An Introduction toPolitical Geography

Political Culture

Political cultures vary Political ideas vs. religion or language Theocracies

Territoriality Key element of political culture

State and Nation

Terminology “State” vs. “country” A nation may be larger than a state

Nation has historic, ethnic and often linguistic and religious connotations

Stateless nations

Rise of the Modern State

The European model The Norman invasion & out of “Dark Age” Thirty Years’ War treaties

The Renaissance Mercantilism & religious wars Money vs. land

The Nation-State

Some democratic, some autocratic, and some parliamentary democracies Sovereignty remained with the nation—the people

European control Creation of “nation states” Are there real nation states?

Internal cultural diversity Heterogeneous states can share “national spirit”

Emotional commitment to the state and for what it stands e.g., Confederation Helvetica

Spatial Characteristics of States

Physical and cultural properties Size and population Needs legitimacy Boundaries: centripetal or centrifugal forces Four main features of the European model:

1. Clearly defined territory

2. Substantial population

3. Certain types of organizational structures

4. Some power

Territory

Territorial morphology Size, shape, and relative location Present opportunities and challenges

Size Large vs. small states

Shape Compact Fragmented Elongated Protruded Perforated

Territory

Relative location Landlocked countries Exclaves and enclaves

Paraguay

Itaipu Dam

Lesotho: an enclave

Kaliningrad: an exclave

Land Boundaries

International boundaries Have a vertical plane cutting through the rocks

below, and the airspace above

Land Boundaries

How do we get boundaries? Three steps of boundary evolution

Define it Exact location established, via treaty-like legal

documents, describing (absolute or relative) actual points

Delimit it Officially put on a map, by a cartographer

Demarcate it Actual ground markers—fences, pillars, walls, etc.—if

desired Not all boundaries are demarcated

Land Boundaries Types of boundaries

Geometric boundary Straight-line boundaries Totally unrelated to any aspects of physical or cultural

landscapes

Physical-political boundary or natural-political boundary Outlined by a physiographic landscape features (river,

mountain ridge, etc.) Convenient, but nature & meaning might change over time

Cultural-political boundary Formerly “anthropogenic” boundaries Mark breaks in the human landscape

Land Boundaries

Origin-based classification Richard Hartshorne’s Genetic Boundary Classification

Antecedent boundary Existed before the cultural landscape emerged

Subsequent boundary Developed at the same time as the major elements of the cultural

landscape

Superimposed boundary Placed by powerful outsiders on a developed cultural landscape

Relic boundary Ceased to function, but its imprint is still on the cultural landscape

Frontiers A frontier is a zone of separation

Functions of Boundaries

“Walls” Limit state jurisdiction State symbols

Functions of Boundaries

Internal boundaries For administrative purposes

Examples: United States or Canada

Some culturally divided countries have internal boundaries that do not show on a map

Functions of Boundaries

Boundary disputes Four principal forms of boundary disputes

Definitional Focus on the “legalese” of the agreement

Locational Focus on the delimitation and/or demarcation of the border

Operational Focus on neighbors who differ over the way their boundary

should function

Allocational Focus on resources that straddle neighbors

STATE ORGANIZATION AND NATIONAL POWER

Large-area Influenceson State Power

Colonialism

Large-area Influenceson State Power

Economic dimensions of power Economic trends Understanding a country’s global economy World-System Analysis

View the world as an interlocked system of states Perspective ties political geography more closely to

economic geography

Large-area Influenceson State Power

Geopolitics Freidrich Ratzel

Organic theory of State Development

Sir Halford Mackinder Heartland theory

“Those that rule the land, rule the world…”

Nicholas Spykman “Rimland”

Recent Developments

The Character of State Territory

Population vs. territory size E.g., China Acquisition of colonial empires ½ world’s states < 5 million people Organizational capacity more important

Core areas Usually the original nucleus of a state Play an important role in a state's development No core area vs. Multicore states

E.g., Nigeria's three cores mark ethnic and cultural diverse areas of the state

The Character of State Territory

Capital cities Political nerve center Former colonies tried to imitate European model Primate cities

A capital city by far the largest and most economically influential

Common in agriculturally-dominant economies

Forward capitals Reunification and capitals

Internal Political-Geographic Structure

All states confront divisive forces The needs of a well-functioning state

Clearly bounded territory with adequate infrastructure

Effective administrative framework, a productive core area, and a prominent capital

Unitary & Federal Systems

Early European nation-states were unitary states The federal state arose in the New World Federalism accommodated regional interest by

vesting primary power in provinces Switzerland Location for a capital city challenging for

federations Britain and India Today’s divisive forces in Europe

European reconstruction

Internal Political-Geographic Structure

US Electoral patterns Electoral geographers Electoral geography

Gerrymander

Maps of voting patterns often produce surprises

Forces ofFragmentation and Cohesion

Centripetal forces Centrifugal forces

Fidel Castro

Discussion Questions

How do human feelings toward state territory affect the political climate?

The theatre of political geography has a very diverse cast, yet when it comes to people, it’s not as influential as language or religion. Why?