Chapter 8 Study Guide for AP Human Geography (Political Geography)

cold war

A conflict that was between the US and the Soviet Union. The nations never directly confronted each other on the battlefield but deadly threats went on for years.

federal state

An internal organization of a state that allocates most powers to units of local government.

Korea is one state if you agree that...

The Korean government should unify and become one country and neither state is independent

Berlin Conference

- A meeting from 1884-1885 at which representatives of European nations agreed on rules for colonization of Africa - the major European powers negotiated and formalized claims to territory in Africa; also called the West Africa Conference and the Congo conference - This allowed and regulated European colonization and trade in Africa during the New Imperialism period and coincided with Germany's sudden emergence as an imperial power.

How can supranational organizations challenge state sovereignty?

- A supernational organization can challenge state sovereignty because they can overtake the power of that state and begin to infiltrate that state with the amount of power that the organization has gathered, which would make it hard for the sovereign state to 100% govern themselves independently. - They can come if the state is having problems, but the state might not want them to interfere - ex. EU environmental legislation challenging sovereignty with the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), which places limitations on the fishing industry.

consequent boundary

- Boundaries that are drawn because of two cultures in a space. A boundary in consequence or because of something. - A boundary line that coincides with some cultural divide, such as religion or language. - Consequent boundaries are drawn in order to separate groups based on ethnic, linguistic, religious, or economic differences. - ex. The boundary between India and current-day Pakistan was created to separate the main religions in the region, Hindu and Islam.

advantages of mountains as boundaries

- Can be effective boundaries if they are difficult to cross - They are rather permanent and are usually sparsely inhabited - Contact between nationalities living on opposing sides may be limited or impossible if passes are closed by winter storms - Do not always provide for the amicable separation of neighbors

advantages of deserts as boundaries

- Can effectively divide two states because deserts are hard to cross and sparsely inhabited - Common in Africa and Asia - The Sahara has generally proved to be a stable boundary

Why has enormous China adopted a unitary system? Why would a federal state system not work in China then?

- China is a unitary state to promote the government's values and a federal state system allows for more individuality, which the government does not want

Eurozone Crisis

- Crisis of sovereign debt within Eurozone (the group of European Union nations whose national currency is the euro) that broke out after 2009 that led to frantic emergency efforts by Eurozone members and the European Council to bail out Greece, Ireland, and Portugal and reconfigure EMU rules. - A bunch of countries converted their currency to the Euro because leaders thought it would strengthen economies. It worked in the beginning years but there was a global recession in 2008 that caused people to question the Euro. Countries with weaker economies have had to limit services and raise taxes while stronger countries have had to support the weak ones.

Medieval States

- Estates ruled by barons and kings in which people worked for housing/military protection (knights) - had many provinces that all had the same laws and were governed by the same person, like the Roman Empire controlling much of Europe.

What's the connection between the diffusion of English and other Indo-European languages and religion with European colonialism?

- European colonialism spread English and other Indo-European languages plus Protestantism and Christianity to other parts of the world. These religions and languages were only really used in Europe until the colonization and colonialism forced them upon the citizens of other countries. - Indo-European languages dominate in many of the places that were once under the control of European colonial empires. These regions include most of North and South America, Southwest Asia, and Australia. - for example, English is popular in former British colonies, and many countries in West Africa speak French. - The same can be said about the diffusion of Christianity. The regions that were heavily colonized now mainly practice some form of Christianity.

Multinational states sometimes adopt unitary systems for what reason?

- Multinational states sometimes adopt unitary systems so that the values of one nationality can be imposed on others. - In Kenya and Rwanda, the mechanisms of a unitary state have enabled one ethnic group to extend dominance over weaker groups - Yugoslavia forced Serbian culture on the rest of Yugoslavia despite it being multinational. The unitarian system allowed them to force one language, one religion, one political ideology on the people despite multiple groups fighting for sovereignty.

Why has the world become more democratic? What role does globalization and communication technology play in this?

