1. Political Organization of Space
Mr. Webster’s Class

2. Extra Credit Opportunity – due Wed. 12/16
To complete this assignment, you must watch the Amazing Race and/or the Nightly News (NBC, CBS, ABC), and keep a journal of those segments and/or stories that pertain to this class.
In each journal entry, you should briefly describe the contents of the program, while highlighting those features that you found to be most interesting or relevant to this class. You should also mention what you will take away from the program. Did it teach you something, or help you realize something that had not occurred to you previously?
Each journal entry should consist of at least 4 sentences, and each entry will be worth 2 points. This assignment is worth a total of 20 points.
Grading will be based on focus and geographical relevance.
LATE SUBMISSIONS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED!

3. Extra Credit Opportunity – due Wed. 12/16
For this assignment, you must conduct research and write a multi-paragraph paper (minimum of 3 paragraphs) that examines a particular topic or event that has had far-reaching effects.
Your paper should explain the key moments, significance, as well as short-term and long-term effects associated with your topic.
Please note that each paragraph should consist of at least 5 sentences.
To conduct your research, you MUST consult a historical source and cite the source as well. PLAGIARISM WILL NOT BE TOLERATED!
This assignment is worth 20 points, and grading will be based on accuracy of content, relevance, structure, and focus.
LATE SUBMISSIONS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED!

4. Extra Credit Possible Topics
European Colonization of Africa
European Colonization of Asia
Creation of Israel
Radical Islam
Bolshevik Revolution
Rwandan Genocide
Protestant Reformation
History of Terrorism
History of European Union
Rise of Christianity
Cuban Revolution
Korean War
Fall of Communism
ISIS
Cold War
History of English Language

5. Political Map Project – due Tue. 12/8
For this assignment, you must conduct research regarding the various geographic features of a particular state, and create an illustrated map to present your findings to the class.
Your illustration should include a large map that showcases the following geographic features of your particular state: shape, political and physical boundaries (cultural boundaries if applicable), physical features (including prominent rivers, mountains, deserts, etc.), the capital city, and any other points of interest (historical landmarks, popular tourist sites, etc.).
This project is worth 30 points, and I will be giving 10 points for each of the following: accuracy, creativity / effort, and completeness.

6. Euro Map Assignment
For this assignment, you will be creating a map which shows the physical layout of a particular European country (which you will be assigned). Your map should NOT include the actual name of the country, but it should include the layout of the country, and its various physical and political boundaries.
Once you have created your map, you will submit it me for review.
Once each student has completed the activity, we will incorporate each student’s finished product by playing a round of trivia.
The winner will receive an award in the form of candy!!

7. Review Q&A’s
For this assignment, you must work with a partner, and together you must use your notes to create 10 questions and answers that you feel would make good test questions. Please note that your questions may not come in the form of true or false, fill in the blank, or multiple choice.
You may put all of your questions and answers on the same sheet of paper.
Once you have completed creating your questions and answers, you will submit them to me for accuracy.
Once each group has completed the activity, we will play a round of trivia.
The winning team will receive a reward.

8. State and Sovereignty
A state is an area organized into a political unit and ruled by an established government that has control over its internal and foreign affairs.
The term country is a synonym for state.
A state has sovereignty, or the right to control its internal affairs without interference from other states.

9. Defining “State”
The entire area of a state is managed by its national government, laws, army, and leaders.
Therefore, it is a good example of a formal, or uniform, region.
The term state, as used in political geography, does not refer to the 50 regional governments inside the U.S.
Rather, the 50 states are subdivisions within a single state – the U.S.A.

10. State vs. Nation vs. Nation-State
A state is an area with boundaries and sovereignty (the power to regulate one’s own internal and external affairs).
A nation is a group of people with common cultural characteristics.
A nation-state occurs when a state’s boundaries coincide with the cultural boundaries of a particular group.

11. Case Study: Korea For many years, Korea was a colony of Japan.
Following WWII, Korea split.
The northern section came under the Soviet sphere of influence, and adopted a communist form of government.
The southern section came under the American sphere of influence, and adopted a democratic form of government.

12. Case Study: Korea
In 1950, North Korea invaded South Korea, and a 3-year war ensued.
In 1953, both sides agreed to a cease-fire, although neither side could claim victory.
More than 60 years later, both Korean governments are committed to reuniting the country into one sovereign state.

13. Case Study: China and Taiwan
Most countries consider China and Taiwan two separate and sovereign states.
When Communists defeated the Nationalists and took control of mainland China in 1949, nationalist leaders fled to the island of Taiwan.
Even after their defeat, the Nationalists proclaimed that they were still the legitimate rulers of the entire country of China.

