1. © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Chapter 8: Political Geography The Cultural Landscape: An Introduction to Human Geography

2. © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Where Are States Located? Problems of defining states –Almost all habitable land belongs to a country today In 1940, there were about 50 countries There are 192 countries (as evidenced by United Nations membership) in 2009 State (synonym for country)= sovereignty (self-rule and independence) –Some places are difficult to classify: Korea: One state or two? (technically 2 today) China & Taiwan: China says Taiwan part of China; U.S. supports both…conflict! Western Sahara (Sahrawi Republic) - Morocco Claims to polar regions – many!

3. © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. National Claims to Antarctica

4. © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. United Nations Members Figure 8-2

5. © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. United Nations Membership Through Time Figure 8-5

6. © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Where Are States Located? Varying sizes of states –State size varies considerably Largest state = Russia –11 percent of the world’s land area Smallest state = Monaco (.6 square miles) –Microstate = states with very small land areas »About two dozen microstates (many are islands or in Europe)

7. © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Dev. of the State Concept Development of the state concept= new idea! (prior to 1800s, had city-states, empires, & tribes) –Ancient & Medieval states (Middle East= origins) The Fertile Crescent (bet. Med. Sea & Persian Gulf) Also known as Mesopotamia, where city-state founded (sovereign state including town & surrounding area) Empire of Egypt; Roman Empire (biggest!) –Early European states (after fall of R. empire; kingdoms creates in England, France & Spain) –Colonies (legally tied to a sovereign state); vs. imperialism Three motives: “God, gold, and glory” Today = some remaining colonies (43!)

8. © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Colonial Possessions, 1914 Figure 8-8

9. © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Colonial Possessions, 2006 Figure 8-9

10. © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Why Do Boundaries Between States Cause Problems? Shapes of states –Five basic shapes Compact = efficient (Hungary, Switzerland) Elongated = potential isolation (Chile) Prorupted = access or disruption (Nambia) Perforated = South Africa (surrounds Lesotho) Fragmented = problematic (Indonesia) Landlocked states (can be both landlocked plus one of the above)

11. © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Shapes of States in Southern Africa Figure 8-10

12. © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Why Do Boundaries Between States Cause Problems? Types of boundaries (best ones= where all sides agree!) –Physical Desert boundaries (Sahara in N. Africa) Mountain boundaries (Chile & Argentina) Water boundaries (most common; lakes in Africa; Rio Grande between U.S. & Mexico); Law of the Sea=12 miles off the coast is boundary –Cultural Geometric boundaries (arbitrary; lat./long lines) Human features (language=France, Portugal, Germany; after WWI, Versailles conference=Eastern Europe divided, religion=India/Pakistan; Northern Island/Ireland, ethnicity= breakup of Czech/Slovakia); CYPRUS! Frontiers

13. © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Mountain Boundary Figure 8-12

14. © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Cultural Boundary (frontier= neutral area between countries) Figure 8-15

15. © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Why Do Boundaries Between States Cause Problems? Boundaries inside states –Unitary states (most power in the hands of the central govt.) Usually where there is strong national unity Example: France –Federal states (Strong power to units of local govt.) Particularly good for LARGE countries and/or countries with numerous ethnicities/nationalities Examples: Poland, United States, Russia, Belgium Globally, there is a trend toward federations

16. © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Why Do Boundaries Between States Cause Problems? Electoral geography –Boundaries within the United States are used to create legislative districts –In U.S., redrawn every 10 years after Census –Gerrymandering (process of redrawing legislative boundaries to benefit the party in power) Three types: wasted vote (spreads opposition supporters across many districts but in the minority), excess vote (concentrates opposition supporters into a few districts), and stacked vote (links distant areas of like-minded voters) Illegal (1985 U.S. Supreme Court decision) Makes elections competitive in only 1/10 districts

17. © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Gerrymandering Figure 8-18

18. © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Gerrymandering: Example Figure 8-19

19. © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Why Do States Cooperate with Each Other? Political and military cooperation –The United Nations (est. 1945) –Regional military alliances Balance of power Post–World War II: NATO or the Warsaw Pact –Other regional organizations OSEC (est. 1965) OAS (est. 1962) AU (est. 1963) The Commonwealth Economic cooperation (European Union; OPEC)

20. © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Economic and Military Alliances in Cold War Europe Figure 8-21

21. © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Why Has Terrorism Increased? Terrorism –Systematic use of violence to intimidate a population or to coerce a government From the Latin word meaning “to frighten” Use of bombing, kidnapping, hijacking, and murder to instill fear and anxiety in a population

22. © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Why Has Terrorism Increased? Terrorism by individuals and organizations Terrorism vs. Assassinations= Terrorism targets ordinary citizens vs. political leaders –American terrorists as well (operating alone or with handful of others) –September 11, 2001, attacks= Biggest –Al-Qaeda (not a single unified organization; smaller franchises like Jemaah Islamiyah in SE Asia) Jihad=holy war (1996 against U.S. b/c of support of Saudi Arabia and Israel) Started by Bin Laden in Afghanistan to fight Soviets in 1980s.

23. © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Aftermath of World Trade Center Attack Figure 8-23

24. © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Why Has Terrorism Increased? State support for terrorism –Three increasing levels of involvement 1) Providing sanctuary for terrorists 2) Supplying weapons, money, and intelligence to terrorists 3) Using terrorists to plan attacks

25. © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Why Has Terrorism Increased? State support for terrorism –Examples Libya: nightclub in Germany; Pan Am flight in Scotland (but no longer considered a state sponsor of terrorism in last 5+ years) Iraq: controversial; Hussein accused of making WMD but determined that the program stopped in 1991 Afghanistan: Taliban sheltered Bin Laden Iran: ongoing fighting w/Iraq; possible nuclear program; questionable harboring and support of Al Queda Pakistan: harboring Al Queda (Bin Laden)

26. © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Ethnic Groups in Southwest Asia Figure 8-25

27. © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Major Tribes in Iraq Figure 8-26

28. © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. The End. Up next: Development