Political Geography

1
Political Geography
2
Urban vs. Rural

• Bottom line is people settle where there are
  resources
• Urban is cities themselves and surrounding areas
• Rural is outside of cities, farming areas

3
History

• Early humans were hunter-gathers but after
  domestication of plants and animals,
  civilizations have been growing
• Growth of cities is called urbanization
• Cities will grow near resources
• Many theories as to how cities develop but there
  seems to be a pattern to city growth

4
Rural Geography

• Economic development level determines what type
  of agriculture takes place in rural areas
• Subsistent agriculture
• Pastoralism
• Agribusiness
• Market-oriented agriculture

5
Political Boundaries

• Boundaries contracts between states
• Antecedent defined and delineated before
  present-day human landscape Malaysia and
  Indonesia
• Subsequent result of long process of adjustment
  and modification China and Vietnam
• Superimposed drawn forcibly across unified
  cultural landscape Indonesia and Papua New
  Guinea
• Relict border that has ceased to function but
  imprint still evident in culture North and South
  Vietnam

6
Political Systems

• Like economics, different governments and
  cultures determine different types of government
• Many different political systems but most fall
  under democratic or totalitarian
• Most important question to ask is who has or
  where is the power?

7
Democratic

• Power in the hands of the people
• Typically hold elections
• Many different types
• Republican people elect others to represent
  them in government decision making process
• Constitutional Monarchy has King/Queen but
  power lies in Legislative Branch
• Federal System shared powers between a national
  and local/state power
• Parliamentary elect a Prime Minister from
  Legislative body
• Presidential system President elected
  independently from Legislative body

8
Totalitarian

• Any type of government that uses fear, force,
  media and hate to keep control
• Usually deny citizens basic rights with
  government making all decisions
• Power is in the hands of the person or people
  ruling the government
• Seen only in the 20th century but examples
  include Nazi Germany, Stalins Russia and Maos
  China

9
Theocracy

• Type of government that doesnt really fit with
  democracy or totalitarianism
• It is rule by religious leaders
• Seen all over the world today, but mostly in
  Muslim countries because Islam believes that
  political government and religious government are
  not separate

10
Current Political Issues

• Terrorism growing out of poverty and perceived
  injustice
• Fundamentalism strict adherence to a particular
  belief or idea. DO NOT confuse all Muslims to be
  fundamentalists, Islamic Fundamentalists make up
  less than 1 of the total Muslim population

11
World Organizations

• Used to try and solve problems before they turn
  into war
• Developed out of the League of Nations failure to
  work following WWI
• Current examples
• United Nations (UN)
• World Trade Organization (WTO)
• World Health Organization (WHO)
• North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)