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PoliticalGeography(/Political+Geography)
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5ShapesofCountriesandEnclavesandExclaves
DefinitionTheboundariesofacountryandtheshapeofthelandthatitencompassescanpresent
problemsoritcanhelpunifythenation.Eachshapeofstatehasadvantages,aswellasdisadvantages.
Theshapeofmostcountriescanbedividedintofivemaincategories:compact,prorupted,perforated,
fragmented,andelongated.
Explanation
CompactAcompactshapedstateissmallandcentralized.Thistypeofstateisthesimplestto
manage,sincethegovernmentisclosetoallportionsofthestate.Thecompactformhelpstokeepthe
countrytogetherbymakingcommunicationseasierwithinit.Inaddition,compactstatesaremucheasier
todefendthanstatesofothershapes.However,compactstatesareprimarilysmallinsize,andtherefore
maynothaveasmanynaturalresourcesaslargerstateshave.Aperfectexampleofacompactstate
wouldbePoland.

ProruptedAproruptedstatehasalongextension,oranextendedarmofterritory.Thisprotrusiongives
thestateseveraladvantages.Forexample,thestategetseasyaccesstothecoastandthelocal
resourcesaroundit.Inaddition,proruptedstatesarealsoabletopreventarivalaccess.Anexampleofa
proruptedstatewouldbeThailand.

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PerforatedAperforatedstatecompletelysurroundsanother.AclassicexamplewouldbeSouthAfrica
sinceitsurroundsLesotho.Thesurroundednationcanonlybereachedbygoingthroughonecountry.More
problemscanariseifthereishostilitybetweenthetwonations.Thismakesitdifficulttoenterthe
surroundingnation.

FragmentedAstatethatisseparatedbyaphysicalorhumanbarrier.Thiscreatesseveralproblemsfor
thecountry.Manyportionsofthestateareseparatedbyoceans,lakes,andmountains.Itisdifficultto
governsuchacountrycomposedofislands,suchasIndonesia.Inaddition,communicationisdifficult
withinthestatesinceportionsareseparatedformthemainpartofthecountry.

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ElongatedAnelongatedshapedstateislongandnarrow.Thistypeofstatealsohasmany
disadvantages.Forexample,theyaredifficulttodefend.Anelongatedstate,suchasChile,makesfor
difficultgovernanceoftheperipheralareasinthenorthandsouth.However,anelongatedstate
encompassesavarietyoflandscapes.

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EnclaveAcountryorpartofacountrythatissurroundedbyanother.However,anenclavedoesnot
havepoliticalaffinitytothesurroundingstate.Also,anenclavedoesnotbelongtoanothercountry.For
example,theVaticanCityisanenclaveofRome.TheVaticanCityhasitsowngovernmentandis
independentfromRomeandItaly.Therefore,itisnotboundbytherulesofRome,aswellastherulesof
Italy.

ExclaveAnexclaveispartofacountrythatisoralmostcompletelyseparatedfromthemainpartofthe
country.Alaskaisanexampleofanexclave.AlthoughitisseparatedformtheU.S.,itsharesboundaries

withCanada.AnotherexampleisHawaii,whichiscompletelyseparatedfromtheU.S.bythePacific
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TheHeartlandTheory
DefinitionIn1904,SirHalfordMackinderpublishedtheHeartlandtheory.Thetheoryproposedthat
whoevercontrolsEasternEuropecontrolstheHeartland.Italsosupportedtheconceptofworlddominance.
ExplanationAmorerevisedversionexplainsthatwhoevercontrolstheheartland,controlstheworld
island.WhoevercontrolstheWorldIsland,willsoonruletheworld.Inotherwords,thegroupornationwho
dominatestheheartland,canthenextenditsdominationoverafarwiderarea.Theheartlandhasprimarily
beenCentralAsia,thehighseas,andEurasia.
ExampleTheNazipartywasinfavoroftheconceptduringWorldWarII.Theideawasverypopularwith
theparty,andtheysoughttoachieveit.Also,thetheorywasacceptedbytheSovietUnionduringtheCold
War.Eachnationmadegreatterritorialstridestowardtheheartland,buttonoavail.

TheRimlandTheory
DefinitionIn1942,NicholsSpymancreatedatheorywhichcounteredMackindersHeartlandtheory.

SpymanstatedthatEurasiasrimland,thecoastalareas,isthekeytocontrollingtheWorldIsland.
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ExplanationTherimlandcontainstheHeartland.Whoeverwouldcontroltherimland,wouldeventually
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controltheWorldIsland.WhoeverwouldcontroltheWorldIslandwouldsooncontroltheworld.
presentations!

