Largest Size – Russia 17.1 million square kilometers – Others: China, Canada, U.S. and Australia II. Spatial Characteristics of States

Spatial Characteristics of States Smallest Size – City-state: sovereign state compromised entirely of a city and it’s countryside Singapore, Monaco, San Marino – Microstates: very small land areas Smallest: Monaco -1.5 square kilometers Singapore, Andorra, and Bahrain

Spatial Characteristics of States 5 basic shapes – Compact – Prorupt – Elongated – Fragmented – Perforated

Shape – Compact Compact Most efficient form is a circle with a capital in the center Compact size Uruguay, Zimbabwe, Poland Advantages?

Examples of Compact States Poland Zimbabwe

Shape - Prorupt Nearly compact but posses one or more narrow extensions of territory Proruptions can be natural or artificial isolate a portion of a state-Ex. Democratic Republic of the Congo, Namibia

Examples of Prorupted States Democratic Rep.Namibia of the Congo

Shape - Elongated Long and Narrow Distance from the capital is greater A large amount of diversity of climate, resources, and people National cohesion difficult Norway, Vietnam, Chile, Italy, Malawi

Examples of Elongated States Vietnam Chile Norway

Shape - Fragmented Countries composed entirely of islands (Philippines, Indonesia) Two Types: – Separated by water (Indonesia) – Separated by an intervening state (India, Russia) Weakness centralized control

Examples of Fragmented States Philippines Indonesia

Shape - Perforated State that completely surrounds another one Example: South Africa – Surrounds Lesotho Completely dependent on South Africa for imports and exports

Examples of Perforated States South Africa Italy

Relative Location Size and shape are affected by a state’s absolute and relative location Canada & Russia are large, yet their absolute northern location reduces the agricultural productivity of the land Iceland has a compact shape but its location near the arctic makes much of its land barren

Relative Location Landlocked countries are at a major developmental disadvantage – Many in Africa due to remnants of colonialism – Must arrange to use another country’s sea port Coast lines can be a major advantage -Singapore (224 sq miles) is located at a crossroads of shipping and trade