Vocab Term Example Important person Terms from before Terms that will be explained later
I.
General Notes
A.
Political Geography – study of political organization in the world
1.
State – legal term, must have these criteria
(1)
Permanent population
(2)
Defined territory
(3)
Government/Politically organized
(4)
Recognized as a state by others
2.
Territory – European idea, system of political units with fixed, distinct boundaries
and some type of gov’m
a)
Demarcating, defining, ruler rights of a territory is a relatively new thing.
b)
Territoriality – to assert control over an area to influence them + create
territory
(1)
Sovereignty – right of the people to control a piece of land politically +
militarily
3.
Wealthy middle class caused undoing of absolutism in Europe. Power became moar
important, because the middle class now wanted the power of the gov’m
4.
Nation – group of people who think of themselves as one based on history, ethnicity,
language, or religion
a)
Rarely follows borders
5.
Nation-State – area in which nation + state occupy same space
a)
Really only with the monolingual states of DJ PUPIL + Korea this time; they have
cultural homogeneity
b)
Goal of nation-state goes back to promoted democracy, where people are the
ultimate sovereign, hence French Revolution and Power2thePeople
c)
Formation of nation-states led to nationalism – sense of loyalty to the state
(1)
In exchange for this, the state will take care of you with
(a)
Education, healthcare, military
(2)
This is the connection b/w people + state
6.
Almost all states are multinational states – moar than one nation in the state
a)
U.S, Yugoslavia, like everything else on the world
7.
Multistate nation – nation stretches across multiple states + borders
a)
Kurds, Transylvania b/w Hungary + Romania
b)
When multiple states/nations claim the same piece of territory, there is serious
potential for conflict
8.
Stateless nation – nations with no state, but they want one
a)
Palestinians – 4.9 mil +
b)
Kurds (biggest) – 25-30 mil, Kurdistan
(1)
Capitals in Iraq and Turkey
9.
Wallerstein – world-systems theory
(1)
One economy, one labour market in the world
(2)
Almost everything takes place within context of world economy
(3)
Three-tier structure of world economy
b)
Essentially this means no country is on its own
c)
Capitalism – exchange of goods + services for profit
(1)
Commodification is useful here, ex. bottled water
d)
Three-tier structure
(1)
Core – Developed, high education, salaries; wealth in N.A, West Europe,
Australia, Japan
(2)
Periphery – Lesser Developed, low levels of education, salaries; support the
core w/ cheap labor + market for industrial products, Sub-Saharan Africa
(3)
Semiperiphery – Developing, both core + periphery happen, Brazil
e)
Problems
(1)
Too much focus on economy? How do states move?
10.
2 waves of colonialism
11.
12.
B.
(1)
1st wave – let’s extract goods and sell slaves!
(2)
2nd wave – let’s find really cheap labour cuz it’s the Industrial Revolution and
we need our dope boxers!
b)
All colony roads led to the major/port city
c)
Most colonies were export oriented
Not all core countries were once colonial powers
a)
Switzerland, Singapore, Australia
(1)
Got power thru connections w/ wealthy areas, used that to their advantage
Just know that money=power
(1)
U.S, China
b)
Usually this happens because of colonialism
Organization
1.
Centripetal forces – unite; centrifugal divide
a)
To promote centripetal forces + unity
(1)
Nationalism, transportation + communication, represented minorities,
charismatic leadership, real/perceived external threat, good circulation (movement
of people + ideas)
b)
To promote centrifugal forces + division
(1)
Minority challenges against the norm
(2)
No organization/ gov’m
(3)
Tribalism (Sub-Saharan Africa) – people pledge allegiance to tribes rather
than the state
2.
Unitary gov’m – highly centralized, capital city focus of power
a)
Capital city represents the entire state
3.
Federal gov’m – state is split into regions having much more control over gov’m
policies
4.
Devolution – movement of power from central to regional gov’ms in the state. Often
on the margin of states, and usually seen as bad.
a)
Ethnocultural devolutionary forces
(1)
Nations in a state that are ethnically/religiously/religiously distinct; define
themselves as distinct
(a)
Czechoslovakia – like super peaceful, mature adult couple, Czechs +
Slovakia divided no biggie; Velvet Divorce
(b)
Sri Lanka – Buddhist Sinhalese suppress Hindu Tamils
(c)
China extends rights to minorities, like letting them have two kids.
Seen in the Tibetans.
(d)
Scotland has its own parliament in the UK
b)
Economic devolutionary forces
(1)
Catalonia does way more for Spain than Spain does for it money wise w/
exports and stuff
(2)
The people above the Ancona Line in Italy are richer than those below it and
feel they do “more” and want to create a state called Padania on the Po River
c)
Territorial devolutionary forces
(1)
Distance, remoteness, marginal location
(2)
Regions that are more likely to seek devolution are far from the national
capital
(a)
East Timor + Indonesia
5.
