Unit 4 SW Review

4.1 How is space
politically organized?

Multiple Choice

A state is also considered a-

• country

• state like the state of Texas

• a nation

Types of Political Entities

Independent states are the primary building blocks of the world political map.

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A state has…

▪Defined territory with borders

▪Permanent population

▪Government

▪Sovereignty: The right of a
government to control and defend its
territory and determine what
happens within its borders.

▪Recognition from other states.

Political Entities

Types of Political Entities

A nation is a group of people with a common identity through shared cultural
traits such as language, religion, ethnicity, and heritage.

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Example: The Maasai in
East Africa live in
southern Kenya and
northern Tanzania. They
are a semi-nomadic
ethnic group with a
traditional culture and
language.

Cultural Entities

Open Ended

Name an example of a nation

Types of Political Entities

A nation-state is when the borders of the nation match the borders of the state -
a state with (ideally) only one nation within it.

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Example:

▪No “true” examples

▪Japan

▫98% Japanese, 70% Shinto & Buddhist

▪Denmark

▫86.3% Danish, 75% Lutheran

▪Iceland

▫81% Norse/Celtic Heritage; 67% Lutheran

Types of Political Entities

Stateless nations are nations of people without a state to occupy.

Palestinians in Israel

The Basque

in Spain

The Kurds in SW Asia

Open Ended

True or False: A multistate nation is a country with many nations in it

Types of Political Entities

A multistate nation consists of a nation of people that live in more than one state.

Example: After the fall of the Soviet
Union, ethnic Russians living in former
Soviet territories such as Estonia, Latvia
and Ukraine.

Ethnic Groups: Ukrainian 77.8%, Russian 17.3%

Ethnic Groups:
Estonian 68.7%,
Russian 24.8%

Types of Political Entities

A multinational state is a country with various ethnicities and cultures within its
borders. Examples: The United States, Russia, the former Yugoslavia, Iraq

Afghanistan

▪Ethnic Groups: Pashtun, Tajik, Hazara, Uzbek,
other (includes smaller numbers of Baloch,
Turkmen, Nuristani, Pamiri, Arab, Gujar, Brahui,
Qizilbash, Aimaq, Pashai, and Kyrghyz (2015)

Nigeria

▪Ethnic Groups: More than 250

▪English (official), Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo (Ibo),
Fulani, over 500 additional indigenous
languages

Types of Political Entities

An autonomous or semi autonomous regionis a location within a state that is given
authority to govern independently from the national government.

Native American Indian Reservations

and Tribal Lands

Hong Kong

Hong Kong, Tibet and others

Multiple Choice

This is an example of an autonomous region

• Hong Kong

• Native American Reservations

4.2 Historical Origins of Today’s
Borders

Multiple Choice

A nation can exist without a state.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

The belief that people can and should govern themselves and that countries control their own affairs.

• Republicanism

• Sovereignty

• Limited Government

• Federalism

Key Concepts

Sovereignty

A state’s authority to control its territory and govern itself.

Nation - State The territory occupied by a particular nation of people is the same as the recognized political boundary of that state.

Self-

Determination

The right of all people to govern themselves. Usually a nation, ethnicity,
or former colony wants to govern themselves and establish sovereignty
over their own state.

●Oftentimes may result in independence movements or devolution.

Devolution

Due to centrifugal forces, power is shifted from the central government
or administration to regional authorities which are usually reflective of
nations.

Multiple Choice

The process where regions within a state demand and gain political strength from the central government

• Devolution

• Centripetal Force

• Ethnic Cleansing

• Irridentism

Multiple Choice

A former nation that split apart as a result of devolutionary forces is

• Canada

• the United States

• the Soviet Union

• Nigeria

What events have happened in the past that influence the modern map?

Berlin Conference (1884)

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▪European powers gathered to divide
up the continent of Africa and
establish borders.

▪Europeans drew political boundaries
for their own benefits without regard
to tribal cultures and distributions.
Over time this causes conflict and
violence and impacted the
development of African countries and
other colonies.

