EQ 8.1: How is space politically
organized into states and nations?
• Political geography is
the study of the political
organization of the
world.
• Three major terms:
– State
– Territory
– Nation
STATE
• STATE:
–
–
–
–
Permanent pop
Defined territory
Organized gov’t
Recognized by other
states
• Can be called a
“country”
United States of America…
• …are not really 50 “states”
• are 50 regional gov’ts ALL part of ONE big
state
How many states are there?
• 1940=50 (why so few??)
• 2014=206 states recognized by UN
– In terms of sovereignty, 190 of those are
undisputed
What is Sovereignty?
• Sovereignty= having the last and ultimate
say over a territory politically and militarily
(legal claim).
– If a state is sovereign, they have control over
themselves.
• They also have the right to protect
themselves from outside invaders:
territorial integrity.
Potential Problems
• Political organizations are trying to
accommodate various groups of people of
different backgrounds (religious, language,
identity).
• Territoriality: according to Robert Sack is
“an attempt by an individual or group to
affect or control…a geographic area.”
Problem: Antarctica
• Antarctica= NOT SOVEREIGN
– Largest landmass NOT part of a state
– Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, New Zealand,
Norway, and the U.K. claim portions of Antarctica
– The U.S. and Russia do not recognize any of those
claims
– Antarctic Treaty: signed by states whose scientists
are active in and around Antarctica
Problem: Korea
• After WWII - two occupation zones but one
country
• 1950 – Northern Korea (communist) invaded
Southern Korea (capitalist)
– 38th parallel established as division, creating separate
countries
• Both have been admitted to the U.N. as separate
countries
• Desire to reconcile, BUT gov’t and nukes keep
apart
North and South Korea
Nighttime satellite image shows the contrasting amounts of
electric lighting in South Korea compared to North Korea.
China vs Taiwan
• Chinese Civil War in the 1940's
– Nationalists lose, flee to Taiwan in 1949
– Communists run China
• According to China, Taiwan is not a separate,
sovereign state (“One China Policy) BUT
– China=People’s Republic of China
– Taiwan=Republic of China
– In eyes of UN…unclear…
• Most other countries recognize Taiwan as
separate
– Competes in Olympics as “Chinese Taipei”
Size of States
• Some states are enormous: Russia (6.6M sqM)
• Some are big: China, Canada, U.S., Brazil & Australia
– China & Canada~3.6M sqM, U.S.~3.5M, Brazil~3.3M
• Dozens of microstates: tiny land area
– Many islands
– Monaco=smallest (.6sqM)
History: Development of States
• Ancient States: Mesopotamia
– City-states: a sovereign state that comprises a
town and the surrounding countryside
– Walls define the city, and the city would control
the agricultural land surrounding it
Development: Early Euro States
• Estab by Roman Empire
• Estates owned by competing kings, dukes,
barons, and other nobles
• 1100: a few rulers of large estates gained
power over large numbers of estates. This
formed the basis for the development of
England, France, and Spain
The Modern State Idea
• The idea of a state that is tied to a
particular territory with defined boundaries
(Peace of Westphalia, 1648)
• The idea came out of European influence
and diffused through:
– mercantilism
– colonialism
Colonialism
• Colony: a territory that is legally tied to a
sovereign state rather than being completely
independent
• Colonialism: the effort by one country to
establish settlements and to impose political,
economic, and cultural principles
• 3 motives for colonialism: God, gold, and glory
• Much of Africa/Asia held as colonies 1800send of WWII
Colonial Possessions, 2006
Fig. 8-5: Most of the remaining colonies are small islands in the Pacific or Caribbean.
Nations
• NATION: a culturally
defined group of people
with a shared past and a
common future who
relate to a territory and
have political goals.
• People construct nations to
make sense of themselves
(sense of place).
• Nations are “imagined
communities”
-Benedict Anderson
• imagined = you will
never meet all the
people in your nation
• community = you see
yourself as part of it
• Ways we identify
ourselves at a broader
scale
Nation-States
• NATION-STATE: a politically organized area
in which nation and state occupy the same
space. (LAND + PEOPLE)
– There are very few nation-states (Denmark,
Japan)
– Create stability because there is little to no
cultural clashes.
– Gives each nation/people the right to express
sovereignty (ideal democracy)
Multinational
State –
A state with more
than one nation.
The Former Yugoslavia
Multistate Nation –
A nation with more than one state.
Transylvania – homeland for both Romanians and Hungarians.
Stateless Nation –
a nation without a state
The Capitalist World Economy
• States may be independent, BUT the global
economy is interdependent
– Impacted by colonialism: many states became
independent legally, but they were still ecn
dependent on others
– How does each country fit into the global picture?
Immanuel Wallerstein’s World-Systems Theory:
1. The world economy has one market and a
global division of labor.
2. Although the world has multiple states,
almost everything takes place within the
context of the world economy.
3. The world economy has a three-tier
structure.
Construction of the World Economy
• Colonialism and Mercantilism
– brought the world into the world economy, setting
up an interdependent global economy.
• Capitalism – people, corporations, and states produce
goods and services and exchange them in the world market,
with the goal of achieving profit.
– Commodification
– Diffusion
World Economy as a Three Tier Structure (3)
Core (MDCs)
Periphery (LDCs)
Processes that incorporate higher
levels of education, higher salaries,
and more technology
* Generate more wealth in the world
economy
Processes that incorporate lower
levels of education, lower salaries,
and less technology
* Generate less wealth in the world
economy
Semi-periphery (LDCs)
Places where core and periphery
processes are both occurring.
Places that are exploited by the
core but then exploit the
periphery.
* Serves as a buffer between core and
periphery