Lecture Notes: Political Geography and States

Introduction

• Understanding political entities known as states.
• Political geography: study of world's division by political power and boundaries.
• Current world map has 195 independent states (UN recorded) with several disputed.

Key Definitions

• State: A political unit with sovereignty over a geographic territory, defined by borders and a population.
  • Sovereignty: Power to determine actions within borders and defend territory.
  • Example: US is a state, Ohio is not (subunit of US).
• Nationalism: Commonality among people based on shared language, religion, and customs, often linked to territorial desire.
  • Nationalism led to creation of many states in 19th and 20th centuries.

Types of Political Entities

1. Nation:
   • Group of people with common language, history, and culture.
   • Example: Belgium contains two nations - Flemish and Walloons.
2. Nation-State:
   • State made up of a single nation.
   • Ideal concept, rarely exists (e.g., Japan).
3. Stateless Nations:
   • People with cultural commonality but lack a formal state.
   • Example: Kurds spread across Iraq, Iran, Syria, and Turkey.
4. Multi-State Nation:
   • Single nation living in multiple states.
   • Examples: Kurds, Yoruba in Nigeria, Benin, and Togo.
5. Multinational State:
   • State with multiple cultures and ethnicities.
   • Example: United States, with diverse immigration history.
6. Autonomous and Semi-Autonomous Regions:
   • Autonomous: Regions with significant independence from national government.
     • Example: Hong Kong, operates independently from China.
   • Semi-Autonomous: Regions with limited authority.
     • Examples: Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland in the UK.

Conclusion

• Political geography helps understand the division of territories.
• Other topics in Unit 4 and resources like the AP Human Geography Heimler Review Guide are available for further study.