1. Vocabulary
Fertile Crescent – area in the Middle East that formed an arc between the Persian Gulf and Mediterranean Sea that was the center for land and sea communication in ancient times
State – an area organized into political unit and ruled by an established government that has control over its internal foreign affairs
Microstates – states with very small land areas
City-states – a sovereign state that comprises a town and surrounding countryside
Colony – a territory that is legally tied to a sovereign state rather than being completely independent

2. Vocabulary
Colonialism – the effort by one country to establish settlements and to impose its political, economic, and cultural principals on such a territory.
Imperialism – control over a territory already occupied and organized by an indigenous society
Boundary – An invisible line marking the extent of a state’s territory
Enclave – an enclosed territory that is culturally distinct from the foreign territory that surrounds it
Exclave – a part of a country that is separated from the rest of the country and surrounded by foreign territory.

3. Bizarre Borders
Exclaves and Enclaves

4. Vocabulary Chapter 8
Antecedent boundary – A boundary line established before the area in question is well populated
Subsequent boundary – A boundary line that is established after the area in question has been settled and that considers the cultural characteristics of the bounded area.

5. Political Geography Key issue #1 Where are states located?
Problems of defining states
Development of the states
States are sovereign, managed by its own national govt., laws, army, and leaders
Country is a synonym for state
50 states of the US are subdivisions within a single state

6. Problems of defining states
Antarctica is the only large landmass that is not a part of a state
Korea
2 occupation zones after WWII (Soviet and US)
38th parallel; Korean War
Admitted to the UN as separate countries
China and Taiwan
Not a sovereign state but is a part of China
Nationalist vs. Communist
Most populous state not in the UN

7. Varying state sizes Largest – Russia 6.6 million sq. km.
11% of the world’s land mass
China and Canada– 3.6 million, US – 3.5 million
Microstates
Monaco; .6 sq. miles
Many are islands

8. Development of the State Concepts
Ancient Medieval States
Ancient states
Fertile Crescent pg. 266
City-states – Empires;
Mesopotamia – Sumerians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians
Egypt
Early European States
Collapse of The Roman Empire

11. Development of the State Concepts
Colonies
Colonialism: 3 reasons; 1. Promote Christianity 2. Provided resources that helped the economy of the European states 3. # of colonies indicate power of the state
God, Gold, and Glory
Britain was the largest – “The sun never sets” on their empire

12. Development of the State Concepts
Colonial practices
France – assimilate, local leaders based on French laws
Britain – indirect control
Remaining colonies
pg. 275
Dependencies
Mostly islands
Isolated
Small populations
Remnants of empires
Puerto Rico = most populous

13. Key Issue # 2 Why do boundaries cause problems?
Shapes of states
Types of boundaries
Boundaries inside states
Result of a combination of natural features (rivers, deserts, and mountains) and cultural features (language and religion)

14. State Shapes
The shape of a state controls the length of its boundaries with other states
Affects the potential for communication and conflict with neighbors
5 basic shapes – pg 280
Compact
Prorupted
Elongated
Fragmented
Perforated

15. Compact - efficient
Compact state- the distance from the center to any boundary does not vary significantly
Shape like a circle
Capital in the middle
Short boundaries
Benefit; good communication
Examples; Belgium, Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda
Does not mean peacefulness

16. Prorupted – access and distribution
Prorupted state – a compact state with a large projecting extension
2 reasons; 1. provide access to a resource, such as water 2. separate 2 states that would otherwise share a boundary
Examples; Namibia, Afghanistan

17. Elongated States – Potential isolation
Elongated states: states with a long narrow shape
Examples: Chile, Italy, Malawi, Gambia
Poor international communication
Isolated from the capital

18. Fragmented - Problematic
Fragmented state: includes several discontinuous pieces of territory
Exclave
All states that have offshore islands as part of their territory
2 kinds
Separated by water
Separated by an intervening state
Examples; Indonesia, Alaska, Angola, Russia, pg. 281
Hinders communication

19. Perforated States: South Africa
Perforated: a state that completely surrounds another one
Enclave
Example; South Africa and Lesotho
Must depend entirely on South Africa for imports and exports
trapped

20. Landlocked States
Landlocked state: lacks a direct outlet to the sea because it is completely surrounded by several other countries
Most common in Africa 16/54
Facilitates international trade

22. Chapter 8 Vocabulary
Frontier – a zone where no state exercises complete political control
Territorial limit – boundary that extends 3 nautical miles (3.5 land miles) from the shore into the ocean
Law of the Sea - standardized the territorial limits at 12 nautical miles.
Shatterbelt – an area or region that is conflicted between two powers

23. Chapter 8 Vocabulary
Unitary state – places most power in the hands of central government officials
Federal state – allocates strong power to units of local government within a country
Consequent Boundary - A boundary line that coincides with some cultural divide, such as religion or language.
Superimposed Boundary - A boundary line placed over and ignoring an existing cultural pattern

24. Frontiers vs. Boundaries
Boundary
tangible geographic area
Provides separation of an area
Uninhabited or sparsely settled
Agriculture and mining
Neutral zones
Today; Middle East and Antarctica
infinitely thin, invisible, imaginary line
Brings 2 neighboring states into direct contact
Taken over for frontiers
Physical and cultural

25. Types of Boundaries : Physical vs. Cultural
Physical Boundary
Mountain
Permanent, uninhabited, hard to pass
Desert
Hard to cross, uninhabited
Water
Somewhat unchanging, visible, in the middle of water, good for defense, boundaries in the sea
Law of the Sea: Standardized the territorial limits at 12 nautical miles
Exclusive rights to fish and other marine life within 200 miles

27. Cultural Boundaries Geometric boundaries Religious boundaries
Straight lines or arcs on a map (Canada and US)
Straight?
Religious boundaries
Pakistan and India, Northern and Southern Ireland
Language boundaries
Europe, Treaty of Versailles (language was the most important criteria when the redrew the boundaries)

28. Boarders around the world

29. Cyprus’s “Green Line” Boundary
3rd largest island in the Mediterranean;
Greeks and Turks – closer to Turkey but 78% Greek
1960 independence, Turks received a substantial part in government
1970 Greeks overturned the govt., nation of Turkey restored it
Lead to more disunity and forced migration within the island
Turks supply the Greek side with water and in return receive electricity
2004 UN approved Cyprus as a state and boarders were torn down

30. Unitary and Federal States
Transfer of some authority from the national government to local government units
Unitary State
Federal State
Works best in nation-states with few internal cultural differences and a strong sense on national unity
Smaller states more likely to adopt it
Requires communication
In reality multinational states use it to assert dominance over one group and spread their values (communist)
United States
Local governments possess more power to adopt their own laws
Multinational states use it to empower different nationalities
More suitable for large states because the capital may be remote

31. Gerrymandering
The process of redrawing boundaries for the purpose of benefiting the party in power Pg
284-85

32. Key issue # 3 Why do states cooperate with each other?
Political and military cooperation
Economic Cooperation

33. Political and Military Cooperation
United Nations
Supranational Organization
Vote to establish a peacekeeping force and request states to contribute military forces
Military alliances
Cold War & Superpowers
Balance of power: equal strength between opposing alliances
NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization): military alliance among 16 democratic states
Warsaw Pact: military agreement among Communist Eastern European countries to defend each other

34. Economic Cooperation
Most important elements of a state power are economic today
European Union – led by Germany
Free trade
Eliminated trade barriers
People can move freely throughout Europe and work in different countries
Euro as the common currency