Political Geography
I. State and Nation
A. state: political unit (can be used
interchangeably with country)
B. nation: refers to a tightly knit group of people
(usually having similarities: culture, language,
religion, etc.)
e.g. Yugoslavia is a state but not a nation.
nationalism - loyalty to a nation/ sense of
inclusion
Former Yugoslavia – State, not a nation
Fellmann
Stateless Nations - Have no
national Territory
e.g. 1990 Palestinian
Arabs
6.5 million (Israel,
Jordan, Lebanon,
Syria)
CIA Factbook. online
Kurdistan
20 million Kurds
Turkey and Iraq very
volatile relationship
Kurds desire territory
or at least
autonomous control
of land in Iraq and
Turkey
Fellmann 343
Nation-State
Ideal built on
homogeneity of territory
and culture
Politically organized
Sovereignty: final
authority over territories
political and military
affairs
Example - Japan
Ethnic Groups in Japan
Japanese 99%
Picture Here
CIA Factbook. online
B. Territory Shape
SAN MARINO
CHILE
VATICAN CITY
URUGUAY
ITALY
THAILAND
JAPAN
1. Compact State
Close to circular
Easiest to manage
(most stable) and
defend
The distance from any
point of the country to
its center is about the
same.
e.g. Poland, Iceland,
Democratic Republic
of the Congo,
Zimbabwe
ZIMBABUE
2. Fragmented State
Territory is divided; some
parts separated by water or
another state.
Also known as archipelago
states.
Difficult to govern because
some may be composed of
thousands of islands
e.g. Philippines, Indonesia,
United States, Russia.
THE PHILIPPINES
Hello down there!
3. Elongated
Long, “skinny”
shape.
Can create
separatist areas
due to distance
from center or core
Vietnam, Chile,
Norway
NORWAY
4. Prorupted States
Also known as
“panhandle” state.
An area that extends from
a compact area
Can create room for
factions geographically
E.g.: Thailand, Burma
BURMA
5. Perforated State
SOUTH AFRICA
State that surrounds
another state completely
Surrounded state
(enclave) can only be
reached by going
through perforated state
E.g.: Italy, South Africa
(only two recognized
examples).
Enclave/Exclave
Exclaves: territories
separated from the state
by another state
e.g. Alaska (U.S.),
Kaliningrad (Russia).
Azerbaijan has THREE
exclaves inside Armenia.
C = enclave of A, exclave of B
Enclaves: territories
whose entire boundaries
are surrounded within the
boundaries of another.
Lesotho, Vatican
C = exclave of B but NOT enclave
of A; surrounded by both A and D
Boundaries
What Is a Boundary?
Boundary: a
vertical plane that
cuts through the
airspace and
ground to
determine
ownership
Problems with Boundaries
Lack of knowledge of
underground
resources when
boundaries were
created
1990 Kuwait vs. Iraq:
Rumaylah oil reserves
created International
conflict (picture 349)
Who Controls Airspace?
When boundaries
were created there
was a lack of
knowledge of
importance of
airspace
a. airline traffic
b. satellite space?
How are Boundaries Created?
Definition - usually legally
by someone who is not
directly involved (written)
Delimitation - mapped
Demarcation - marked with
posts, walls, fences, etc.
Administration – determine
how to maintain the
boundary and how
goods/people will cross it.
1. Geometric Boundary
Straight line boundary
totally unrelated to
physical features
Generally defined as a
line of latitude or
longitude
e.g. U.S./Canada
(49N), many U.S.
states
2. Physical/Political
AKA natural-political
Boundaries that
conform to physical
features
e.g. U.S./Mexico along
the Rio Grande,
Spain/France
(Pyrenees), U.S./Canada
(Great Lakes)
3. Historical/Genetic Boundaries
A. Antecedent: Boundary created before present cultural
landscape developed.
49th Parallel:
Established as
the northern
border of the
United States
(with Canada)
by treaty in
1846.
3. Historical/Genetic Boundaries
B. Subsequent
(ethnographic):
Boundary created to
accommodate existing
cultural/economic
differences between
countries.
Peace of Westphalia
Created borders
between European
countries based on
traditional homelands
and culture.
3. Historical/Genetic Boundaries
C. Superimposed: border
that is forced upon a territory
without consideration for a
unified cultural landscape.
Borders within were
determined by European
powers, which eventually
created the modern borders.
The borders have been a
source of conflict within many
countries, most notably
Rwanda and Sudan.
3. Historical/Genetic Boundaries
D. Relic (relict): Former boundary line that no longer serves as
such, but imprint is still visible.
Hadrian’s
Wall:
Border of the
Roman
Empire
in Britain.
(122 CE)
East Side
Gallery:
Portion still
standing of
the Berlin
Wall
4. Boundary Disputes
A. Territorial/Definitional:
Whose land is it? Dispute over legal language of the agreement.
Kashmir
Mountainous region disputed
between India, Pakistan, and
separatist movements.
Under India’s control since 1947,
when the leaders of Kashmir were
given a choice to join either Pakistan
or India.
Majority of population is Muslim.
Source of tension between the two
countries.
4. Boundary Disputes
B. Resource/Allocational
Who gets to use these resources?
Examples:
Iraq/Kuwait (Ramallah oil field)
Saudi Arabia vs. Yemen (oil rich border not covered in the
treaty)
IV. Boundary Disputes
C. Functional/Operational
How should the boundary function?
United States/Mexico
Dispute over immigration
policy
Boundary Disputes
D. Allocational Border
Dispute
1. dispute over
boundary due to
location of resources
2. water supplies Colorado River
nasa
Various boundary disputes - what type are they?
Botswana has built electric fences to stem the
thousands of Zimbabweans who flee to find
work and escape political persecution.
Functional
Source: http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/fields/2070.html
Various boundary disputes - what type are they?
Eritrea and Ethiopia agreed to abide by 2002 Ethiopia-Eritrea
Boundary Commission's (EEBC) delimitation decision, but
despite international intervention, mutual animosities,
accusations, and armed posturing have prevented
demarcation
Ethiopia refuses to withdraw to the delimited boundary until
claimed technical errors made by the EEBC that ignored
"human geography" are addressed, including the award of
Badme, the focus of the 1998-2000 war.
Territorial and Positional
Source: http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/fields/2070.html
Various boundary disputes - what type are they?
All of the Spratly Islands are claimed by China, Taiwan, and
Vietnam; parts of them are claimed by Malaysia and the
Philippines; in March 2005, the national oil companies of
China, the Philippines, and Vietnam signed a joint accord to
conduct marine seismic activities in the Spratly Islands.
Resource
Source: http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/fields/2070.html
Mari-time Boundaries
UN Convention on
Law of the Sea
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Zonmar-en.svg