- Old monarchies are being replaced with elected governments - it is becoming easier for people to vote and serve in government - the diffusion of democratic government structure created in Europe and North America to other regions in the world has helped the world become more democratic - Globalization has helped democratic ideology spread and communication technology has made it easier for citizens to do their own research and stay informed about their government. - Western Europe and the U.S. owns a lot of media companies and Hollywood influences a lot of movies so ideas that are popular in America about voting and democracy get diffused elsewhere

advantages of water as boundaries

- Rivers, lakes, and oceans are the physical features most commonly used as boundaries - They are readily visible on maps and aerial imagery - Offer good protection against attack from another state - The precise position of water may change over time which could cause conflicts (because the border would change too)

Identify some of the problems the UN faces as it attempts to operate and influence world affairs.

- The UN often lacks enough troops to keep peace effectively because it relies on individual countries to supply them - although the UN tries to maintain strict neutrality in separating warring factions, this has proved to be very difficult (they have difficulty keeping the peace between countries that are at odds with each other. It is hard to know what to do in a situation where two countries are at war.) - there can be division within the UN - Some countries that are on the council are at odds with each other, thus making it harder to vote on certain affairs.

What do the words delimit and demarcate mean in relation to Unit 4

- They are synonyms. It just means to draw a border or say that there is one there. - They determine boundaries and this can be connected to a superimposed boundary because other countries can set boundaries.

Why has tiny Belgium adopted a federal system?

- Tiny Belgium is a federal state to accommodate the two main cultural groups (the Flemish and Waloons) that are very divided. - Having a federal system allowed them to make their own decisions within their respective states while having some overall rules and laws.

typical methods/acts of terrorists.

- Trying to achieve their objectives through organized acts that spread fear and anxiety among the population, such as bombing, kidnapping, hijacking, taking of hostages, and assassination - Viewing violence as a means of bringing widespread publicity to goals and grievances that are not being addressed through peaceful means - Believing in a cause so strongly that they do not hesitate to attack despite knowing they will probably die in the act

an example from Chapter 8 where a demilitarized zone (DMZ) created a political border.

- a DMZ is a zone with no military but there is military on either side of the zone, which protects it. - No military is allowed in it so that there is a possibility that peace can occur, however it often divides places because there are heavily militarized zones on either side. - One example of a demilitarized zone creating a political border is the Korea demilitarized zone dividing the Korean Peninsula roughly in half, thus separating North Korea from South Korea

antecedent boundary

- a political boundary that existed before the cultural landscape emerged and stayed in a place while people moved in to occupy the surroundings. - Antecedent boundaries existed before the present settlement. These are often based on landforms, such as mountains. - (ex. The Andes Mountains form the eastern boundary of Chile, separating it from neighboring Argentina and Bolivia.)

semi-autonomous region

- a region that is largely self-governing within a larger political or organizational entity. - One example of this is the United States because the states have some degree of autonomy and their own laws and government.

shatterbelt

- a state or region that is surrounded by other states in conflict and is under stress. - Korean regions have been caught in the fire of the wars there. - Not necessarily the people in these regions having the problems, it's the point where other countries are fighting and it receive the fallout of the conflicts of the other countries - think of it like two siblings are fighting and the sibling that goes in the middle to stop them /block them is the shatterbelt. the sibling that steps in would receive punches from both sides, but the punches were aimed at the other sibling, not the one that intervened.

choke point

- a strategic, narrow waterway between two larger bodies of water. - Very congested area - Easy to defend in war - Very small and a lot of people want to get through to deliver goods - Good for the country that has it because they can regulate what enters and exits them, but it can be hard for people to enter through because they are highly regulated - ex. Panama Canal

autonomous area

- defined as an area of a country that is mainly self-governing - It is typical for it to be geographically distant from the country, or to be populated by a national minority. - Countries that include autonomous areas are often federacies. - Minor political subunits created in the former Soviet Union and designed to recognize the special status of minority groups within existing republics - ex. Ex. the Kurdish occupied area of Iraq, Hong Kong, and Native American reservations - They don't have to follow all of the same laws and they have some freedom from the local government

With the fall of Communist governments in the 1990s, what kinds of problems have arisen in what places? Why?

