of map boundaries that are not clearly defined or not at all Operational- two countries disagree on how borders should function (migration) Allocational- two countries disagree on how subsoil should be divided

Geopolitics Frederich Ratzel created organic theory where the state is like an organizm and needs food to grow (Nazi) Mackinder- Heartland theory- power originated with Eurasia (heart of the land first) Rimland said similar idea but you must first take over the rim of Eurasia

Politics today NATO created to balance out the Soviet Union for taking over the world; a union of world militaries Political power of leaders to convince us of the intentions of other countries (Soviet Union called the Evil Empire)

World order- how politics are on the global level Post WWII was US/UK v. Soviets With collapse of Soviets new world order where terrorists are the new threats No real country to fight

Supranational Organizations a group of 3 or more state joining for mutual benefit –Today more than 60 organizations League of nations- original supranational organization created by the US after WWI but did not go forward because of WWII

After WWII United Nations formed as a group that holds states to a certain standard of behavior –Monitors world issues with its many committees –Peace keeping troops maintain peace but do not fight wars –Declaration of human rights holds all countries to standards of basic human rights –Law of the sea- each country has 200 miles of sea resources and 12 miles of out from coast

Regional unions –Benelux- Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg first union began 1944 for economic union –European Union- began 1992 Created Euro (currency) Very selective membership (rich countries) –NAFTA- free trade between US, Canada, Mexico

State morphology Compact -are equidistant from the center like Cambodia Elongated- long and narrow countries such as Vietnam and Chile. Fragmented- broken into separate pieces, for example, Indonesia Prorupt- a large main territory and a narrow corridor leading from it like Thailand Perforated- where one State encircles another, such as South Africa encircling Lesotho. The morphology can effect on it's political stability. Fragmented, elongated, and prorupt states often experience centrifugal forces.