Geographic Characteristics of Nations Ch. 15: Nations, Borders, & Power

Political Region An area that is run by a government Has its own laws. Has different levels of government A.K.A. political unit

Local Government United States Texas Cameron County Brownsville Rancho Viejo

Sovereign Government: A State that has the power to govern their own internal & external affairs Tax system Laws Political structure Foreign policy

State: state: A sovereign political entity. Ex. United States A territory with that has some sovereignty Not independent Ex. Texas

Mini-Quick Write #1 (2 min) Which kind of State/state has a truly sovereign government and why? Explain your answer. Must write at least 2 sentences

NATION: NATION-STATE: A community of people who share a common culture Has NO physical TERRITORY EX: Kurds (Middle East) A politically independent country Citizens also share a common culture

Territory: Land controlled by a government or country Has a separate government Ex. United States and Puerto Rico

Borders, Boundaries, & Buffer Zones: Boundary = border Line that divides one area from another Can be divided into; Natural boundaries Artificial boundaries A Buffer zone is a neutral territory Meant to prevent conflict tUESDAY Mini -Quick-write #2 :What kind of state or nation would not have borders/boundaries and why? (2 sentences)

Natural Boundaries: Occurs when physical features separate countries Ex. Rivers and Mountains

Artificial Boundaries: Types of Boundaries; 1. GEOMETRIC- Man-made, uses longitude and latitude EX: 49°N Latitude line separates Canada & U.S. 2. ETHNOGRAPHIC/CULTURAL – based on factors like culture and ethnicity *Hard to establish/define* Ex: Conference of Berlin Dividing Africa in 1884

Artificial Boundaries:

Political Maps: These maps show: Boundaries/borders between countries Locations of cities and capitals States/provinces and counties End Tuesday

Boundary Disputes: Ethnic Conflicts: Religious Conflicts: Occurs when violent acts are committed between ethnic groups Ethnic cleansing/Genocide EX: Rwanda, Kosovo & Sudan Occurs when there is violence between different religious groups Ex. Conflict between India (Hindu) & Pakistan (Muslim) over Kashmir Wednesday Boundary Disputes:

Agenda for April15, 2015 Students will get their binders and take out their spirals to write in Students will finish viewing the Geographic Characteristics of Nations PPT Students will complete the Geographic Characteristics Graphic Organizer (15 min) Students will complete the Borders and Boundaries map (15-20 min)

Graphic Organizer/Quickwrite (15 min) Geographic Characteristics Graphic Organizer Write the appropriate term above the boxes Write a brief description and one example for each term in the boxes Complete the Quickwrite on the back of the organizer Must answer BOTH prompts Must be paragraph Format At least 4 sentences (both prompts altogether) Finish it by the end of the period – will be picked up for a grad

Borders and Boundaries Map (15-20 min) Students must label the10 countries listed below on the map Students must then label the natural boundaries in these countries Mountains, Rivers, Deserts, Oceans, and Seas Make a map legend for the boundaries colors and symbols Answer the short Quickwrite on the back __Countries___ Peru France China Japan United States Mexico Italy India Algeria Canada

Example

BALKANIZATION- ANNEXATION- Breakup of an area into smaller independent units Hostile process EX: Yugoslavia Adding territory to an already existing State Ex: Texas joining the U.S.

3 Geographic Characteristics: Size: how big a country is in comparison to others. Shape: can impact how easily it can be governed, how goods are moved to all areas of the country, & how it relates to neighboring countries Location: a landlocked country is surrounded by other land & has no direct outlet to the sea.

SIZE:

Small in area & population Size of Countries: Microstates- Small in area & population Ministates- City-states San Marino Vatican City

SHAPE:

The 5 Shapes of Countries: Compact Elongated Fragmented Perforated Prorupted

LOCATION: NOT LANDLOCKED LANDLOCKED

Rwandan Genocide: The 1994 mass murder of an estimated 800,000 people in the small East African nation of Rwanda. Over the course of approximately 100 days Rwanda’s population of seven million was composed of three ethnic groups: Hutu (85%) Tutsi (14%) Twa (1%) The Hutu remembered past years of oppressive Tutsi rule, and many of them not only resented but also feared the minority. End Wednesday

Ethnic Cleansing: Expelled rival ethnic groups from: Serb-controlled areas of Bosnia Herzegovina province of Kosovo Became refugees- People who escape to a foreign country for safety. In the early 1990s, Yugoslavia broke up into 5 separate republics- Ethnic groups began fighting Serbian leaders followed a policy of ethnic cleansing; Expulsion or killing of an ethnic group

International Relations & the “Balance of Power”

Balance of Power: Policy of a nation or group of nations Protecting itself against another nation or group of nations By matching its power against the power of the other side States can pursue a policy of balance of power in two ways: Increasing their own power competitive acquisition of territory policy of alliances

Factors that Influence how much Power an Individual Nation Possesses: Size Armed Forces Population Physical Features Educated & United Citizens Economy Factors that Influence how much Power an Individual Nation Possesses:

Top 15 Powerful Countries 2012

Political Organization of Space: EMBASSIES- Consulates Ambassadors

International Organizations: United Nations European Union