- ethnicities felt the need to make independent nation-states that were majority populated by that ethnicity. - - - They had been suppressed of their culture and this was a way to be more united and yet still uniform. - ex. The Soviet Union, Yugoslavia, and Czechoslovakia were dismantled largely because minority ethnicities opposed the long-standing dominance of the most numerous ones in each country- Russians in the Soviet Union, Serbs in Yugoslavia, and Czechs in Czechoslovakia.

irredentism

- taking land, or "reclaiming" land that is thought to belong to the nation represented by a state - a political movement that intends to reunite a nation or reclaim a lost territory and is strongly tied to nationalism. This was a particularly powerful force in European history from 1850 to 1945, during the height of European nationalist fervor.

When was the United Nations established? By whom?

1945 - at the end of World War 2. by the Allied countries

How many different nationalities (ethnicities) are found in the country of Russia?

39

members of the African Union (AU)

53 countries in Africa

Why is Denmark a fairly good example of a nation-state?

90% of the population of Denmark consists of ethnic Danes and they have a strong sense of unity that comes from shared cultural characteristics and attitudes and a recorded history that goes back more than 1,000 years. Many of them speak Danish and nearly all Danish speakers live in Denmark. The other 10% of Denmark's population consists of ethnic minorities, with the two largest groups being guest workers from Turkey and refugees from ethnic cleansing in Yugoslavia. Further diluting the concept of a nation-state, Denmark controls two territories where few ethnic Danes live (Faroe Islands and Greenland).

Polisario Front

A Sahrawi(Western Sahara) rebel national liberation movement working for the independence of Western Sahara from Morocco. Since 1979 it has been recognized by the United Nations as the representative of the people of Western Sahara.

subsequent boundary

A boundary that is established after the settlement in that area occurred. It developed with the evolution of the culture of the cultural landscape and is adjusted as the cultural landscape changes. (ex. The border between China and Vietnam is the result of a long term process of adjustment and modification)

balance of power

A condition of roughly equal strength between opposing alliances

democracy

A country in which citizens elect leaders and can run for office

autocracy

A country that is run according to the interests of the ruler rather than the people

ancient / city-state

A sovereign state comprising a city and its surrounding countryside. (typically has a physical border)

landlocked state

A state that is surrounded by land and does not have direct access to a body of water (ex. Kansas and Nebraska).

colony

A territory that is legally tied to a sovereign state rather than being completely independent

Frontier

A zone separating two states in which neither state exercises political control.

frontier

A zone separating two states in which neither state exercises political control.

Sovereignty

Ability of a state to govern its territory free from control of its internal affairs by other states. (the authority of a state to govern itself or another state.)

members of the Organization of American States (OAS)

All 35 states in the western hemisphere

state

An area organized into a political unit and ruled by an established government with control over its internal and foreign affairs.

colonialism

An effort by one country to establish settlements in a territory and to impose its political, economic, and cultural principles on that territory.

caucasus

Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Georgia (west of the central asian group)

eastern europe

Belarus, Moldova, and Ukraine (right under the baltic region, still in the northern area but descending southwards towards Italy)

China and Taiwan are separate states if you agree that...

China and Taiwan are two separate sovereign states (Nationalists should be the rulers of Taiwan)

Who are the five permanent members of the Security Council?

China, France, Russia (formerly the Soviet Union), the United Kingdom, and the United States are the five permanent members of the Security Council. These countries are probably permanent because they are some of the most powerful countries and are very economically developed.

What problems do landlocked states have?

Direct access to an ocean is critical to states because it facilitates international trade, so landlocked states might struggle with exporting goods and they have to use another country's seaport

purpose of the AU

Places emphasis on promoting economic integration in Africa.

baltic region

Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania (northern republics)

Where are unitary states most common?

Europe

geometric boundary

Geometric boundaries are simply straight lines drawn on a map

Why are independence movements flourishing among the different ethnicities in Russia?

Independence movements are flourishing among these groups because Russia is less willing to suppress these movements forcibly than the Soviet Union once was.

It's called Western Sahara if you agree that...

It is an independent state that is recognized by the majority of Africa after the Polisario Front.

When was the European Union (EU) formed? For what purpose?

It was formed in 1958 to heal Western Europe's scars from World War II (which had ended 13 years prior) when Nazi Germany, in alliance with Italy, conquered the other four countries.

How did Communists suppress the issues of ethnicity and nationalism?

