Political Geography

States? State-an area organized into a political unit and ruled by an established government that has control over its internal and foreign affairs.

Sovereignty A state has sovereignty, meaning it has independence from control of its internal affairs by other states.

What happened to countries? Country-is a synonym for the term state.

Shapes of States? 5 Basic shapes 1) Compact 2) Prorupted 3) Elongated 4) Fragmented 5) Perforated

Compact States-Efficient The distance from the center to any boundary does not vary significantly. Ideally shaped like a circle and capital in the center.

Prorupted State-Access or Disruption? A compact state with a large projecting extension. 1) provide access to a resource (water) 2) can separate two states that would otherwise share a boundary

Elongated States-Potential Isolation States with a long and narrow shape. Suffer from poor communication

Fragmented States-Problematic Includes several discontinuous pieces of territory. Two types: 1) areas separated by water (any state w/offshore islands) 2) those separated by an intervening state

Perforated States A state that completely surrounds another state. South Africa-surrounds Lesotho

Landlocked States Lacks a direct outlet to the sea because it is completely surrounded by other countries. Problems?-how to trade/transport goods? -must rely on neighboring countries Examples-Botswana, Zambia

Physical Boundaries Mountain boundaries- effective, if difficult to cross Problems-where to put boundary line? Desert boundaries- hard to cross-sparsely inhabited (Africa & Asia) Water boundaries- rivers, lakes, and oceans Most common physical boundary

Cultural Boundaries Geometric- imaginary lines drawn on maps May follow latitude/longitude lines Religious- Ireland (Catholic), Northern Ireland (Protestant)

World Conflicts Students use internet to find examples of contemporary world conflicts. 1-Find a conflict you would like to report on and tell teacher before starting research. 2-Identify the following about the conflict. A-causes B-states involved C-nations of people involved D-length of dispute (time) E-involvement of other states or organizations 3-Students will then plot and label the locations of the conflicts on a wall map.

American Attitude towards genocide?

Sudan Genocide

Political Attitude?