8.1 Where are States Located?
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State: An area organized into a political unit and ruled by an established
government that has control over its internal and foreign affairs
Sovereignty: Ability of a state to govern its territory free from control of its
internal affairs by other states
I. Problems of Defining States
A. Antarctica is the only large landmass on Earth’s surface that is not part of a state
1. Several states, including Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, New Zealand,
Norway, and the United Kingdom, claim portions of it
a. 1959- The Treaty of Antarctica allows states to do scientific research there, but
military activity is not permitted
II. Korea: One State or Two?
A. 1940s- Permanent division on the 38th parallel
1. Established separate government
2. Withdrew armies
B. Both governments are willing to become one again
1. North Korea halted efforts
a. Built nuclear weapons despite not having enough food or electricity for its
citizens
C. 1992- Both admitted into United Nations
III. China and Taiwan: One State or Two?
A. 1999- Taiwan disagreed with it being a part of China
1. 1940s- Civil war between Nationalists and Communists in China
a. 1949- Nationalist leaders fled to Taiwan
2. 1950s and ‘60s- Many Americans did not believe that China was communist
a. U.S changed policy of China now regarding them as communist
3. Taiwan is the most populous state not in the United Nations
IV. Western Sahara (Sahrawi Republic)
A. Considered a sovereign state on the continent’s west coast by most Africans
1. Morocco claims the territory and built a fence around it to keep people out
B. 1976- Spain withdrew ownership
1. Morocco and Mauritania annexed northern and southern portions
a. Mauritania withdrew
b. Morocco ruled it all
c. Polisario Front controls 1/5 east of the wall
C. United Nations tried to step in
1. 1991- Morocco and Polisario Front signed cease-fire treaty
2. A referendum for Western Sahara residents to become independent keeps
getting put on hold
V. Varying Sizes of States
A. Russia is the largest state at 6.6 million square miles
B. Other states with more than 2 million square miles include China, the United
States, Canada, Brazil, and Australia
C. Microstates: States with very small land areas
1. The smallest microstate in the United Nations is Monaco at .6 square miles
2. Many microstates are islands
VI. Development of the State Concept
A. The idea to divide the world into states originated in Europe
B. The ancient Fertile Crescent formed an arc between the Persian Gulf and the
Mediterranean Sea
1. It was situated within Syria, Lebanon, and Israel
a. It was a center for land and sea communications in ancient times
C. City-state: A sovereign state that comprises a town and the surrounding
countryside
1. Outside walls clearly showed the boundaries of the city
2. The countryside provided the city with an outer line of defense against others
3. Often times, one city-state in Mesopotamia would gain military dominance
over another and form an empire
a. Mesopotamia was organized into a succession of empires by the
Sumerians, Assyrians, Babylonians, and Persians
4. Egypt became its own empire
a. It lasted from approximately 3000 B.C. to the fourth century B.C.
D. The Roman Empire was the height of political unity
1. Comprised of 38 provinces, including most of Europe, North America,
North Africa, and South Asia
2. After a series of attacks caused by internal disputes from people living on
their land, it fell in the fifth century
a. Dukes, barons, kings, and other nobles all fought for European portions
of the empire
b. 1100- Some powerful kings became rules of large quantities of estate
c. Much of central Europe was not consolidated into official states until the
nineteenth century
VII. Colonies
A. Colony: A territory that is legally tied to a sovereign state rather than being
completely independent
1. Sometimes, the sovereign state runs only the colony’s military and foreign
policies
2. Other times, it also controls the colony’s internal affairs
B. Colonialism: The effort by one country to establish settlements and to impose
its political, economic, and cultural principles on such territory
1. European states established colonies elsewhere in the world for three basic
reasons:
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European missionaries established colonies to promote Christianity
Colonies provided resources that helped the economy of European states
European states considered the number of colonies to be an indicator of
relative power
These three rules can be summarized as God, gold, and glory
C. 1400s- Colonial era began when European explorers sailed westward for Asia
but instead encountered and settled in the Western hemisphere
1. 1776- Independence declared by the United States
2. 1800 through 1824- Most Latin American states declared independence
3. The Asian and African colonization is sometimes call an imperialism
a. Imperialism: Control of territory already occupied and organized by an
indigenous society, whereas colonization is control of previously uninhabited or sparsely
inhabited land
D. The United Kingdom had the largest colonial empire
1. Britain put colonies on much of eastern and southern Africa, South Asia,
the Middle East, Australia, and Canada
2. Took control over some islands in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans
E. France had the second-largest empire
1. Its colonies were in West Africa and Southeast Asia
2. Took control over some islands in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans
F. Portugal, Spain, Germany, Italy, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Belgium all
established colonies outside of Europe
1. Still controlled less territory than the British and French
2. Germany tried its best to compete by obtaining African colonies that
would interfere with communications in the rival European holdings
G. The colonial practices within Europe varied by state