Why Do Boundaries Cause Problems? Chapter 8.2

Shapes of States 5 basic shapes Communication/Conflict with neighbours Internal administration Social unity

Compact States: Efficient Distance from center to any boundary doesn’t vary much (think circle) Good communication especially if capital is in center Ex. Kenya, Uganda, Burundi

Prorupted States: Access/Disruption Compact state w/ large projecting extension Can provide access to a resource (water) Can separate 2 states that would otherwise share a boundary Ex. Namibia, Dem. Rep. of Congo, Afghanistan

Elongated States: Potential Isolation Long & narrow Poor internal communication Ex. Italy, Chile, Gambia

Fragmented States: Problematic Several discontinuous pieces Either separated by water or by another state Difficult communication & sense of unity Ex. Indonesia, Angola, USA

Perforated States: South Africa A state that completely surrounds another state Surrounded states completely dependant on imports/exports Ex. South Africa (Lesotho), Italy (Vatican City)

Landlocked States Lacks a direct outlet to the sea because it is completely surrounded by other countries 14/54 countries in Africa Forces communication with neighbours International trade

Types of Boundaries Historically – frontiers rather than borders Antarctica & Arabian peninsula Boundaries can be physical or cultural

Physical Boundaries: Easily seen Mountains Can be effective if difficult to cross Permanent Sparsely inhabited Argentina & Chile almost fought a war trying to decide on the boundary line

Desert Boundaries Hard to cross Sparsely populated Common in Africa & Asia Sahara desert seperates Algeria, Libya & Egypt from neighbours to the south

Water Boundaries Rivers, lakes, oceans Most common physical features used as boundaries Visible Unchanging Good protection from attack Where in the water in the boundary? East Africa (various lakes)

Cultural Boundaries Geometric Boundaries Based on lines Latitude/longitude Canada (Britain) & USA - 49°N (USA originally wanted 54°) Bizarre Borders Religious Boundaries Only in a few cases India/Pakistan Ireland

Language Boundaries Important in Europe After WWI, map of Europe was redrawn (Versailles Peace Conference) Language most important criterion Used to create new states & adjust borders of existing ones Romania, Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria

Name that Shape…. & Name that State!

Mexico

India

Somalia

Japan

Rwanda

Switzerland

Russia

UK

Vietnam

Venezuela

Egypt

DRC

Electoral Geography Legislative districts in US & other countries are sometimes redrawn Changing populations Each district should have same population Redrawn every 10 years in USA

Gerrymandering The process of redrawing legislative boundaries for the purpose of benefiting the party in power Named for American Elbridge Gerry (1744-1814) 3 types Wasted vote (spread out) Excess vote (concentrates) Stacked vote (weird links)

FIGURE 8-37 WASTED VOTE GERRY MANDERING Wasted vote gerrymandering spreads opposition supporters across many districts as a minority. If the Blue Party controls the redistricting process, it could create a wasted vote gerrymander by creating four districts with a slender majority of Blue Party voters and one district (#1) with a strong majority of Red Party voters.

FIGURE 8-38 EXCESS VOTE GERRY MANDERING Excess vote gerrymandering concentrates opposition supporters into a few districts. If the Red Party controls the redistricting process, it could create an excess vote gerrymander by creating four districts with a slender majority of Red Party voters and one district (#3) with an overwhelming majority of Blue Party voters.

FIGURE 8-39 STACKED VOTE GERRY MANDERING A stacked vote gerrymander links distant areas of like-minded voters through oddly shaped boundaries. In this example, the Red Party controls redistricting and creates five oddly shaped districts, four with a slender majority of Red Party voters and one (#3) with an overwhelming majority of Blue Party voters.

Cont’d… Recent gerrymandering in the US has primarily been “stacked vote” Especially attractive to create districts inclined to elect ethnic minorities (90% of blacks vote democrat, therefore Republicans support a “stacked” Democratic district) Illegal in U.S. as of 1985 but did not require dismantling of existing districts

Gerrymandering: Florida and Georgia Fig. 8-11: State legislature boundaries were drawn to maximize the number of legislators for Republicans in Florida and Democrats in Georgia.

Gerrymandering