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104 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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What is Political Geography?
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Study of the organization and distribution of political phenomena, and their impact on other spatial components of society and culture.
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What do political geographers study?
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- How people have organized the surface into countries and alliances
- Reasons underlying the observed arrangements - The conflicts that result from this type of organization |
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What is a state?
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Independent political unit occupying a defined, permanently populated territory and has full sovereign control over its internal and foreign affairs.
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Facts about States
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- does NOT refer to states within countries like AR, AL, TX
- Not all recognized territorial entities are states - has Sovereignty |
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What is sovereignty?
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Independence from control of its internal affairs by other states.
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Development of states
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- We can trace it back to the Fertile Crescent region in the ancient Middle East.
- 1st states to evolve in Mesopotamia were city-states |
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What is a city-state?
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Sovereign state that comprises a town and the surrounding countryside.
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3 facts about city-states
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- walls created city boundaries
- the city controlled the agricultural land outside the walls to produce food for urban residents - country-side provided defense from other city-states |
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the Roman Empire
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- contolled most of Europe, North Africa, and Southwest Asia
- 38 provinces all using the same laws created in Rome - empire collapsed bc of internal disputes - European part of empire divided into estates owned by nobles - around 1100 AD, consolidation of neighboring estates began under control of a handful of kings |
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Views of the States
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- many states are result of Euro. expansion from 17th-19th centuries when much of Asia, Africa, and the Americas were divided into colonies
- now states have fixed boundaries unlike before |
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What is nation-building?
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Developing feeling of loyalty to the state among randomly associated citizens
- many new countries face this problem |
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What is Colonialism?
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Effort by a country to establish settlements and impose political, economic, and cultural principles on a territory.
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What is imperialism?
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Control of territory already occupied and organized by an indigenous society.
- refers to European colonization of Africa and Asia |
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the 3 G's?
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God, Gold, and Glory!
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Where are some colonies that remain today?
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- islands in the Pacific and the Caribbean
- ex. Puerto Rico |
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Puerto Rico
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- commonwealth of USA; most populous colony
- acquired through Treaty of Paris in 1898 - 4 million residents - country split b/w those who WANT the island to become state of US vs. those who DON'T WANT it to |
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Shapes of States
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- physical shape of state is part of its unique identity
- can influence the ease or difficulty of internal administration - can affect social unity - can affect the potential for communication and conflict w/ neighbors |
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5 basic shapes of states?
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- Compact
- Elongated - Prorupted - Fragmented - Perforated |
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Compact Shape?
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- the distance from the center to any boundary doesn't vary significantly; communication is easier for each part of the region
- ideal thoeretical compact state would be shaped like a circle with the capital in the center - Kenya, Uganda, Belgium, Hungary |
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Prorupted State?
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- A compact state with projecting extension
- created to provide access to a resource (water); divide an area - Democratic Republic of the Congo, Thailand |
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Elongated Shape?
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- long, narrow shape
- Chile, Gambia, Vietnam |
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Fragmented Shape?
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- includes several discontinued pieces of territory
- all states have offshore islands as part of their territory - separated by water or land - Angola, Indonesia, Philippines |
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Perforated Shape?
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- A state that completely surrounds another state
- South Africa (Lesotho & Swaziland), & Italy (Vatican City & San Merino) |
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What's a boundary?
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An invisible line marking the extent of a states territory.
- Physical & cultural features |
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Physical Boundary
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- the Andes Mountains b/w Chile and Argentina
- good bc they're permanent & difficult to cross - countries almost fought over line |
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Cultural Boundary
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- The Sahara desert
- separates Algeria, Libya, & Egypt in the N from Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Chad, & the Sudan in the S. |
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Positional Boundary Dispute
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- occurs when states disagree about the interpretation of documents that define a boundary, or the way it was drawn; arises w/ boundaries that are created b4 well populated
- ex. Chile & Argentina |
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Territorial Boundary Dispute
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- Disagreement over ownership of a region; arises w/ superimposed boundaries that divide ethnically homogenous populations
- Ex. Somalia & Ethiopia |
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Resource Boundary Dispute
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- neighboring states covet resources lying in border areas & disagree over their use
- ex. Mexico & US w/ CO River and Gulf of Mexico |
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Functional Boundary Dispute
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- neighboring states disagree over policies applied along a boundary line
- ex. US relations w/ Mexico affected by drug trafficking & illegal immigrants |
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What's a unitary state?