Karl Marx wrote that nationalism was a means for the dominant social classes to maintain power over workers, and he believed that workers would identify with other working-class people instead of with an ethnicity. Until they lost power in 1990, Communist leaders in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union used centripetal forces to discourage ethnicities from expressing their cultural uniqueness. One example of this is the Soviet Union forcing people to speak Russian to encourage cultural unity / assimilation. Communists would do this to erase heterogeneity and promote more uniformity / homogeneity among the people. - Writers and artists were pressured to conform to "socialist realism," use of the Russian language was promoted, and organized religion was minimized. - This made sure that no one followed their own religion, everyone believed the same thing, and spoke the same language. - Communists would do this because ... -- so the government would have more power and the country was focused on economics and political values. -- Communism is based on the fact that everybody is equal, and if there are priests and churches, they wouldn't be equal. There were also some religions that might have gone against what the Russian Revolution stood for. -- to promote nationalism in their nation -- to strengthen the support citizens would have with them -- to lesson the self-determination found in ethnic values of different/certain ethnicities

central asia

Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan (south of Russia)

Western Sahara/Morocco is called Morocco if you agree that...

Morocco had the right to claim the territory after Mauritania withdrew.

What was the purpose of NATO and the Warsaw Pact?

NATO and the Warsaw Pact were designed to maintain a bipolar balance of power in Europe. The principle objective was to prevent the Soviet Union from overrunning West Germany and other smaller countries. NATO is still around today but the Warsaw Pact was dissolved.

example of a choke point

One example of this is the Panama Canal. some benefits are that they could help delay an attack and weaken the troops and can help control trade. some problems are that disruption of just one of the world's eight key maritime choke points could have a major impact on global food security.

gerrymandering

Process of redrawing legislative boundaries for the purpose of benefiting the party in power.

purpose of the OAS

Promotes social, cultural, political, and economic links among member states

List good examples of federal states that fulfill these conditions of the federal state system well.

Russia, Canada, Brazil, the United States, and India.

What's the difficulty with drawing borders in the North Pole? Why are states making claims here?

Several states claim portions of the region, and some claims are overlapping and conflicting. States are making claims here to establish research stations there for scientific investigations, but no military activities are permitted. The arctic region is also thought to be rich in energy resources and in 1982, the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea permitted countries to submit claims inside the Arctic Circle by 2009. - (Many countries have made confusing, overlapping claims about the land, and claims are not recognized for the land. They can use it for research with stations, and it is also rich in energy sources.)

What is the general problem with having deserts, mountains, and water as borders?

Sometimes the boundaries are not clear and the laws near these areas are difficult to enforce

China and Taiwan belong in one state if you agree that...

Taiwan is not a sovereign but a part of China (Communists should be the rulers and China has control)

Why is terrorism different from other acts of political violence?

Terrorism is different from other acts of political violence because attacks are aimed at ordinary people rather than military targets or political leaders.

Which country had the largest empire? Second largest?

The United Kingdom had the largest empire and France had the second largest empire

self-determination

The concept that ethnicities have the right to govern themselves

Why is the idea of two superpowers a relatively new one?

The idea of two superpowers is a relatively new one because it began during the Cold War, after World War II, when many states joined regional military alliances to prevent a third world war.

devolution

The movement of power from the central government to regional governments within the state or breakup of a large state (balkanization) into several independent ones

what's the primary centrifugal force in the Caucasus region?

The primary centrifugal force in the Caucasus region looks like it is the ethnicities spreading over the international borders of their respective countries. For example, Azerbaijani people live in Azerbaijan and a large portion of northern Iran (the boundaries don't match up with the ethnicities)

How is gerrymandering combined with ethnicity for political use?

The two largest ethnic groups in the U.S. (African Americans and most hispanics other than Cubans) tend to vote democratic, so creating a majority African American district virtually guarantees the election of a Democrat.

What are territorial waters, exclusive economic zones, and international waters as it relates to the Law of the Sea?

They relate to the ocean boundaries that some states have.

How often are boundaries of legislative districts redrawn in the U.S.?

