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February 2, 2015
The Spatial Organization of States
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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)
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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Supranational Organizations
Cooperating groups of nations that operate on either a regional or international level for all major decisions and rules
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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
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Devolution
Devolution is the tendency to decentralize decision-making to regional governments
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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
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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
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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
Rico