Transcript Political culture regions

Political Patterns
Chapter 4
The Human Mosaic
Culture Regions
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Political culture regions
Political diffusion
Political ecology
Politico-cultural integration
Political landscapes
Independent countries
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Earth’s surface is divided into some 190
independent countries
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Scores of other provinces and districts enjoy
some level of autonomy with being fully
independent
The United States occupies about the same
amount of territory as Europe, which has 46
independent countries
Australia is politically united
South America has 12 countries
Independent countries
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Africa’s mainland has 47 independent entities
Territoriality: the tangible geographical
expression of one of the most common
human characteristics: to belong to a larger
group that controls its own piece of Earth
Some political geographers believe
territoriality is instinctive in humans
Fragmentation of humankind into independent
countries is natural and unavoidable
 It is a product of the animal part of our brain
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Independent countries
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Territorial imperative
Most political geographers believe territoriality
is learned
Robert Sack believes it is a cultural strategy using
power to control area thereby subjugating
inhabitants and acquiring resources
 Warns against uncritical borrowing of concepts
from animal behaviorists
 Precise border marking was a concept unique to
Western culture
 Others suggest a recent origin for nationalism of
150 to 500 years ago
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Independent countries
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Whether learned or instinctual, human
territoriality is a geographical phenomenon
The sense of “we” springs from
attachment to region and place
Distribution of national territory
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As a rule, the more compact the territory the
better
Theoretically, the most desirable shape for a
country is round or hexagonal
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Allow short communication lines
Minimizes amount of border to be defended
No country has this ideal degree of compactness
Some countries come close—France, Poland, Zaire,
and Brazil
Distribution of national territory
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Unfavorable territorial distributions can
inhibit national cohesiveness
Enclave — district surround by a country
but not ruled by it
Pene-enclave — an intrusive piece of
territory with only the smallest of outlets
free from the surround country
Distribution of national territory
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Exclaves — Pieces of national territory
separated from the main body of a
country by the territory of another
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Hard to defend
Isolated population may develop separatist
feelings
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A is Armenia
B is Azerbaijan
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C is Iran
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a is Nagomo-Karabakh
b is Nakhichevan
Autonomous Republic
c is Okibair Eskipara
enclave
d is Sofulu enclave
e is Kyarki enclave
f is Bashkend enclave
Distribution of national territory
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Pakistan as an exclave in 1947
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Two parts were separated by 1,000 miles of
India territory
West Pakistan had the capital, most of the
territory, and hoarded the country’s wealth
East Pakistan had most the people and
resources
Divided in 1973, East Pakistan became
Bangladesh
Distribution of national territory
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Long narrow “shoestring” countries such
as Chile, Gambia, and Norway can be
difficult to administer
Island nations such as Indonesia can
cause problems — transportation,
communication
Sea encouraged islanders to develop local
allegiances in the former British Islands in
the Caribbean
Boundaries
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Until recently many boundaries were not sharp,
clearly defined lines, but were zones called
marchlands
Buffer state — independent but small and weak
country lying between two powerful countries
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Mongolia—lies between Russia and China
Nepal—lies between India and China
Satellite state -- a buffer state that falls under
the domination of one of its powerful neighbors
and loses much of its independence
Boundaries
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Most modern boundaries are lines rather
than zones
Natural boundaries — follow some feature
of the natural landscape
Ethnographic boundaries — based on a
culture trait often religion or language
Geometric boundaries — regular, often
perfectly straight lines drawn without
regard for physical or cultural features
Niagara Falls
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Niagara River forms a
natural boundary
between Canada and
the United States
This view is from
Horseshoe Falls in the
province of Ontario
towards American
Falls in the state of
New York
Niagara Falls
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Each year, millions of
visitors travel across
the bridge-border to
enjoy the spectacular
scenery.
Niagara Falls is an
important element of
Canada’s iconography.
Niagara Falls
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The area became home
to many loyalists from
the American
Revolution/War of
Independence and was
the site of Upper
Canada’s first capital.