14. Case Study: China and Taiwan
The United States regarded the Nationalists as the official government of China until 1971, when the U.S. finally changed its policy.
To this day, both the People’s Republic of China (Communist) and the Republic of China (Taiwan) assert themselves to be the sole legal representative of China.

15. Case Study: Western Sahara
The Western Sahara (Sahrawi Republic) is considered by most African countries as a sovereign state.
However, Morocco claims the territory, and controls most of the populated area.
The rebel Polisario Front operates in the vast, sparsely inhabited deserts.
A resolution has yet to be reached.

16. Antarctica
Antarctica is the only large landmass on Earth that is not part of any state.
Several states claim portions of the region, and some claims are overlapping and conflicting.
The U.S. does not recognize the claims of any country to Antarctica.
The Antarctic Treaty (1959) allows states to establish research stations in Antarctica, but no military activities are permitted.

17. Evolution of the State
The concept of dividing the world into a collection of independent states is recent.
Prior to the 1800s, Earth’s surface was organized in other ways, such as city-states, empires, and tribes.
Much of Earth’s surface consisted of unorganized territory.

18. Mesopotamia and City-States
The development of states can be traced to the ancient Middle East, in an area known as Mesopotamia.
The first states to evolve in Mesopotamia were known as city- states.
A city-state is a sovereign state that comprises a town and the surrounding countryside.

19. City-States
Walls clearly delineated the boundaries of the city, and outside the walls the city controlled agricultural land to produce food for urban residents.
Periodically, one city or tribe in Mesopotamia would gain military dominance over the other and form an empire.
Examples include the Sumerians, Assyrians, Babylonians, and Persians.

20. Egypt The state of Egypt emerged as a separate empire around 3000 B.C.
Egypt controlled a long, narrow region along the banks of the Nile River, extending from the Nile Delta at the Mediterranean Sea southward for several hundred miles.
Egypt’s empire lasted approximately 2,500 years.

21. Greece
At its peak under Alexander the Great, the Greek Empire ruled much of Europe and Western Asia.
Much of modern politics, artistic thought, scientific thought, theatre, literature, and philosophy derives from this period in Greek history.
The Greek city-state of Athens is generally regarded as the birthplace of democracy.

22. Rome
Political unity in the ancient world reached its height with the establishment of the Roman Empire.
At its height, the Roman Empire controlled most of Europe, North Africa, and Southwest Asia.
Throughout the empire, the same set of laws were applied.
Massive walls helped the Roman army defend many of the empire’s frontiers.

23. European States Emerge
Following the collapse of the Roman Empire in the 5th century, Europe was fragmented into a large number of estates owned by competing kings, dukes, barons, and other nobles.
Around 1100, a handful of powerful kings emerged as rulers over large numbers of these European estates, and formed the basis for the development of modern states such as England, France, and Spain.

24. Colonies
A colony is a territory that is legally tied to a sovereign state rather than being completely independent.
In some cases, a sovereign state runs only the colony’s military and foreign policy.
In others, it also controls the colony’s internal affairs.

25. Colonialism
European states came to control much of the world through colonialism.
Colonialism is the effort by one country to establish settlements in a territory and impose its political, economic, and cultural principles on that territory.

26. God, Gold, and Glory
European states established colonies elsewhere in the world for three basic reasons:
To promote Christianity
To extract useful resources
To establish power
These three motives could be summarized as God, gold, and glory.

27. Imperialism
The colonial era began in the 1400s, when European explorers began sailing to Africa, Asia, and the Americas.
The European colonization of Africa and Asia is often termed imperialism.
Imperialism is control of territory already occupied and organized by an indigenous society.

28. British Imperialism
The British had by far the largest colonial empire, and they planted colonies on every continent, including much of eastern and southern Africa, South Asia, the Middle East, Australia, and North America (U.S. and Canada).
The British often governed their colonies with a hands-off approach, which helped to protect local culture and customs.

29. French Imperialism
France had the second-largest overseas territory, primarily in West Africa and Southeast Asia.
France attempted to assimilate its colonies into French culture and educate an elite group to provide local administrative leadership.
After independence, most of these leaders retained close ties with France.

30. Current Colonies
Most African and Asian colonies became independent after WWII.
The boundaries of the new states frequently coincide with those of the former colonial provinces.
Most current colonies are islands in the Pacific Ocean or Caribbean Sea.
The most populous is Puerto Rico, which is a commonwealth of the United States.

