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