Chapter 8
Political
Geography
Defining States & Development
of the State Concept
• Problems of defining states
– Korea: one state or two?
– China & Taiwan: one state or two?
– Western Sahara
– Varying sizes of states
• Development of the state concept
– Ancient & medieval states
– Colonies
North and South Korea
Nighttime satellite image shows the contrasting amounts of
electric lighting in South Korea compared to North Korea.
United Nations Members
Fig. 8-1: The UN has increased from 51 members in 1945 to 192 in 2007.
Sovereign
States
Antarctica
National Claims
Fig. 8-2: Antarctica is the only large land
mass that is not part of a state,
but several countries claim
portions of it.
Tonga
Tonga is a microstate, including 102,000 inhabitants and 169 islands.
The Fertile Crescent
Fig. 8-3: The Fertile Crescent was the site of early city-states and a succession of
ancient empires.
Colonial Possessions, 1914
Fig. 8-4: By the outbreak of World War I, European states held colonies throughout the
world, especially throughout Africa and in much of Asia.
Image of British Colonialism
An 1840 painting of Queen Victoria receiving an emissary from Africa.
Colonial Possessions, 2006
Fig. 8-5: Most of the remaining colonies are small islands in the Pacific or Caribbean.
Boundaries & Boundary
Problems of States
• Shapes of states
– Five basic shapes
– Landlocked states
• Types of boundaries
– Physical boundaries
– Cultural boundaries
• Boundaries inside states
– Unitary & federal states
– Trend toward federal government
– Electoral geography
African
States
Fig. 8-6: Southern, central, and
eastern Africa include
states that are compact,
elongated, prorupted,
fragmented, and
perforated.
India: The Tin Bigha Corridor
Fig. 8-7: The Tin Bigha corridor fragmented two sections of the country of Bangladesh.
When it was leased to Bangladesh, a section of India was fragmented.
Frontiers in the Arabian Peninsula
Fig. 8-8: Several states in the Arabian Peninsula are separated by frontiers
rather than precise boundaries.
Great Wall of China
The wall was built in the 3rd century B.C. and extended during the following century.
Aozou Strip: a Geometric Boundary
Fig. 8-9: The straight boundary between Libya and Chad was drawn by European
powers, and the strip is the subject of controversy between the two countries.
Division of Cyprus
Fig. 8-10: Cyprus has been divided into Greek and Turkish portions since 1974.
Nicosia, Cyprus Checkpoint
Checkpoint between Greek and Turkish portions of Nicosia, the capital of Cyprus.
Gerrymandering
Florida & Georgia
Fig. 8-11: State legislature boundaries were
drawn to maximize the number of
legislators for Republicans in
Florida and Democrats in
Georgia.
Cooperation among States
• Political and military cooperation
– The United Nations
– Regional military alliances
• Economic cooperation
– The European Union
European Alliances, 1960 & 2007
Fig. 8-12: NATO and the European Union have expanded and accepted new members
as the Warsaw Pact and COMECON have disintegrated.
European
Alliances,
1960
European
Alliances,
2007
European Boundary Changes
Fig. 8-13: 20th century boundary changes in Europe, 1914 to 2007. Germany’s
boundaries changed after each world war and the collapse of the Soviet Union.
European Boundaries, 1914
European Boundaries, 1924
European Boundaries, 1989
European Boundaries, 2007
Aerial Photos &
Cuban Missile
Crisis
Aerial photos showed the missile buildup
in Cuba in 1962
Soviet Ships in Cuban Military
Port, 1962
Soviet Missile Transporters
Cuba, 1962
Terrorism
• Terrorism by individuals and organizations
– American terrorists
– Attacks of September 11, 2001
– Al-Qaeda
• State support for terrorism
– Afghanistan
– Iraq
– Iran
World Trade Center
June, 2000
Ikonos satellite image of World Trade Center on June 30, 2000
World Trade Center Site
September 15, 2001
World Trade Center, Sept. 11, 2001
World Trade
Center
Sept. 11, 2001
United Flight 175 approaches Tower 2.
Tower 1 has already been hit by
American Flight 11.
World Trade
Center
Sept. 11, 2001
United Flight 175 crashes into Tower 2.
World Trade Center
Topographic Map: Sept. 19, 2001
Fig. 8-14: Elevations above sea level are depicted in green; those below sea level are in red.
Ethnic Groups in Southwest Asia
Fig. 8-15: Ethnic boundaries do not match country boundaries, especially in Iraq, Iran,
Afghanistan, and Pakistan. The mismatch has affected many of the
conflicts in the area.
Satellite Image of Iraq
Fig. 8-1.1: This satellite image purported to show munitions bunkers in Taji, Iraq.
Satellite Image Close-ups
Fig. 8-1.2: Close-ups of alleged munitions bunkers in Taji, Iraq.
Ethnic Groups in Baghdad
Fig. 8-2.1: Many formerly mixed neighborhoods in Baghdad have been
ethnically cleansed through sectarian violence among Sunnis,
Shiites, or others.
Tribes of Iraq
Fig. 8-2.2: Iraq includes about 150
distinct traditional tribes.