31. Boundaries
A boundary is an invisible line marking the extent of a state’s territory.
Countries have one of five basic shapes: compact, prorupted, elongated, fragmented, or perforated.
The smallest states are called microstates, which are small in both area and population. City-states are microstates.

32. Compact States
In a compact state, the distance from the center to any boundary does not vary significantly.
Compactness can be a beneficial characteristic for smaller states, because good communications can be more established to all regions, especially if the capital is located near the center.

33. Elongated States Elongated states have a long and narrow shape.
Examples include Malawi, Chile, and Italy.
Elongated states may suffer from poor internal communications.
A region located at an extreme end of the elongation might be isolated from the capital, which is usually placed at the center.

34. Prorupted States
A prorupted state is an otherwise compact state with a large projecting extension.
Proruptions are generally created for two reasons:
To provide a state with access to a resource, such as water (i.e. Dem. Rep. of Congo)
To separate two states that otherwise would share a boundary (i.e. Namibia)

35. Perforated States
A perforated state is a state that completely surrounds another one.
The one good example of a perforated state is South Africa, which completely surrounds Lesotho.
Lesotho is an enclave. An enclave is any portion of a state that is entirely surrounded by the territory of another state.

36. Fragmented States
A fragmented state includes several discontinuous pieces of territory.
Fragmented states can be separated by either water (i.e. Indonesia) or land (i.e. Russia).
An exclave is a piece of a state that is separated from the rest of the state, and is enclosed within the borders of another country.
Fragmentation can hinder communication and make national integration very difficult.

37. Landlocked States
A landlocked state lacks a direct outlet to the sea because it is completely surrounded by other countries.
Landlocked states are most common in Africa, a legacy of the colonial era.
Direct access to an ocean is critical because it facilitates international trade.
To send and receive goods by sea, a landlocked state must arrange to use another country’s seaport.

38. Types of Boundaries
Physical boundaries coincide with significant features of the natural landscape.
Cultural boundaries follow the distribution of cultural characteristics.
Many boundaries are a combination of both types.
Boundary locations can be a source of conflict.

39. Physical Boundaries
Three types of physical elements serve as boundaries between states: deserts, mountains, and water.
Both deserts and mountains can be effective boundaries as they are often difficult to cross.
Water is the most common physical element used as a boundary between states.
The Law of the Sea has standardized the territorial limits for most countries with an ocean boundary at 12 nautical miles from the shore.

40. Cultural Boundaries
Two types of cultural boundaries are common: geometric and ethnic.
Geometric boundaries are simply straight lines drawn on a map.
Ethnic boundaries are often placed to separate speakers of different languages (i.e. nation-states in Europe) or followers of different religions (the partition of India).

41. Other Types of Boundaries
An antecedent boundary is one that existed before human settlement of that area.
Subsequent boundaries develop along with the development of the cultural landscape.
A superimposed boundary is a political boundary that ignores the existing cultural organization of the landscape.
A relic boundary is one that no longer exists, but its impact is still felt and seen on the landscape.

42. Cyprus
Cyprus is an example of a state which has a cultural boundary line within its borders.
Since 1974, Cyprus has been divided into Greek and Turkish areas, separated by a United Nations Buffer Zone.
The process of physically representing a boundary on the landscape is known as demarcation.

43. Balkanization
Balkanization is the process by which a state breaks down into smaller regions or states that are often hostile or uncooperative with each other.
In the 1990s, Balkanization occurred when the former Yugoslav republics declared their independence from the state of Yugoslavia.

44. Frontiers
Historically, frontiers rather than boundaries separated states.
A frontier is a zone where no state exercises complete political control.
A frontier is either uninhabited or sparsely populated by a few isolated pioneers seeking to live outside organized society.
As a result of modern communication systems, most frontiers have now been replaced by boundaries.

45. Unitary States
The government of states can be either unitary or federal.
A unitary state places most power in the hands of the central government.
A federal state allocates a significant degree of power to units of local government.
Unitary governments work best in smaller states where there are few cultural differences (i.e. Japan).

46. Federal States
In a federal state (i.e. U.S.A.), local governments possess more authority to adopt their own laws.
Multinational states may adopt a federal system of government to empower different nationalities.
The federal system is more suitable for very large states because the national capital may be too remote to provide effective control over isolated regions.

47. Trend toward Federal Government
In recent years, there has been a strong global trend toward federal government.
An example is Poland.
Poland switched from a unitary to a federal system of government after the Communist government lost control in 1989.
The transition proved difficult given the absence of local government for half a century.