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Places most power in the hands of central government officials
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What's a federal state?
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Allocates most power to units of local government w/ the country
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Facts a/b Unitary state
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- works best w/ nation-states w/ few internal cultural differences & strong national unity
- small nations are more likely to adopt this type of government - most commonly found in Euro - Ex. Kenya, Rwanda |
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Facts a/b Federal state
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- allow local govs. to possess more authority to adopt their own laws; works well w/ large states
- ex. Russia, US, Canada, Brazil |
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What is gerrymandering?
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Process of redrawing legislative boundaries for the purpose of benefiting the party in power.
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What is electoral geography?
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the analysis of the methods, behavior, and results of elections in the context of geographic space and using geographical techniques.
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How does gerrymandering work?
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- a community has 125 votes allocated among 5 districts of 25 votes each
- Rep.=65 supporters (52%) - Dem.=60 supporters (48%) |
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3 forms of gerrymandering
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wasted, excess,& stacked votes
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the Wasted Vote
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- spreads opposition supporters across many districts but ALWAYS in the minority
- wins by having slightly more voters in each district |
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the Excess Vote
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- concentrates opposition supporters into a few districts
- wins by having slightly more voters in 4 of the 5 districts |
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the Stacked Vote
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- links distant areas of like-minded voters through oddly shaped boundaries
- most recent gerrymandering in the US has been this - wins by being the majority party in 3/4 districts |
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Who were the 2 superpowers during the Cold War?
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the USA and the Soviet Union, roughly equal in power
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What is the UN?
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It's a global political agency that tries to be universal in promoting peace through its 40 programs
- grew from 51 member states in 1945 to 192 by 2006 |
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When was the UN founded?
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October 1945 after WWII
- recognizes 6 official languages |
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6 official languages of UN
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Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, Spanish
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Facts about the UN
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- name coined by FDR in 1942
- once called League of Nations - Pres. = Ali Treki - Sec.-General = Ban Ki-Moon - can't create/enforce world laws - no authority over military forces of individual countries |
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What is terrorism?
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Systematic use of violence by a group in order to intimidate a population or coerce a gov. into granting its demands
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What was NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)?
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N Atlantic Treaty Organization
- consisted of the USA, 14 western Euro. allies, & Canada - sharply reduced # of troops - expanded membership to include those in former Warsaw pact rather then disband |
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What was the Warsaw Pact?
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consisted of the Soviet Union and 6 eastern Euro. allies
- disbanded due to lack of military confrontation |
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What affect did NATO have on Europe?
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- By including the Warsaw Pact, the alliance offered Eastern Euro security from future threats from Russia
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What is the European Union?
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- contains 27 countries
- is Western Euros. most important economic organization - most barriers to free trade were removed with a few exceptions - goods, services, capital,people can move freely through Europe |
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What is the HDI (Human Development Index)?
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- measures a countries level of development
- created by the UN in 1990 - 3 factors: economic, social, demographic |
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What is development?
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process of improving the material conditions of people through diffusion of knowledge and technology
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What is the HDI economic factor?
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gross domestic product (GDP) per capita
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What is the HDI social factor?
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literacy rate and amount of education
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What is the HDI demographic factor?
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life expectancy
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What is GDI?
