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| What Human Geographers are concerned with? | Location of activities in the world, reasons for particular spatial distributions, significance of the arrangements |
| Locations of Countries | Basic frame of reference (knowing where things are) |
| Political Geography | Helps explain cultural/physical factors that underlie political unrest in the world |
| What do political geographers study? | How people have organized Earth's land surface into countries/alliances, reasons underlying the observed arrangements, conflicts that result from the organization |
| Political Conflicts: 20th Century | Wars between states or collections of allied states= For USA, WWI, WWII, Korean War, Vietnam War were bloodiest of these conflicts with other states |
| Attack against US on Sept. 11, 2001 | Unlike political conflicts during 20th century, the attack was initiated not by hostile state but by group of individual terrorists |
| Challenge for Political Geographers when studying/explaining terrorism | Challenge is to explain WHY terrorism occurs if WHERE factors about the terrorists (e.g. countries of birth, current places of residence) are not important factors in the explanation= Still, reasons for terrorist attacks may relate to political geography of particular regions of world |
| Countries during/after Cold War | Were polarized into 2 regions, 1 allied with Soviet Union and other allied with US= With end of Cold War in 1990s, global political landscape changed fundamentally |
| Using Geographic Concepts with respect to countries before/after Cold War | Helps understand this change of political organization of Earth's surface (with end of Cold War)= Also used to examine causes of political change/instability and anticipate potential trouble spots around world |
| When looking at satellite images of Earth, what can/can't we see? | Can easily distinguish PLACES but cannot see WHERE boundaries are located between countries |
| Places | Can be easily distinguished when looking at satellite images of Earth= Are landmasses and water bodies, mountains and rivers, deserts and fertile agricultural land, urban areas and forests |
| Boundary Lines | Cannot be seen when looking at satellite images of Earth= Are not painted on Earth (but should be since these national divisions are very real) |
| Spaces | Division of Earth's surface into a collection of spaces occupied by individual countries= Is a fundamental cultural characteristic that we take for granted |
| Describe the familiar division of the world into countries/states in post-Cold War era. Why? | Is crumbling (Geographers observe WHY this familiar division of world is changing)= Between mid-1940s and late 1980s, 2 superpowers (US and Soviet Union) "ruled" world= As superpowers, they were involved in a global scale= Now, however, Us is less dominant in the political landscape of 21st century and Soviet Union no longer exists |
| Today, globalization means what? | MORE CONNECTIONS among states= Indiv. countries have transferred military/economic/political authority to regional/worldwide collections of states= Power is exercised through connections among states created mainly for economic cooperation |
| Despite (or perhaps because of) greater global political cooperation... | Local Diversity has INCREASED in political affairs, as indiv. cultural groups demand more control over the territory they inhabit= States have transferred to local governments but this does not calm/pacify cultural groups who seek complete independence |
| Describe recent wars | Have broken out both between small neighboring states and among cultural groups within countries= Have been over political control of territory= Old countries have been broken up in a collection of smaller ones (some barely visible on world maps) |
| State | (Term "Country" is a synonym for "State") Area organized into a political unit and ruled by an established government that has control over its internal/foreign affairs= Occupies a defined territory on Earth's surface= Contains a permanent population= A state has sovereignty= Entire area of a state is managed by its national government, laws, army, and leaders (thus good example of a formal or uniform region) |
| Sovereignty | Independence from control of its internal affairs by other states |
| The term "state" and the United States | "State" does not refer to the 50 REGIONAL GOVERNMENTS inside the US= The 50 states of the US are subdivisions within a single state, the United States of America |
| Antarctica | Only large landmass on Earth's surface that is not part of state= Many states claim portions of it and others make conflicting/overlapping claims= US, Russia, and other states do not recognize the claims of any country to Antarctica |
| The Treaty of Antarctica | Provides a legal framework for managing Antarctica= States may establish research stations on it for scientific investigations but no military activities are permitted |
| Actual # of sovereign states | Disagreement about actual #= Places that test definition of a state are Korea, China, Western Sahara (Sahrawi Republic) |
| Korea | Was Japan's colony= Divided into occupation zones by US and Soviet Union after they defeated Japan in WWII= Was divided into northern and southern sections along 38ยบ north latitude (divisions became perm. in 1940s when the 2 superpowers made separate governments and withdrew their armies= 1992, North Korea and South Korea were admitted to UN as separate countries |
| Conflicts in Korea | Democratic People's Republic of Korea (NORTH KOREA), Republic of Korea (SOUTH KOREA)= North invaded south= Caused 3-year war that ended with cease-fire line near 38th parallel |
| Korea: 2 Governments | Both want to reunite country into 1 sovereign state= Both agreed in 2000 to exchange visits of families separated by division and for increased economic cooperation= However, progress toward reconciliation was halted by North Korea's decision to build nuclear weapons even though country lacked ability to provide citizens with food, electricity, other basic needs |
| China and Taiwan | According to China's gov. officials, Taiwan is not a separate sovereign state but is part of China (Until 1999 gov. of Taiwan agreed) |
| China and Taiwan: Cause of Confusion | Arose from civil war between Nationalists and Communists in China= After Nationalists lost, nationalist leaders fled to island of Taiwan= Nationalists proclaimed that the were still the legitimate rulers of entire country of China |
| China and Taiwan: What is the other governments in the world view/opinion | Most consider Mainland China (People's Republic of China) and the island of Taiwan (Republic of China) 2 separate sovereign states= 1999, Taiwan's president said Taiwan would also regard itself as a sovereign independent state but the gov. of China viewed that announcement as a dangerous departure from long-standing arrangement between the 2 |
| China and Taiwan: US | Question of who constituted the legitimate gov. of China plagued US during 1950s-60s= US had supported Nationalists during the civil war so many Americans opposed acknowledging that China was controlled by Communists= Thus, US continued to regard Nationalists as official gov of China until 1971 (when US policy changed) and UN voted to transfer China's seat from the Nationalists to the Communists= Taiwan is no the most populous state not in the UN |
| Western Sahara | (Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic) Considered by most African countries as a sovereign state on continent's west coast between Morocco and mauritania= However, Morocco claims territory and (to prove it) has built a big wall around the territory to keep out rebels |
| Western Sahara: History | Spain controlled territory until withdrawing in 1976=Polisario Front declared an independent Sahrawi Republic (was recognized by most African countries)= However, Morocco and Mauritania annexed the northern and southern portions= Mauritania later withdrew and Morocco claimed entire territory= Morocco control most of populated area but Polisario Front operates in the vast sparsely inhabited deserts (especially 1/5 of the territory that lies east of Morocco's wall) |
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