Political Geography

Some facts about states The world’s largest state is Russia The world’s smallest microstate is Monaco. The world’s smallest colony is Pitcairn Antarctica is not a state, and is considered a research community

Ancient States The development of states can be traced to the Fertile Crescent The Fertile Crescent: Followed the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers Extended from the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean Sea Was the location of the first city-states in the Middle East Is sometimes considered to be extended into the Nile Valley

City-States The first states in Mesopotamia were city-states. A city-state is a sovereign state that comprises a town and the surrounding countryside Walls defined the boundaries

Early- European States The Roman Empire helped unite the ancient city-states At its height, the Roman Empire stretched across Europe, Northern Africa, and Southwest Asia When the Roman Empire collapsed, European nation-states began

Colonies and Colonialism European nation-states wanted colonies to increase their resources and access to local markets A colony is a territory that is legally tied to a sovereign state Colonialism is the effort by one country to establish settlements around the world

The Three G’s Country’s wanted to establish colonies for the following reasons: God Glory Gold

Great Britain By 1900, Great Britain could claim the following: The sun never set on the British Empire British colonies were on every continent They had the largest empire in Europe Their empire controlled strategic islands They allowed their colonies to practice their unique traditions

Imperialism European efforts to control Africa and Asia Imperialism is control of a territory already occupied and organized by an indigenous society What’s the difference between imperialism and colonialism?

Colonies today There are very few colonies today Most are islands The most populous colony is Puerto Rico, which belongs to the Commonwealth of the United States Over the last 50 years, the number of nation-states has increased by more than 100 (why?)

Microstates Microstates are states with very small land areas Characteristics include: Many are islands All are smaller than 1,000 sq kilometers Many of the islands are former European colonies Most of the island states are in the Pacific

Types of Boundaries Historically, frontiers separated states A frontier is a zone where no state exercises complete political control Boundaries can be two types: physical and cultural

Physical Boundaries Physical boundaries coincide with significant features of the natural landscape like mountains, deserts, and water boundaries Mountains can be good boundaries, if they are difficult to cross Desert boundaries are also hard to cross, and can make good boundaries

Water Boundaries Rivers, lakes, and oceans are the most common type of water boundary Boundaries are typically in the middle of the water Problems: The dividing line can change Oceanic boundaries usually extend into the water Law of the Seas

Cultural Boundaries Cultural boundaries follow the distribution of cultural characteristics Cultural boundaries include geometric, religious, and language barriers Geometric boundaries are boundaries drawn on a map (Ex: Aozou Strip) Religious boundaries try to separate two religious groups (Ex: Ireland)

Language Barriers Language barriers separate groups according to language Extremely popular in Europe after World War I What kind of boundaries separate the US and Canada?

Problems with Boundaries One state containing more than one ethnic group (multinational state) One ethnic group is divided among more than one state (multistate nation) Korea is a good example of this

Cypress One of three countries that is in both Europe and Asia The northern part of the island belongs to the Turkish minority The southern part of the island belongs to the Greek majority The two parts of the island are separated by a buffer zone

Russia Russia is the largest multinational state After the Soviet Union collapsed, most Russians found themselves in the western part of the state

Multistate Nations The Kurds live among six countries in Southwest Asia There was a Kurdistan, until 1920 The Kurds were promised a homeland by helping US troops during the Gulf War They did not get a homeland, due to our relationship with Turkey

Unitary and Federal States The unitary state places most power in the hands of the central government A federal state shares power with local governments This helps calm the tension of having many ethnic groups in one state Poland did this after the Soviet Union collapsed

Supranational Organizations The United Nations is a political organization with 189 members Switzerland and Taiwan are the only populous countries without membership NATO is a military organization with 16 members, including the United States and Turkey

Supranational Organizations The European Union is an economic alliance with 27 member states It has helped grow the economy is Western Europe Today, it is the world’s economic superpower NAFTA is an economic alliance with 3 member states