Class 8b: Political geography IINational boundaries“Natural” or physical boundaries“Artificial” or cultural boundariesAntecedent vs. subsequentBoundaries as sites of conflictInternal state structureUnitary vs. federal statesSlide 9•Boundaries and border disputes•Domestic political geography•Electoral geography: voting patternsClass 8b: Political geography IINational boundaries•Limits of sovereignty•Three-dimensional•14 miles of ocean; 200 miles of fishing rights•Frontier zones vs. boundaries“Natural” or physical boundaries•Mountains–Often a barrier anyway–Ridgeline or watershed?•Rivers or lakes–Not always stable; which side?–Can unite as well as divide“Artificial” or cultural boundaries•Geometric–Parallels or meridians–Typically sparsely settled•Religious or linguistic–Criteria for dividing statesAntecedent vs. subsequent•Antecedent: drawn before dense settlement•Subsequent: after cultural landscape is established–Consequent: take landscape into account–Superimposed: no regard for cultural landscapeBoundaries as sites of conflict•Landlocked states•Water as boundary•Rivers across boundaries•Nations not matching state boundaries•Resource access or useInternal state structure•Core area: historical center–Densest population, largest cities–Most economically developed•Ex.: Moscow, London, eastern U.S.•Not found in all countriesUnitary vs. federal states•Unitary: highly centralized, homogeneous–Strong national identity–Centralization in core area–European cores, newly independent statesUnitary vs. federal states•Federal: decentralized government–Provinces or states have considerable responsibility–Capital often deliberately created in core, or
View Full Document
Unlocking...