ExampleHistheorywasinfluentialmainlyduringtheColdWar.TheSovietUniondesiredtocontrolthe
rimlandaroundthem.Ifaccomplished,theSovietUnionwouldcontroltheheartland,rimland,andtheWorld
Island.

TheDominoTheory
DefinitionThedominotheoryspeculatedthatifonelandsuccumbedtocommunism,thenthe
surroundingwouldfollowindominoeffect.Theeffectsuggeststhatsomechange,relativelysmallinitself,
willcauseasimilarchangenearby,whichthenwillcauseanothersimilarchange,andsoon.
ExplanationThedominotheorywasaforeignpolicythatexistedduringthe1950stothe1980s.Itwas
primarilypromotedbytheUnitedStatesatthetime.ThedominotheorywasusedbythesuccessiveUnited
StatesadministrationsduringtheColdWartoclarifytheneedforAmericaninterventionaroundtheworld.
However,thereismuchcontroversyregardingthetheory,sincethereisevidencethatsuggeststhetheory
istrueandthatitisalsountrue.
ExampleThemajorevidencethatsupportsthedominotheoryisthecommunisttakeoverofthree
SoutheastAsiancountriesin1975.ThesethreecountrieswereSouthVietnam,Laos,andCambodia.In
addition,thistheorycanbefurthersupportedbytheriseofterroristincidentsinWesternEurope.InItaly,
thisincludesthekidnappingandassassinationofformerItalianPrimeMinisterAldoMoro.InWest
Germany,thisincludestheterroristactionsoftheRedArmyFaction.Finally,terroristactionstookplacein
theUnitedKingdom,whilereceivingweaponsfromtheSovietUnion.

Mahan'sSeaPowerTheory
DefinitionAlfredThayerMahanbelievedthatdominationandpowerwasassociatedwiththesea,withits
usagefortradeanditscontrolinwar.Hesoonpublishedhistheoryinhisbook,TheInfluenceofSea
PowerUponHistory,whichdiscussedthefactorsneededtosupportandachieveseapower.
ExplanationMahanarguedthatseapowerwascrucialindeterminingnationalsupremacy.Inother

words,ifyoucontrolledthesea,youwouldcontrolthewholeworld.
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ExampleTheBritishEmpirefirstadoptedMahanstheoryandusedthestrategytowinmanydecisive
(http://www.wikispaces.com/t/y/BSPhomepageRES1300_K12wikis/BSPbanner/),tocreateinteractivelessonsand
battles.TheUnitedStatesalsoacceptedMahanstheoryandusedittacticallyinseveralbattlesaswell.
presentations!

Today,theUnitedStateshasnavalfleetsstationedatsea,whichalsosupportsthetheory.

Wallerstein'sWorldSystemsTheory
DefinitionThebasicWorldsystemsapproachisaviewoftherecentfivecountriesofworldhistory,as
wellasideasbyseveraltheorists,tostudyinginternationalrelations,worldhistory,andsociology.The
worldsystemstheorywasproposedbyworldsystemsanalystImmanuelWallerstein.
ExplanationImmanuelWallersteinproposedthattheworldsystemasasetofmechanismswhich
distributesresourcesfromtheperipherytothecore.Hestatedthatthecoreisthemoredeveloped,
industrialpartoftheworld,andtheperipheryistypicallytherawmaterialsexporting,poorpartoftheworld.
Themarketbeingthemeansbywhichthecoreexploitstheperiphery.WallersteinevaluatestheWorld
Systemas,Asystemisdefinedasunitwithasingledivisionoflaborandmultipleculturalsystems.In
thecurrentworldsystem,theUnitedStatesisthekeycorecountry.

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FederalandUnitaryStates
DefinitionAfederalstateplacesitspowerinthehandsofacentralgovernment,aswellasitssubstate
territorialunits.Aunitarystate,however,sharesitspowerbetweenlocalandnationalgovernments.
ExplanationInaunitarystate,subnationalunitsarecreatedaswellasabolished.Theirpowersmay
evenbebroadenedandnarrowed.Thesmalladministrativedivisionsexerciseonlypowersthatthecentral
government,whichremainssupreme,choosestoappoint.Onthecontrary,federalstatesshare
sovereigntywiththecentralgovernment.Thestatesofthefederationhaveanexistenceandpower
functionsthatcantbechangedbythecentralgovernment.Somecountriesareunitarystates,butalso
havefederalsystems.Thesecountriesareconsideredahybridofthetwo.
ExampleTheUnitedKingdomisanexampleofaunitarystate.Wales,Scotland,andNorthernIreland,
andEnglandallhaveadegreeofautonomousdevolvedpower.However,thepowerisonlyappointedby
Britainscentralgovernment.AnexampleofafederalstateistheUnitedStates.Powerissharedbetween
thefederalgovernmentoftheU.S.andtheU.S.statesindividually.

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