Political Ordering of

Space
Lecture 18 and 19
 Learning Objectives
Upon completion of this section you should be
able to:
• 1. differentiate between the different types
of nation and the different types of state.
• 2. explain the evolution of the modern state.
• 3. name and discuss the geographic
characteristics of states.
• 4. name and describe the different types of
boundaries used to demarcate states.
• 5. explain the nature of the different types of
border disputes.
• 6. discuss why states cooperate and the
different types of political
associations/groupings that are commonly
found.
• 7. explain the nature of the districting
problem.
Introduction
• Political organizations of societies are as fundamental an expression of
culture and cultural differences as are forms of economy or religious beliefs.
• Geographers are interested in that structuring because it is both an
expression of human organisation in space and closely related to other
spatial evidences such as religion, language and ethnicity.
 Introduction
• Political geography
• The study of the organization and
distribution of political phenomena
including their impacts.
• Geopolitics: How spatial relations
among regions influence their current
and past political activities and
relations.
• Political geography primary interest in
country units or states.
• Interest in upward and downward political
scales
• On the world scene: alliances treaties
• Local scene: Voting patterns,
constituencies, political fragmentation.
• Key concerns include questions regarding
jurisdiction and sovereignty.
 Introduction .. Continue
• State *
1. Any of the political units forming a federal
government
2. An independent political entity holding
sovereignty over a territory

• Nation
1. An independent political entity holding
sovereignty over a territory
2. Community of people with a common
culture occupying a specific territory bound
together by a strong sense of unity arising
from shared beliefs and customs.

* We’ll be using these definitions in the discussion

 • Nation-state
• Composite term referring to a state whose
territorial extent coincides with that occupied
by a distinct nation or whose population shares
a general sense of cohesion.
• i.e it is an entity whose members feel a natural
connection with each other by virtue of sharing
Nations and language, religion or some cultural aspect
• Binational/ multinational state
States • One that contains more than one nation, e.g.
The United Kingdom
• Part-nation state
• A single nation dispersed and predominant in
two or more states e.g. Arab nation
• Stateless nation
• People without a state e.g Kurds
Country Data Source: ESRI Ethic Data Source: Weidmann, Nils B., Jan Ketil Rød and Lars-Erik Cederman
(2010). Representing Ethnic Groups in Space: A New Dataset". Journal of Peace
Research, in press
 • Political organization of space arose independently in
many regions of the world
• A distinguishing characteristic of cultural hearths
• The larger and more complex their economic
structure, the more sophisticated mechanisms of
political control
Evolution of • Universal idea of the modern state developed by
political philosophies of 18th Century
the Modern • People owe allegiance to the state and the people
it represents rather than to its leader
State • Many states the result of European expansion during
17th, 18th and 19th Centuries
• Pre-colonial boundaries vs. Colonial boundaries
• Retain idea of state following independence
• Problem of “nation-building”
• Number of states growing
Ethic Data Source: Weidmann, Nils B., Jan Ketil Rød and Lars-Erik Cederman (2010).
Representing Ethnic Groups in Space: A New Dataset". Journal of Peace Research, in
press
 • The size, shape and location of states affect
their power and stability
• Size
• The larger a states area the greater the chance
it will contain ores, energy supplies and fertile
Geographic soils
Characteristics • HOWEVER… it is not a guarantee
• Great size might be a disadvantage
of States • Vast areas that are remote/sparsely populated (hard
(Size) to integrate into economy)
• Small states more apt to have a homogenous
population
• Benefits for transport/communication
• Not critical for stability/strength, but a
contributing factor
Shapes of
States
Geographic Characteristics of States
(Shape)
 • Both absolute and relative applies
• Absolute
• Russia, Canada, Algeria
Geographic • Relative
Characteristics • Position relative to other countries
• Land-locked states
of States
• In general countries can benefit from
(Location) location on economic routes
• Location at crossroads of shipping lanes
(Singapore)
 Geographic
Characteristics
of States
(Location)
Political Ordering of Space
CONT.
 • Core Area
• The heartland of a state containing its most
developed area, greatest wealth, densest
populations, most highly developed
transportation system and clearest national
Geographic identity
• Core-periphery concept
Characteristics • Multicore states, e.g. Nigeria
of States • Association of capital city with core
(Cores and common in unitary states
Capitals) • In federal states national capital city may be
newly created or selected to serve as
administrative centre
• Regional capitals in asymmetric federalism
• Centrality of capitals
 • States separated from neighbours by
international boundaries
• Indicates where sovereignty of one state ends &
that of another begins
• Frontier zones
• Natural & geometric boundaries
Boundaries • Natural
• Those based on recognizable physiographic features
• Geometric
• Frequently delimited as segments of parallels or
meridians
• Boundaries classified by settlement
• Antecedent & subsequent boundaries
Boundaries
 • Positional disputes
• Territorial disputes
• Resource disputes
• Functional disputes
• State authority is continually under
pressure:
Boundary Centripetal Forces
• These are forces that bind together the
Disputes people of a state
• That gives it strength and enables it to
function.
Centrifugal forces
• These forces tend to weaken and destabilise
the state.
 • Nationalism
• Most powerful centripetal force
• Based on the concept of allegiance to one
country
• Iconography

