Where are states located?

Key Terms State: an area organized into a political unit and ruled by an established government that has control over its internal and foreign affairs; country (defined territory with permanent population) Sovereignty: independence from control of its internal affairs by other states As recently as the 1940s, the world contained only about 50 countries, compared to 192 members of the United Nations as of 2009

I. Problems of Defining States A.Korea: One State or Two? 1.Former colony of Japan 2.After WWII, divided into northern and southern sections along 38 degrees north latitude (38 th parallel) 3.Late 1940s, 2 separate governments: Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) and Republic of Korea (South Korea) 4.Korean War started when North Korea invaded South Korea 5.Progress toward reconciliation has been halted by North Korea’s decision to build nuclear weapons

P’yongyang Seoul

Is Korea a multi-nation state or a multi-state nation? MULTI-STATE NATION

CHINA

Fighting and Civil War Mao Zedong Leader of Communist Army Chiang Kai-shek Leader of Nationalist Army VS.

Chiang moves Republic of China to Taiwan (Democracy) Mao becomes leader of People’s Republic of China (Communist)

B.China and Taiwan: One State or Two? 1.Until 1999, both China and the government of Taiwan agreed that Taiwan was part of China 2.In 1999, Taiwan’s president announced that Taiwan would regard itself as a sovereign independent state 3.Communists in mainland China and Nationalists in Taiwan 4.U.S. regarded Nationalists as official government of China until Taiwan is now the most populous state not in the U.N.

C.Western Sahara 1.Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (Western Sahara) is considered a sovereign state by most African countries 2.Between Morocco and Mauritania 3.Morocco claims the territory 4.U.N. has attempted referendum for residents of Western Sahara to decide whether they want independence

United Nations When organized in 1945, United Nations originally had only 51 members As of 2007, the U.N. has 192 member states 3 states are not included in the U.N. 1.Taiwan 2.Vatican City 3.Kosovo (declared independence from Serbia in 2008, but has not gained international recognition)

D.Varying Size of States 1.Largest state = Russia (17.1 million square kilometers or 6.6 million square miles) 2.Other large states a.China (9.3 million square km or 3.6 million square miles) b.Canada (9.2 million square km or 3.6 million square miles) c.The United States (9.2 million square km or 3.5 million square miles) d.Brazil (8.5 million square km or 3.3 million square miles) e.Australia (7.6 million square km or 2.9 million square miles)

D.Varying Size of States 3.Microstates a.Monaco (1.5 square km or.6 square miles) b.Smaller than 1,000 square kilometers: Andorra, Antigua, Barbuda, Bahrain, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Kiribati, Liechtenstein, Maldives, Malta, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, San Marino, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, etc.

E. Polar Regions: Many claims 1. Antarctica a.Several states claim portions of Antarctica b.The U.S. and Russia do not recognize any of these claims c.Antarctic Treaty (1959): legal framework for managing Antarctica; states may establish stations there for scientific investigations, but no military activities are permitted d.1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea permitted countries to submit claims inside Arctic Circle by 2009 (rich in energy)

Claims to Antarctica

II. Development of the State Concept A.Ancient and Medieval States 1.First states to evolve in Mesopotamia were known as city-states 2.State of Egypt later emerged 3.Medieval times set the stage for the emergence of modern states such as England, France, and Spain 4.Much of central Europe did not become states until the nineteenth century

B.Colonies (territories legally tied to a sovereign state) 1.European states established colonies to promote Christianity, to help their economy (mercantilism), and to increase their power (God, gold, glory) 2.Imperialism of Asia and Africa in the late 1800s – early 1900s 3.Most populous remaining colony = Puerto Rico, which is a Commonwealth of the U.S. (U.S. citizens, but cannot vote or be elected to office)

British Empire by 1919 “The sun never sets on the British empire”