Chapter 12: The Political Ordering of Space
National Political Systems
•States, Nations, and Nation-States
•The Evolution of the Modern State
•Geographic Characteristics of States
o
o
o
o
Size
Shape
Location
Cores and Capitals
•Boundaries: The Limits of the State
o Classification of Boundaries
o Boundary Disputes
Centripetal Forces: Promoting State Cohesion
•Nationalism
•Unifying Institutions
•Organization and Administration
•Transportation and Communication
Centrifugal Forces: Challenges to State Authority
•Organized Religion
•Nationalism
•Regional Autonomous Movements
The Projection of Power
•Geopolitical Assessments
o Mackinder
•Heartland Theory
o Alfred Mahan
o Nicholas Spykman
•Rimland Theory
o Containment
o Domino Theory
o Terrorism
International Political Systems
•Supranationalism
•The United Nations and Its Agencies
o Maritime Boundaries
o An International Law of the Sea
•Regional Alliances
o Economic Alliances
o Military and Political Alliances
Local and Regional Political Organization
•The Geography of Representation: The Distributing Problem
•The Fragmentation of Political Power