Unit IV: Political Organization of Space

Unit IV: Political Organization of Space
AP Human Geography Copeland

I. Political Geography The study of the organization and distribution of political phenomena

Territory The effort to control territory is a central motivate of humans The territory of the world is almost completely divided into national units Antarctica debated (1959 Treaty of Antarctica)

Territoriality Territoriality is a key component of modern political culture. As defined by geographer, Robert Sack, territoriality is “the attempt by an individual or group to affect, influence, or control people, phenomena or relationships, by delimiting and asserting control over a geographic area.” Territorial Integrity – a government has the right to keep the borders and territory of a state in tact and free from attack.

State 1.an independent political unit occupying a defined territory
2. permanently populated territory 3. full sovereignty (independence to control internal affairs) 4. must be recognized by other states

World States 189, 191, 192, 193, 194, 195 or 196 states in the world today (only 50 in the 1940s) 193 recognized by the United Nations as of United States recognizes (Kosovo) Number depends on who you ask… Newest state-South Sudan

Issues defining states
Political differences can cause some territories to not be recognized as independent. Examples: Korea (2 states, one nationality)-multistate nation China and Taiwan-2 states? China claims Taiwan and the U.S. agrees, even though Taiwan has its own gov’t and its own currency Western Sahara (currently part of Morocco) Once a colony of Spain; war broke out over WS b/t Morocco and Mauritania; Mauritania withdrew, Morocco now claims 2/3rd of land; Sahrawi Arabs (SADR) claim the rest; exploited for fishing, phosphate and oil Greenland (Denmark) Greenland controls internal affairs, Denmark controls foreign affairs Greenland is referred to as a “constituent state”

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 Nations are “imagined communities” -Benedict Anderson -imagined = you will never meet all the people in your nation -community = you see yourself as part of it

The nations we perceive as “natural” and “always existing” are relatively recent phenomena.
In 1648, Europe was divided into dozens of small territories.

The Nation-State A state whose territorial extent coincides with that occupied by a distinct nation or people An entity whose members feel a natural connection by sharing language, religion, or some other cultural trait Examples of possible Nation-States: Iceland, Portugal, Poland, Japan *There are no true, pure nation-states in the world today

Stateless Nation Nations that do not possess a national territory even with a larger multinational state Palestine, Kurds

Multinational State A state with more than one nation.
The Former Yugoslavia

Multistate Nation A nation with more than one state (Transylvania, Korea) Transylvania – homeland for both Romanians and Hungarians.

Vlad the Impaler, leader of Wallachia/Transylvania

II. Spatial Characteristics of States
Largest Size Russia 17.1 million square kilometers Other large states: China, Canada, United States and Australia

Spatial Characteristics of States
Smallest Size City-state: sovereign state compromised entirely of a city and it’s countryside Singapore, Monaco, San Marino Microstates: very small land areas Smallest: Monaco 1.5 square kilometers Other examples: Singapore, Andorra, Liechtenstein, Malta, San Marino and Bahrain

5 basic shapes Compact Prorupt Elongated Fragmented Perforated

Shape – Compact Compact
Most efficient form is a circle with a capital in the center Compact size Uruguay, Zimbabwe, Poland Advantages?

Examples of Compact States
Poland Zimbabwe

Shape - Prorupt Nearly compact but posses one or more narrow extensions of territory Proruptions can be natural or artificial isolate a portion of a state-Ex. Democratic Republic of the Congo, Namibia

Examples of Prorupted States
Democratic Rep. of the Congo Namibia

Shape - Elongated Long and Narrow Distance from the capital is greater
A large amount of diversity of climate, resources, and people National cohesion difficult Ex. Norway, Vietnam, Chile, Italy, Malawi

Examples of Elongated States
Vietnam Chile Norway

Shape - Fragmented Countries composed entirely of islands (Philippines, Indonesia) or separated by another state. Two Types: Separated by water (Indonesia) Separated by an intervening state (India, Russia, United Stated)-exclave Weakness- centralized control

Examples of Fragmented States
Philippines Indonesia Russia

Shape - Perforated State that completely surrounds another one
Example: South Africa Surrounds Lesotho Completely dependent on South Africa for imports and exports

Examples of Perforated States
South Africa Italy

Relative Location Size and shape are affected by a state’s absolute and relative location Canada & Russia are large, yet their absolute northern location reduces the agricultural productivity of the land Iceland has a compact shape but its location near the arctic makes much of its land barren

Relative Location Landlocked countries are at a major developmental disadvantage Many in Africa due to remnants of colonialism Must arrange to use another country’s sea port (Lesotho-encapsulated state, otherwise known as an enclave) Coast lines can be a major advantage -Singapore (224 sq miles) is located at a crossroads of shipping and trade

III. The Modern State Idea
The idea of a state that is tied to a particular territory with defined boundaries came out of Europe and diffused outward from there. A change from society defining territory to territory defining society. EXAMPLE: FRANCE DEFINES WHERE WE FIND FRENCH PEOPLE Modern States evolved in the late 1600s. As our world becomes more globalized, will we even have a need for borders?

