Unit 4

• Political geography: the study of ways in which the world is organized as a reflection of the power that different groups hold over territory (China not recognizing Taiwan as a separate country while the US does)
• State: a politically organized independent territory with a government, defined bordiers, and permit people
• State government has power over a population that works to contribute to an economy and is connected by transportation and communication systems
• Sovereignay: the right of a government to control and defend its territory and determine what happens within the borders
• If a state is not seen as a country, it is not sovereign
• Nations: cultural entities, they are made up of individuals who have forged a common identity through language, religion, ethnicity, or heritage
• Nation-state: The territory is occupied by a group who view veiw themselves as a nation is the same as the politically recognized boundaries of their state (no country is a true nation-state, but Japan is closest example)
• Multistate-nation: people who share a culture background or ethnic background but live in 1 country(Korea)
• Irredentism: (attempting to acquire territory in neighboring states that have people of the same nation(Ukrain)
• Multinational state: a country with many ethnicities and cultures living inside its borders (US/Iraq)
• Autonomous/semi-autonomous: given some authority to govern their own territories independently from the national government (Hong Cong)
• Stateless nation: people united by culture, language, history and tradition but not having a state(the Kurds)
• Self-determination: the right of all people to choose their own political status(the Balkan Peninsula)
• Imperialism: The push to create an empire by exercising force or influence to control other nations or people (Latin America’s Catholics (Portuguese and Spain))
• The Kurds live in Iraq, Iran, Syria, and Turkey but don’t live in one nation. They have been trying for s state, but that would require the neighboring countries to give up some of their land
• Devolution: when the central power is a state is broken up among regional authorities within its bordiers(Soviet union was broken into 15 states)
• Colonialism: the practice of a country establishing and maintaining colonies in other parts of the world, typically for purposes of economic expoloition, cultural assimilation, or political control
• Territiality: The attempt by an individual or group to affect, influence, or control people, phenomena and relationships by delimiting and asserting control over an area
• Colonialism: The practice of claiming and dominating overseas territories
• Neocolonialism: the use of economic, political, cultural, or other pressures to control or influence other countries especially former dependencies
• Choke point: a narrow, strategic passageway to another place where it is difficult to pass. Because if size, it holds lots of power
• Shatterbelts: territorialily and the quest for political power that leads to invisibility in regions
• Shatterbelts often exist in areas with long-lasting antagonism between religion, ethnicities, and linguistic groups living there
• Antecedent boundaries: boundaries established before many people came to the area (border between US/Canada)
• Subsequent boundaries: drawn in areas that have been settled in by people and where cultural landscapes already exist or are in the process of being established (France and Germany)
• Consequent boundaries: takes into account the differences with cultural landscapes, religion, ethnicities, and other types. Is a form of Subsequent boundary
• Subsequent and Consequent are formed due to patterns of population growth of population growth and the growth of culture
• Superimposed: drawn over existing boarders by an outside force(Africa)
• Geometric boundaries: mathematical and typically fallow lines of longitude and latitude, or are straight line areas between 2 points (US)
• Relics: former boundaries that once existed but no longer have an official function (Berlin wall)
• Defining: countries explicitly state in legally binding documentation, such as a treaty, where their bordiers are located, and use reference points to help (Belize and Guatemala)
• Delimit: boundaries are drawn on map in accordance to legal agreement (US and Mexico)
• Demarcated: defined by physical objects, such as stones, pillars, walls, fences, etc (US putting up a wall up on Mexico border)
• Administer: manage the maintainment and how goods and people will cross. Most bordiers are restricted, extent, or closed and no one may pass (North and South Korea)
• The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea(UNCLOS): established rule stating that a countries terriotorial seas extend 12 nautical miles of its coast
• Exclusive economic zone(eez): extends 200 nautical miles from the coast. Countries have complete sovereighty over their territory seas
• International boundaries: drawn to define and organize states (within states) (Canada, Japan, US)
• Internal boundries help form voting districts and draw their unaccordance to the elections
• Redistricting: a state’s internal political boundaries that determine voting districts for the US house of Representatives and the state’s legislature are redrawn to accurately reflect the new census data
• Gerrymandering: named after govener Eldridge Gerry who signed a law approving that state legislature distr be drawn in his favor