Decisive battles against
American forces in the
War of 1812 were also
fought there
Boundaries
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Some boundaries are of mixed type
Relic boundaries — no longer exist as
international borders
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Often leave behind a trace in local culture
Example of the reunification of Germany
where different levels of prosperity still show
between east and west
International borders can be very divisive
Spatial organization of territory
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Independent countries differ greatly in the
way their territory is organized for
administration purposes
Unitary governments
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Power is centrally concentrated
Little or no provincial authority
All major decisions come from the central
government
Spatial organization of territory
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Unitary governments
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Policies are uniformly applied throughout the territory
China is unitary and totalitarian
France is unitary but democratic
Federal governments
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A more geographically expressive system
Acknowledges the existence of regional cultural
differences
Provides mechanism for allowing regions to
perpetuate their individual character
Spatial organization of territory
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Federal governments
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Power is diffused, allowing much authority to
individual provinces
The United States, Canada, Australia, and Switzerland
exhibit varying degrees of federalism
Since the Civil War, the United States has leaned
more toward a unitary government, with fewer states’
rights
In Canada, federalism remains vital and has helped
accommodate French-Canadian demands
Today, Russia is striving to create a federal state
Spatial organization of territory
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Native-American reservations in the United
States
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Semiautonomous enclave, legally sanctioned
political territories only indigenous Americans
can possess
Not sovereign, but do have certain selfgovernment rights
Conflicts with other local authorities
Do not fit the normal American system of
states
Centrifugal and centripetal forces
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Centripetal forces — those forces that
promote national unity and solidarity
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Many nations have one principal force the
fuels the nationalistic sentiment
For Israel it is the Jewish faith
Centrifugal forces — whatever disrupts
internal order and encourages destruction
of the country
Centrifugal and centripetal forces
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How many independent countries should
there be?
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We live in a time of new country proliferation
Former Soviet Union disintegrated into 15 new
countries
 Yugoslavia became 5
 Czechoslovakia became 2
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Russia, Iraq, Peru, and others could also
fragment
Supranational political bodies
Supranational political bodies
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Supranational organization — self-governing
countries form international associations for
purposes of trade, military assistance, or mutual
security
Grew in number and importance during the
twentieth century
Some represent vestiges of collapsed empires
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British Commonwealth
French community
Commonwealth of Independent States (C.I.S.) — a
shadow of the former Soviet Union
Supranational political bodies
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The European Union seeks a widely based
confederation
Arab League possess little cohesion
The United Nations is atop the pyramid of
supranationals
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Maintains peacekeeping and charitable
functions
Invokes sanctions against “rogue” countries
Electoral geographical regions
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When people vote in an election a political
culture region is created
Revealed in the voting process are attitudes
reflecting religion, ethnicity, sectionalism, and
ideology
When mapped, voting tendencies over the
decades reveal deep-rooted electoral behavior
regions — Europe is a good example
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Toward the center of Europe some districts and
provinces have a long record of rightist sentiment
Peripheral areas, especially in the east, are often
leftist strongholds
Electoral geographical regions
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Electoral regions also exist in the United States
and Canada
Daniel Elazar described three of these
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Traditionalistic
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Includes the Lower South, Hispanic borderland, and diverse
Native American groups
Family and social class are more important than state or
individual
Believe “best government is the least government”
Order is best maintained through religion and family, not law
Electoral geographical regions
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Electoral regions also exist in the United
States and Canada
Daniel Elazar described three of these
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Moralistic
Found in a zone influenced by New England
Yankee culture and Scandinavian settlers
 Views government as means to achieve a good
society
 Public good comes before individual rights or
benefits
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Electoral geographical regions
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Electoral regions also exist in the United
States and Canada
Daniel Elazar described three of these
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Individualistic
Seen as “dirty” — used to further personal, rather
than societal interests
 Lobbying and monetary contributions to politicians
 In much of American heartland
 Roots in the independent family farm and GermanAmerican culture
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Functional electoral regions
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Electoral geographers are concerned with
functional culture regions