Rise of the Modern State
1. The European model The Norman invasion of 1066 produced a whole new political order On the European continent, the strength of some rulers produced national cohesiveness in more stable domains Economic revival and so called Dark Ages were over Treaties signed at the end of the Thirty Years' War contained fundamentals of statehood and nationhood - Peace of Westphalia Western Europe’s strong monarchies began to represent something more than authority

Mercantilism a) promotion of commercialism and trade with other states (states competing) b) City-based merchants, not the nobility, gained wealth (producers competing for consumers) c) As money and influence were concentrated in the cities, land as a measure of affluence began to lose its relevance

European Colonialism and the Modern State
a physical action in which one state takes over control of another, taking over the government and ruling the territory as its own. Why? Organized political states forming Wealth from mercantilism to expand Gained more wealth, territory, and power through colonialism

Diffusion of the Nation-State Model
European Colonization influenced State model the European model became the international model Economic structure colonies and colonizers became interdependent in a capitalist world economy

Two Waves of European Colonialism: 1500 – 1825-Western Hemisphere 1825 – 1975-Africa and South and East Asia

Dominant Colonial Influences, 1550-1950
This map shows the dominant influence, as some places were colonized by more than one power in this time period.

Berlin Conference of 1884 Otherwise known as “The Scramble for Africa”. This conference formalized the process for staking claims in Africa and mapped out those claims. Attendees included Great Britain, France, Portugal, Germany and Belgium. The conference sparked interest in exploiting African resources and people (colonization). By 1900, 90% of Africa was claimed by European powers. British, French and Germans-West Africa Portuguese, Germans and British-East Africa French and Belgians-Central Africa British, Germans and Portuguese-Southern Africa Conference leaders agree to allow free trade among the colonies. However, the Berlin Conference did not allow say for the peoples of Africa over the portioning of their homeland.

Results of Berlin Conference

What happened to state size?

Two Waves of Decolonization
First wave – focused on decolonization of the Americas Second wave – focused on decolonization of Africa and Asia

Construction of the World Economy
Capitalism – people, corporations, and states produce goods and services and exchange them in the world market, with the goal of achieving profit. Commodification – the process of placing a price on a good and then buying, selling, and trading the good. Colonialism – brought the world into the world economy, setting up an interdependent global economy.

The Capitalist World-Economy
The World-Economy is more than the sum of its parts. It is composed of “dots” (consumers and producers) but we must also understand the “whole.” Sunday on La Grande Jatte by Georges Pierre Seurat

Immanuel Wallerstein’s World-Systems Theory:
The world economy has one market and a global division of labor (everyone has a role in the economy) Although the world has multiple states, almost everything takes place within the context of the world economy. The world economy has a three-tier structure.

Three Tier Structure Core Periphery Semi-periphery
Processes that incorporate higher levels of education, higher salaries, and more technology Generate more wealth in the world economy Examples of Core Countries: Periphery Processes that incorporate lower levels of education, lower salaries, and less technology Generate less wealth in the world economy Examples of Peripheral Countries: Semi-periphery Places where core and periphery processes are both occurring. Places that are exploited by the core but then exploit the periphery. Serves as a buffer between core and periphery Examples of Semi-peripheral Countries:

Unit IV: Political Organization of Space
AP Human Geography Copeland

I. Political Geography The study of the organization and distribution of political phenomena

Territory The effort to control territory is a central motivate of humans The territory of the world is almost completely divided into national units Antarctica debated (1959 Treaty of Antarctica)

Territoriality Territoriality is a key component of modern political culture. As defined by geographer, Robert Sack, territoriality is “the attempt by an individual or group to affect, influence, or control people, phenomena or relationships, by delimiting and asserting control over a geographic area.” Territorial Integrity – a government has the right to keep the borders and territory of a state in tact and free from attack.

