1. Political Geography

2. Political map 1 CE

3. Political Map 500 CE

4. Political Map 1400

5. Political Map 1700

6. Imperialism greatly changed this in 2 waves
Prior to 1800 much of the worlds surface historically consisted of unorganized territory
Imperialism greatly changed this in 2 waves
1st wave 1600s
2nd wave late 1800s

7. 1900

8. Cold War Era 1945 – 1991 (174 countries)

9. 1995

10. 2016 – (195 countries)

11. Nation:
geographic area that is dominated by a large population that shares a common history and culture

12. 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

13. Nation-State
political unit comprising a clearly delineated territory where the population shares a common history and culture,
Example - Japan.

14. Lines that establish the limit of each jurisdiction & authority
Boundaries are:
Lines that establish the limit of each jurisdiction & authority
Jurisdiction administers laws; collects taxes; provides defense, education, training; enforces legal code, etc.
3-dimensional: flat, deep, high
Issue of transboundary movements – I.e. the modes & routes of transportation by which oil and natural gas can be exported from the Caspian Sea basin. Since all the producer sates are landlocked, transport must involve both pipeline and tanker. However, pipelines offer no guarantee of security and the ME is replete with damaged or closed pipelines. Sanctions against Iraq have been particularly effective because the main pipelines for export were under the control of Turkey and Saudi Arabia.
3b) other transboundary movements that are undesirable or illegal, or both include:
- movements of drugs, illegal arms, nuclear materials, weapons of mass destruction,
- movements of refugees & terrorists
And have focused global attention upon boundaries
boundary lines on the ground mark the position of vertical planes that separate states these lines cut through:
airspace
subsoil (ground below)

15. They exist at different scales:
Political Boundaries
Political boundaries represent the spatial limit of the political organization of territory
They exist at different scales:
Supra-national-scale organizations, international organizations such as UN
State-scale - Countries
Intra-state scale; boundaries used for the many sub- divisions of territory within the state, such as…?
Approximately ¼ of the wrold’s land boundaries can be classified as unstable (Anderson, 1999) and some 2/3s of the global maritime boundaries have yet to be settled (DATING PRINCIPALLY FROM THE 1958 Geneva Convention on the Territorial Sea and Contiguous Zone and on the Continental Shelf, where rights of a coastal state over its continental shelf was decided. MAJOR BOUNDARY PROBLEMS EXIST IN AFRICA, THE MIDDLE EAST, LATIN AMERICAN AND SE ASIA.
2b) Since the possession of agreed boundaries has a crucial bearing upon state security and is also of great political, economic and social significance, conflicts related to boundaries are likely to remain a key component of the international scene. List 3-4 boundary flashpoints.
Disputes requires geographical evidence and political will underpinned by international law and although the state is the highest level of political decision-making body, states have to agree to acquiesce in the decisions of supra-national bodies such as the UN, the European Union (EU) and the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
3. The Canadian-US border an example

16. Boundary Types
Physical Boundary: major physical features such as a desert, mountain ranges, and/or water bodies that serves as a means of separation,
ie. Great Lakes, Pyrenees Mountains, and Sahara desert.

17. Boundary Types
Geometric Boundary: straight lines that serve as political boundaries that are unrelated to physical and /or cultural differences, ie mile (straight line) United States/Canadian border.

18. How the States Got their Shapes?
Ep 1 start

19. Boundary Types
Cultural Political Boundary: political boundary that separates different cultures,
ie. former Yugoslavia.

20. Boundary Types
Religious Boundary: boundary that separates different religions,
ie. Northern Ireland (protestant)/Ireland (Catholic).

21. Boundary Types
Language Boundary: boundary that separates different language speakers,
ie. traditionally many countries in Europe such as England, France, Spain, and Portugal.

22. Boundary Types Super Imposed Boundary:
a boundary imposed on the territory of one nation that divides the members of the nation into two different states. Such boundaries are always unstable.
North & South Vietnam
North & South Korea
MOST OF AFRICA!

23. Superimposed Boundaries

24. The Scramble for Africa
The focus of most of Europe’s imperialist activities in the 19th century was Africa.

25. The Scramble for Africa
Until 1880’s only the coastlines of Africa had been colonized or explored
Gold, ivory and slaves had been taken from these colonies
The slave trade ended in the in the 1800’s but European powers now had control of most of the African coast
The Scramble for Africa

26. Internal Reasons for Imperialism
African nations lacked unity
No common language
Lack of common culture
Wars between different groups
Lack of technology
Guns germs steel

27. Rules for the Colonization of Africa
In 1884 European powers trying to colonize Africa were coming into conflict.
To avoid further conflict 14 European powers set up rules for colonizing Africa.
No members of the African community were present.
The Berlin Conference

28. Results of the Conference
In 1850 most of Africa had been free.
By 1914 only Liberia and Ethiopia were free of European control.

29. Boundary Types
Fortified Boundary: when a state constructs physical barriers along a boundary to either keep people in or out of their territory,
ie. Great Wall of China, Berlin Wall,
h?v=YlSFs9Oen3A
US debating over creating one

30. Buffer Zone/Buffer State
a neutral area serving to separate hostile forces or nations broadly
a small neutral country, situated between two larger hostile countries, serving to prevent the outbreak of regional conflict.
Ex. Countries aligned with USSR in Europe during Cold War
Ex. Mongolia, North Korea

31. Supranational Division or International Cooperation
Multi-national treaties and trade blocks – either economic or military
Example
NATO – military
EU - Economic

32. Shapes of States Compact State:
the distance from the geographic center of the area to any point on the boundary does not vary greatly,
ie. Hungary.

33. Shapes of States Elongated State:
state that is geographically long and narrow,
ie. Chile.

34. Shapes of States
Landlocked State: state not having direct access to an ocean, ie. Bolivia.
Problems that landlocked states face?