Political Geography

Some facts about states

The world’s largest state is RussiaThe world’s smallest microstate is

Monaco.The world’s smallest colony is PitcairnAntarctica is not a state, and is

considered a research community

Ancient States

The development of states can be traced to the Fertile Crescent

The Fertile Crescent:Followed the Tigris and Euphrates RiversExtended from the Persian Gulf to the

Mediterranean SeaWas the location of the first city-states in the

Middle East Is sometimes considered to be extended into

the Nile Valley

City-States

The first states in Mesopotamia were city-states.

A city-state is a sovereign state that comprises a town and the surrounding countryside

Walls defined the boundaries

Early- European States

The Roman Empire helped unite the ancient city-states

At its height, the Roman Empire stretched across Europe, Northern Africa, and Southwest Asia

When the Roman Empire collapsed, European nation-states began

Colonies and Colonialism

European nation-states wanted colonies to increase their resources and access to local markets

A colony is a territory that is legally tied to a sovereign state

Colonialism is the effort by one country to establish settlements around the world

The Three G’s

Country’s wanted to establish colonies for the following reasons:GodGloryGold

Great Britain

By 1900, Great Britain could claim the following:The sun never set on the British EmpireBritish colonies were on every continentThey had the largest empire in EuropeTheir empire controlled strategic islands They allowed their colonies to practice their

unique traditions

Imperialism

European efforts to control Africa and Asia

Imperialism is control of a territory already occupied and organized by an indigenous society

What’s the difference between imperialism and colonialism?

Colonies today

There are very few colonies todayMost are islandsThe most populous colony is Puerto

Rico, which belongs to the Commonwealth of the United States

Over the last 50 years, the number of nation-states has increased by more than 100 (why?)

Microstates

Microstates are states with very small land areas

Characteristics include:Many are islandsAll are smaller than 1,000 sq kilometersMany of the islands are former European

coloniesMost of the island states are in the Pacific

Types of Boundaries

Historically, frontiers separated statesA frontier is a zone where no state

exercises complete political controlBoundaries can be two types: physical

and cultural

Physical Boundaries

Physical boundaries coincide with significant features of the natural landscape like mountains, deserts, and water boundariesMountains can be good boundaries, if they

are difficult to crossDesert boundaries are also hard to cross,

and can make good boundaries

Water Boundaries

Rivers, lakes, and oceans are the most common type of water boundary

Boundaries are typically in the middle of the water

Problems:The dividing line can changeOceanic boundaries usually extend into the

waterLaw of the Seas

Cultural Boundaries

Cultural boundaries follow the distribution of cultural characteristics

Cultural boundaries include geometric, religious, and language barriersGeometric boundaries are boundaries

drawn on a map (Ex: Aozou Strip)Religious boundaries try to separate two

religious groups (Ex: Ireland)

Language Barriers

Language barriers separate groups according to language

Extremely popular in Europe after World War I

What kind of boundaries separate the US and Canada?

Problems with Boundaries

One state containing more than one ethnic group (multinational state)

One ethnic group is divided among more than one state (multistate nation)Korea is a good example of this

Cypress

One of three countries that is in both Europe and Asia

The northern part of the island belongs to the Turkish minority

The southern part of the island belongs to the Greek majority

The two parts of the island are separated by a buffer zone

Russia

Russia is the largest multinational stateAfter the Soviet Union collapsed, most

Russians found themselves in the western part of the state

Multistate Nations

The Kurds live among six countries in Southwest Asia

There was a Kurdistan, until 1920The Kurds were promised a homeland

by helping US troops during the Gulf War

They did not get a homeland, due to our relationship with Turkey

Unitary and Federal States

The unitary state places most power in the hands of the central government

A federal state shares power with local governmentsThis helps calm the tension of having many

ethnic groups in one statePoland did this after the Soviet Union

collapsed

Supranational Organizations

The United Nations is a political organization with 189 membersSwitzerland and Taiwan are the only

populous countries without membershipNATO is a military organization with 16

members, including the United States and Turkey

Supranational Organizations

The European Union is an economic alliance with 27 member states It has helped grow the economy is Western

EuropeToday, it is the world’s economic

superpowerNAFTA is an economic alliance with 3

member states