Unit IV:
Political Organization
of Space
AP HUMAN GEOGRAPHY
COPELAND
I. Political Geography
The study of the organization and distribution of political phenomena
Territory
The effort to control territory is a
central motivate of humans
The territory of the world is almost
completely divided into national units
◦ Antarctica debated (1959 Treaty of Antarctica)
Territoriality
Territoriality is a key component of modern political culture.
As defined by geographer, Robert Sack, territoriality is “the
attempt by an individual or group to affect, influence, or
control people, phenomena or relationships, by delimiting
and asserting control over a geographic area.”
Territorial Integrity –
a government has the right to keep the borders and
territory of a state in tact and free from attack.
State
1.an independent political unit
occupying a defined territory
2. permanently populated territory
3. full sovereignty (independence to
control internal affairs)
4. must be recognized by other states
World States
189, 191, 192, 193, 194, 195 or 196 states in the world today (only 50 in the 1940s)
193 recognized by the United Nations as of 2011. United States recognizes 194
(Kosovo)
Number depends on who you ask…
◦ Newest state-South Sudan
Issues defining states
Political differences can cause some territories to not be recognized as
independent.
Examples:
◦ Korea (2 states, one nationality)
◦ China and Taiwan-2 states?
◦ China claims Taiwan and the U.S. agrees, even though Taiwan has its
own gov’t and its own currency
◦ Western Sahara
(currently part of Morocco)
◦ Greenland (Denmark)
◦ Greenland controls internal affairs, Denmark controls foreign affairs
◦ Greenland is referred to as a “constituent state”
Nation
A group of people with a common culture
occupying a particular territory, bound together
by a strong sense of unity arising from shared
beliefs and customs
• 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
The nations we perceive as “natural” and “always existing” are
relatively recent phenomena.
In 1648, Europe was divided into dozens of small territories.
The Nation-State
A state whose territorial extent coincides with that occupied by a
distinct nation or people
An entity whose members feel a natural connection by sharing
language, religion, or some other cultural trait
Examples of possible Nation-States: Iceland, Portugal, Poland, Japan
*There are no true, pure nation-states in the world today
Stateless Nation
Nations that do not possess a national territory even with a larger
multinational state
◦ Palestine, Kurds
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.
Vlad the Impaler, leader of Wallachia/Transylvania
II. Spatial Characteristics of
States
Largest Size
◦Russia 17.1 million square kilometers
◦Others: China,
Canada,
United States,
and Australia
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.
of the Congo
Namibia
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 (Lesotho-encapsulated state)
Coast lines can be a major advantage
-Singapore (224 sq miles) is located at a crossroads of shipping and trade
III. The Modern State Idea
The idea of a state that is tied to a particular territory with defined
boundaries came out of Europe and diffused outward from there.
◦ A change from society defining territory to territory defining society.
◦ Modern States evolved in the late 1600s.
Rise of the Modern State
1.
The European model
a) The Norman invasion of 1066 produced a whole new political
order
b) On the European continent, the strength of some rulers
produced national cohesiveness in more stable domains
c) Economic revival and so called Dark Ages were over
d) Treaties signed at the end of the Thirty Years' War contained
fundamentals of statehood and nationhood
- Peace at Westphalia
e) Western Europe’s strong monarchies began to represent
something more than authority
Rise of the Modern State
Mercantilism
a) promotion of commercialism and trade with other states
b) City-based merchants, not the nobility, gained wealth
c) As money and influence were concentrated in the cities, land as a measure
of affluence began to lose its relevance
European Colonialism
and the Modern State
Colonialism
◦ a physical action in which one state takes over control of
another, taking over the government and ruling the
territory as its own.
Why?
◦Organized political states forming
◦Wealth from mercantilism to expand
◦Gained more wealth, territory, and power
through colonialism
Diffusion of the Nation-State Model
European Colonization influenced
◦ State model
◦ the European model became the international
model
◦ Economic structure
◦ colonies and colonizers became interdependent
in a capitalist world economy
Two Waves of European Colonialism:
1500 - 1825
1825 - 1975
Dominant Colonial Influences, 1550-1950
This map shows the dominant influence, as some places
were colonized by more than one power in this time period.
What happened to state
size?
