POLITICAL GEOGRAPHY
PRECIOUS O. ONGOCO DEPARTMENT OF GEOGRAPHY CSSP, UP DILIMAN
NATION AND STATE
NATION a group of people often
sharing common elements of culture such as religion or language, or a history or political identity
STATE is an independent political
unit with recognized boundaries, even if some these boundaries are in dispute
Nation
Nation group of people often sharing common elements of culture/history/political identity Ex: Irish, Han Chinese, Tibetans Philippines?
State
State independent political unit
with territorial boundaries internationally recognized by other states Must contain:
Permanent resident population Organized economy Functioning internal circulation system
Do nations always have states?
Nation-state ideal form
consisting of a homogenous group of people governed by their own state
Multi-National States
States with many nations Ex. Spain
Stateless Nations
Nations without their own states Ex. Kurdistan
FEDERAL STATE a form of government in which power is allocated to units of local government within the country e.g. USA UNITARY STATE a form of government in which power is concentrated in the central government e.g. Philippines CONFEDERATION a group of States united for a common purpose e.g. European Union
NATIONALISM
Feeling of belonging to a
nation A nation is entitled to its own state
IMPERIALISM
Extension of State authority over
the political and economic life of other territories (directly/indirectly)
COLONIALISM
Formal
establishment/maintenance of rule over a foreign pop. through establishment of settlements
DECOLONIZATION
The acquisition of control over
their own territory
SHAPES OF STATES
Compact: China, Taiwan, Singapore, Brunei, East Timor and Cambodia. Relatively easy to administer.
Compact Fragmented Elongated Prorupt
Fragmented: Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia and Japan (Geographical). North and South Korea (political). Elongated: More length than width. Vietnam and Laos. Unity and external influence issues. Prorupt: Main territory and a narrow corridor leading from it. Difficulty of administering the extension.
BOUNDARIES Boundary Formations
Natural barriers Straight Line