Unit IV: Political Organization
of Space
Political Geography
• organization & distribution of political
phenomena
Territory
• effort to control land
• world divided by borders
– countries (or “states”)
I. States
1. independent political unit
2. w/ defined territory
3. must be recognized by others
World States
• 192 recognized by UN
Issues defining states
• some territories not recognized:
– Taiwan
– Tibet
– Western Sahara
• A cultural unit
bound by sense of
shared
beliefs/customs
II. Nations
“Stateless Nations”
• Nations without a country
– Palestinians
– Kurds
– Basques
Multinational State
•A state with more
than one nation.
The Former Yugoslavia
The Nation-State
• a nation & a state (country w/ homogenous
culture)
• about 20 countries
Exs: Iceland, Portugal, Poland, Japan
Types of
Relationship
s Between
“states” &
“nations”
a. nation-state
b. multi-national
state (Cyprus)
c. part-nation
state (Arab)
d. stateless
nation
Spatial Characteristics of States
• Smallest:
City-states:
• Singapore, Monaco, San Marino
Microstates: Andorra, The Vatican
• Largest: Russia
5 basic shapes:
– Compact (Uruguay, Zimbabwe, Poland)
– Prorupt (extension out; Thailand)
– Elongated (Chile)
– Fragmented (difficult to defend;
Philippines, Indonesia)
– Perforated (country that surrounds
another; South Africa
B
E
A
D
C
Relative Location
• size and shape matter!
• absolute & relative location matter!
Ex: Singapore, Switzerland
• Landlocked countries usually at
disadvantage
– Bolivia
Boundary Types
1. Physical: mountains, rivers, lakes
2. Geometric: lines of latitude/longitude
3. Cultural: separated by
language/religion
– India & Pakistan
Boundary Origins
1. Antecedent: border before populated
Ex: U.S.
2. Subsequent: border drawn after
2 types:
• Consequent (Ireland & N. Ireland)
• Superimposed (British India)
Consequent
– Ireland & N. Ireland
3. Relict/relic Boundary: historical
boundary
U.N. Convention of the Law of the Sea
• Territorial waters: 12 NM out
• Exclusive Economic Zone: 200 NM (fish, mineral resources)
Types of Boundary Disputes
1. Positional: over border
2. Functional: over policies
(immigration)
3. Resource (oil)
4. Territorial
- irredentism
Capital Cities:
• usually centralized (“core” area)
Primate City: dominates economic
activity
• some capitals relocated:
– Forward Thrust Capital (Abuja, Brazilia,
Canberra, Islamabad)
Nigeria - Abuja
Geopolitics
Ratzel’s Organic Theory:
countries are living organisms
Mackinder Heartland Theory:
land-based power (pivot area Europe)
Spykman Rimland Theory:
naval power
Forms of Government
Unitary: centralized gov’t (strong capital)
Federal: gov’t organized by territories
Centripetal Forces
•
•
•
•
promote cohesion
nationalism
unify
better transportation/communication
Centrifugal Forces
• challenges to the state
• ethno-nationalism
• devolution (autonomous regional
gov’t); regionalism
• inequality
Ethnocultural Devolutionary Movements
Eastern Europe
devolutionary forces
since the fall of
communism
Economic
Devolutionary
Movements
Catalonia, Spain
Barcelona is the center
of banking and
commerce in Spain and
the region is much
wealthier than the rest of
Spain.
Electoral Geography
Gerrymandering: redrawing of voting
districts to benefit 1 political party
• protects minority districts
Supranational Organizations:
3 or more states form an alliance
- military (NATO)
- economic (EU, NAFTA)
-political (UN)
Global Scale – The United Nations
Regional Scale – The European Union