Fundamentals of Human Geography Chapter 8 Political Geography

Chapter Political Geography Introduction The world land and resources are divided between different countries , also known as states . Today , there are 193 internationally recognized states ( countries ) in the United Nations ( UN ) but different events ( wars , revolts ) may change this number as states are created or dissolved . It is important to remember that the term states in this chapter refers to countries , and not the states or provinces that make up a country .

Map showing 193 UN members states in blue , observer states in green ( Palestine , Vatican ) and territories in grey ( Source , via Commons ) Listed below are several categories of states in the world . Keep in mind that a state can belong to more than one category ( US is a sovereign state and a multinational state ) and a state may change from one category to another over time ( Tibet went from a sovereign state to a stateless nation when China annexed it in 1951 and eventually abolished its government ) Sovereign State ( or State ) A country with its own sovereignty , or the authority to control its own social , political , and economic affairs within its borders . A country that is generally homogeneous Same Learn how ethnic Kurds in Syria seek to go from a language religion Customs ) and stateless nation to a . Source Vox ) dominated by one ethnic group . Multinational A country that is made up of more than one ethnic group . These ethnic groups may have arrived through immigration , or already lived in the state before its borders were arbitrarily drawn . Stateless This is not a type of state , but rather an ethnic group ( also known as a nation ) that desires to have a country to call their own . An example of a nation is the

Kurdish people in the Middle East , who have been seeking their own state in the region for centuries . AFRICAN , ETHIOPIA ' KENYA ) co GO ' an Dar es Salaam . ZA IA I A 600 mi la Powered by I , uses , This map shows the percentage of each African country population that is in that country dominant ethnic group . Countries with a very high percentage of their population in the dominant ethnic group are known as nation states . Data source CIA World Fact Book , Encyclopedia ) The Making of a State Given the competing interests ( different ethnic groups ) within some states , some states may fail and break up if it is overwhelmed by centrifugal forces ( forces that pit their citizens against each other ) such as political and religious differences . In contrast , centripetal forces ( nationalism , common ethnic identity ) can unite a citizens and reinforce the state unity . Even the shape or geometry of a state can the unity of a state . Specifically , the ideal state geometry is one that is compact and roughly circular , where the distance from the center of the state ( ideally the site of the capital ) to any border is almost equal . This ideal geometry is believed to allow all parts of the country to feel equally connected to the capital ,

which is more likely to foster a stronger sense of nationalism and unity . The least ideal state geometry is one that is fragmented , where some parts of the country may be isolated from the capital by long distances or physical barriers ( oceans , mountain ranges ) This makes it difficult for the capital to provide services or exert its authority in these remote regions , which may in turn cause the residents of these remote regions to feel neglected and alienated from the central government . Keep in mind that state geometry is only one factor in determining a state unity and stability . In fact , there are states with ideal state ( Commonwealth ) that have dissolved in the past due to external threats ( invasions ) The partition and dissolution of the Commonwealth by its neighbors between 1772 and 1795 . Source , Public domain , via Commons ) State Boundaries Neighboring states that are on bad terms and suspicious of one another may be separated by heavily fortified and visible boundaries ( North Korea and South Korea ) Whereas , boundaries between friendly neighboring states may be lightly guarded and hardly noticeable ( US and Canada )

There are three main types of boundaries that states use to demarcate their sovereignty , or the areas in which they have authority . Physical boundaries borders separating states which are based on some natural features ( river , mountain ) in the landscape . An example of this is the Rio Grande River separating the US and Mexico . Ethnographic boundaries border that separates states based on ethnic characteristics ( religion , language ) An example is the border separating Bolivia and Brazil . Geometric boundaries border that is often a straight line that was arbitrarily drawn to separate states . It may cause one ethnic group to be split into the jurisdictions of two or more states . This can lead to , as members of the split ethnic group in one country secede in order to join their ethnic counterparts on the other side of the border . This problem is especially acute in Africa , which has at least 177 ethnic groups that are split between two or more states . The borders of many of these African states were arbitrarily drawn by European colonial powers more than a century ago , Beyond the State To obtain more trade or protection from foreign powers , states may voluntarily give up some of their authority or sovereignty and contribute resources ( soldiers , money ) to a supranational organization created for a specific purpose . We will look at some supranational organizations below . Military supranational organization NATO ( North Atlantic Treaty Organization ) Created after World War II to offer its 30 member states ( 28 states in

Europe , the US , and Canada ) mutual protection against external invaders . Members are required to contribute money and resources to sustain mission . The expansion of NATO in recent decades has increased the tension with Russia which will US Moves Finland , Sweden Accession to NATO a likely worsen as Finland and Sweden ?

News sought to join NATO . Economic supranational organization ( del Sur ) A trade bloc or trade association consisting of 11 full and associate member states ( and suspended member ) from South America . Its main mission is to boost the economy by streamlining the Map and associate member state in movement of goods Workers and green , suspended members in red , and observer Capital among member members in blue . Source , via Commons ) Environmental supranational organization ( International Fund for Saving the Sea ) Established in 1992 in response to the ecological crisis caused by the decades of misuse of water resources in the Sea region . The four Central Asian states ( and ) who are members of this organization pledge to manage their water use in order to protect the environment and decrease the impacts of the ongoing ecological crisis .

A quick clip showing the destruction of the Sea and its impacts on human health , the economy , and the environment . Source ) Multipurpose supranational organization AU ( African Union ) Launched in 2022 , AU consists of 55 member states who contribute to it financially . It serves multiple purposes , including defending the sovereignty of its member states , protecting human rights in the continent , coordinating policies between member states to promote economic growth , and prioritizing sustainable development . The Politics of Election In democracies such as the US , the political group or party in power may be charged with the drawing or revision of voting district boundaries . These boundaries may be drawn in such a way that favors one political party over another in a practice known as , and may result in districts . Specifically , the two techniques used in are cracking and packing . Cracking Voters affiliated with the opposition party are split or cracked across multiple districts , so they struggle

to elect their desired candidate since their voting strength is divided . Packing Voters affiliated with the opposition party are crammed or packed into as few districts as possible , thereby allowing the opposition to win only a few districts while the party in power wins a majority of the districts . Gerrymander a voting district game Try your hand at this simple puzzle game to see if you can draw voting districts to favor your party game ( While Chief Justice Roberts of the US Supreme Court admitted that leads to results that reasonably seem unjust and is incompatible with democratic principles , the Court 2019 decision in Common Cause ruled that federal courts can not judge if is illegal or if it violated the Constitution . Learn the techniques used in to favor one political party over another . Source Vox )

By Wing Cheung , College Keeping the world interesting one map at a time Fundamentals of Human Geography by Wing Cheung is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution International ( BY )