Political Geography

What’s the difference? State- describes an independent unit that

occupies a specific territory and has full control of its internal and external forces (country)

Nation- group of people with a common culture living in a territory and having a strong sense of unity

Nation-state- when a nation and a state occupy the same territory

Types of Government All countries have a specific type of

government Democracy Monarchy Dictatorship RepublicTheocracy

Democracy In a democracy citizens hold political power,

either directly or through elected representatives

Ex. United States, Canada

Republic Citizens of a country have an active role in

the affairs of the government, and the government is not headed by a hereditary ruler such as a king.

Difference between Democracy & Republic ? In a Democracy, the Majority has unlimited

power over the Minority. It has been referred to as "Majority over Man".

In a Republic, the Majority is Limited and constrained by a written Constitution which protects the rights of the Individual and the Minority. The purpose of a Republic form of government is to control the Majority

Monarchy A ruling family headed by a king or queen

holds political power and may or may not share the power with the citizens

Ex. United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia

Dictatorship/Totalitarian system An individual or group holds complete

political powerEx. North Korea, Afghanistan

Theocracy A government ruled by or subject to religious

authorityEx. Iran

Geographic Characteristics of a Country Three geographic characteristics are very

important in describing a country1) SIZE – its not always true that the physical size

of a country determines its wealth and power EX: UK

Although larger nations often have more resources and more people on which to build military and economic power

2) SHAPE- the shape of a country can have an impact on how easily it can be governed, how goods are moved to all areas of the country and how it relates to neighboring countries

Shapes Compact State: the distance from the

geographic center of the area to any point on the boundary does not vary greatly, EX. Hungary.

Elongated State: state that is geographically long and narrow, EX. Chile.

Enclave: portion of a state that is totally surrounded by another state, EX. Armenia

Fragmented State: state split into many pieces, EX. Philippines and Indonesia.

Landlocked State: state not having direct access to an ocean, EX. Bolivia.

Microstate: state that is extremely small, EX. San Marino

Perforated State: state that totally surrounds another state, EX. South Africa.

Prorupt State: state having a portion of territory that is elongated, EX. Thailand

Frontier - zone where no state exercises political control, EX. Antarctica

Back to Geo. Characteristics of a Country 3) LOCATION - The relative location of a

country can be very important. It can determine resources, economy, relationship with neighbors, etc.

EX. How do you think landlocked countries are affected by their location

Lastly….Boundaries Natural Boundaries- based on physical

features of the land Artificial boundaries – fixed line generally

following latitude or longitude lines EX. 49N line that separate US & Canada

Cultural boundaries – boundaries based on cultural aspects such as language

Boundary Disputes May be a source of friction between

competing political entities (flashpoints)May serve as peaceful reminders of

contrasting but accepted differences

Centripetal forces A clearly bounded territory promotes

unity/national stability Centrifugal forces

The more boundaries possessed by a state, the greater is the likelihood of conflict which disrupts unity/national stability