48. Electoral Geography
The boundaries separating legislative districts within the United States and other countries are periodically redrawn.
This is done to ensure each district has approximately the same population.
The districts of the U.S. House of Representatives are redrawn every 10 years following the release of the official census.

49. Gerrymandering
In most U.S. states, the job of redrawing boundaries is entrusted to the state legislature.
The political party in control of the state legislature naturally attempts to redraw boundaries to improve the chances of its supporters to win seats.
The process of redrawing legislative boundaries for the purpose of benefiting the party in power is gerrymandering.

50. Types of Gerrymandering
Gerrymandering takes 3 forms.
Wasted vote spreads opposition supporters across many districts but in the minority.
Excess vote concentrates opposition supporters into a few districts.
Stacked vote links distant areas of likeminded voters through oddly shaped boundaries.
Stacked vote gerrymandering has been especially attractive for creating districts inclined to elect ethnic minorities.
The Supreme Court ruled gerrymandering illegal in 1985.

51. Supranational Organizations
During the Cold War era (late 1940s until early 1990s), supranational and regional organizations were established primarily to prevent a third world war and to protect countries from foreign attack.
“Supranational” means having power or influence that transcends national boundaries or governments.

52. MacKinder’s Heartland Theory
In 1904, Sir Halford MacKinder outlined his heartland theory.
MacKinder’s heartland theory suggested that whoever owns Eastern Europe and Western Asia would have the political power to rule the world.
He based his theory off of the abundance of agriculture and natural resources present in the region.

53. Spykman’s Rimland Theory
Nicholas Spykman built off of MacKinder’s ideas to create his own theory.
Spykman’s rimland theory suggested that forming alliances was necessary to keep the heartland in check.
Spykman believed that the heartland was so powerful, that no individual country could contain it by itself.

54. The United Nations
The most important global organization is the United Nations, created at the end of WWII.
Currently, there are 193 member nations that belong to the UN.
The UN replaced an earlier peacekeeping organization known as the League of Nations.
The League of Nations was created after WWI, but was unable to prevent WWII.

55. The UN – Strengths and Weaknesses
UN members can vote to establish a peacekeeping force and request states to contribute military forces.
Because it must rely on individual countries to supply troops, the UN often lacks enough of them to keep peace effectively.
Despite its shortcomings, the UN represents a forum where virtually all states in the world can meet and vote on issues without resorting to war.

56. Regional Military Alliances
In addition to joining the United Nations, many nations joined regional military alliances after WWII.
The division of the world into military alliances resulted from the emergence of two states as superpowers – the U.S. and the Soviet Union.

57. U.S.A. vs. U.S.S.R.
During the Cold War, the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. were the world’s two superpowers.
Because the power of these two states was so great, virtually all other countries fell within a sphere of influence that was dominated by one or the other.
In Europe, most states joined either NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) or the Warsaw Pact.

58. Satellite States and Shatterbelt Regions
During the Cold War, most countries within Eastern Europe were considered satellite states of the Soviet Union.
Satellite states are independent countries that are under heavy control of another, more powerful state.
Shatterbelt regions are regions caught up in conflict between two superpowers.

59. NATO and the Warsaw Pact
NATO was a military alliance among 16 democratic states (the U.S. and Canada plus 14 European states).
The Warsaw Pact was a military alliance among 8 Communist Eastern European countries, led by the U.S.S.R.
Both NATO and the Warsaw Pact were created to defend member nations in case of attack.

60. The Warsaw Pact Disbands
Following the demise of the Soviet Union, the Warsaw Pact disbanded, and the number of NATO troops was sharply reduced.
NATO then expanded its membership to include most of the Warsaw Pact countries.
Membership in NATO offered Eastern European countries an important sense of security against any future Russian attack.

61. The European Union
Increasingly, the most important elements of state power are economic rather than military.
The European Union is an example.
The EU was established in 1958, and originally included only six countries.
It was created to heal Western Europe’s scars from WWII, but the union’s purpose has since changed.

62. The EU
Currently, the main task of the EU is to promote development within its 28 member states through economic cooperation.
The EU has removed most barriers to free trade, and introduced the euro as a common form of currency.
The effect of these actions has been to turn Europe into the world’s wealthiest market.

63. Embassies, Ambassadors, and Consulates
In the United States, the Dept. of State runs offices, called embassies, in most countries around the world.
The embassies’ job is to represent U.S. interests to the leadership of other countries.
The lead official representing the United States in another country is the ambassador.
The Dept. of State also runs consulates, which are offices that generally deal with economic issues as well as the granting of visas.

