Political Geography

Key Issue 2: Why do boundaries cause problems?

Why are boundaries important?

Boundary: an invisible line marking the extent of a states territory Boundaries are the only location of direct physical contact between neighboring states It has the potential to be the focal point of conflict

Frontiers
Frontier: a zone where no state exercises complete political control Historically, frontiers separated states (not boundaries!) Frontiers have been replaced by boundaries Places where frontiers still exist: Antarctica and the Arabian Peninsula

Two types of Boundaries

Physical boundaries: coincide with significant features of the natural landscape Cultural boundaries: follow the distribution of cultural characteristics Many boundaries are a combination of both

Physical Boundaries
Mountain Boundaries can be effective because they are difficult to cross , and usually sparsely inhabited Example: Chile and Argentina

Physical Boundaries
Desert Boundaries: hard to cross and sparsely populated Common in Africa and Asia

Physical Boundaries
Water Boundaries rivers, lakes, and oceans Common in East Africa Water Boundaries protect from invasion The Law of the Sea: signed by 117 countries in 1983
12 nautical miles 200 miles

Cultural Boundaries
Cultural boundaries: coincide with differences in ethnicity, especially language and religion Nation-state exists when the boundaries of a state match the boundaries of a territory occupied by an ethnic group

Cultural Boundaries
Geometric Boundaries part of the U.S. boundary with Canada is a 1300 mile straight line along 49 degrees north latitude

Cultural Boundaries
Religious Boundaries religious differences are common between states, but they rarely are used to draw the boundaries An example: the boundary between Pakistan and India

Cultural Boundaries
Language Boundaries The Treaty of Versailles, 1919 Balkanization

Cultural Boundaries
Cypruss Green Line Boundary 2 nationalities Greek (78%) and Turkish (18%) 1960 independence 1974 Greek military leaders Northeastern Cyprus

Boundaries Inside States

Unitary state: most of the power is placed in the hands of the central government
Works best for nation-states

Federal state: allocates strong power to units of local government

In multinational states, it empowers different nationalities More suitable for large states

Trend Toward Federal Government

France: tradition of unitary government
Departments (96) Communes (36,568) with an elected mayor and council

Trend Toward Federal Government

Poland switched from a unitary system to a federal system after the fall of communism
2,383 municipalities

Boundaries Inside States

Electoral Geography: the boundaries of legislative districts are redrawn periodically to ensure that each district has approximately the same amount of people 435 districts of the House of Representatives State legislature

 Gerrymandering: the process of redrawing boundaries for the purpose of benefiting the party in power