Where are states located?
Key Terms
• State: an area organized into a political unit and
ruled by an established government that has
control over its internal and foreign affairs; country
(defined territory with permanent population)
• Sovereignty: independence from control of its
internal affairs by other states
As recently as the 1940s, the world contained only
about 50 countries, compared to 192 members of
the United Nations as of 2009
I. Problems of Defining States
A. Korea: One State or Two?
1. Former colony of Japan
2. After WWII, divided into northern and southern
sections along 38 degrees north latitude (38th parallel)
3. Late 1940s, 2 separate governments: Democratic
People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) and
Republic of Korea (South Korea)
4. Korean War started when North Korea invaded South
Korea
5. Progress toward reconciliation has been halted by
North Korea’s decision to build nuclear weapons
P’yongyang
Seoul
Is Korea a multi-nation state or
a multi-state nation?
MULTI-STATE NATION
CHINA
Fighting and Civil War
VS.
Mao Zedong
Leader of
Communist Army
Chiang Kai-shek
Leader of
Nationalist Army
Mao becomes
leader of People’s
Republic of China
(Communist)
Chiang
moves
Republic of
China to
Taiwan
(Democracy)
B. China and Taiwan: One State or Two?
1. Until 1999, both China and the government of Taiwan
agreed that Taiwan was part of China
2. In 1999, Taiwan’s president announced that Taiwan
would regard itself as a sovereign independent state
3. Communists in mainland China and Nationalists in
Taiwan
4. U.S. regarded Nationalists as official government of
China until 1971
5. Taiwan is now the most populous state not in the
U.N.
C. Western Sahara
1. Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (Western Sahara)
is considered a sovereign state by most African
countries
2. Between Morocco and Mauritania
3. Morocco claims the territory
4. U.N. has attempted referendum for residents of
Western Sahara to decide whether they want
independence
United Nations
•
•
•
When organized in 1945, United Nations
originally had only 51 members
As of 2007, the U.N. has 192 member states
3 states are not included in the U.N.
1. Taiwan
2. Vatican City
3. Kosovo (declared independence from Serbia in 2008,
but has not gained international recognition)
D. Varying Size of States
1. Largest state = Russia (17.1 million square kilometers
or 6.6 million square miles)
2. Other large states
a. China (9.3 million square km or 3.6 million square
miles)
b. Canada (9.2 million square km or 3.6 million
square miles)
c. The United States (9.2 million square km or 3.5
million square miles)
d. Brazil (8.5 million square km or 3.3 million square
miles)
e. Australia (7.6 million square km or 2.9 million
square miles)
D. Varying Size of States
3. Microstates
a. Monaco (1.5 square km or .6 square miles)
b. Smaller than 1,000 square kilometers: Andorra,
Antigua, Barbuda, Bahrain, Barbados, Dominica,
Grenada, Kiribati, Liechtenstein, Maldives, Malta,
Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, St. Kitts & Nevis, St.
Lucia, San Marino, St. Vincent & the Grenadines,
etc.
E. Polar Regions: Many claims
1. Antarctica
a. Several states claim portions of Antarctica
b. The U.S. and Russia do not recognize any of these
claims
c. Antarctic Treaty (1959): legal framework for
managing Antarctica; states may establish
stations there for scientific investigations, but no
military activities are permitted
d. 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea
permitted countries to submit claims inside Arctic
Circle by 2009 (rich in energy)
Claims to
Antarctica
II. Development of the State Concept
A. Ancient and Medieval States
1. First states to evolve in Mesopotamia were known as
city-states
2. State of Egypt later emerged
3. Medieval times set the stage for the emergence of
modern states such as England, France, and Spain
4. Much of central Europe did not become states until
the nineteenth century
B. Colonies (territories legally tied to a sovereign
state)
1. European states established colonies to promote
Christianity, to help their economy (mercantilism), and
to increase their power (God, gold, glory)
2. Imperialism of Asia and Africa in the late 1800s –
early 1900s
3. Most populous remaining colony = Puerto Rico, which
is a Commonwealth of the U.S. (U.S. citizens, but
cannot vote or be elected to office)
British Empire by 1919
“The sun never sets on the British empire”