Political Geography

By: Graham D.And

Nitzan F.

Political Geography

The study of the political organization

of the world.

How Is Space Politically Organized Into States and

Nations?

• State- a politically organized territory with a permanent population, a defined territory, and a government • To officially become a state, it must

be recognized by other states

Territoriality

• Robert Sack defines territoriality as “the attempt by an individual or group to affect, influence, or control people, relationships, and phenomena, by delimiting and asserting control over a geographic area

• Sack sees human territoriality as a key ingredient in the construction of both social and political spaces

Territoriality

• Robert Audrey argued that human territoriality is analogous to the instinct in animals to control and defend territory

• Sack argued back that human territoriality takes many different forms, depending on the social and geographical context, and should not be compared to animal instinct

• Sovereignty- A principle relationship of international relations that holds that final authority over social, economic, and political matters should rest with the legitimate rulers of independent states.

Nations-State

• Nation- as a culturally defined group of people with a shared past and a common future who relate to a territory and have political goals

• Nation-State: a politically organized area in which nation and state occupy the same area

Multistate Nations, Multinational States, and Stateless Nations

• Multination State- A state with more than one nation within its borders

• Multistate Nation- When a nation stretches across borders and across states

• Stateless Nation- Nations that do not have a state

Construction of the Capitalist World Economy

• Wallerstein defines world-system theory in 3 tenants.

1.The world economy has one market and a global division of labor.

2.Although the world has multiple states, almost everything takes place within the contexts of the world economy

3.The world economy has a 3-tier structure

How Do States Spatially Organize Their Governments?

• Centripetal Forces- Forces that unify people together and attract them to certain places

• Centrifugal Forces- Forces that divide people and/or push them out of countries

• Government tend to focus on the forces that would benefit them the most.

• Ex. India and China would focus on centrifugal forces because of it’s overpopulation

Form of Government

• Federal System- A system in which state territories are divided into regions, substates, provinces, or cantons.

• Unitary System- A system with one, all-powerful government

Electoral College• Territorial Representation- A region picks a

person to represent them in governmental decision making

• Reapportionment- the process by which districts are moved according to population shifts, so that each district encompasses approximately the same amount of people.

• Gerrymandering- A form of redistribution in which electoral districts or constituency boundaries are deliberately modified for electoral advantage

Why Are Boundaries Established, And Why Do Boundaries Disputes Occur?• Boundary- A vertical plane that cuts through

the rocks below and airspace above, dividing one state territories from another

Types of boundaries• Geometric Boundaries- Boundaries defined by

latitudinal and longitudinal lines• Physical-political: Boundaries that follow an

agreed-upon feature in the physical geographic landscape

FIN

Any questions???