Political and Economic Systems

 Four Characteristics - clearly defined territory - population - sovereignty - government

 Includes… - land - water - natural resources *(all within the countries boundaries)

 What can unequal distribution of natural resources lead to?

 Defining boundaries - natural divisions (rivers, mountains) - wars/conquests - international treaties/agreements -geographic factors

 Countries vary in both size and the makeup of their populations - some countries have large amounts of land that are unpopulated, - while others can have very small amounts of land and be overcrowded. - some countries contain a wide diversity of people and cultures, - while others do not.

 What does it mean to be a ‘sovereign’ country?  How can a country defend/maintain its sovereignty?  What can weaken a country’s ability to defend/maintain its sovereignty?

 Classifying Governments - country - smaller unit (states, provinces, republics) *base the relationship between smaller units and the central government.

 Unitary System  Federation  Confederation

 Authoritarian  Dictatorship  Totalitarianism  Monarchy  Democracy

 Traditional Economy  Market Economy  Command Economy  Mixed Economy *Draw diagram for traditional, market, command