Understanding Political Geography: Key Concepts and Historical Influences
Understanding Political Geography
Key Concepts
Defining Political Entities
Country: A nation with its own government and defined boundaries (conventional term).
State: An organized political community under one government.
Nation: A group of people united by commonalities like language, religion, or culture.
Nation-State: A state where the nation and state identities are closely aligned.
Geographic Concepts
Region: Any area on the Earth’s surface with distinct characteristics.
Landmass: A continuous, unbroken piece of land.
Continental Model: A model of political organization based on large, contiguous landmasses, like Europe.
Historical Influences on Political Geography
The Rise of Civilizations
Civilization: A complex society characterized by urban development, social hierarchy, and cultural advancements.
Influential early civilizations include Mesopotamia, India (Indus River Valley), and China (Yellow River Valley).
Hegemonic Stability Theory
This theory posits that a single dominant power can maintain global order and stability.
Historical hegemons include Portugal, the Netherlands, Britain, and the United States.
The Westphalian System
The Peace of Westphalia (1648) established the modern state system based on sovereignty, territorial integrity, and non-interference in internal affairs.
Economic Development and Global Inequality
Factors of Production and Economic Growth
Factors of production: Land, labor, capital, and technology, which are essential for economic activity.
Factor endowment: The amount of factors of production a country possesses.
Core and Periphery
Core: Economically advanced regions with high GDP per capita, advanced technology, and skilled labor.
Periphery: Less developed regions with lower GDP per capita, limited technology, and less skilled labor.
Resource Curse
Countries rich in natural resources but with corrupt or undemocratic governments may experience economic stagnation and inequality.
Culture and Religion
Religion: A shared system of beliefs and practices that often influences culture and society.
Culture: The shared knowledge, beliefs, customs, and values of a group of people.
Examples of Cultural and Religious Influences
The table below shows the names, vocabulary, and scripts associated with major religions and civilizations:
| Name/Religion | Vocab | Script |
|---|---|---|
| MESOPOTAMIA | Semitic | |
| CHRISTIANITY | Greek | Greek |
| WESTERN | Latin | Latin |
| EASTERN | Church Slavonic | Cyrillic |
| ISLAM | Arabic | Arabic |
| INDIA | Brahmi | |
| ― HINDUISM | Sanskrit | |
| ― BUDDHISM | Pali | |
| CHINA | Chinese | Chinese |
Religion (Taoism, Confucianism, ancestor worship, Taoist Buddhism/Zen)