Electoral Geography – Study of districts + voting patterns
a)
Electoral geographers have most influence in drawing districts
b)
US has territorial representation – each unit gets 2 reps for Senate, reps for the
House depends on the territory’s population
c)
Reapportionment – districts moved according to population shifts so that each
district has ~same number of people
d)
Majority-minority districts – majority of the population is from the minority
(1)
Helps minorities get a vote, causes centripetal forces
e)
Gerrymandering – redistricting for the advantage of a person or group.
Moar likely for conflict
Moar nit-picky
C.
Boundaries
(1)
Illegal as hell, though that comparison doesn’t make sense. But eh.
1.
Boundary – vertical place cutting thru subsoil + airspace
a)
States define a boundary with actual coordinates – where it is
b)
Cartographers delimit it by drawing it on a map
c)
States may demarcate it by marking it on the ground – show
2.
Geometric boundary – drawn w/ un grid – straight line
a)
Every state in the US has at least a bit of this
b)
Canada + US, North + South Korea
3.
Physical-political (natural-political) boundaries – boundaries w/ a feature in the
natural landscape
a)
Rio Grande, Pyrenees
4.
Definitional (Positional) boundary dispute – one on the legal language of the treaty;
it’s grammar ‘n’ stuff
5.
Locational boundary dispute – problems with interpretations about how to
delimit/demarcate le boundary – how will we draw or mark it?
a)
Saudi Arabia + Yemen
6.
Operational boundary dispute – disagreement about how the boundary will function
a)
US + Mexico immigration
b)
Nomadic life/movement of people + livestock
7.
Allocational boundary dispute – disputes over resources on the boundary
a)
Usually the most common
b)
Germany/Netherlands (natural gas), Iraq/Kuwait (oil, led to Gulf War)
c)
Water supplies are becoming moar debated too
D.
Law of the Sea
E.
World Geopolitics
1.
UN – United Nations
a)
Help w/ internal conflicts, monitor elections, care for refugees
b)
Only get as much power as members give it
2.
UNPO – Unrepresented Nations + Peoples Organization
a)
Mediator, help out but don’t actually do much
b)
Armenia, Estonia, Latvia, Georgia are former members
3.
High Seas – open seas, no claim, jurisdiction of the UN
4.
Territorial Seas – belong to a country
a)
Economic motives were the reason for getting bigger territorial seas
5.
UN Convention on the Law of the Sea
a)
Crowning achievement by the UN, signed by 157 states
b)
UNCLOS III was great, did:
(1)
Territorial Sea – states could delimit seas up to 12 mi
(a)
State sovereignty extends, but other states can go through
(2)
Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) – state’s economic right to 200 miles from
shore, unless the continental shelf goes farther than that, in which case it’s 350
(3)
At first the US didn’t sign this because usage of mineral resources in the high
seas was based on the discretion of the US
(a)
This was to let states w/o coasts get stuff too
(b)
US didn’t like this b/c they believed only rich countries had the
technology to get minerals, but they wouldn’t get them
6.
Median-line principle – states on opposite coasts that are less than 400 miles apart
divide the water between them in half
a)
Often causes allocational boundary disputes
(1)
North Sea b/w Norway + Britain
(2)
South China Sea – China has its own area, but wants a bit more from
“historic” area
1.
Ratzel – Organic Theory – state is like an organism w/ a life cycle
a)
To exist longer, a state needs nourishment
b)
Territory is a state’s life giving force – You have to consume other states to
survive
2.
Mackinder – Heartland Theory – land, not sea power will rule the world
a)
Eurasia = heartland (pivot area). Rule it, and you will rule the world
b)
During the Cold War + the Soviet Union, this theory gained interest against
3.
Spykman – Rimland (Inner Crescent) Theory – control the rimland around the pivot
area and that’s what will make you control the world
a)
Obviously, no one power owns this area, so it’s the key to the world’s balance of
power
F.
Supranational Organizations – entity w/ 3+ states make an association for
mutual benefit + shared goals. Economic ones are the most usual.
II.
a)
Actual state becomes less important in these organizations
b)
The state alone cannot meet all of the needs of its people
2.
Benelux – Belgium, Netherlands, Luxemburg laid the foundation for agreements after
WWII such as the EU by making a regional supranational organization in the hopes of
economic co-op
3.
After WWII, the US approved a $12 bil Marshall Bill of foreign aid to 16 European
states + W Germany. This spurred co-op b/w the states, since they had to unite to figure out
how to split the money
a)
From this came the OEEC – Org. for European Economic Co-op, of the Common
Market
(1)
Led to the European Community and finally the EU (European Union)
4.
Benelux->Common Market->European Community->EU
a)
Rich countries are required to help poor countries, so it’s a burden to them when
poor states join the EU
(1)
Turkey can’t join cuz of problems w/ Greece + killing Kurds + Armenians in
WWI
b)
Europeans in some regions such as Benelux and places w/ disempowered state
gov’ms have a greater attachment to the EU than their own state
5.