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They often assist in redistricting after each
United States census
New voting areas are established to try and
equalize population
Geographers often assist in redistricting
process
Pattern of voting precincts or districts can
influence election results
Functional electoral regions
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Problems arise if redistricting remains in hands
of legislators instead of impartial experts
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Majority political groups can arrange voting districts
geographically to maximize their power
Cleavage lines crossed to create districts having
majority of voters favoring group in power
Practice called gerrymandering — The next slide
reveals resulting voting district shapes
Culture Regions
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Political culture regions
Political diffusion
Political ecology
Politico-cultural integration
Political landscapes
Country building as diffusion
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Some countries sprang full-grown into the
world
Most countries diffused outward from a
small nucleus called a core area
Country development from a core
area
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Generally possess an attractive set of
resources for human life and culture
Often possesses some measure of natural
defense that attracts people
Denser population may produce enough
wealth to support a large army as a base
for further expansion and relocation
diffusion
Country development from a core
area
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During expansion, the core area usually
remains the country’s most important
district
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Houses the capital city
Contains the cultural and economic heart of
the country
Serves as the node of a functional culture
region
France expanded to its present size from
around Paris
Country development from a core
area
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During expansion, the core area usually
remains the country’s most important
district
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China diffused from a nucleus in the northeast
Russia originated in the principality of Moscow
The United States grew westward from a core
between Massachusetts and Virginia
Country development from a core
area
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Diffusion of independent countries in this
manner produces the core/periphery
configuration
Peripheral areas generally display selfconscious regionalism, and occasionally
provide settings for secession movements
Generally countries created this way are
more stable
Countries created to fill a void
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Absence of a core area can leave a
country’s national identity blurred
Have no national heartland
Make it easier for provinces to develop
strong local or even foreign allegiances
Belgium and Democratic Republic of
Congo (Zaire) are example of countries
without political core areas
Countries with multiple competing
cores
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Potentially the least stable of all countries
Often develop when two or more independent
countries are united
Main threat is one of the competing cores will
form a separatist movement
Example of Spain
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Castile and Aragon united in 1479
Old core areas of Madrid and Barcelona continue to
compete for political control
Symbolize two language-based cultures—Castilian
and Catalonian
Diffusion of insurgencies and
innovations
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The Arab uprising against Israeli rule in
the occupied West Bank began in late
1987, and within a year diffused through
most of the area
Contagious expansion diffusion often
operates in a political sphere
Spread of political independence in
Africa
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In 1914, only Liberia and Ethiopia were
independent of European colonial rule
Movement for independence by Arabs of
North Africa gained momentum in the
1950s
Movement swept southward across most
of the continent between 1960 and 1965
By 1994 independence had swept the
continent
Barriers encountered by the
diffusion of African self-rule
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Portugal clung to its African colonies until
a change in government reversed a 500year-old policy
France sought to hold onto Algeria
because many European colonists lived
there
Political innovations spread within
independent countries
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Spread of women’s suffrage started in
Wyoming and culminated with the
ratification of a constitutional amendment
Opposition to women’s suffrage strongest
in the Deep South
Political diffusion
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Federal statutes permit, to some degree, laws to
be adopted in individual functional subdivisions
Example of the United States and Canada
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Each state and province has broad law-giving powers
Example of movement to reduce littering by requiring
beverages to be marketed in reusable or deposit
containers
Reusable beverage container innovation encountered
barriers and failed to diffuse through the entire
country
Culture Regions
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Political culture regions
Political diffusion
Political ecology
Politico-cultural integration
Political landscapes
Folk fortresses
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Natural features in the physical
surroundings of a country or its core areas
that afford it protection from outside
invasion
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Mountain ranges or deserts
Bordering marshes or dense forests
Folk fortresses were more important
before the advent of modern air and
missile warfare
Folk fortresses
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Examples of countries with protective
environmental features
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Surrounding seas have protected the British
Isles for the past 900 years
In Egypt, desert wastelands on the east and
west of the fertile, well-watered Nile Valley
core have afforded protection
Russia’s core area is shielded by dense
forests, expansive marshes, bitter winters,
and vast distances
Folk fortresses
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Countries without natural defenses have
often had problems maintaining their
