Unit 8 Essay Questions
1. Define the following concepts as they are used in political geography.
1. Nation
2. State
3. Nation – state
B) For each of these concepts, name a specific late twentieth-century example from
Region A and a specific late twentieth-century example from Region B on the
map above.
C) Explain how the pursuit of the nation-state ideal during recent decades has led to
conflict in each of the two Regions A and B on the map above.
Prewriting
Nation- Legally, a term encompassing all the citizens of a state.
State- A politically organized territory that is administrated by a sovereign government and is
recognized by a significant portion of the international community.
Nation-state- In which a state and nation occupy the same territory, a nation-state is used as a
synonym for country or state.
Region A: Nation- France, State- Greece, Nation-State- Germany
Region B: Nation- Turkey, State- Saudi Arabia, Nation-State- Qatar
A nation will naturally want to have statehood, or another state will want to make another nation
their state. A good example is the Persian Gulf War, during the Iraq invasion, Iraq invaded
Kuwait.
2. How are boundaries established, and why do boundary disputes occur?
3. What are the different types of borders? Define and give three examples
Prewriting
Natural Borders
Ocean
River
Mountains
Best; 3 mile limit; 12 mile limit; 200 mile limit
Very common; problems
Drawn peak to peak; worst; cause disputes
Desert
Old types
Forest
Swamps
No real line; cause of wars
4. How does territorial morphology impact the country due to its shape? Give examples and
define the types.
Type
Definition
Examples
Compact
Easy to rule; small
Georgia, Seminole County
Elongated
Long Countries
Korea, Florida
Prorupt
Having a proruption or pan handle
Thailand, Oklahoma
Fragmented
Broken into pieces
Japan, Indonesia
1. Use the chart below to describe each stage of demographic transition. Name a country that has
gone through all four stages of demographic transition.
Prewriting
1st stage - Low-Growth
2nd stage - High-Growth
3rd stage - Moderate-Growth
4th stage - Low or Stationary-Growth
Country Examples
High birth rate and high death rate.
High birth rate and declining death rate.
Declining birth rate with an already low
death rate.
Low birth rate and low death rate lead to
little growth.
Great Britain, Germany, United States
2. Explain the strategies that governments use to control population changes. Include 2 benefits
that the governments give to citizens. Also include real world examples.
Prewriting
Expansive Population Policies
Eugenic Population Policies
Restrictive Population Policies
Real World Examples
Governments encourage large families to
raise the rate of natural increase.
- Soviet Union
- Mao’s China
- Christianity and Judaism- “Go forth
and multiply.”
Governments favor one ethnic group to
have large families.
- Nazi regime against the Jews,
gypsies, Blacks, disabled.
- U.S. 1960 \Social Segregation of
Blacks
Reduce the rate of natural increase by
tolerating officially unapproved means of
birth control.
- China’s one-child-only policy



China using advertising
Sweden has free child care until 6
and offers 1 year paid maternal
leave
Post industrial nations usually use
tax incentives to increase child birth
3. List and explain the economic factors that contribute to population change. (Use vocabulary
from the chapter to explain.)
4. Describe the population density and dispersion in the different regions of the world. Give
environmental and cultural factors that contribute to the density of the population.