64. Centrifugal vs. Centripetal Forces
Forces that break up states are called centrifugal forces.
Forces that tend to unite a state are called centripetal forces.
Some factors, such as religion and language, may be both a centrifugal and centripetal force at the same time.
Theocracies are countries where one particular religion is intertwined with the political structure (i.e. Saudi Arabia, Iran, and the Vatican City).

65. Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of violence by a group in order to intimidate a population or coerce a government into granting its demands.
Terrorists’ belief in their cause is so strong that they do not hesitate to strike despite knowing they will probably die in the act.

66. Terrorism against Americans
The United States suffered several terrorist attacks during the late twentieth century.
Some of the terrorists of the 1990s were American citizens operating alone or with a handful of others, such as the Unabomber and Timothy McVeigh.
It was not until the attacks of 9/11 that many Americans began to feel threatened by terrorism.

67. 9/11
The most dramatic terrorist attack against the United States came on September 11, 2001.
On that day, two hijacked planes crashed into the twin towers of the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
The WTC ultimately collapsed, and the Pentagon was badly damaged.
The attacks resulted in nearly 3,000 fatalities.

68. Al-Qaeda
The 9/11 were orchestrated by the al-Qaeda terrorist network, founded by Osama bin Laden.
Bin Laden was born in Saudi Arabia into extreme wealth, and around 1990, he used his multi-million dollar inheritance to fund al-Qaeda.
In Arabic, al-Qaeda means “the foundation” or “the base.”

69. Osama bin Laden and Jihad
During the 1980s, bin Laden moved to Afghanistan to fight against the Soviet army and the country’s Soviet-installed government.
He considered the anti-Soviet fight a holy war, or jihad.
Bin Laden recruited militant Muslims from Arab countries to join the cause, and in 1989, the Soviet Union withdrew from Afghanistan.

70. Bin Laden Targets the U.S.
Following the Soviet’s withdrawal from Afghanistan, bin Laden returned to Saudi Arabia.
He was expelled, however, in for opposing the Saudi’s decision to allow the U.S. station troops there during the First Gulf War.
Bin Laden moved to Sudan but was expelled in 1994 for instigating attacks against U.S. troops in Yemen and Somalia.

71. Fatwa
In 1994, bin Laden returned to Afghanistan, where he lived as a “guest of the Taliban-controlled government.
In a 1998 fatwa, or religious decree, bin Laden argued that Muslims had a duty to wage a holy war against U.S. citizens because the United States supported the Saud royal family and the Jewish state of Israel.

72. The Search for bin Laden
Following the 9/11 attacks, Osama bin Laden went into hiding.
During this time, he released several audio and video recordings.
In the decade following his disappearance, there were many attempts to locate bin Laden.
In 2011, bin Laden was located living in a compound in Abottabad, Pakistan, and he was killed by a team of Navy SEALs.

73. State Support for Terrorism
Several states in the Middle East have provided support for terrorism in recent years, at three increasing levels of involvement:
1) Providing sanctuary for terrorist wanted by other countries
2) Supplying weapons, money, and intelligence to terrorists
3) Planning attacks using terrorists

74. The U.S. War Against Terror
As part of its war against terrorism, the U.S. government (with the cooperation of some other countries) attacked Afghanistan in and Iraq in 2003 to depose those countries’ leaders, who were considered supporters of terrorism.

75. War in Afghanistan
The U.S. attacked Afghanistan in when its leaders, known as the Taliban, sheltered Osama bin Laden and other al-Qaeda terrorists.
Following the U.S. invasion, the Taliban was removed from power.
When the U.S. shifted its attention to Iraq, the Taliban were able to regroup and resume an insurgency.
The War in Afghanistan is the longest war in U.S. history.

76. Iraq War
In 2003, the U.S. led an attack against Iraq in order to remove Saddam Hussein from power.
At the time, it was believed that Hussein was harboring weapons of mass destruction.
Upon removing Hussein from power, the U.S. became embroiled in complex and violent struggle between Iraq’s different religious and ethnic groups.

77. Iran
Hostility between the U.S. and Iran dates from 1979, when a revolution forced abdication of Iran’s pro-U.S. shah, and militant supporters of the new ayatollah seized the U.S. embassy in Tehran and held 62 Americans hostage.
In recent years, the U.S. has accused Iran of harboring terrorists and attempting to create nuclear weapons.

78. ISIS
In recent years, political instability and conflict in both Syria and Iraq have led to the formation of a new powerful terrorist organization: ISIS (the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria)
ISIS is not an actual state since it lacks any international recognition, yet as of December 2015, the group has control over vast territories of Iraq and Syria.