Two Waves of Decolonization
First wave – focused on decolonization of the Americas
Second wave – focused on decolonization of Africa and Asia
Construction of the World Economy
Capitalism – people, corporations, and states produce goods and
services and exchange them in the world market, with the goal of
achieving profit.
Commodification – the process of placing a price on a good and then
buying, selling, and trading the good.
Colonialism – brought the world into the world economy, setting up
an interdependent global economy.
The Capitalist World-Economy
The World-Economy
is more than the
sum of its parts. It is
composed of “dots”
but we must also
understand the
“whole.”
Sunday on La Grande Jatte by Georges Pierre Seurat
Immanuel Wallerstein’s World-Systems Theory:
1.
2.
3.
The world economy has one market and a global division of labor.
Although the world has multiple states, almost everything takes place within the
context of the world economy.
The world economy has a three-tier structure.
Three Tier Structure
Core
Periphery
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
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
Core
Most states have assumed their current
shape following centuries of growth
Examples: North America, Western
Europe, Japan, Australia
Periphery
The benefits of the core area thin the
farther you move outward
Any resource benefits of the periphery are
typically shipped backed to the core
Examples: Africa (except South Africa), SE
Asia, Western South America
Semi-Periphery
Exploited by the core, and exploit the
periphery
Examples: Mexico, Brazil, Russia,
Eastern Europe, China, India
IV. Boundaries
Vertical lines that establish the limit of
each state’s jurisdiction and authority
Claims and boundaries are 3
dimensional
◦Subsoil Resource disputes
◦Airspace extends into airline traffic
(satellites next?)
The Evolution of Boundaries
Definition: the official establishment or documentation of a boundary
◦ Treaty
◦ Legal document
◦ Example: 2000 Macedonia-Serbia and Montenegro delimitation agreement
The Evolution of Boundaries
Delimitation: placing of the boundary on a map
The Evolution of Boundaries
Demarcation: marking of the boundary by some method on the ground
Boundary Types
Natural (physical): based on
recognizable physiographic features
◦Mountains, rivers, and lakes
◦Can cause disputes
Boundary Types
Law of the Sea-158 countries
A. Territory
◦ 12 Nautical miles (14 land mi)
B. Contiguous Zone
◦ 12 Nautical miles
C. Exclusive Economic Zone
◦ 200 Nautical Miles
Boundary Types
Geometric (Artificial): follows parallels
of latitude and meridians of longitude
◦49th parallel United States & Canada
◦Africa, Asia, Americas
Boundary Types
Cultural/Religious: separate groups by a
common cultural trait
◦India and Pakistan
Boundary Origins
Antecedent: border drawn before it
was well populated
◦United States & Canada
Boundary Origins
Subsequent: border drawn after the
development of the cultural landscape
◦2 types:
◦ Consequent
◦ Superimposed
Boundary Origins
Consequent (ethnographic): border drawn to accommodate existing
religious, linguistic, or ethnic differences
◦N. Ireland and Ireland
Boundary Origins
Subsequent Superimposed
Boundaries: forced on an existing
cultural landscape, country, or people
by a conquering colonial power
◦Unconcerned about preexisting cultural
patterns
◦Great Britain = India/Pakistan
Boundary Origins
Relict/relic Boundary: former boundary
that no longer functions
◦Differences on each side of the border are
still evident
Ex. Berlin Wall
Boundary
Disputes
Definitional/Positional Boundary
Disputes
Focus on the legal language of the
boundary agreement
A boundary agreement may base a
boundary on a landmark that has moved
or no longer visible
Ex. Argentina and Chile
Locational Boundary Disputes
The delimitation and possible demarcation of the border is in dispute.
How should the border be interpreted?
Operational/Functional Disputes
Neighboring states disagree over policies to be applied along a
boundary
Ex. Immigration into the U.S. from Mexico
Allocation/Resource Disputes
Neighboring states can argue about the
distribution of resources
Ex.