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- reflects improvements in the standard of living and well-being of women
- uses the same factors of development as HDI, but is adjusted to reflect differences in the accomplishments and conditions b/w men and women |
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Factors of Gender Development Index
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- average income of women is lower than men in every country in the world
- female university students outnumber males in MDCs, but less in LDCs |
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What is the GEM (Gender Empowerment Measure)?
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- measures the ability of women to participate in the process of achieving those improvements
- calculated by combining: economic indicators & political power indicators |
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What are economic indicators?
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- Per Capita Income
- Economic Structure - Productivity - Consumer Goods |
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Per Capita Income
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- Gross domestic product
- Average incomes are higher in MDCs than LDCs - if you divide the country's GDP by total pop., it shows you what the average person contributes toward generating the country's wealth - USA GDP ($14 trillion)/ (300 million) Population - GDP per capita = $46,000 |
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Economic Structure
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- Jobs fall into 3 categories: primary (agriculture), secondary (manufacturing), tertiary (services)
- a low % or primary-sector works tells us a few farmers produce enough food for the rest of the society - people can increase nat. wealth by working in secondary and tertiary sectors |
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Productivity
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- Value of a product compared to the amount of labor needed to make it; measured by "value added" per worker
-Workers in MDCs produce more w/ less effort bc of access to equipment that does most work |
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What is value added?
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Gross value of the product minus the cost of raw materials and energy.
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What is the gross domestic product?
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Value of the total output of goods and services produced in a country during a year.
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Consumer Goods
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- Part of the $ generated in MDCs used to buy goods & services; esp. transportation & communication
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Social Indicators
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Bc MDCs have more $ to spend on schooling, more people can read & write
- the Quantity of edu. is measured by the average # of school years attended - the Quality of edu. is measured by student/teacher ratio & literacy rate |
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Life Expectancy - Key Demographic Differences
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Babies born today can expect to love into their 70s in MDCs and 60 in LDCs
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Infant Mortality - Key Demographic Differences
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Greater in LDCs bc of malnutrition or lack of medicine to survive illness
- some die from poor medical practices from lack of edu. |
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Natural Increase - Key Demographic Differences
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- strains country's ability to provide hospitals,schools, jobs, etc.
- many LDCs have to spend their GDP to care for the expanding pop. rather than improve care for the current pop. |
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Per Capita Income
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- Average incomes are higher in MDCs than LDCs
- if you divide the country's GDP by total pop., it shows you what the average person contributes toward generating the country's wealth - USA GDP ($14 trillion)/ (300 million) Population - GDP per capita = $46,000 |
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Economic Structure
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- Jobs fall into 3 categories: primary (agriculture), secondary (manufacturing), tertiary (services)
- a low % or primary-sector works tells us a few farmers produce enough food for the rest of the society - people can increase nat. wealth by working in secondary and tertiary sectors |
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Productivity
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- Value of a product compared to the amount of labor needed to make it; measured by "value added" per worker
-Workers in MDCs produce more w/ less effort bc of access to equipment that does most work |
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What is added value?
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Gross value of the product minus the cost of raw materials and energy.
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What is the gross domestic product?
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Value of the total output of goods and services produced in a country during a year.
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Consumer Goods
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- Part of the $ generated in MDCs used to buy goods & services; esp. transportation & communication
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Social Indicators
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- Education & literacy
-Bc MDCs have more $ to spend on schooling, more people can read & write - the Quantity of edu. is measured by the average # of school years attended - the Quality of edu. is measured by student/teacher ratio & literacy rate |
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Life Expectancy - Key Demographic Differences
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Babies born today can expect to love into their 70s in MDCs and 60 in LDCs
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Infant Mortality - Key Demographic Differences
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Greater in LDCs bc of malnutrition or lack of medicine to survive illness
- some die from poor medical practices from lack of edu. |
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Natural Increase - Key Demographic Differences
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Greater natural increase strains country's ability to provide hospitals, schools, jobs, etc.
