Political Geography
• Study of human political
organization of the Earth at
various levels
– Studied at three scales
• Supranational scale
– Ex. United Nations
• Country/nation scale
– How government is
organized
• Sub-national (local) scale
– Boundaries for voting
districts
• Political geographers also
study the changing role of
the/a country in the
world’s political affairs
– Geopolitics
• The state’s power to control
space or territory and shape
international political relations
Human Territoriality
• Territoriality is creating
ownership over a defined space
• Territoriality can apply to your
bedroom or an entire country
– Often evokes emotional response
• Ex. Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait
triggered the Gulf War
• Ex. Germany’s invasion of Poland
triggered WWII
• Personal Space
– Territoriality can also be applied
to personal space
– Personal space is the area we
claim as our own territory into
which others may not enter
without our permission
• How much is personal varies
Sovereignty
• Definition:
– Internationally recognized
control a place has over the
people and territory within
its boundaries
• Nearly 200 countries on earth
with sovereignty
• Disputes
–
–
–
–
Sovereignty of Taiwan
Sovereignty of Kurdistan
Sovereignty of Kosovo
Oceans
States and Nations
• State refers to:
– Arguably most powerful
institution in globalization
– To be a state:
• Political unit with permanent
population
– citizenship
• Territorial boundaries that are
recognized by other states
• Effective government
• Working economy
• Sovereignty
 Nation refers to:
 a group of people who
share a common culture and
identity as a cohesive group
 Needed:
 Language
 Religion
 Shared history
 Territory (not always)
 Example: Jewish nation
• Nation-state refers to:
– State with only one nation in its
borders
• Ex. Japan, Iceland
Multinational States vs. Nation-States
• Multinational state
– Country that includes more than
one nation within its borders
• Ex. Soviet Union
• Multistate nation
– Nation extends across many states
boundaries
• Ex. Korea, the former Yugoslavia
• Stateless nation
– When a nation does not have
territory to call its own
• Assyrian Christians of Iraq
• Kurds of Iraq, Turkey, Iran
• Ughirs of Western China