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Human Geography
Human Geography (Gt-Ss2) (GEO 106)
Colorado Mountain College
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Key Issue 3: Why do ethnicities clash?
Often the cause of violence is when different ethnicities compete to rule the same region or nationality. Especially common in sub-Saharan Africa, where the superimposed boundaries of the Europeans colonies poorly coincide with the thousands of ethnicities. The Horn of Africa has been the site of many ethnic disturbances: Ethiopia and Eritrea, Sudan, Somalia, etc.
The other main source of ethnic violence occurs when ethnicities are divided among more than one state. Such as in S. Asia where the British divided their former colony into Pakistan and India. (East Pakistan became Bangladesh after 1971) As a result of the partition, millions of Hindus had to migrate from the Pakistans, and Muslims had to migrate from India. During the course of the migrations, many adherents were killed by members of the opposite religion. Also, controversy continues in the northern area of Kashmir over the proper border. Similar unrest is present on the island of Sri Lanka, betwixt the Tamil Hindus and the Sinhalese Buddhists.
Key Issue 4: What is ethnic cleansing?
Ethnic cleansing- the process in which a more powerful ethnic group forcible removes a less powerful one in order to create an ethnically homogeneous region. Probably the best example is WWII in which millions of Jews, gypsies, and other ethnicities were forcibly moved to concentration camps, where most were exterminated.
When Yugoslavia was one country, encompassing multiple ethnicities, dissent was kept under control. However, once Yugoslavia broke up into six republics, the boundaries did not align with the boundaries of the five largest nationalities, and ethnicities fought to redefine the boundaries. In some cases, as in Bosnia and Kosovo, ethnic cleansing was used to strengthen certain nationalities’ cases for autonomy. As a result, millions of ethnicities were forcibly removed from their homes, and marched elsewhere, or simply killed. Similar ethnic cleansing occurs in Central Africa betwixt the Hutus and Tutsis.
Balkanized- used to describe a small geographic area that could not successfully be organized onto one or more stable states because it was inhabited by many ethnicities with complex, long-standing antagonisms toward each other.
Balkanization- the process by which a state breaks down due to conflicts among its ethnicities.
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Ch. 8 Political Geography
Key Issue 1: Where are states located?
State- an area organized into a political unit and ruled by a sovereign government. It occupies a defined area on Earth’s surface and has a permanent population. Sovereignty- a state’s independence of internal affairs from other states.
Antarctica is the only large landmass that officially belongs to no state, as part of the Treaties of Antarctica 1959 and 1991. Several countries claim portions of the continent, but the U., Russia, and numerous other states refuse to recognize these claims.
Korea was originally a colony of Japan, but was divided into two occupation zones along the 38th parallel by the U. and former Soviet Union after Japan’s defeat in WWII. The division became permanent in the 1940s when the zones were turned into autonomous states. North Korea became the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, and South Korea became the Republic of Korea. In 1950, N. Korea invaded the South, sparking a three-year conflict that ended with a cease- fire line near the 38th parallel. Both governments are committed to reuniting the country; however, attempts at reconciliation were halted when N. Korea decided to build nuclear weapons while its people starved.
Chinese Nationalists who fled the country after communist takeover, established control over the island of Taiwan. The Nationalists claim that they still are the legitimate rulers of China, but for the time being will rule Taiwan. The communists claim control over Taiwan, but most other world states believe the two are separate and sovereign states. After ruling power was shifted in 1971 from the Nationalists to the communists, Taiwan became the most populous state not in the United Nations.
A similar problem of defining a state is seen in Africa, where the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (Western Sahara) is considered by most to be a sovereign state but Morocco claims the territory and built a 3,000 km wall around it to keep out rebel forces. A cease-fire signed in 1991 is supervised by U. peacekeeping forces. Spain controls two cities in Morocco.
Microstates- states with very small land areas. The smallest U. state is Monaco (. square miles)
Development of the state concept
City-state- a sovereign state that comprises a town and the surrounding countryside. These were the first states to develop in ancient times. Reached highest point in the Roman Empire.
Early European states evolved after the fall of the Roman Empire as powerful nobles emerged and began consolidating surrounding estates into kingdoms. This
Human Geography
Course: Human Geography (Gt-Ss2) (GEO 106)
University: Colorado Mountain College