Centripetal • Unifying institutions

Forces: • Church, schools, armed forces

Promoting • Effective organisation and administration of

state government
cohesion
• Systems of transport and communication
• Promotes interaction between areas
 • Destabilising/centrifugal forces are ever
present
• Sowing internal discord and challenges the
Centrifugal state’s authority.
forces: • Transportation and Communication may be
Challenges hindered by a country’s shape or great size
leaving some parts of the state not well
to state integrated with the rest ie causes discord
and deterioration of state authority.
authority
• A country that is not well organised or
administered stands to lose the loyalty and
unity amongst its citizens.
 • Institutions in some states that promote
unity can have decisive impact:
• Organised religion can be a centrifugal
force:
• It may compete with the state for allegiance
Centrifugal with the people.
forces: • Conflicts between majority and minority
faiths and the suppression of certain
Challenges religions.
to state • Nationalism can also be a centrifugal force
authority • Where multiple nationalities exists or where
racial or ethnic conflict is rife these states
are susceptible to nationalist challenges
from within the borders.
 • A country whose population is not bound by
Centrifugal a shared sense of nationalism is split by
several local primary allegiances and suffers
forces: from subnationalism.
Challenges
to state • A dissident minority that has total or partial
succession from the state as its primary goal
authority is said to be guided by autonomous
nationalism.
 • Realisation that no country on its own can
ensure prosperity and security
• Supranational groupings
Cooperation • United Nations
• Commonwealth of Nations
among
States • Regional associations
• African Union
• Southern African Development Community
United Nations
 • United Nations Convention on the Law of
International the Sea (UNCLOS) of 1982
Territorial sea (12nm)
Law of the •
• Contiguous zone (24 nm)
Sea • Exclusive economic zone EEZ (200 nm)
• High seas
EEZ
Commonwealth of Nations
African Union
(Political
Alliance)
 SADC
(Economic
Alliance)
 • Electoral geography studies how the
boundaries are drawn around voting
districts
• Gerrymandering
The • The practice of drawing the boundaries of
Districting voting districts so as to unfairly favour one
political party over another
Problem • To fragment voting blocks
• Or to achieve other non-democratic objectives
• Stacked gerrymandering
• Excess vote technique
• Wasted vote strategy
Gerrymeandering

X X X X

O O X X

O O O O

DISTRICTS CONTROLLED

O X

? ?
Gerrymandering

X X X X

O O X X

O O O O

DISTRICTS CONTROLLED

O X

3 1
Gerrymandering

X X X X

O O X X

O O O O

DISTRICTS CONTROLLED

O X

1 3
Gerrymandering

X X X X

O O X X

O O O O

DISTRICTS CONTROLLED

O X

2 2
Gerrymandering

X X X X

O O X X

O O O O

DISTRICTS CONTROLLED

O X

2 2
 • 1. differentiate between the different types
of nation and the different types of state.
• 2. explain the evolution of the modern
state.
• 3. name and discuss the geographic
characteristics of states.
• 4. name and describe the different types of
boundaries used to demarcate states.
Conclusion • 5. explain the nature of the different types
of border disputes.
• 6. discuss why states cooperate and the
different types of political
associations/groupings that are commonly
found.
• 7. explain the nature of the districting
problem.