Unit 4

Unit 4: Political

Political Organization of Space (13 -17% or 10 - 13 questions on the AP Exam)

Students learn about the nature and significance of the political organization of territory at different scales. Political patterns reflect ideas of territoriality — how Earth’s surface should be organized — which in turn affect a wide range of exercises of power over space and boundaries. Two major themes are the political geography of the modern state and relationships between countries. Students are introduced to the different forces that shaped the evolution of the contemporary world map. These forces include the rise of nation-states, especially in Europe; the influence of colonialism and imperialism; the rise of supranational organizations; and the devolution of states.

Students learn about the basic structure of the political map, including the inconsistencies between maps of political boundaries and maps of ethnic, cultural, economic, and environmental patterns. Additionally, students analyze forces that are changing the roles of individual countries in the modern world, such as ethnic separatism, terrorism, economic globalization, and social and environmental problems that cross international boundaries (e.g., climate change and acid rain). This part of the course also focuses on subnational and supranational political units. For example, at the scale above the state level, attention is directed to regional alliances, such as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the European Union, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). At the scale below the state level, students learn about the ways in which electoral districts, municipalities, indigenous areas, provinces, and autonomous lands affect political, social, and economic processes.

Unit 4 – Political Processes and Patterns --- Topic 4.1 – Introduction to Political Geography

The political organization of space results from historical and current processes, events and ideas.

For world political maps:

A. Define the different types of political entities.

B. Identify a contemporary example of political entities.

4.A.1 – Independent states are the primary building blocks of the world’s political map.

4.A.2 – Types of political entities include:

· nations

· nation-states

· stateless nations

· multi-national states

· multi-state nations

· autonomous and semi-autonomous regions such as American Indian reservations.

Unit 4 – Political Processes and Patterns --- Topic 4.2 – Political Processes

Explain the processes that have shaped contemporary political geography.

4.B.1 – The concepts of:

· sovereignty shape the contemporary world.

· nation-states shape the contemporary world.

· self-determination shape the contemporary world.

4.B.2 –

· Colonialism have influenced contemporary political boundaries.

· Imperialism have influenced contemporary political boundaries.

· independence movements have influenced contemporary political boundaries.

· devolution along national lines have influenced contemporary political boundaries.

Unit 4 – Political Processes and Patterns --- Topic 4.3 – Political Power and Territoriality

Describe the concepts of political power and territoriality as used by geographers.

4.C.1 – Political power is expressed geographically as control over:

· people

· land

· resources

as illustrated by:

· neocolonialism

· shatterbelts

· choke points.

4.C.2 – Territoriality is the connection of people, their culture and their economic systems to the land.

Unit 4 – Political Processes and Patterns --- Topic 4.4 – Defining Political Boundaries

Political boundaries and divisions of governance between states and within them, reflect balances of power that have been negotiated or imposed.

Define types of political boundaries used by geographers.

4.A.1 – Types of political boundaries include:

· relic

· superimposed

· subsequent

· antecedent

· geometric

· consequent boundaries.

Unit 4 – Political Processes and Patterns --- Topic 4.5 – The Function of Political Boundaries

Explain the nature and function of international and internal boundaries.

4.B.1 – Boundaries are

· defined to establish limits of sovereignty, but they are often contested.

· Delimited to establish limits of sovereignty, but they are often contested.

· Demarcated to establish limits of sovereignty, but they are often contested.

· Administered to establish limits of sovereignty, but they are often contested.

4.B.2 – Political boundaries often coincide with

· cultural

· national

· economic divisions.

However, some boundaries are created by

· demilitarized zones or policy,

o such as the Berlin Conference.

4.B.3 – Land and maritime boundaries and international agreements can influence national or regional identity and encourage or discourage international or internal interactions and disputes over resources.

4.B.4 – The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea defines the rights and responsibilities of nations in the use of international waters, established by territorial seas and exclusive economic zones.

Unit 4 – Political Processes and Patterns --- Topic 4.6 – Internal Boundaries

4.B.5 – Voting districts, redistricting and gerrymandering affect election results at various scales.

Unit 4 – Political Processes and Patterns --- Topic 4.7 – Forms of Governance

Political boundaries and divisions of governance, between states and within them, reflect balances of power that have been negotiated or imposed.

Define federal and unitary states.

4.C.1 – Forms of governance include:

· unitary states

· federal states

Explain how federal and unitary states affect spatial organization.

4.C.2 – Unitary states tend to have a more top-down, centralized form of governance, while federal states have more locally based, dispersed power centers.

Unit 4 – Political Processes and Patterns --- Topic 4.8 – Defining Devolutionary Factors

Political, economic, cultural or technological changes can challenge state sovereignty.

Define factors that lead to the devolution of states.

4.A.1 – Factors that can lead to the devolution of states include the division of groups by:

· physical geography

· ethnic separation

· ethnic cleansing

· terrorism

· economic problems

· social problems

· irredentism

Unit 4 – Political Processes and Patterns --- Topic 4.9 – Challenges to Sovereignty

Explain how political, economic, cultural and technological changes can challenge state sovereignty.

4.B.1 – Devolution occurs when states fragment into autonomous regions:

· subnational political-territorial units, such as those within:

o Spain

o Belgium

o Canada

o Nigeria

or,

· when states disintegrate as happened in:

o Eritrea

o South Sudan

o East Timor

o and states that were part of the former Soviet Union

4.B.2 – Advances in communication technology have facilitated:

· devolution

· supranationalism

· democratization

4.B.3 – Global efforts to address transnational and environmental challenges and to create:

· economies of scale help to further supranationalism.

· trade agreements help to further supranationalism.

· military alliances help to further supranationalism.

4.B.4 – Supranational organizations --- including the:

· United Nations (UN) can challenge state sovereignty by limiting the economic or political actions of member states.

· North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) can challenge state sovereignty by limiting the economic or political actions of member states.

· European Union (EU) can challenge state sovereignty by limiting the economic or political actions of member states.

· Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) can challenge state sovereignty by limiting the economic or political actions of member states.

· Arctic Council can challenge state sovereignty by limiting the economic or political actions of member states.

· African Union can challenge state sovereignty by limiting the economic or political actions of member states.

can challenge state sovereignty by limiting the economic or political actions of member states.

Unit 4 – Political Processes and Patterns --- Topic 4.10 – Consequences of Centrifugal and Centripetal Forces

Explain how the concepts of centrifugal and centripetal forces apply at the state scale.

4.C.1 – Centrifugal forces may lead to:

· failed states

· uneven development

· stateless nations

· ethnic nationalist movements.

4.C.2 – Centripetal forces can lead to:

· ethnonationalism

· more equitable infrastructure development

· increased cultural cohesion.