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Human Geogrpahy
Human Geography (Gt-Ss2) (GEO 106)
Colorado Mountain College
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There are 5 shapes of states: - Compact states- the distance from the center to any boundary varies little. Generally found in smaller states. -Prorupted states- an otherwise compact state with a large projecting extension. Ex. Congo -Elongated states- have a long and narrow shape. Ex. Chile -Fragmented states- have several discontinuous pieces of territory. Ex. U.S. -Perforated states- completely surround another state. Ex. South Africa
Landlocked state- a state that lacks a direct outlet to the ocean. Especially common in Africa. Frontier- a zone where no state exercises complete political control. Unitary state- a state that places most of the power in the hands of a central govt. Federal state- a state that allocates strong power to units of local govt. w/in the country.
The trend in recent years has been more states moving from their unitary stance to a more federal government.
Gerrymandering- the process of redrawing legislative boundaries for the purpose of benefiting the party in power. “Packing” places many voters of one type into a single area, whereas “stacking” arranges the voters to win a majority of the seats.
Key Issue 3: Why do states cooperate with each other?
Balance of power- a condition of equal strength betwixt opposing alliances.
States cooperate for political and military reasons. The most important supranational organization is the United Nations. Established in 1945, it contained 49 members. As of 2003, 190 countries were part of the U. Though the power of the U. is somewhat limited, it is still a substantial step in the direction toward global peace. The U. nations can elect to create peacekeeping forces, and can request the military assistance from other states. Other significant military organizations are: -Organization of American States (OAS) all 35 W. Hemisphere states -Organization for African Unity (OAU) all African states -Commonwealth of Nations the U. and 53 former colonies.
States also cooperate for economic purposes. The best example is the European Union. The EU main goal is to promote development within the member states through economic cooperation. Farmers subsidies, and the introduction of the common currency the EURO, are some of the methods through which the EU has developed W. Europe into the most viable market on Earth. Germany dominates the EU. Stringent guidelines prevent many Baltic states from being admitted, thus preserving the economic benefits reaped by the 15 older members.
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Key Issue 4: Why has terrorism increased?
Terrorism is the systematic use of violence by a group in order to intimidate a population or coerce a government into granting its demands. The increasing level of radical fundamentalism in many religions and the creation of the terrorist network al-Qaeda have led to an increase in the number of terrorist attacks worldwide.
Al-Qaeda is a network founded by Osama bin Laden who used his several million dollar inheritance from his billionaire father to fund the program. Al-Qaeda (an Arabic word meaning “the base”) was formed in 1990 to unite jihad fighters from around the world in an organized offensive against the United States, whom bin Laden sees as the “Great Satan” because of U. support for the royal family of Saudi Arabia and for supporting the Jewish state of Israel. Al-Qaeda’s holy war against the U. reached its apex on Sept. 11, 2001.
Another reason for increased terrorist activity is the increased amount of state support for terrorism, defined as: 1. Providing sanctuary for terrorists wanted by other countries. Ex. The Taliban govt. of Afghanistan harboring al-Qaeda fugitives. 2. Supplying weapons, money, and/or intelligence to terrorists. Ex. Libyan Colonel Muammar al-Qaddafi provided terrorists with money to kill his opponents living in exile. 3. Planning attacks using terrorists. Ex. The Libyan govt. hiring terrorists to bomb a Berlin nightclub frequented by U. soldiers.
The U. invaded Afghanistan to hunt down members of al-Qaeda. The Taliban govt. was also overthrown for its support of al-Qaeda. The U. then invaded Iraq in order to investigate reports that Iraq had been develop weapons of mass destruction. Little conclusive evidence has been recovered to justify that Iraq had WMDs or was in the process of developing them.
Other states considered by the U. to be state sponsors of terrorism are:
-Yemen -Sudan -Syria -N. Korea -Iran
Human Geogrpahy
Course: Human Geography (Gt-Ss2) (GEO 106)
University: Colorado Mountain College