•Iraq v. Kuwait (oil)
•Georgia vs. AL & FL
(Chattahoochee River)
•Georgia vs. Tennessee
Territorial Disputes
A subsequent boundary divides an
ethnically homogenous group
Irredentism- irredentism tries to justify its territorial claims
on the basis of (real or imagined) historic or ethnic affiliations. It is often
advocated by nationalist movements and has been a feature of political
geography.vocating annexation of territories administered by another
state on the grounds of common ethnicity or prior historical possession
Ex. Kashmir (India vs. Pakistan and China)
Capitals
Typically are centrally located to allow
for equal access
Many capitals have become distant to
many areas due to growth: Washington
D.C.
Some capitals have been relocated to
make them more accessible
Capitals
Usually located in the core area and
frequently the focus of it
Capital cities are also frequently the
largest or the Primate City (usually
associated with lesser-developed
countries)
Primate City: dominates the economic
structure of the entire country
Forward-Thrust Capital City
Deliberately sited in a state’s interior
Brazil relocated its capital from Rio de
Janeiro to a new city called Brasilia
Nigeria – Abuja
Kazakhstan – Astana
Brasilia
Brasilia
Brasilia
Nigeria - Abuja
Nigeria - Abuja
Kazakhstan – Astana
Kazakhstan – Astana (new)
Almaty (old)
V. Geopolitics
Considers the strategic value of land and sea area in the context of
national economic and military power and ambitions
◦ power relationships: past, present, and future
Ambitious Historical Movements in Geopolitics
Manifest Destiny-1840’s-U.S. wanted to control entire Western
Hemisphere, make countries democratic
Monroe Doctrine-1820’s-no more colonies for European states in the
Western Hemisphere
“Greater East-Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere”-cultural and economic unity of
Asians and Oceanians (Free of Western Powers and Influence)
Geopolitics – German School
Ratzel’s Organic Theory
a) Held that a state which is an aggregate of
organisms would itself function and behave as an
organism
b) Nourishment of organism provided by acquisition
of territories and people
c) Territory is essential to life.
d) Nazi expansion policies based on some of Ratzel’s
ideas.
Geopolitics – British/American School
Sir Halford Mackinder Heartland Theory
a) Believed a land-based power, not a sea power, would ultimately rule the
world
b) Pivot area extended from Eastern Europe to eastern Siberia
Mackinder – Heartland Theory
•The Heartland is impenetrable
•Resource rich
•Provided a base for world conquest
Mackinder – Heartland Theory
◦“Who rules East Europe commands the
Heartland”
◦“Who rules the Heartland commands the
World Island”
◦“Who rules the World Island commands
the World”
Geopolitics
Nicholas Spykman - Rimland Theory
Critic of Mackinder
Argued that the Eurasian rim, not its
heart, held the key to global power
Spykman-Rimland
Fragmented zone
Divided rimland key to balance of world
power
Dense population, abundant resources,
controlling access to both the sea and
the interior
Spykman-Rimland
“Who controls the Rimland controls
Eurasia”
“Who rules Eurasia controls the destiny
of the world”
Geopolitical Developments in a Bipolar
World
Post WWII – Heartland =
U.S.S.R
• U.S. practiced Containment
• Confining the U.S.S.R by means of
alliances with Rimland
NATO
• Military intervention
CENTO
• Domino Theory
SEATO
Geopolitics Today
Current world events have rendered older geopolitical ideas obsolete
oEnd of the Cold War, Nuclear Technology
oJapan, China, Western Europe becoming world powers
Unilateralism – Is United States dominance over? “Have we gone soft?”
U.S. Foreign Policy
Strategies/Principles
1.
Isolationism-state tends to domestic affairs only
2.
Realism-take active role in international affairs; high
profile procurement/proliferation
3.
Neo-isolationism-keep foreign involvement to a
minimum (only when necessary)
4.
Idealism-foreign involvement for good of all
countries
***What is your current foreign policy for STATE?
VI. How do States
Spatially Organize
their Governments?
Internal Structure
1.
a)
The needs of a well-functioning state
Clearly bounded territory served by an adequate infrastructure
b)
Effective administrative framework, a productive core area, and
a prominent capital
2.
All states confront divisive forces
Forms of Government
These two forms promote nation-building and attempt to quell division
within…
Unitary – highly centralized government where the capital city serves as
a focus of power.
◦ Examples-monarchies, autocracies, theocracies, parliamentary, communist,
dictatorships
◦ Unitary governments can still be democratic as well.
