AP Human Geography--Political Page 1 January, 2015 AP Human Geography Political Geography Introduction In this unit we will study the evolution of the modern state. We will define and identify the concepts of nation vs. state vs. nation state. Both centripetal and centrifugal forces in modern nations will be discussed: the rise of nationalism vs. regionalism. Political systems at a variety of scales (local to global), the characteristics of states (shape, size, location of capital, core vs. periphery), and the types of boundaries and boundary disputes (analysis of current world crises using above concepts) will also be studied. 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 areintroduced to the different forces that shaped the evolution of the contemporary world map. These forces include the rise of nation-states, especially in Europe; theinfluence 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. [Course Description: Human Geography, 2015, The College Board Advanced Placement Program.] Goals The goals for this section of the course are to: distinguish between nation, state, nation-state and variations such as a stateless nation; identify the various shapes which political units can take, and discuss their advantages and disadvantages understand the role of core areas and capitals in promoting cohesion and unity in states. define the various types and classifications of political boundaries, and be able to classify actual boundaries on a map. explain types of boundary disputes identify the factors which foster political integration and state cohesiveness understand the role that international political systems play in global political geography. know the issues involved in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and identify potential problems they pose for global economic and political relations. understand the nature and kinds of regional alliances in the context of global economics and politics explain the development of today's world political map in terms of supranationalism and devolution describe the geographic characteristics of states and problems associated with them; distinguish between types and classifications of boundaries; analyze contemporary nations in terms of their degree of cohesiveness. identify the various forms of gerrymandering that are used to influence voting behavior.
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AP Human Geography--Political Page 1 January, 2015
AP Human Geography Political Geography Introduction In this unit we will study the evolution of the modern state. We will define and identify the concepts of nation
vs. state vs. nation state. Both centripetal and centrifugal forces in modern nations will be discussed: the rise of
nationalism vs. regionalism. Political systems at a variety of scales (local to global), the characteristics of states
(shape, size, location of capital, core vs. periphery), and the types of boundaries and boundary disputes (analysis
of current world crises using above concepts) will also be studied.
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. [Course Description: Human Geography, 2015,
The College Board Advanced Placement Program.]
Goals The goals for this section of the course are to:
distinguish between nation, state, nation-state and variations such as a stateless nation;
identify the various shapes which political units can take, and discuss their advantages and
disadvantages
understand the role of core areas and capitals in promoting cohesion and unity in states.
define the various types and classifications of political boundaries, and be able to classify actual
boundaries on a map.
explain types of boundary disputes
identify the factors which foster political integration and state cohesiveness
understand the role that international political systems play in global political geography.
know the issues involved in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and identify
potential problems they pose for global economic and political relations.
understand the nature and kinds of regional alliances in the context of global economics and
politics
explain the development of today's world political map in terms of supranationalism and
devolution
describe the geographic characteristics of states and problems associated with them;
distinguish between types and classifications of boundaries;
analyze contemporary nations in terms of their degree of cohesiveness.
identify the various forms of gerrymandering that are used to influence voting behavior.
AP Human Geography--Political Page 2 January, 2015
Read Chapter 8
Outline Notes I. Definitions
A. State -- A state is ______________________________________________________________
(The term “country” is a synonym for “state.”)
A state must have the following:
An _____________________________________________
A ____________________________ on the Earth’s surface
A permanent _________________________________ and
_____________________________________________ (which means independence from
control of its internal affairs by other states)
________________________by the __________________
B. Nation-- _______________________________________________________
a. Devolution is the process where a region _____________ a region demands and gets
political strength and growing autonomy at the expense of the central government.
Three forces
1) ___________ forces—Ethnonationalism—strong ethnic groups within a state wants
their independence.
i.e. French Quebec in Canada; native Inuit in Canada (resulted in the formation the
territory of Nunavut); Basque in Spain; Kurds in Turkey, Iraq, Syria or Iran;
Scotland in the UK; Irish Catholics in Northern Ireland in the UK; Muslims in India
resulting in the formation of Pakistan and Bangladesh; former Yugoslavian state
was broken up into 5 different states in the 1990’s [see Balkanization below] 2) ____________ forces—inequalities in various regions within a state often lead to
movements to divide a state.
i.e. North and South Italy; North and South Korea; Catalonia in Spain.
3) _____________—distance, remoteness, separation, and peripheral location
promotes devolution.
i.e. Tibet in China (P.R. of); two Pakistans; etc.
b. Balkanization is a geopolitical term originally used to describe the process of
fragmentation or division of a region or state into smaller regions or states that are often
hostile or non-cooperative with each other. The term has arisen from the conflicts in the
20th
century Balkans. The first balkanization was embodied in the Balkan Wars, and the
term was reaffirmed in the Yugoslav wars.
B. Supranationalism—International Political Systems
1. United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are to facilitate
cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social
progress and human rights issues. The United Nations was founded in 1945 to replace the
League of Nations, in the hope that it would intervene in conflicts between states and
thereby avoid war. There are now 193 United Nations member states.
[Antarctica has no government, political control of Western Sahara is in dispute, and
Taiwan is no longer considered an independent member nation. Vatican City (the Holy See
is a UN observer), the Palestinian territories (Palestine, represented by the Palestine