1. Political Geography Intro

2. Physical vs. Political Borders in VA

3. Geopolitics
Study of human systems, which are constantly in a state of spatially organizing the land to fit the needs of humans

4. Geopolitics can answer….
Why are some areas more prone to war than others?
What are some countries larger than others?
Who determines the boundaries of a state?

5. Do you remember these? State An area with boundaries & sovereignty
Nation
A group of people with a common culture
Nation-state
Occurs when a state’s boundaries coincide with the cultural boundaries of a people

6. Struggle for Sovereignty among nations
Kurds
Want to establish a state called Kurdistan in portions of Turkey, Iran, & Iraq
Basques
Want to establish a state called Euskal Herria. Mostly located in northern Spain
Flemish
Want to create a state called Flanders. Mostly located in Belgium & feel different from the Walloon population of Belgium
Zulu
Want to create a state called KwaNdebele in South Africa. During Apartheid they were forced to a low status in S.A.
Hmong
Most live in Laos or in refugee camps in Thailand. Many have moved to the United States following the Vietnam war.
Palestinians
What can you tell me?

7. Boundaries
Three factors that have created the boundaries of states we see today:
1. Latitude & Longitude lines
2. Natural Features
3. Cultural Factors (Language, Religion, Ethnicity)

8. Geometric Boundaries Created from latitude & longitude lines
Easy to spot on map because of straight lines that make up the borders of a state

9. Geometric Boundaries
Antecedent- A Boundary that was put into place before people moved there; so settlement ends up following the boundary
If you wanted to be Canadian you moved to the other side of the 49th parallel, if you wanted to be American you stayed on that side

10. Physical Boundaries
Can include rivers, lakes, mountains, deserts, peninsulas, etc.
Problems??
If boundaries follow rivers projects such as bridges require the cooperation of two different governments
Or rivers often change (erosion) so the boundaries may also change

11. Cultural Boundaries (Ethnographic)
Boundaries determined by language, religion or ethnicity
Hardest to establish and enforce because lines between cultures can be ambiguous & fluid

12. Compare these maps of Africa…

13. Colonialism in Africa & Boundaries
Conference of Berlin (1884)
14 European countries met to divide the continent of Africa into countries
Instead of drawing boundaries according to ethnicity they made their own boundaries that didn’t fit the cultures
Ethnic groups who had been in conflict for centuries were now supposed to live together
**Superimposed Boundary

14. Different Types of Boundary Disputes
Ethnic Conflicts
Hutus & Tutsis
Religious Conflicts
Sunni & Shiite Muslims
India (Hindus) v. Pakistan (Muslims)

15. 4 Types of Boundary Disputes
1. Location 2. Operational 3. Allocation 4. Definitional SPELLS LOAD!!!

16. Location Boundary Dispute
Arise when the border is not questioned but the interpretation of the border is
Mississippi River shifts & the original intention of the boundary is called into question

17. Operational Boundary Dispute
Occur when two countries next to each other disagree on a major issue involving the border
US & Mexico disagree over illegal immigration
Both sides agree on where the border is but cannot agree on how to handle border crossing

18. Allocation Boundary Disputes
Question use of border in relation to a type of natural resource
When an aquifer extends across a boundary, who has the dominant right of the water?

19. Definitional Boundary Dispute
Arise from the legal language of the treaty’s definition of a boundary
Usually one country sues another country in the International Court of Justice

20. Solving Boundary Disputes
United Nations Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)
1. Foreign Nations couldn’t have their military or other ships travel within 12 miles of the coast of another country
2. Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs)- Countries have the right to explore for resources 200 miles off their shores

21. Solving Boundary Disputes
Median-line principle- a line is drawn in the water equidistant from each competing party
Caspian Sea- Iran feels Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan & Kazakhstan have an unfair advantage to resources

22. Power of Place #2