Chapter 7-9 Review

Ethnicity, Political Geography, and Development

Key Issue 1: Where Are Ethnicities Distributed?United States1. Hispanics (Latinos) = 14%; African

Americans = 12%2. African Americans are located in the

Southeasta. 1/3 of MS is African Americanb. Nine states have fewer than 1% African Americans (Plains, N.E.)

3. Hispanics in the Southwesta. 64% of Hispanics come from Mexico; 10% from Puerto Ricob. 1/3 of TX, ¼ of CA are Hispanicc. California is home to 30% of ALL Hispanics

4. Asian Americans are located in the West and Native Americans in the SW and Plainsa. Chinese account for 23% of all Asian Americansb. 40% of Hawaii is Asian Americanc. 50% of ALL Asian Americans live in California

Immigration to the North1. Farm machinery and decline in

land devoted to cotton reduced demand for labor

2. Pushed off farmers and pulled at the prospects of jobs in the North

3. Two Waves – before and after WW I and before and after WW IIa. Only 1% of Detroit in 1910; 500,000 by 1960

Expansion of the Ghetto1. 500K African Americans lived in

3-square mile area of South Side Chicago

2. Ghettos average 100,000 people per square milea. American suburbs average 5,000 per square mile

Difference Between Ethnicity & Race1. Asian as a race & Asian American as ethnicity are the same group2. African American- Black is different & can be from other places, like

L.A.a. Some American blacks trace their heritage to someplace other than Africa

3. Hispanic or Latino is not a race4. Traits that are race can be transmitted genetically5. Racism is the belief that race is the primary determinant of human

traits and capacities and racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race

6. Ethnicity derives from distinctive features of a particular place on Earth

7. Geographers don’t like to classify humans by race because they are not rooted to a place

8. Race does matter because it determines where people live attend school, recreate, etc.

White Flight1. Brown v Board of Education of Topeka (1954) –

separate schools was unconstitutionala. Racial separation branded minority children as inferior – inherently unequal

2. Rather than integrate, whites left the citiesa. White flight – whites leaving in anticipation of blacks immigrating inb. Detroit’s white population dropped by 1 million in 25 years

3. 1950 Detroit – 1.7 million white, 300,000 black4. 2000 Detroit – 200,000 white, 800,000 black5. Kerner Commission – US cities were divided into two

unequal societies

Nationalities 1. Identity with a group of people who share

legal attachments and personal allegiance to a particular country.

2. Similar to ethnicity – shared cultural values. Different from race

3. Most U.S. immigrants identify themselves by ethnicity rather than nationality.

4. Does Quebec have a different ethnicity or nationality from Canada?

 

Nation-States1. Self determination- ethnicities govern themselves2. Nation-State – Correspond to geographical area of a ethnicity.

a. WW II – Germany wanted to unite all German speaking people.b. Denmark – almost all Dutch speakers but what about Greenland? Faeroe Islands?c. Many borders redrawn after WW I based on ethnicity

 Nationalism1. Loyalty to state, one nation above all others –

a. Emphasize shared values2. Mass media – independent news is a risk to nationalism – what about

US?a. Nearly every country regulates communications – mail, phone, TV, etc.

3. Protest – should burning the flag be illegal?

Multinational States1. Multiethnic States – more than 1 ethnicity.2. Multinational States – 2 distinct ethnicities coexisting peacefully

a. Usually one nationality tries to dominate the otherb. U.K. is multinational Wales, Scotland, England, N. Ireland. – very different historically

3. Former USSR – 15 republics now 15 independent states; 20% non-Russian4. Russia is now largest multinational state. 39 nationalities- some want

independence a. Chechnya (near Georgia) Sunni Muslims, has petroleumb. Armenia – the most ethnically homogenous country in the region.c. Many Moldovans want to merge with Romaniad. Kazakhstan – 53% Muslim, 30% Christian but still peaceful – why?e.Tajikistan – Muslims aligned with Christians fighting Tajik communistsf. Azeris and Armenians are in border conflicts – Armenia divides Azerbaijan

