Political Geography Ch. 8

Key Concepts in Political Geography

Development of the State and its Sovereignty Characteristics of a State Territory with defined boundaries Permanent population Recognized as a state by other states Territory is sovereign

Nations and States Nation refers to people, and state refers to a political unit Multinational states have a population consisting of two or more nations A nation-state exists when the boundaries of a nation coincide with the boundaries of the state

Imperialism and Colonialism Imperialism – state directly or indirectly controls another Colonialism – state takes possession of a foreign territory, occupies it, and governs it Both contributed to the creation of multinational states In Africa, newly independent countries often retained their colonial boundaries

Geographical Characteristics of States

Boundaries Political boundaries are human creations Territorial seas usually extend 12 miles off the coast Types of boundaries Physiographic – follow a physical feature Geometric – follow lines of latitude or longitude Ethnographic – based on cultural traits Relic – used to exist but no longer recognized as official boundary

Territorial Extent and Configuration Microstate – very small state State shapes Compact – somewhat circular Elongated – long and often narrow Prorupt – includes a projection or panhandle Fragmented – divided into two or more parts Perforated – interrupted or penetrated by an intervening state or states

Territorial Extent and Configuration Ruptures in the territory of a state can create enclaves or exclaves Enclave – territory completely surrounded by another state but not controlled by it Exclave – territory that is separated from the state to which it belongs by the intervening territory of another state Landlocked states – states with no access to oceans

Territorial Extent and Configuration State administration States are often divided internally into territorial subdivisions Systems of government Unitary – power concentrated in the central gov’t Federal – power shared between central gov’t and territorial subdivisions

Centripetal and Centrifugal Forces Centripetal forces are events or circumstances that help unite the social and political fabric of a state Centrifugal forces are events or circumstances that weaken a state’s social and political fabric

Separatism and Devolution Separatism is the desire of a nation to break apart from its state When a state transfers some power to a self-identified community within it, it’s called devolution

Internationalism and Supranational Organizations

Terms Defined Internationalism is the development of close political and economic relations among states A supranational organization consists of multiple states that agree to work together for some common purpose

The United Nations Focused on international security Includes representatives from nearly every state in the world Principal organs of the UN are the Security Council – “real power,” contains 5 permanent members and 10 nonpermanent members General Assembly – consists of all members, controls budget, and oversees activities of other branches International Court of Justice – resolves international legal disputes

The European Union More regional in scale Designed to enhance economic cooperation in Europe while including elements of political unity Euro zone includes EU members that use the euro Euro zone crisis has raised concerns about the viability of monetary union

Regional Military Alliances NATO Warsaw Pact Organization of American States African Union The Commonwealth

Global Geopolitics

Geopolitical Theories Friedrich Ratzel’s organic theory of the evolution of nations– state that did not expand their land area would disintegrate Halford Mackinder’s heartland theory – the Eurasian landmass was the world’s heartland and the key to world domination Nicholas Spykman’s rimland theory – the rimland area surrounding the heartland and including the world’s oceans was the key to world political power

Cold War Geopolitics The Cold War was a period of hostility and rivalry between the Soviet Union and the US from the mid-1940s to the late 1980s Geopolitically, the world was divided into two opposing groups The foreign policy of the US was influenced by the domino theory, which was used to justify containment

Contemporary and Critical Geopolitics After the Cold War ended in the early 1990s, there are different theories about the world’s geopolitical configuration: Global North vs. Global South – separations are on the basis of levels of development and wealth Huntington’s “civilizations” – geopolitics is shaped by factors affecting cultural identity Deterritorialization – loosening of ties between people and place

Globalization and Terrorism Terrorism is the systematic use of violence to intimidate a population or coerce a gov’t Four broad and often overlapping categories of terrorism – revolutionary, separatist, single-issue, and religious Some argue that terrorism has been facilitated by globalization, and others claim that terrorism is an expression of resistance to globalization and Western values

Electoral Geography

Electoral System An electoral system is the set of procedures used to convert votes into seats won by a party or candidate Two main systems Majority-plurality representation – person who receives a majority or plurality of votes is elected Proportional representation – multiple representatives are elected, and voters choose among political parties instead of candidates

Reapportionment and Redistricting In states that use majority-plurality representation, reapportionment becomes necessary as the population of state can change Reapportionment is often followed by redistricting In the US, both are designed to ensure equal representation on the basis of population in the House of Representatives

Gerrymandering Redistricting can lead to gerrymandering, or the process of manipulating voting district boundaries to give an advantage to one political party or group Types of gerrymandering Excess vote technique Wasted vote technique Stacked vote technique In the US, gerrymandering is considered illegal