Politics of Territory and Space
Chapter 9 of your course text book
Ian MacLachlan
http://people.uleth.ca/~maclachlan/
Chapter Outline
The Development of Political Geography
• The Geopolitical Model of the State
• Boundaries and Frontiers
Geopolitics and the World Order
• States and Nations
• Break
• Imperialism & Colonialism
International and Supranational Organizations and
New Regimes of Global Governance
• Transnational Political Integration
• Globalization, Transnational Governance, & the State
The Two-Way Street of Politics and Geography
• The Politics of Geography; The Geography of Politics
• Geographical Systems of Representation
States and Economies

~ 180 states, depending on how defined
Geopolitics
State’s power to control space or territory
 Friederich Ratzel (1844-1904)
 Lebensraum – living space
 Growth, territorial expansion, ‘survival of
the fittest’

The Changing Map of Europe
Europe: 2000
Boundaries
Definition – textual
 Delimitation- cartographic
 Demarcation-surveyed

Borders: Egypt, Libya, and Sudan
Geometric Boundaries
Nested Hierarchy
of De Jure Territories
Overlapping Systems
of De Jure Territories
States, districts, and municipalities in India.
UNCLOS

Truman Proclamation of 1945
 UNCLOS III, 1973

12 mile Territorial Sea
 200 mile EEZ
State
Independent political unit with recognized
boundaries
 L’etat, c’est moi
 Enlightenment, Peace of Westphalia (1648)
 Ambiguity

Nation
A group of people sharing common
elements of culture e.g. religion,
language, history, political identity
 Ambiguity
 Nation-state


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Ideal form in which a state comprises a
homogeneous nation
Multinational state
Chapter Outline
The Development of Political Geography
• The Geopolitical Model of the State
• Boundaries and Frontiers
Geopolitics and the World Order
• States and Nations
• Break
• Imperialism & Colonialism
International and Supranational Organizations and
New Regimes of Global Governance
• Transnational Political Integration
• Globalization, Transnational Governance, & the State
The Two-Way Street of Politics and Geography
• The Politics of Geography; The Geography of Politics
• Geographical Systems of Representation
Territorial Growth of
the Muscovite/Russian State
RUSSIAN ETHNICITY
Federal states (compare unitary state)
European Colonies
in Africa, 1496–1912
Imperialism always
involves some form of
authoritative control of one
state over another.
Colonialism is a form of
imperialism in that it
involves the formal
establishment and
maintenance of rule by a
sovereign power over a
foreign population through
the establishment of
settlements.
Decolonization of Africa
North-South Divide
Independence in Asia
and the Domino Theory
Mackinder’s Heartland Theory
Afghanistan
Supranationalism: European Union
The Maastricht Treaty
 EU citizenship for every
person in each member
state
 Enhanced EEC customs
and immigration
agreements
 Established the euro as
a common currency
 Governance occurs
through supranational
European institutions
and governments of
member states
U.N. Member Countries
Growth of States, INGOs, and
NGOs in the Twentieth Century
The Politics of Geography in Canada
Canada’s 39th election, Jan 23, 2006
Canada’s 39th election, Jan 23, 2006
Canada’s 39th election, Jan 23, 2006
Canada’s 39th election, Jan 23, 2006
Canada’s 39th election, Jan 23, 2006
Canada’s 39th election, Jan 23, 2006
What do we learn from the Politics
of Canada’s Geography?
Map scale & population density
 Election-day preferences dynamic

Not just about class & attitudes
 Regionalism
 Major metropolitan centres are distinct
 Core-periphery contrast

The Geography of Politics:
Gerrymandering
Governor Elbridge Gerry, MA
Gerrymandering
Salamander, 1812
North Carolina’s proposed
12th Congressional District >
Elections Canada
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Redistribution of electoral districts after each
decennial census
Federal Electoral Boundaries Commissions –
10
Each is Chaired by a judge appointed by each
province’s Chief Justice
2004: 301→308 seats in House of Commons,
Alberta gained 2
Electoral District Atlases
Putting politics on the map…