5. Georgia Ossetians vs. Abkhazians – Ossetians want to be united with Russiaa. Russia invades to help South Ossetia and Abkhazia separate in August 2008b. Troops remain as “guests” of the new countries

Introduction – Political Geography1. We take for granted the division of our planets

surface into a collection of spaces2. Power is gained through connections among states

for economic reasons3. There were only about 50 countries in the 1940s; 192

today4. State – An area organized into a political unit and

ruled by an established government.5. Sovereignty – Independence from the control of its

internal affairs by other states6. Country – Synonym for state

Problems of Defining States1. Korea – one state or two?

a. Divided at 38 north after WW IIb. Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (north) invades the south in 1950c. Korean War lasts 3 years – border is the same as the beginning of the ward. Both Koreas want to reunite, agreed to family visits in 2000e. North Korea’s commitment to nuclear weapons?

2. China & Taiwan: one state or two?a. According to China, Taiwan is not a sovereign stateb. Taiwan disputed this in 1999c. US recognized the Nationalist Party living in Taiwan as the real govt. until 1971d. Taiwan is the most populous state not in the UN

3. Western Sahara or Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic a. Considered by most Africans as a sovereign stateb. Morocco claims it and built a wall around it

Key Issue 2: Why Do Boundaries Cause Problems?

Five Basic Shapes of States1. Compact – shorter distance from the

center to bordersa. Ideally shaped like a circle

with the capital at the centerb. Shorter boundaries to defendc. Better communicationsd. Does not mean peacefulnesse. Examples – Kenya, Rwanda

2. Prorupted – Compact state with large projecting regiona. Provide a resource to a country – Congo or Namibiab. Separate two states from sharing a boundary – Afghanistan

Five Basic Shapes of States3. Elongated – long narrow shape

a. Creates isolation, poor communicationsb. Chile is 2,500 north to south and 90 miles east to westc. Gambia – 300 miles E-W, 15 miles N-S and surrounded by Senegal

4. Fragmented – several pieces of discontinuous areasa. All states that have islands are fragmentedb. Indonesia has 13,677 islands across 3,000 milesc. Russia’s Kaliningrad is 250 miles away near Lithuaniad. Tin Bigha, India – corridor from India only measures 600 feet by 300 feet

1. Divided by Britain according to religione. Panama used to be fragmented until the canal was returned

5. Perforated – a state that completely surrounds another statea. South Africa surrounds Lesotho

Electoral Geography1. 435 US legislative boundaries

redrawn every 10 years for equal population

2. Gerrymandering – redrawing boundaries to benefit party in powera. Wasted Vote – spreads opposition across many districtsb. Excess Votes – concentrates opposition party into a few districtsc. Stacked Votes – oddly shaped boundaries

3. Recent gerrymandering has been Stacked – just gain a simple majority

4. Gerrymandering was ruled illegal in 1985 by the US Supreme Court

Economic Cooperation

1. The world has moved to a pattern of multiple superpowers

a. Economic power instead of military

b. Leading power is a union of states – European Union

2. 2004 – eight former communist states join EU

3. Goal – promote development through economic cooperation

4. Free trade – goods, services, capital, people move freely between members

5. Common currency – eliminated different prices, interest rates

Supranationalism

1. Political, economic, and/or cultural cooperation among states to promote shared objectives

2. States tend to give up political power to a higher authority to pursue common objectives

a. Political, economic, military, or environmental goals

b. Ex. EU, NAFTA, UN NATO, Warsaw Pact, OPEC

 

Devolution

1. Granting of powers from central government to government at regional or local level

2. Regions within a state demand and gain political strength at the expense of the central government – breakup of a state - balkanization

3. Growing autonomy within a state

a. Ex. Yugoslavia, USSR, Czechoslovakia, British India

b. UK, Canada, Spain, India/Pakistan

Key Issue 1: Why Does Development Vary Among Countries?Economic Indicators of Development

