 WORLD ISSUES

 Compact  Prorupted  Elongated  Fragmented  Perforted

 Distance from center to boundary does not vary  Beneficial to small states; easy to set up communication systems if capital is in center  Efficient to govern  Examples: Rwanda and Uganda

 Compact state with a large projecting extension  Can provide access to a resource  Separate two states that would share a boundary  Example: Caprivi strip in Namibia

 State with large distance from one end to another but smaller distance side to side.  Regions can be separated from capital  Country may have poor communications  Ex. include Chile and Norway

 State that has several discontinuous pieces of territory.  2 types  Separated by water and separated by another state.

 A state that completely surrounds another state.  Lesotho is surrounded by S. Africa

 Lacks a direct outlet to the sea.  Ocean access is critical, international trade.  Landlocked states must work with neighboring states to transport goods to the ocean.  Most common in Africa, 14 states are landlocked

 Physical  Geometric  Anthropographic (Cultural)

 Almost always appear as straight lines  Usually follow lines of latitude or longitude  Completely created by humans  Examples  Border between MN and IA  Northwest Angle

 Use a physical feature of the landscape  Rivers: easy but problematic  The darn things move!  People tend to live along them, so population centers get divided  Mountain ridges: awesome, they stay still and people don’t live along the tops of mountains.

 Borders that separate cultural features  Language groups  Religion  Ethnicity  Huge advantage: makes political units (countries) that have consistent cultural features. Much easier to govern.  Not as easy to create.

 Religious boundaries  Used in dividing Ireland and Pakistan/India  Language Boundaries  European countries set main boundaries based on language. Ex. France, Germany, and Italy.

 Religious boundaries  Used in dividing Ireland and Pakistan/India  Language Boundaries  European countries set main boundaries based on language. Ex. France, Germany, and Italy.

 Antecedent boundary —drawn before an area becomes populated.  Subsequent boundary —drawn after the cultural landscape has been developed.  Consequent boundary is a type of subsequent boundary that is drawn to accommodate differences within a state.  Subsequent superimposed boundaries — boundaries forced on a country by a conquering or colonizing power.

 1. Positional disputes: When states disagree about the interpretations of documents that define a boundary. Usually arise when the boundary is antecedent.  2. Territorial dispute: These arise when a boundary has been superimposed and divides a ethnic population.

 3. Resource disputes: Disagree to the resources and their use in boundary areas.  4. Functional disputes: arise when neighboring states disagree over policies applied to boundaries. Usually over the issue of land use or immigration.

 1. Unitary : Highly centralized governments, few internal cultural contrasts, strong sense of national identity, borders are cultural as well as political.  2. Federal : Associations with provinces or states and the states have strong regional govt. responsibilities. Capital city was created to serve as an administration center.  The trend is for countries to have a federal government.

 establishes the legal code  what kind of currency will be used  may have to join army  speak a common language  kind of religion that is taught in school

 Geopolitics is the study of economic, political, and military value of space to help predict and direct international relations.

 State resembles a biological organism.  To prolong its existence, a state needs nourishment.  Nourishment is provided by acquisition of territories.  If a state is confined with static boundaries, the state will die.  Territory is the state’s essential life-giving force.

  Founded the London School of Economics in 1895  In 1904 wrote “The Geographic Pivot of History”  Within this paper he discussed the Heartland theory.

 The Earth is divided into two sections  One section is called the “World Island” made up of Europe and Asia—Eurasia.  The other section is the periphery, comprised of the Americas and Oceania.  The “Heartland” was Ukraine, W. Russia, and Eastern Europe.

 The World Island had more resources and a larger population.  For the Periphery to conquer the W.I. the periphery would have to transport long distances by sea.  W.I. could locate industries deep inside for protection form invasion.

 Who controls E. Europe rules the Heartland.  Who rules the Heartland rules the World Island.  Who rules the World Island rules the World.

 Near the end of WW II the theory was modified by Nicholas Spykman.  He argues that the coastal areas of the heartland or the Rimland were more important.

 U.S. Foreign Policy decisions.  Containment and Domino Theory  Containment meant to “contain the spread of Communism”  The Domino Theory was that if one country fell to communism, soon after, the neighboring country would fall like a row of dominoes.

 Many analysts believe these theories no longer apply to the current world situation because of the following.  breakup of the USSR/end of the cold war  development of nuclear power  rise of Japan/China/W. Europe  decline of power of the U.S.

 Many political geographers believe it is not military power that will cause conflict and shape the world in the future but two other forms competition.  1. Economic rivalry— economic competition between the north (developed countries) and the south (undeveloped countries).  2. Competition between different civilizations. More importantly many believe the world will be shaped by eight major civilizations and the conflicts between them.

 Organization that brings together countries to promote world peace  Provides a forum where countries can discuss international and regional concerns.

 World Health Organization (WHO)  Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)  United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)

 Much of the UN budget is committed to assisting states with economic growth and development.  UN has NO authority of any countries military.  Most recently has taken a different approach to world affairs.

 Territorial Sea, 12nm (19km). Coastal states have sovereignty. Most vessels have the rights to innocent passage.  Contiguous zone, to 24nm (38km). Coastal states do not have complete sovereignty, but can enforce some laws and pursue out of territorial waters.

 Exclusive Economic zone (EEZ), up to 200nm (370km). State has rights to explore and exploit natural resources. Has rights to continental shelf up to 350nm beyond their coasts.  High Seas. Outside any one state’s jurisdiction. All minerals are the property of humankind.

 Located in Geneva, Switzerland  WTO is the only global international organization dealing with the rules of trade between nations.  Handles trade disputes between states  Goal of WTO is to cut tariffs and dismantle all barriers to trade.

 Also referred to as the common market.  The EU has rid Europe of trade barriers and allowed free movement of capital, goods, and people throughout member nations.  The EU has created a single European Market.

 NATO is an alliance of 26 countries from North America and Europe.  NATO treaty was signed on April 4,  NATO is a mutual defense agreement.

 The Warsaw Pact was a military organization of Central & Eastern European Communist countries.  It was established in 1955 in response to the formation of NATO.  The Warsaw Pact dissolved in 1991.