February 2, 2015

The Spatial Organization of States

Relative Location of States Landlocked State: countries lacking an

ocean coastline, and surrounded by other states

Sometimes a landlocked country will try to access a foreign port, or become prorupted Kazakhstan is the largest landlocked state

The Nation-State State: a territorially organized piece of land,

or country Institution: stable, long-lasting organizations

that help to turn political ideas into policies Nation: a group of people that is bound

together by a common political identity

The Nation-State

A nation-state is a state whose territorial extent coincides with a group of people, or nation Examples: Denmark, Iceland, The United States

Binational/Multinational State: a state with more than one nation Ex: The former USSR

Stateless Nation: a group of people without a country Ex: Palestine, the Kurds

Organization of States Core Area: the heartland of an area;

identified by levels of population concentration and transportation networks

Multicore State: a state with more than one core area Example: Nigeria

The Capital City

In most states, the capital is not only the center of government, but also the economic and cultural center

Primate City: the largest city in a nation and one where the second largest city is significantly smaller

Forward Capital: the capital city serves as a model for national objectives Ex: Japan and Brazil

Systems of States Unitary System: one that concentrates all

policymaking powers in one central geographic place (European States)

Confederal System: spreads the power among many sub-units and has a weak federal government (Switzerland)

Federal System: divides power between strong central government and sub-units (US, Canada, Australia)

Boundaries

A state is separated from its neighbor by boundaries, or invisible lines that mark the extent of a state’s territory and the control the leaders have

Historically, frontiers separated states Frontier: a geographic zone where no state

exercises power Ex: Antarctica and the Rub al-Khali

Types of Boundaries

Physical Boundary: Rivers, lakes, and oceans are the most common; also include mountains and deserts Law of the Sea: coastal boundaries extend 12

nautical miles from the coast

Types of Boundaries

Cultural Boundaries: boundary set by ethnic differences such as language and religion Ex: India and Pakistan

Geometric Boundaries: straight, imaginary lines that generally have a reason behind them

Functions of Boundaries

Boundaries serve as symbols of sovereignty, or the ability of the state to carry out actions or policies within its borders

Sovereignty promotes nationalism, or a sense of unity with fellow citizens and loyalty to the state

Internal Boundaries: boundaries within a state Ex: The United States, Canada, China

Boundary Disputes

Almost half of the world’s states have been involved in boundary disputes

Positional Dispute: occurs when states argue about where the boundary actually is Ex: Argentina and Chile

Boundary Disputes

Territorial Disputes: arise over ownership of a region, usually around mutual border

Usually one state claims the other should belong to them due to ethnic and language commonalities Ex: German invasion of Poland

Boundary Disputes

Resource Dispute: dispute involving natural resources that lie in border areas Ex: Iraq and Kuwait

Functional Dispute: arise when neighboring states cannot agree on policies that arise in a border area Ex: US and Mexico border

Electoral Geography Electoral Process: the methods used in a

country for selecting its leaders Electoral Geography: the study of how the

spatial configuration of electoral districts and voting patterns reflect and influence social life

Gerrymandering: the attempt to redraw boundaries to improve chances of winning election

Minority/Majority Districting: rearranging districts to allow a minority representative to be elected Ex: North Carolina

Supranational Organizations

Cooperating groups of nations that operate on either a regional or international level for all major decisions and rules

Challenges to the Modern State

Centripetal Forces: bring people together Includes Nationalism, Institutions, Television, and

Transportation Centrifugal Forces: destabilizes the

government and encourages the country to fall apart Includes Multinationalism, Religious Conflicts, and

Separatist Movements

Devolution

Devolution is the tendency to decentralize decision-making to regional governments

Devolution-Ethnic Forces

Ethnic forces that can cause devolution usually occur because of multinationalism; an ethnic group sees itself as a separate unity from the state Examples: Canada and Ireland

Devolution-Economic Forces

Economic forces can devolve a state if the economic activities of the state vary by region; one region of the state does better economically than the rest of the state Examples: Italy and Spain

Devolution-Spatial Forces

Spatial forces cause devolution if a part of the state is separated from the rest of the state due to physical or other barriers Examples: East and West Pakistan and Puerto

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