independence
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Korea, land bridge from China to Japan, has
repeatedly been invaded
Poland, on the open plains of northern
Europe, has been overrun and partitioned
many times
Folk fortresses
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Ideally, a country should have mountains and
hills around its edges and plains in the interior
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Also provides a natural enclosed plain as a cohesive
basis for the country
France comes close to the ideal
Mountain-ridge borders are desirable, because they
stand out on the landscape and cross thinly populated
country
Rivers are much less suitable as borders because they
frequently change course, and flow through densely
settled valleys
Folk fortresses
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An undesirable arrangement of physical features
may disrupt a country’s internal unity
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The cutting of a mountain range or desert through
the middle of a country
Internal barriers can disrupt communications and
isolate one part of a country from another
Internal mountain ranges can provide excellent
potential guerrilla bases
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Peru is divided by the Andes Mountains
Spain has problems because a number of plains areas are
separated by hills and mountains
Folk fortresses
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Perhaps the best borders for independent
countries are seacoasts
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Australia, Iceland, Sri Lanka, and Madagascar
have benefited from their island locations
Not all islands are free from attacks by
neighbors — Hawaii, Cuba, the Philippines
Folk fortresses
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Expanding countries often regard coastlines as
the logical limits to their territorial growth
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Example of the United States’ drive to the Pacific
Ocean
Manifest destiny — belief the Pacific shoreline offered
the logical and predestined western border for the
United States
Similar doctrine led Russia to seek expansion toward
the Mediterranean and Baltic sea, and the Pacific and
Indian oceans
The heartland theory
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Halford Mackinder
Mackinder believed the continent of
Eurasia would be the most likely base
from which a successful campaign for
world conquest could be launched
The heartland theory
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Halford Mackinder
Discerned two environmental regions: first the
heartland
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Interior of Eurasia lying remote from the sea
Invulnerable to the naval power empires such as
Britain and Japan
Cavalry’ and infantry could spill out through diverse
natural gateways and invade the rimland
Earlier conquest by Mongols in China, and Tartar
depredations in Europe provided examples
The heartland theory
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In Mackinder’s view, a unified heartland
power could probe into the coastlands
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Eventually maritime countries could be
conquered
Sea power could then be turned against
outlying continents and islands until the whole
world was subject to the heartland
Mackinder predicted Russian conquest of the
world
The heartland theory
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His second environmental region was the
rimland
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Densely populated coastal fringes of Eurasia
in the east, south, and west
After the communist revolution in 1917,
leaders of rimland empires and the United
States employed a policy of containment
These countries fortified the rimland and
fought numerous wars against outward
probes by heartland-based communism
Fallacies of the heartland theory
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Overestimation of the power potential of the
thinly settled Eurasian interior, which is largely
frozen tundra, parched desert, and extensive
forests
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Failed to anticipate the role of airborne warfare and
ballistic missiles
Failed to recognize the economic weakness of the
Marxist system
Heartland theory belongs to the discredited
doctrine of environmental determinism
Warfare and environmental
destruction
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Warfare has the most devastating effect on the
environment
“Scorched Earth” — the systematic destruction
of resources
Hydrogen bomb testing on Pacific islands have
made them uninhabitable
Patton’s tank exercises, over 50 years ago,
damaged the natural vegetation of California’s
southern desert so extensively only about onethird has recovered
Warfare and environmental
destruction
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Environmental impact of the Persian Gulf War of
1991
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Oil spill of 294 million gallons covered 400 square
miles of Gulf waters also caused floral and faunal loss
Mass bulldozing of sand by Iraqis to make defensive
berms caused damage-wind erosion and vegetation
loss
Solid-waste pollution produced by 500,000 coalition
forces
Six million plastic bags discarded weekly by American
forces alone
Persian Gulf War of 1991
Warfare and environmental
destruction
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Everyone losses when modern “high-tech”
warfare occurs
The world is interconnected in its lifesupporting ecosystem
Kariba Dam
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One of the largest
dams in Africa, the
Kariba Dam was
constructed on the
Zambezi River from
1955-59 as a joint
waterpower project of
two governments:
Zimbabwe
(foreground) and
Zambia.
Kariba Dam
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One result was the
creation of a 180 mile
Lake Kariba that
flooded over 2000
square miles.
Hundreds of animals
were moved to higher
ground in the largest
animal rescue of its
kind, known as
Operation Noah.
Kariba Dam
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Matusadona National
Park was created to
house them.
The river and lake
form a natural
boundary between
the two countries and
the region is an
important tourist
destination.
Kariba Dam
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Zimbabwe eventually
bought out Zambia
and the dam supplies
about 50% of its
power requirements.