unit iv: political organization of space. political geography organization & distribution of...
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Unit IV: Political Organization of Space
Political Geography
• organization & distribution of political phenomena
Territory
• effort to control land
• world divided by borders– countries (or “states”)
I. States
1. independent political unit
2. w/ defined territory
3. must be recognized by others
World States
• 192 recognized by UN
Issues defining states
• some territories not recognized:
– Taiwan– Tibet– Western Sahara
II. Nations II. Nations
• A cultural unit A cultural unit bound by sense of bound by sense of shared shared beliefs/customs beliefs/customs
“Stateless Nations”
• Nations without a country
– Palestinians– Kurds – Basques
Multinational State
The Former Yugoslavia
•A state with more than one nation.
The Nation-State
• a nation & a state (country w/ homogenous culture)
• about 20 countries
Exs: Iceland, Portugal, Poland, Japan
d. stateless nation
Types of Relationships Between “states” & “nations”
a. nation-state
b. multi-national state (Cyprus)
c. part-nation state (Arab)
Spatial Characteristics of States
• Smallest:
City-states:• Singapore, Monaco, San Marino
Microstates: Andorra, The Vatican
• Largest: Russia
5 basic shapes:
– Compact (Uruguay, Zimbabwe, Poland)
– Prorupt (extension out; Thailand)
– Elongated (Chile)
– Fragmented (difficult to defend; Philippines, Indonesia)
– Perforated (country that surrounds another; South Africa
A
C
B
E
D
Relative Location
• size and shape matter!
• absolute & relative location matter!Ex: Singapore, Switzerland
• Landlocked countries usually at disadvantage– Bolivia
Boundary Types
1. Physical: mountains, rivers, lakes
2. Geometric: lines of latitude/longitude
3. Cultural: separated by language/religion – India & Pakistan
Boundary Origins
1. Antecedent: border before populated Ex: U.S.
2. Subsequent: border drawn after2 types:
• Consequent (Ireland & N. Ireland)• Superimposed (British India)
– Ireland & N. Ireland
Consequent
3. Relict/relic Boundary: historical boundary
U.N. Convention of the Law of the Sea
• Territorial waters: 12 NM out• Exclusive Economic ZoneExclusive Economic Zone: 200 NM (fish, mineral resources)
Types of Boundary Disputes
1. Positional: over border
2. Functional: over policies (immigration)
3. Resource (oil)
4. Territorial- irredentism
Capital Cities:
• usually centralized (“core” area)
Primate City: dominates economic activity
• some capitals relocated:
– Forward Thrust Capital (Abuja, Brazilia, Canberra, Islamabad)
Nigeria - Abuja
Geopolitics
Ratzel’s Organic Theory: countries are living organisms
Mackinder Heartland Theory:
land-based power (pivot area Europe)
Spykman Rimland Theory:
naval power
Forms of Government
Unitary: centralized gov’t (strong capital)
Federal: gov’t organized by territories
Centripetal Forces
• promote cohesion
• nationalism
• unify
• better transportation/communication
Centrifugal Forces
• challenges to the state
• ethno-nationalism
• devolution (autonomous regional gov’t); regionalism
• inequality
Ethnocultural Devolutionary Movements
Eastern Europedevolutionary forces since the fall of communism
Economic Devolutionary
Movements
Catalonia, Spain
Barcelona is the center of banking and commerce in Spain and the region is much wealthier than the rest of Spain.
Electoral Geography
Gerrymandering: redrawing of voting districts to benefit 1 political party
• protects minority districts
Supranational Organizations:
3 or more states form an alliance
- military (NATO)
- economic (EU, NAFTA)
-political (UN)
Global Scale – The United Nations
Regional Scale – The European Union
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