 Primate city: cities that are more than 2x the size
of the next largest city AND exert social, political,
and economic dominance
 Rank-size rule: Sizes of cities are in proportion to
one another. If x is the largest city, then the
second largest will be ½ x and the third largest
will be 1/3 x.
 According to the statistics for the populations of
Mexican cities, Mexico has a primate city since
Mexico City is more than twice as large as the next
largest city of Guadalajara. Mexico does not
follow a rank-size rule in the population
distribution of its cities.
 Large market for goods and services
 Can benefit from the advantages of
agglomeration
 Can offer high end goods and services because of
larger threshold population
 Creates global trade networks (primate cities can
compete on global scale and attract foreign
investment plus gravity model shows high degree
of interaction among cities with high
populations)
 Unequal distribution of wealth and/or power
 Brain drain – migration of educated people to
primate city
 Unequal distribution of education,
entrepreneurship, opportunities
 Disproportionate effect of disaster in the primate
city on the entire country
 Hard for people who are not in the primate city to
access essential services such as hospitals.
 Using contemporary examples, explain how each
of the following has contributed to the
development of national identity and the
strengthening of a state.
 Economic development
 Relocation of a state’s capital
China
Any of the
How this
Asian Tigers helps
national
identity…
• Since Deng Xiaoping, • Used the international • Strong economy
China has
trade approach to
creates jobs, supports
incorporated
increase their
a sense of well being,
capitalism into their
economic
and supports
economy
development
confidence in
• As of 2001, China
• Have focused on
leadership and loyalty
joined World Trade
skilled labor,
to state
Organization (WTO)
electronics, and
• Economic prosperity
• Has allowed foreign
clothing
helps to hide other
investment into their • Rapid growth of
problems the country
country
economy
may be experiencing
• Relocation of factories
• National pride
to China has provided
reinforces national
citizens with jobs
identity
Brazil
Nigeria
How this
helps
national
identity…
• Relocated capital from • Relocated capital from • Strengthens the state
Rio de Janeiro to
Lagos to Abuja
and provides stability
Brasilia in order to
• Since Nigeria is
relocate population to
comprised of so many
a central area
ethnic groups, there
• Helps develop the
has been constant
interior which was
conflict
mostly inhabited
• Capital was relocated
• Break ties with
to a central location to
colonial past
accommodate
(importance of cities
different ethnic
along the coast to
groups
provide to Portugal)
Nigeria: A Case Study for Language Conflicts
 493 languages
 3 main languages
 Hausa (15%)
 Yoruba (15%)
 Igbo (15%)
 55% speak one of the
other 490 languages
 Using contemporary examples, explain how each
of the following may detract from the
development of national identity and weaken a
state.
 Ethnicity
 Transportation/infrastructure
Yugoslavia
Nigeria
How this
hurts
national
identity…
• Ethnic tensions
between Serbs,
Croats, and Bosnian
Muslims led to
genocide during the
1990s
• Ethnic tensions
between Hausa, Igbo,
and Yoruba has led to
constant violence and
fighting
• Ethnic tension
weakens loyalty to the
state
• Tension between
ethnic groups can lead
to balkanization,
separatism,
devolution, etc.
• Placement of political
boundaries without
regard to ethnic
territories leads to
problems
Chile
Democratic
Republic of
Congo
How this
hurts
national
identity…
• Elongated state
therefore poor
communications
• Weak government and • Poor transportation
rebel groups have
infrastructure
deterred the
contributes to
maintaining of
isolation and a sense
infrastructure
of separation
• Size or shape of a state
may hinder
development