1
Political Geography
World Geography and CulturesChapter 4
Political geography looks at…How the world has been divided into many political regionsWhy people form political units like countries and states
Ease of managementNatural or artificial boundariesCommon culture and/or interests
How the different political units interact with each other
Geopolitics
2
State vs. NationState/Country
An independent political unit that occupies a specific territory and controls its internal and external affairs
• Territory and government
Nation A group of people with a common culture living in a territory and having a strong sense of unity
• People
It’s good to be da king…Monarchy
A form of government in which a ruling family holds political control
Constitutional monarchyA government in which a parliament makes and enforces most laws, a prime minister is the chief lawmakerThe monarchy exists as a cultural icon and global representative of the country
3
Communism Originally introduced by Karl Marx and Max EnglesPresents the idea that all means and profits from production should be shared equally among the people
From each according to ability –To each according to needNo economically based social classes
Strong centralized government needed to maintain communist economy
Generally flawed system especially in large countries
Geographic Characteristics of CountriesSizeShape
ElongatedCompactFragmentedProruptedPerforated
Location LandlockedTransportation routes
4
Why are Boundaries Important?Within their (sovereign) boundaries a state can
Collect taxesSet up a legal codeRegulate tradeDeclare official languagesClaim resourcesControl population
Natural boundaryBased on physical features of the land
Artificial boundaryGenerally follows latitude and longitude and are created by humans
Regional political systemsCountries form smaller political units (country, state, county, city) to make governing more effectiveUsually the smaller units will have more direct contact with the people
5
Informal or Perceptual RegionThese are regions which are defined by people’s perceptions
Relative location
6
