Political Geography

Political Culture Political cultures vary Territoriality Political ideas vs. religion or language Theocracies Territoriality Key element of political culture

State and Nation Terminology “State” vs. “country” A nation may be larger than a state Nation has historic, ethnic and often linguistic and religious connotations Stateless nations

Rise of the Modern State The European model The Norman invasion & out of “Dark Age” Thirty Years’ War treaties The Renaissance Mercantilism & religious wars Money vs. land

The Nation-State Some democratic, some autocratic, and some parliamentary democracies Sovereignty remained with the nation—the people European control Creation of “nation states” Are there real nation states? Internal cultural diversity Heterogeneous states can share “national spirit” Emotional commitment to the state and for what it stands e.g., Confederation Helvetica

Spatial Characteristics of States Needs legitimacy Clearly defined territory: boundaries Substantial population Certain types of organizational structures Some power

Territory Territorial morphology Size Shape Size, shape, and relative location Present opportunities and challenges Size Large vs. small states Shape Compact Fragmented Elongated Protruded Perforated

Compact States Efficient, distance from the center to any boundary does not vary significantly.

Prorupted An otherwise compact state with a large, projecting extension -can provide a state with access to water. -can separate two states.

Perforated A state that surrounds another one. South Africa

Fragmented Includes several discontinuous pieces. 2 types of separation: 1. separates another state (Armenia) 2. separated by water

Elongated Has a long narrow shape: -may suffer from poor internal communications

Landlocked States

Itaipu Dam Paraguay

Lesotho: an enclave Kaliningrad: an exclave

Ministates/microstates

Land Boundaries International boundaries Have a vertical plane cutting through the rocks below, and the airspace above

Land Boundaries How do we get boundaries? Three steps of boundary evolution Define it Exact location established, via treaty-like legal documents, describing (absolute or relative) actual points Delimit it Officially put on a map, by a cartographer Demarcate it Actual ground markers—fences, pillars, walls, etc.—if desired Not all boundaries are demarcated

4 Corners: What type of boundary?

Land Boundaries Types of boundaries Geometric boundary Straight-line boundaries Totally unrelated to any aspects of physical or cultural landscapes Physical-political boundary or natural-political boundary Outlined by a physiographic landscape features (river, mountain ridge, etc.) Convenient, but nature & meaning might change over time Cultural-political boundary Formerly “anthropogenic” boundaries Mark breaks in the human landscape

Land Boundaries Origin-based classification Frontiers Richard Hartshorne’s Genetic Boundary Classification Antecedent boundary Existed before the cultural landscape emerged Subsequent boundary Developed at the same time as the major elements of the cultural landscape Superimposed boundary Placed by powerful outsiders on a developed cultural landscape Relic boundary Ceased to function, but its imprint is still on the cultural landscape Frontiers A frontier is a zone of separation

Subsequent and Superimposed

Superimposed and subsequent

A different boundary: The Equator near Quito, Ecuador between the north and south hemisphere

Functions of Boundaries “Walls” Limit state jurisdiction State symbols

Functions of Boundaries Internal boundaries For administrative purposes Examples: United States or Canada Some culturally divided countries have internal boundaries that do not show on a map

Functions of Boundaries Boundary disputes Four principal forms of boundary disputes Definitional Focus on the “legalese” of the agreement Locational Focus on the delimitation and/or demarcation of the border Operational Focus on neighbors who differ over the way their boundary should function Allocational Focus on resources that straddle neighbors

http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/rough/2007/04/mongolia_land_w.html

Resources De Blij, Harm, J. (2007). Human Geography People, Place and Culture. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons Inc. Domosh, Mona, Neumann, Roderic, Price, Patricia, & Jordan-Bychkov, 2010. The Human Mosaic, A Cultural Approach to Human Geography. New York: W.H. Freeman and Company. Fellman, Jerome, D., Getis, Arthur, & Getis, Judith, 2008. Human Geography, Landscapes of Human Activities. Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill Higher Education. Pulsipher, Lydia Mihelic and Alex M. and Pulsipher, 2008. World Regional Geography, Global Patterns, Local Lives. W.H. Freeman and Company New York.   Rubenstein, James M. (2008). An introduction to human geography The cultural landscape. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall. Benewick, Robert, & Donald, Stephanie H. (2005). The State of China Atlas. Berkeley: University of California Press.