States & shapes Wednesday, November 2

Wednesday, November 2 REVIEW TERMS!!

Boundaries Frontiers Boundaries Defined: a thin, imaginary line. Historically, frontiers separated states Defined: a geographic zone where no state exercises power. Tangible, geographic areas Frontiers have all but disappeared only Antarctica and the Arabian Peninsula have significant neutral zones. Defined: a thin, imaginary line. Mark the extent of a state’s territory and the control that its leaders have.

Boundaries Boundaries completely surround an individual state to mark its outer limits, giving it a distinctive shape. Because boundary lines mark the place where two or more states come into direct contact, they have the potential to cause conflict among them.

What determines the location of boundaries? Physical features Rivers Shores Mountains Negotiations or war with neighboring regions or countries

Boundaries PHYSICAL Physical boundaries are easy to see & often make good boundaries Not always permanent or reliable. Boundary Types Mountains Deserts Rivers, lakes and oceans

Physical Boundaries Mountains Deserts Limit contact between people living on opposite sides Usually have sparse populations Effective borders when they are difficult to cross Examples: Andes Mountains Generally prove to be reliable and pretty permanent Often have boundaries that are difficult to spot in reality Difficult to cross & sparsely populated Common in Africa & Asia Sahara desert separates Libya, Algeria, and Egypt from their southern neighbors Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Chad and the Sudan

Physical Boundaries Oceans The U.N. Law of the Sea Most commonly used as boundaries Visible & relatively unchanging Boundaries typically set in the middle of the water Can be problematic: Transport troops Boundary is not coastline but out at sea. 1983 Signed by 117 countries Recognizes borders at 12 nautical miles Exclusive fishing rights up to 200 nautical miles ***for defense & resources

Boundaries CULTURAL Cultural boundaries are also called consequent boundaries. Cultural boundaries can be based on: Religion Language Ethnicity

Cultural boundaries Religion, Language & Ethnicity Partition of Pakistan from India (1947) Effort to separate Muslims from Hindus. Ireland & Northern Ireland Following WWI, Allies used language in creating new states and drawing new boundaries. Bulgaria Hungary Poland Romania “Balkanization” **Austria-Hungary

Geometric boundaries 38th Parallel Defined: These are imaginary lines that generally have a good reason behind their creation. Created by using a grid system Examples? **Austria-Hungary

Boundaries within states Local government boundaries are sometimes drawn to separate different nationalities or ethnicities In the US, they are sometimes drawn to provide an advantage to a political party Unitary State: an internal organization of a state that places most power in the hands of the central government officials Federal state an internal organization of a state that allocates most powers to units of local government

Unitary states What does it look like? Highly centralized government in the capital city serving as the focus of power No effort made to accommodate minorities or outlying regions. Where could you find these states? Prior to WWII, many European countries (France & Spain) Former Soviet Union North Korea Best fit: Works best in nation-states characterized by few internal cultural differences and a strong sense of national unity

federal states What does it look like? Organizing state territory into regions, substates (States) or provinces. Regions have much control over government policies and funds Varies from state to state. Where could you find these states? United States Nigeria India Best fit: Works best with larger states. Decentralized power! *Nigeria: Sharia law only applies to muslims in the north wanting stricter laws to help root out corruption in office. Christians & Animists in the south – law doesn’t apply 36 states chose their own judicial system

Electoral geography In democracies, an important connection between citizens and states is the electoral process (ie. methods used in a country for selecting a leader or deciding directly on issues). Electoral Geography: is the study of the spatial configuration of electoral districts and the voting patterns that emerge in particular elections reflect and influence social and political affairs.

Electoral districts Legislative districts in the US are redrawn every 10 years to reflect relative population changes Reapportionment: process by which districts are moved according to population shifts In the US, state legislatures are responsible for drawing congressional districts Party in power attempts to draw lines to keep them in power In most European countries independent commissions are created to draw the districts

Named for Elbridge Gerry, Gov. of Mass. Definition: the process of redrawing legislative boundaries for the purpose of benefiting the party in power. Named for Elbridge Gerry, Gov. of Mass.

GERRYMANDERING…explained!

Types of Gerrymandering Basically three types: Wasted Vote: spreads opposition supporters across many districts in minority numbers Excess Vote: concentrates opposition supporters into a few districts Stacked Vote: links distant areas of like-minded voters through oddly shaped boundaries Leads to the party in power owning a majority of support in a majority of the districts Often used to create districts made up largely of ethnic minorities. Ex. 12th district in NC