A state’s mission to combat terrorism by extremists can produce support short-term,
but if they can’t defeat them in the long term, it weakens the gov’m
6.
Deterritorialization – econ, social, cultural geographies that look less like states
7.
Reterritorialization – the process by which states solidify territorial control
Extra Terms
A.
… I said extra terms
Reasons for a nice, big state
Moar resources
Moar room to grow
B.
1.
Shape
1.
Reasons for a small state
Unified
Easier to protect
For disadvantages<- ->flip these examples
Territorial Morphology – size, shape, + location of a state
Fragmented – made up of two or more pieces (islands)
a)
Makes it harder to control territory (e.g. Indonesia)
2.
Compact – relatively rounded, minimized distance to the core. Believed to be the
most efficient for organization
a)
Poland, Bhutan
3.
Elongated – long + narrow
a)
Chile (also fragmented), Vietnam
4.
Prorupt – portion of the territory extending beyond the rest
a)
Thailand
5.
Perforated – states w/ an enclave in the middle
a)
South Africa w/ Lesotho
6.
Landlocked – no access of your own to oceans to seas, causing less access to trade.
You HAVE to make good + strong relationships w/ your neighbors to get access to water
a)
You want to be in the CORE (Europe) not periphery, especially in Sub-Saharan
Africa
7.
Microstates – states that are tiny in size (DFW-like area)
a)
Andorra, Liechtenstein, Malta
8.
City-States – a city that’s also a state
a)
Vatican City, Singapore
Absolute location
Relative Location
Coordinates w/ grid (Lat. + Lon.)
Where its located in relativity (core, periphery)
Tells us the climate of a place
Lot moar useful. States in the core are moar advantage –
global mainstream + recourses
9.
Frontier – zone of separation, unclaimed territory
a)
Antarctica, parts of the Arabian Peninsula
10.
World Superpower – rules the world
a)
US at the moment
b)
4 foci of power
(1)
Russia (frenemy, knows a lot of countries that could endanger the US, so the
US wants to stay on its good side. Like you guys should with he. Hint hint hint hint.)
(2)
Europe (mainly West Europe)
(3)
China
(4)
US
C.
Character of State Territory
1.
Power – Capacity of a nation to use resources to affect the behaviours of other
nations. There is no ideal population size that influences power.
2.
Core areas of a state –
(1)
Country’s major cities
(2)
Largest + densest population
(3)
Intense transportation network
(4)
Super cultivated farmlands
(5)
Developed national economy
(6)
Circulation of people + ideas is the most efficient
b)
France’s Paris Basin, Japan’s Kanto Plain (Tokyo)
3.
Multicore states – states w/ moar than one core area
a)
Problem: Nigeria
b)
No problem: US
4.
Capital City
a)
Houses the gov’m, SOMETIMES the largest city, SOMETIMES the most
economically influential city, symbolizes the vision of the state (infrastructure)
5.
Primate City – The biggest city in a state (2, 3, 4, 5 times larger)
a)
Mexico City, Istanbul
b)
Sometimes can an island of development
6.
Forward Capital – Moving the capital in an attempt of reaching a national objective,
especially when they’re economic ones + future hopes
a)
Brazil – from Rio to Amazon Rainforest
b)
Pakistan – Karachi to Islamabad
7.
Enclave – Piece of territory surrounded by another political unit of which it’s not a
part of
a)
Lesotho
8.
Exclave – Piece of territory owned by a particular state, but lies separated from it
because it’s bounded by the territory of another state
a)
Armenia + Azerbaijan (religious conflict)
III.
Big Examples ‘n’ Stuff
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
B.
Nation-State
(1)
DJ Pupil, Korea
Multistate nation
(1)
Kurds, Transylvania
Stateless nation
(1)
Palestinians, Kurds
Core countries – not colonial powers
(1)
Switzerland, Singapore, Australia
Ethnocultural devolutionary forces
(1)
Czechoslovakia, Sri Lanka, China, Scotland
Economic devolutionary forces
(1)
Catalonia, Ancona Line in Italy
Territorial devolutionary forces
(1)
East Timor + Indonesia
Operational boundary dispute
(1)
US + Mexico, Nomadic life
Allocational boundary dispute
(1)
Germany + Netherlands, Iraq + Kuwait
Median-line principle allocational boundary disputes
(1)
Norway + Britain, South China Sea
Countries
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
Fragmented
(1)
Indonesia
Compact
(1)
Poland, Bhutan
Elongated
(1)
Chile, Vietnam
Prorupt
(1)
Thailand
Perforated
(1)
South Africa + Lesotho
Microstates
(1)
Andorra, Liechtenstein, Malta
City-States
(1)
Vatican City, Singapore
Frontier
(1)
Antarctica, parts of Arabian Peninsula
Core areas
(1)
France (Paris Basin), Tokyo
Multicore states
(1)
Problem – Nigeria, A-okay – US
Primate City
(1)
Mexico City, Istanbul
Forward Capital
(1)
Brazil, Pakistan