Transcript There is an oft-repeated and perhaps beautiful saying that you can`t

World Political Map
Many people equate geography with memorizing countries and
capitals. (Perhaps you did too before taking this course.)
As seen from space,
these imaginary lines
we draw on the earth’s
surface disappear,
right?
“I really believe that if the political
leaders of the world could see their
planet from a distance of 100,000
miles, their outlook would
fundamentally change. Those allimportant borders would be invisible,
and their noisy arguments would be
silenced.”
Michael Collins, Gemini 10 & Apollo
11 astronaut
Collins’ quote is just one example of an oft-repeated and
beautiful idea: that one can’t see political borders from
space.
But is it true?
Sadly, no.
The Pakistan-India from the North from the ISS, August 7, 2011. Since
2003, India has illuminated the border with Pakistan by floodlights in
attempt to prevent ammunition trafficking and the infiltration of terrorists.
The
Koreas
from
space
U.S. Canada border from space. Different land use practices in the two
countries are apparent on this infrared satellite image. The fields in which
wheat is actively growing are dark red. Fallow fields appear lighter in color
although their shapes are the same.
A clearly visible line marks about 50 kilometers of the international border
between Egypt and Israel in this astronaut photograph from the
International Space Station. The reason for the color difference is likely a
slightly higher level of grazing by the Bedouin-tended animal herds on the
Egyptian side of the border
The United States/Mexico border. Just east of Tijuana, the
Baja city of Tecate sprawls along the south side of the
border. The Californian side, however is almost completely
undeveloped.
Almost the entire outline of Lesotho can be seen from space, reflecting the
comparative lack of development between it and South Africa, which
surrounds it. Most noticeable is the western border, where the densely
cultivated, heavily irrigated farmland of S. Africa’s Free State Province
contrasts with the Lesotho lowlands, much of which has been stripped
bare for firewood and fuel.
Close up of western Lesotho-South Africa border
Haiti-Dominican Republic border from space
Another view of the Haiti–Dominican Republic border
To the left, freshly-cleared land plots of the Amazonian area
surrounding Rio Branco, capital of the Brazilian state of
Acre. The jungle on the Bolivian side of the border to the
right sits nearly untouched.
This is the intersection of Egypt (left), Israel (right), and the Gaza Strip
(top). While the Egyptian side looks relatively uninhabited beyond the
coastal strip, Israel’s side of the border comparatively blooms thanks to
extensive irrigation. The Gaza Strip, meanwhile, is densely packed with
1.7 million residents and small farm plots.
political geography: the study of the
political organization of the world
Political Geography: Key Questions
• How is the surface of the earth organized
politically at the supranational, state, and
substate levels?
• How and why did these patterns of political
organization arise?
• What problems or conflicts do these
arrangements cause?
• What is the future of the currently
dominant global political unit, the state.
States: three “haves” and two “be’s”
To be a state, an area must…
•
•
•
•
•
be a politically organized territory
be recognized by other states
have a permanent population
have a defined territory (boundaries),
have sovereignty (control over its internal
affairs)
?
Where / what are...
United Kingdom
Great Britain
England
Scotland
Wales
Northern Ireland
Ireland
?
Review: Formal Region (aka Uniform Region or
Homogenous Region)
• Definition: An area defined by one predominant
or universal characteristic throughout its entire
area.
• Formal Regions have well-defined boundaries
(beyond which the predominant or universal
characteristic does not apply).
• Formal regions help geographers identify global
or local patterns (good) but always involve
generalizations (not good). (Example: Electoral
map will define Texas as a Republican state.
This generalization is useful in some ways but
obscures the fact that many people in Texas do
not vote Republican.)
Review: Functional Region (aka Nodal Region)
• Definition: An area organized around a central
focal point or node.
• The characteristic chosen to define a functional
region dominates at the node (aka core) and
diminishes as one moves away from the node
(aka the periphery).
• Geographers usually use functional regions to
display economic areas (i.e. trading area of a
shop or service, reception range of a TV station).
Review: Vernacular Region (aka Perceptual
Region or Mental Map)
• Definition: An area that people believe exist as
part of their cultural identity.
• Vernacular Regions emerge from one’s informal
sense of place rather than a scientific model.
• Having a person describe a mental map of a
region (i.e. the AGHS campus) will define a
Vernacular Region for that person.
• Because Vernacular Regions are based on an
individual's cultural identity, different people will
likely define the borders of the same Vernacular
Region differently.
TwoGeography:
key aspects
of Terms
States
Political
Two Key
• Sovereignty: a state’s recognized right to
control (have final say) over its own internal
affairs and territory.
• Territoriality: The attempt by an individual or
group to assert control over a geographic area
The concept of territoriality is
fundamental to the political
geography of modern states
Yes, a wall in the middle of the Sahara dessert
Cyprus
Which of the following activities is NOT
forbidden activity in Antarctica according to
the Antarctic Treaty?
a. permanent stations over a certain size
b. nuclear testing or dumping
c. military activity
d. new land claims
e. mineral exploitation
Since the signing of the original Antarctic Treaty,
an important additional restriction has been
added in order to
a. ensure payment of treaty dues by signatory
nations
b. restrict the movement of ships in Antarctic
waters
c. provide funds to study the Ozone layer
d. protect wildlife and areas of biological interest
e. enlarge the area encompassed by the original
agreement
nation-state: a nation which has the same
borders as a state.
stateless nation: a nation with no state
multinational state: a state containing more
than one nation
This includes
states with as
few as two
nations
(Belgium) as
well as those
with dozens
(Russia).
multistate nation: a nation that has its own
state (unlike a stateless nation) but also
stretches across into another state
irredenta: a territory historically or ethnically
related to country A but under the political control
country B
also:
irredentism: the policy of a state wanting to add
territory from another state inhabited by people
who have cultural links to their own state
When you hear
someone make a
claim about “Greater
______” (fill in a
country, this is a
dead giveaway of an
irredentist claim.
Right: “Greater”
Albania (extends
into Kosovo,
Macedonia, and
Greece)