a.A political territorial unit ruled by an established government b.To be a state, the territory must have: 1)Defined boundaries 2)Permanent population 3)International recognition 4)Sovereignty (independence from control by external states) over its internal (domestic) and external (foreign) affairs

4) Sovereignty A nation can have limited sovereignty without a state (American Indians, Palestinians) Threats to sovereignty are taken very seriously because they are threats to the very nature of the state itself c.Self-determination: The right of a nation to govern itself d. States are considered formal regions made up of functional regions

a.A community of people with common cultural characteristics occupying a particular territory, bound together by a strong sense of unity because of those shared cultural traits (religion, language, values, customs, history, etc.) b.Concept of nationhood can be dangerous when people have a higher sense of loyalty to their nation (ethnicity) than their state (citizenship)

A state whose territorial extent coincides with that occupied by a distinct nation of people who share a common culture and set of values (Unified People + Territory + Government)

a.“Purest” Nation-states: Iceland, Slovenia, Denmark, Japan, and the Koreas b.Multinational states: United States, Switzerland, Iraq, most African nations

The largest ethnic group as percent of total population Dark yellow: % Yellow: 65-84% Light yellow: 0-64% Blue: Same scheme, but ethnicity is replaced by race

a)Located in Turkey, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Armenia, and Azerbaijan b)Largest nationality without a state (30-38 million) c)Speak Kurdish, practice Islam, and are persecuted in most countries they reside in

a)Located in the Pyrenees between France and Spain b)Have their own language, Euskara, and want their own country called Euskal Herria c)Fiercely independent and have often used terrorism in their bid for independence

a.Live in northern Belgium b.Speak Flemish and are predominantly Catholic c.Want an independent country called Flanders

a)Originally the dominant tribe in southern Africa (10 million) b)Discriminated against under apartheid (white minority rule in South Africa) and have been forced to live in the worst regions of east South Africa c)Speak isiZulu, mainly Christian, and want a homeland called KwaNdebele

a)Mainly located in the Palestinian Territories (West Bank and Gaza Strip), Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria but also spread throughout the world in diaspora (9.5 million) b)Speak Arabic, mainly practice Islam, and want their own country called Palestine

a)Located in southern China, Vietnam, and Laos b)Were persecuted for helping the Americans during the Vietnam War => many were given political asylum in the US c)Speak Hmong and have only had a written language for about 50 years

An attempt to control pieces of the earth’s surface for political and social ends

A nation’s sense of attachment toward its territory, as expressed by its determination to protect and defend that territory (a learned cultural response) => geography and national identity cannot be separated!

A conflict that arises when two or more countries vie for control over a territory Kashmir (India and Pakistan) Israel/Palestine

Kashmir

c. Only in the last century has the world been completely divided into politically sovereign states and their territories (except Antarctica) 1)1776 (US independence) = 35 empires, kingdoms, and countries 2)1939 (outbreak of WWII) = 70 sovereign states 3)2013 (post-Communism) = 194 sovereign states (nearly 50% have smaller populations than Maryland!)

1)Great Britain: North America, South Africa, India, Oceania, Singapore, Hong Kong 2)Portugal: Brazil, West Africa 3)Spain: Central and South America, Philippines 4)France: Quebec, Louisiana, Caribbean, Southeast Asia 5)The Netherlands: Suriname, Caribbean, Indonesia, South Africa 6)Belgium: Central Africa

1)Land Empire (Spain) 2)Sea Empire (Portugal) 3)Settler Empire (Britain, France)

1) Spread of European culture (languages, Christianity, etc.) 2) Widespread death of indigenous populations due to European’s advanced military technology, diseases, and practice of slavery 3) Influenced the division between MDCs and LDCs

4) Colonial powers created arbitrary boundaries without recognizing tribal lands, people nations, ethnic groups, or existing physical and cultural boundaries => Post-independence conflict and problems with nation-building (developing feelings of loyalty to the state among the diverse citizens)