1. Human Development Index (HDI) – measure of economic, social, and demographic levelsa. Economic Factor = PCI (Gross Domestic Product Per Capita)b. Social Factors = Literacy Ratec. Amount of Education (primary, secondary and tertiary years total, %)d. Demographic Factor = Life Expectancy

2. GDP per capita – value of the total output of goods and services produced in a year divided by the number of peoplea. $15/hour in MDCs vs. $2/hour in LDCsb. 18 countries with per capita GDP lower than $1000; 15 in Africac. Some progress in LDCs: $800 in 1990 to $4400 in 2005; 450% increase

3. Misleading? US per capita GDP = $40,000 but 1/8 live in poverty

Human Development Index (HDI)

Types of Jobs1. Primary – extract materials from the Earth –

agriculture, mining, fishing, etc.2. Secondary – manufacturing, assemble raw materials

into consumer goods3. Tertiary – selling consumer goods – retail, banking,

law, education, government4. LDCs – 60+% in agriculture; 5% in MDCs

a. Low primary sector means low number of farmers can produce enough food

5. MDCs – primary and secondary jobs have decreased, tertiary has increaseda. Continues to increase for demand of goods and services

Consumer Goods1. Wealth in MDCs purchases goods and services –

transportation, communicationa. Automobile provide access to jobs and servicesb. Automobile distribute productsc. Telephones enhance interaction with suppliers and customersd. Computers facilitate sharing info with suppliers and customers

2. Greater exposure means MDCs have more cultural diversity than LDCs

3. Ironically, cell phone ownership is higher in LDCs

Social Indicators of Development1. MDCs use their wealth to build schools, hospitals, welfare

services, etc.a. MDCs are better educated, healthier, and better protectedb. As such, the population can be more economically productive

2. The higher the development the better the educationa. Measured in student/teacher ratio and literacy rateb. MDCs = 10 years of school vs. 2 in LDCsc. Student/teacher ratio is double in LDCs

3. Health care expenditures – 8% of GDP in MDCs vs. 6% in LDCsa. More money means more hospitals, doctors, and nursesb. Many countries provide health care at no costc. US actually resembles LDCs in individual costs

4. MDCs also provide help to elderly, sick, poor, disabled, orphaned, veterans, widows, single parents, or unemployed

5. MDCs may need to increase taxes to keep, though

Demographic Indicators of Development1. Life Expectancy – avg. number of years are infant can

expect to live at current mortality ratesa. MDCs mid 70’s; LDCs early 40’s

2. Infant Mortality – MDCs >1%; LDCs 6%3. Natural Increase Rate (NIR) – LDCs = 1.5%; MDCs =

1/10 of 1%a. Means they building new schools, etc. instead

of building better for existing pop.4. Crude Birth Rate (CBR) - LDCs = 24 per 1,000; MDCs

11 per l,0005. CDR does not indicate society’s level of development

a. Diffusion of medical technologyb. MDCs hive older populations

Key Issue 2: Where Are More and Less Developed Countries Distributed?

Anglo-America (HDI 0.94)Western Europe (HDI 0.93)Japan (HDI 0.94)

Eastern Europe (HDI 0.80)Latin America (HDI 0.80)East Asia (HDI 0.76)Middle East (HDI 0.68)Southeast Asia (HDI 0.58)

Key Issue 3: Where Does Level of Development Vary by Gender?

Gender-Related Development Index

1. The U.N hasn’t found a single country where women are treated as well as men

2. Gender-Related Development (GDI) – same formula as HDI adjusted for gender

3. GDI penalizes a country for large disparities between men and womena. Norway is the highest at 0.96

Key Issue 4: Why Do Less Developed Countries Face Obstacles to Development?

1. Looking much better for LDCs:a. IMR down from 85 to 60b. NIR down from 2.1 to 1.5c. PCI up from $500 to $4,500

2. 1/5 of people living in MDCs consume 5/6 of world’s goodsa. 14% of people live in Africa but consume 1%

3. Americans spend more on cosmetics than the cost of providing 2 billion kids schools

4. Europeans spend more on ice cream than the cost to provide 2 billion toilets

5. Two problems for LDCs – funding and policy to promote development