State 1.an independent political unit occupying a defined territory
2. permanently populated territory 3. full sovereignty (independence to control internal affairs) 4. must be recognized by other states

World States 189, 191, 192, 193, 194, 195 or 196 states in the world today (only 50 in the 1940s) 193 recognized by the United Nations as of United States recognizes 194 (Kosovo) Number depends on who you ask… Newest state-South Sudan

Issues defining states
Political differences can cause some territories to not be recognized as independent. Examples: Korea (2 states, one nationality)-multistate nation China and Taiwan-2 states? China claims Taiwan and the U.S. agrees, even though Taiwan has its own gov’t and its own currency Western Sahara (currently part of Morocco) Once a colony of Spain; war broke out over WS b/t Morocco and Mauritania; Mauritania withdrew, Morocco now claims 2/3rd of land; Sahrawi Arabs (SADR) claim the rest; exploited for fishing, phosphate and oil Greenland (Denmark) Greenland controls internal affairs, Denmark controls foreign affairs Greenland is referred to as a “constituent state”

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 Nations are “imagined communities” -Benedict Anderson -imagined = you will never meet all the people in your nation -community = you see yourself as part of it

In 1648, Europe was divided into dozens of small territories.
The nations we perceive as “natural” and “always existing” are relatively recent phenomena. In 1648, Europe was divided into dozens of small territories.

The Nation-State A state whose territorial extent coincides with that occupied by a distinct nation or people An entity whose members feel a natural connection by sharing language, religion, or some other cultural trait Examples of possible Nation-States: Iceland, Portugal, Poland, Japan *There are no true, pure nation-states in the world today

Stateless Nation Nations that do not possess a national territory even with a larger multinational state Palestine, Kurds

Multinational State The Former Yugoslavia
A state with more than one nation. The Former Yugoslavia

Multistate Nation A nation with more than one state (Transylvania, Korea) Transylvania – homeland for both Romanians and Hungarians.

Vlad the Impaler, leader of Wallachia/Transylvania

II. Spatial Characteristics of States
Largest Size Russia 17.1 million square kilometers Other large states: China, Canada, United States and Australia

Smallest Size City-state: sovereign state compromised entirely of a city and it’s countryside Singapore, Monaco, San Marino Microstates: very small land areas Smallest: Monaco 1.5 square kilometers Other examples: Singapore, Andorra, Liechtenstein, Malta, San Marino and Bahrain

5 basic shapes Compact Prorupt Elongated Fragmented Perforated

Shape – Compact Compact
Most efficient form is a circle with a capital in the center Compact size Uruguay, Zimbabwe, Poland Advantages?

Examples of Compact States
Poland Zimbabwe

Shape - Prorupt Nearly compact but posses one or more narrow extensions of territory Proruptions can be natural or artificial isolate a portion of a state-Ex. Democratic Republic of the Congo, Namibia

Examples of Prorupted States
Democratic Rep. of the Congo Namibia

Shape - Elongated Long and Narrow Distance from the capital is greater
A large amount of diversity of climate, resources, and people National cohesion difficult Ex. Norway, Vietnam, Chile, Italy, Malawi

Examples of Elongated States
Vietnam Chile Norway

Shape - Fragmented Countries composed entirely of islands (Philippines, Indonesia) or separated by another state. Two Types: Separated by water (Indonesia) Separated by an intervening state (India, Russia, United Stated)-exclave Weakness- centralized control

Examples of Fragmented States
Philippines Indonesia Russia

Shape - Perforated State that completely surrounds another one
Example: South Africa Surrounds Lesotho Completely dependent on South Africa for imports and exports

Examples of Perforated States
South Africa Italy

Relative Location Size and shape are affected by a state’s absolute and relative location Canada & Russia are large, yet their absolute northern location reduces the agricultural productivity of the land Iceland has a compact shape but its location near the arctic makes much of its land barren

Relative Location Landlocked countries are at a major developmental disadvantage Many in Africa due to remnants of colonialism Must arrange to use another country’s sea port (Lesotho-encapsulated state, otherwise known as an enclave) Coast lines can be a major advantage -Singapore (224 sq miles) is located at a crossroads of shipping and trade

III. The Modern State Idea
The idea of a state that is tied to a particular territory with defined boundaries came out of Europe and diffused outward from there. A change from society defining territory to territory defining society. EXAMPLE: FRANCE DEFINES WHERE WE FIND FRENCH PEOPLE Modern States evolved in the late 1600s. As our world becomes more globalized, will we even have a need for borders?

1. The European model The Norman invasion of 1066 produced a whole new political order On the European continent, the strength of some rulers produced national cohesiveness in more stable domains Economic revival and so called Dark Ages were over Treaties signed at the end of the Thirty Years' War contained fundamentals of statehood and nationhood - Peace of Westphalia Western Europe’s strong monarchies began to represent something more than authority