Ch.8 – Political Geography

AP Human GeographyMr. Weiss 2010-11

Key Issue #1:� Where are States Located

� Problems with Defining States� Development of State Concept

You will learn the locations of all the countries – GET EXCITED!!!!!

Background to Political Geography� Geographers study how people have organized earth’s

land surface, reasons for the observed arrangements, and conflicts that result from the organization.

� State (country) is an area organized into a political unit, ruled by a government that has control over its internal and foreign affairs

� 50 U.S. states are subdivisions with a single state� 192 recognized states by the United Nations (only 50 in

the 1940s)� Antarctica only large landmass not apart of a state

Problems with Defining a StateKorea

Taiwan

Western Sahara

Palestine

Development of “State” Concept� City-States

(Mesopotamia)� Empires &

Kingdoms� Colonization

(uninhabited lands)

� Imperialism (control of occupied territory)

� Breakup of Imperial Empires

Key Issue #2� Why Boundaries Cause Problems

� Shapes of States� Types of Boundaries

5 Basic Shapes of States

� Compact States (Efficient)

� Prorupted States (Access or Disruption)� Elongated States (Potential Isolation)

� Fragmented States (Problematic)

� Perforated States (Dependency)

Compact States� Distance from center to

any border does not vary significantly

� Capital often in center of country

� Communication, control, etc. can be more easily established

� Does not mean peacefulness

Prorupted States

� Compact state with large projecting extension

� Proruptions created for either natural resources or separating two other countries from bordering one another

� Can have similar problems as Compact States

Elongated States� Long and narrow

shape� May suffer from poor

communication and control

� Isolation from capital� Varying degrees of

culture throughout country

Fragmented States

� Several discontinuous pieces of territory

� Could be separated by water or an intervening state

� May have difficulties with communication, control, etc.

Perforated States� A state completely

surrounded by another state or a country surrounding another state

� Total dependency on country surrounding them

� Isolation from resources, foreign affairs, etc.

� Often landlocked states

Types of Boundaries

� Physical Boundaries:� Mountains� Desert� Water

� Cultural Boundaries:� Geometric� Religious� Language

Mountain Boundaries

Desert Boundaries

Water Boundaries

Geometric Boundaries

Religious Boundaries

Language Boundaries

Key Issue #3:Why Do States Cooperate with Each Other?

Political and Military CooperationEconomic Cooperation

Political and Military Cooperation� United Nations – Started by Allies after WWII,

peacekeeping organization, provides a forum for countries to meet and resolve issues.

� NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) –military alliance between 16 states

� Warsaw Pact – military alliance between communist Eastern European states

� Most Warsaw Pact states joined NATO after military confrontation subsided

� Other Regional Organization (OAS, AU, The Commonwealth)

Economic Cooperation

� EU (European Union) – economic organization between European states, led by Germany

� COMECON – economic organization of former communist nations

� NATO – see previous slide

Key Issue 4: TerrorismTerrorism – systematic use of violence by a group in order to intimidate a population or gov’t

Violence is considered necessary by terrorists to bring publicity to goals & grievances that are not being addressed

Backlash against globalization and spread of popular culture

Terrorism or Justified Violence?If a Palestinian suicide bomber kills a dozen

Jewish teenagers in a Jerusalem restaurant, is that an act of terrorism or a justified wartime retaliation against Israeli government policies and military actions against the Palestinian people?

Terrorism is ALL a matter of perspective

U.S. State Department List of Organized Terrorist Groups