Federal – a government where the state is organized into territories
(sub-states), which have control over some government policies and
funds.
◦ Examples-democracies or any country with sub-states (ie. U.S., Canada,
Mexico and Germany)
Unitary and Federal Systems
1.Early European nation-states were
unitary states:
a)Governments were highly centralized
and powerful
b)Capital cities represented authority
that stretched to the limits of the state
Unitary and Federal Systems
2.
The federal state arose in the New World
a)
Newness of the culture, and emergence of regionalism due to the vast
size of territories
b)
Conditions did not lend themselves to unitary systems of government
c)
Absence of an old primate city
d)
Lack of a clear core area and the vastness of national territory
Nigeria’s Federal Government –
Allows states within the state to determine
whether to have Shari’a Laws
Shari’a Law-
Legal systems based on
traditional Islamic laws
The U.S. Federal Government –
Allows states (sub-states) within the state to determine “moral”
laws such as death penalty, access to alcohol, concealed weapons
and now drug use?
Minnesota’s concealed weapons law
requires the posting of signs such as this buildings
.
that do not allow concealed weapons
Legalization of Marijuana in Colorado in 2012, despite marijuana
use and distribution being a Schedule 1 drug under CSA.
Big vs. Small and Government
Systems
Usually bigger states (ie. U.S., Canada, Mexico, Germany) have federal
systems
Usually smaller states (ie. Cuba, Djibouti, Israel, Peru) have unitary
systems
Forces of
Fragmentation and
Cohesion:
Centripetal and
Centrifugal Forces
Centripetal Forces
Promoting State Cohesion
Nationalism
Unifying Institutions
Organization and Administration
Transportation and Communication
Supranationalism
Centrifugal Forces
Challenges to State Authority
Less Nationalism
Devolution, Regionalism
Peripheral Location
Social and Economic Inequality
Devolution –
Movement of power from the central government
to regional governments within the state.
What causes devolutionary movements?
Ex.
Ethnocultural forces
Economic forces
Spatial forces
Ethnocultural Devolutionary Movements
Eastern Europe
devolutionary forces since the fall of
communism
Ex. Czechoslovakia and
Yugoslavia
Economic
Devolutionary
Movements
Catalonia, Spain
Barcelona, located in Catalonia, is the
center of banking and commerce in Spain
and the region is much wealthier than the
rest of Spain. It produces 25% of Spanish
exports and 40% of its industrial exports.
Spatial
Devolutionary
Movements
Honolulu, Hawai’i
A history apart from the
United States, and a desire
to live apart in order to
keep traditions alive.
Supranational Organizations
A separate entity composed of three or more states that forge an
association and form an administrative structure for mutual benefit in
pursuit of shared goals.
* How many supranational organizations
exist in the world today?
At least 60
United Nations
Background: League of Nations – 1919, idea of Woodrow Wilson but,
due to isolationist Americans, U.S. never joined. League collapsed prior
to WWII (Italian invasion of Ethiopia). Prior to WWII, states created the
Permanent Court of International Justice. After WWII, states formed
the United Nations…
Basics of the UN:
◦ Cooperate with internationally approved standards
◦ 192 members
◦ Aid: refugees, poverty, troops in peacekeeping
operations, human rights
Global Scale – The United Nations
Regional Scale - Europe
Benelux, 1944: Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg
Marshall Plan, 1948-’52: US aid to Western European
Countries
Organization of European Economic Cooperation, 1952 (OEEC)
to
European Economic Community (EEC)
to
European Community (EC)
to
European Union, 1992 (EU)
Regional Scale - Europe
European Union: domestic, military, and certain sovereign policies that
govern all members
◦ 12 European Community (EC) members established the EU – 1992
◦ Euro introduced in 2002
◦ Problems facing the EU?
◦ Bailouts to member countries
◦ Subsidies
◦ Germany bailouts
◦ What to do with Turkey? Russia?
Original Members: Germany, France, UK, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Greece, Netherlands,
Belgium, Luxemburg, Denmark and Ireland
Regional Scale – The European Union
(28 Current Members, Newest-Croatia)
Supranationalism Elsewhere…
NAFTA, LELA…
-Treaties to reduce tariffs and facilitate trade
***None like the European Union