▪Colonialism & Imperialism

What events have happened in the past that influence the modern map?

The Treaty of Versailles (1920)

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▪This treaty was signed to end WWI. It redrew
boundaries in Europe and Southwest Asia.

▪The German, Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman
Empires were broken up and organized into
individual states with the intention of
creating nation-states.

▪This worked in some places and resulted in
further divisions in others (specifically the
Middle East).

What events have happened in the past that influence the modern map?

Establishment of Israel (1948)

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▪Palestine, a former British colony, was
established as the state of Israel after the
Holocaust.

▪Self-determination for Arabs across
Palestine rose and conflict has ebbed and
flowed since the state was officially
established.

▪Palestine are recognized as a stateless
nation by many countries throughout the
world.

What events have happened in the past that influence the modern map?

Decolonization & Independence Movements (1945-1990)

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▪After the development of the United
Nations and the end of WWII, the
movement of decolonization began
around the world.

▪Resistance to colonial power and
political self-determination gained
momentum and new countries were
formed out of previous colonial
empires.

▪Throughout African, South Asia,
Southeast Asia and Latin America

What events have happened in the past that influence the modern map?

Fall of the Soviet Union (1991)

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▪The fall of communism and the Soviet
Union ended the Cold War and led to the
creation of newly independent states,
and changed the world balance of power.

▪Eastern Europe was less influenced by
the Soviet Union. (Yugoslavia, East
Germany, Poland, etc)

▪New states include: Ukraine, Estonia,
Armenia, Azerbaijan, Lithuania, Latvia,
Belarus, Moldova, and the ‘Stans

4.3 Political Power and
Territoriality

Political Power & Territoriality

Territorialityis the control and influence over a specific
geographic space. It often includes aspects such as…

▪Historic and cultural links

▪Governments

▪Economics

▪Boundaries

▪Sovereignty

▪Defense/military

▪Sometimes leads to conflict.

Similarly, political power is defined as control over
people, land and resources.

▪Doesn’t necessarily correspond to a specific geographic area with
defined boundaries.

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How is political power & territoriality expressed?

Neocolonialism

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The use of economic, political, cultural or other
pressures in order to control or influence other
countries.

▪Semi-Periphery and Periphery Countries

▪Former African colonies - reliant on outside
investments for economic security.

▫Kenya - $3.8 billion dollar railroad - Chinese
government owned company - crushing
debt - Chinese control over the railroad.

▪Political influence - US Wars in the Middle East

How is political power & territoriality expressed?

Shatterbelts

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Instability within a region that is geographically
located between states with overlapping
territoriality and political power.

▪Germany during the Cold War

▪Balkan Peninsula - Former Yugoslavia

▫Formerly apart of…

▫Ottoman Empire

▫Iron Curtain

▫Variety of ethnicities, religions &
Languages -> Centrifugal

▫Relative location

Multiple Choice

During the Cold War, the region between capitalist Western Europe and communist Eastern Europe could be considered a:

• Demilitarized zone

• Frontier area

• Colonial region

• Shatterbelt

Explanation Slide...

Any area containing rival political entities or ethnic groups with the potential for conflict is known as a shatterbelt.

Multiple Choice

The Panama Canal, Strait of Gibraltar, and Strait of Hormuz are examples of...

• shatterbelts

• chokepoints

• neocolonialism

• irredentism

How is political power & territoriality expressed?

Choke Points

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A strategic strait or canal which is
narrow, hard to pass through and has
competition for use.

▪This could be closed or blocked to
stop sea traffic and strategically
show political power or territoriality.

▪Essential to shipping oil, food, and
consumer products around the
world.

Examples: Strait of Malacca (Malaysia,
Singapore, Indonesia), Strait of Hormuz

(Iran), Suez Canal (Egypt)

Multiple Choice

30% of all the world's oil travels through the Strait of Hormuz near Iran. About 25% of all traded goods travel through the Strait of Malacca near Singapore. These are examples of:

• Imperialism

• Geometric boundaries

• Choke points

• Shatterbelts

4.10 Consequences of
Centrifugal and Centripetal
Forces

Multiple Choice

What is a force that unites people and states?