This is done every 10 years in the U.S.

three reasons Europeans sought colonies

To spread Christianity and encourage people to become Christians, to take resources from the countries and serve as captive markets for their products, and to establish relative power in the world through the number of their colonies. (god, gold, and glory).

ethnic boundary

a boundary that coincides with differences in ethnicity, especially language and religion. One example of this is the separation of the Indian subcontinent into Pakistan and India, which was based on religion. (Hindus were in India and Muslims were in Pakistan).

superimposed boundary

a boundary that has been imposed on an area by an outside or conquering power. This boundary ignores the cultural organizations on this landscape. (ex. The boundaries of Rwanda and Burundi were imposed by Belgium during colonization and the process of decolonization, resulting in the Rwanda genocide in 1994.)

relic boundary

a boundary that no longer functions but can still be detected on the cultural landscape. One example is the Berlin Wall, which was built in 1961 by Soviet controlled East Germany to contain the portion of the city that had been given over to America, England, and France to administer.

multinational state

a country that contains more than one ethnicity with traditions of self-determination. One example of this is the UK. The UK contains four main nationalities (England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland) and it refers to a political union between, England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Although the UK is a fully independent sovereign state, the 4 nations that make it up are also countries in their own right and have a certain extent of autonomy, so they have their own governments but the UK is one sovereign state.

anocracy

a country that is not fully democratic or autocratic, but rather displays a mix of the two types

stateless nation

a group of people with a common political identity who do not have a territorially defined, sovereign country of their own

multiethnic state

a state that contains more than one ethnicity (ex. The United States because it has numerous ethnic groups that all consider themselves as belonging to the American nationality, although every state in the world to a varying degree multiethnic because no state has a population that is 100% of a single ethnicity)

unitary state

a state that places most power in the hands of central government officials

Why are boundaries of legislative districts occasionally redrawn?

boundaries of legislative districts occasionally redrawn to ensure that each district has approximately the same population.

physical boundary

boundaries that coincide with significant features of the natural landscape

cultural boundary

boundaries that follow the distribution of cultural characteristics

Korea is divided into two states if you agree that...

by the UN acceptance they are both separate states

International waters

describes anything past 200 nautical miles off of shore and states have no control over these areas

delimit

determine the limits or boundaries of

opposite of supranationalism

devolution is the opposite of supranationalism because supranationalism is when different countries come together and devolution is when a country/ large state breaks up into several independent ones.

Exclusive economic zones

extend out to the first 200 nautical miles off of the shore and states have the sole right to exploit natural resources, such as fishing, within them.

boundary

invisible line that marks the extent of a state's territory

Is the U.S. border with Canada a continuous geometric border?

part of our border with Canada is a geometric border (Minnesota to Washington and between Canada and Alaska), but part of it isn't so it is not a continuous geometric border.

subsequent vs consequent boundaries

subsequent boundaries are boundaries that are based on different ethnic groups, and culture is the defining factor of the boundary. These boundaries are made off different cultures that are already residing in the area. Consequent boundaries are boundaries that are used to divide cultural groups and accommodate their differences. Consequent boundaries separate cultures (think India and Pakistan), whereas subsequent boundaries are just based on different ethnic groups and cultures (think most of Europe)

territoriality

the attempt by an individual or group to affect, influence, or control people, phenomena, and relationships, by delimiting and asserting control over a geographic area.

Factors that can lead to the devolution of states

the division of groups by physical geography, ethnic separatism, ethnic cleansing, terrorism, economic and social problems, and irredentism.

Why is the federal state system more effective for larger states?

the federal state system is more effective for larger states because the national capital may be too far away to provide effective control over isolated regions

Territorial waters

the first 12 nautical miles off of shore and states may set laws regulating passage within them

Supranationalism

the idea or practice of separate national governments coming together to form institutions and/or create policies that have authority or jurisdiction over the member nations

Demarcation

the marking of boundaries or categories (actually placing the boundary)

Delimitation

the translation of the written terms of a boundary treaty (the definition) into a map

nation-state

to preserve and enhance distinctive cultural characteristics, ethnicities seek to govern themselves without interference. A nation-state is a state whose territory corresponds to an ethnicities placement

Supranational organizations

when three or more countries form an alliance for cultural, economic, or military reasons. These alliances are created so states can reach cultural, economic, or military goals they may not be able to reach without relying on one another.