- many LDCs have to spend their GDP to care for the expanding pop. rather than improve care for the current pop. |
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Crude Birth Rate - Key Demographic Differences
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LDCs have higher CBRs, but women in MDCs have fewer babies for various reasons
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Health Indicators
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- Nutrition
- People tend to be healthier in MDCs because the wealth generated can be used to obtain food and health care |
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Nutrition - Health Indicators
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Food, the essential universal consumption necessity and the objective of the majority of human productive activity, is the ultimate indicator of economic well-being
- 14% of worlds population is undernourished |
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Health Care - Health Indicators
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Total expenditures on health for MDCs exceed 8% of the GDP compared to less than 6% in LDCs
- public service available at little or no cost in most MDCs |
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Crude Birth Rate - Key Demographic Differences
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LDCs have higher CBRs, but women in MDCs have fewer babies for various reasons
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Health Indicators
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- Nutrition
- People tend to be healthier in MDCs because the wealth generated can be used to obtain food and health care |
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Nutrition - Health Indicators
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Food, the essential universal consumption necessity and the objective of the majority of human productive activity, is the ultimate indicator of economic well-being
- 14% of worlds population is undernourished |
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Health Care - Health Indicators
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Total expenditures on health for MDCs exceed 8% of the GDP compared to less than 6% in LDCs
- public service available at little or no cost in most MDCs |
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Two Paths of Development
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Self-Sufficiency & International Trade
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Self-Suffiency
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- Raises barriers to trade
- idea of balanced growth and was the most popular development model during the 20th century - W/ this approach: investment is spread equally across all sectors of a country's economy and in all regions; and dev. can be slow, but residents and enterprises share benefits of development making it fair |
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Crude Birth Rate - Key Demographic Differences
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Higher # in LDCs, but women in MDCs have fewer babies for various reasons
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Health Indicators
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- Nutrition
- People tend to be healthier in MDCs because the wealth generated can be used to obtain food and health care |
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Nutrition - Health Indicators
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Food, the essential universal consumption necessity and the objective of the majority of human productive activity, is the ultimate indicator of economic well-being
- 14% of worlds population is undernourished |
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Health Care - Health Indicators
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Total expenditures on health for MDCs exceed 8% of the GDP compared to less than 6% in LDCs
- public service available at little or no cost in most MDCs |
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Two Paths of Development
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Self-Sufficiency & International Trade
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Self-Suffiency
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- Raises barriers to trade
- Idea of balanced growth and was the most popular development model during the 20th century - W/ this approach: investment is spread equally across all sectors of a country's economy and in all regions; and dev. can be slow, but residents and enterprises share benefits of development making it fair |
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International Trade
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- Distributes scarce resources to a few activities
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2 Problems with Self-Sufficiency
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- Protected inefficient industries
1) Businesses could sell everything they made at high government controlled prices to customers selected from long waiting lists- There was little incentive to improve quality, lower production costs, reduce prices, etc.- They didn’t keep up with technological changes elsewhere - 2) Large bureaucracy was needed to administer the controls |
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Rostows 5 step process
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This model works by concentrating scarce resources on expansion of its distinctive local industries
- 5 stages: Traditional Society, Preconditions for takeoff, Takeoff, Drive to maturity, Age of mass consumption |
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What is step 1 of Rostows Process?
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TRADITIONAL SOCIETY: Agriculture would have a very high % of people engaged in it, and high % of wealth allocated to activities like military and religion (non-productive)
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step 2 of Rostows Process? PRECONDITIONS FOR TAKEOFF
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Elite group of educated leaders starts investment n technology and infrastructure (water, transportation)
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step 3 of Rostows Process? TAKEOFF
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Rapid growth generated in limited #s of economic activities like textiles and food products
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step 4 of Rostows Process? DRIVE TO MATURITY
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Modern technology diffuses to a wide variety of industries.
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step 5 of Rostows Process? AGE OF MASS CONSUMPTION
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Economy shifts from production of heavy industry (steel, energy) to consumer goods (cars, refrigerators)
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