• Centripetal Force

• Centrifugal Force

• Devolution

• Balkanization

Multiple Choice

What is a force that divides people and states?

• Centripetal Force

• Centrifugal Force

• Nationalism

• Ethnic homogeneity

Centripetal and Centrifugal Forces

Cultural factors such as language, ethnicity, and religion can be:

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CENTRIPETAL FORCES

Characteristics that unify a
country and provide stability.

-Examples: Common
language, ethnicity,
religion

CENTRIFUGAL FORCES

Characteristics that divide a
country and create instability,
conflict and violence.

-Examples: Multiple
competing ethnicities,
languages or religions

What are the results of centrifugal forces?

Centrifugal forces may lead to:

1.Failed states -> Balkanization in Yugoslavia

2.

Uneven development
a.

Weak infrastructure?

b.

Economic success? Northern Nigeria, or Flanders?

3.

Stateless nations & Ethnic nationalist or separatist movements
a.

Kurds, Basque, Palestinians

Ultimately, they can lead to the balkanization, devolution, or succession of one

region away from the greater state.

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What are the results of centripetal forces?

Centripetal forces may lead to:

1.Ethnonationalism: When the people of a country identify
as having one common ethnicity, language, and religion
which creates a sense of pride and ties them to the
territory.
a.

Unite against a common enemy!

2.

Equitable infrastructure development

3.

Cultural cohesion / unity / harmony / peace

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Multiple Choice

When an ethnic group desires to separate from the larger group

• Ethnic separatism

• Ethnic cleansing

• Centripetal Force

• Irridentism

4.4 Defining Political
Boundaries

Multiple Choice

The Rio Grande River is an example of what type of boundary?

• Antecedent

• Subsequent

• Consequent

• Relic

Multiple Choice

The boundaries that Europeans imposed on Africa at the Berlin Conference are examples of

• Superimposed geometric boundaries

• Relic cultural boundaries

• Geometric natural boundaries

• Antecedent geometric boundaries

Multiple Choice

These traffic lights in East Berlin are evidence of a

• Ethnic neighborhood

• Semiautonomous Region

• Shatterbelt

• Relic boundary

Types of Political Boundaries

Antecedent

▪Borders that are established before
there has been major settlement by
people in a territory.

▪Examples:

▫49th parallel that separates the
United States and Canada

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Types of Political Boundaries

Subsequent

▪Borders that are drawn in areas that
have been settled by people,
typically due to changes that have
occured over time.

▪Example:

▫Boundaries in Europe have
changed frequently throughout
history usually in response to a
new empire, war, or political
agreement.

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Types of Political Boundaries

Consequent

▪Type of subsequent boundary - takes into
account the existing cultural distribution of
the people living in the territory and
redevelops boundary lines to more closely
align with cultural boundaries.

▪Example:

▫The boundary between Nunavut and
the rest of Canada - drawn in 1999,
established a province that coincided
with indigenous groups

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Types of Political Boundaries

Superimposed

▪Border that is drawn over existing and
accepted borders by an outside force.

▪Example:

▫The Berlin Conference imposed
arbitrary boundaries throughout
the continent of Africa.

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Types of Political Boundaries

Geometric

▪Borders that are established on straight lines
of latitude and longitude instead of physical or
cultural boundaries.

▪Examples:

▫The Sykes-Picot agreement, Europeans
split up the Arab provinces of the
Ottoman Empire after World War I.

▫Established border between Saudi Arabia
and Iraq

▫Also a superimposed boundary.

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Types of Political Boundaries

Relic

▪Border that no longer exists, but has
left some imprint on the local cultural
or environmental geography.

▪Examples:

▫Boundary between East Germany
and West Germany during the Cold
War

▫The Iron Curtain

▫The Confederacy in the US

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