Deck 8: Political Geography

Question 1

Which is an example of a stateless nation?

A)Korea
B)Kurdistan
C)Hungary
D)Switzerland

Answer 1

B

Question 2

The rise of the modern state idea,where territory defined society rather than society defining territory,swept through Europe in the

A)Middle Ages.
B)1600s.
C)1800s.
D)Twentieth Century.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

The Peace of Westphalia is the seminal moment in the emergence of the European state.This marked the end of

A)WW I.
B)the Thirty Years War.
C)the Napoleonic Wars.
D)the War of the Roses.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

The promotion of the acquisition of wealth through plunder,colonization,and the protection of home industries and foreign markets during Europe's rebirth was called

A)imperialism.
B)neo-imperialism.
C)mercantilism.
D)new colonialism.

Question 5

What ultimately proved to be the undoing of monarchical absolutism and its system of patronage during Europe's rebirth?

A)The re-emergence of church power.
B)The growing economic power of merchants.
C)An increasing population.
D)Increased colonization.

Question 6

Though more than two million ________________ live in the Gaza Strip and West Bank,the international community does not universally recognize their lands as a state.

A)Walloons
B)Palestinians
C)Kurds
D)Tamils

Question 7

Wallerstein's views expressed in world systems theory hold that the global integrating force has been

A)capitalism.
B)the rise of the U.N.
C)socialism.
D)colonial independence movements.

Question 8

The present number of countries and territories in the world is around

A)400.
B)350.
C)300.
D)200.

Question 9

The Peace of Westphalia ____________

A)marked the beginning of the modern state system of Europe.
B)ended WW I.
C)created West Germany after WWII.
D)created modern Pakistan after the British withdrawal.

Question 10

The European state idea spread throughout the world through

A)European colonialism.
B)economic development.
C)League of Nations planning.
D)contagious diffusion.

Question 11

Most ________ states gained independence after 1940.

A)South American
B)European
C)East Asian
D)African

Question 12

Yugoslavia was a prime example of a

A)multi-state nation.
B)nation-state.
C)stateless nation.
D)multinational state.

Question 13

One of the most powerful impacts of colonialism was the construction of global order characterized by great differences in

A)population.
B)military and political power.
C)economic and political power.
D)military and economic power.

Question 14

The dominating colonial influence in Libya,Eritrea,Ethiopia and Somalia was ___________

A)Dutch.
B)French.
C)British.
D)Italian.

Question 15

Robert Sack's view of human territorial behavior implies an expression of control over space and time.This control is closely related to the concept of

A)nationhood.
B)colonialism.
C)sovereignty.
D)warfare.

Question 16

The highly uneven distribution of economic and political power that developed from colonialism was due to the concentration of wealth brought to

A)South America.
B)Europe.
C)Asia.
D)Africa.

Question 17

Geographer Stuart Elden points out that the modern concept of territory arose in early modern Europe as a system of

A)political units with fixed, distinct boundaries and at least quasi-independent governments.
B)political units with no fixed boundaries and no independent governments.
C)pre-political units with shifting boundaries and dependency status.
D)United Nations treaty boundaries and European Union oversight.

Question 18

The emergence of a global capitalistic economy began to develop about

A)1350.
B)1450.
C)1550.
D)1650.

Question 19

At the global scale,political geographers study the spatial manifestations of political processes expressed in the organization of territories with permanent population,defined territory and a government.These spatial units are called

A)provinces.
B)states.
C)nations.
D)regions.

Question 20

Kurdistan _______________.

A)is a sovereign nation bordered by Iraq and Turkey.
B)is a stateless nation.
C)is governed by Russia.
D)is governed by Israel.

Question 21

In 1997 Scotland took a major devolutionary step with the establishment of

A)independence from Britain.
B)its own currency and passports.
C)the Scottish Parliament.
D)the Scottish National Party.

Question 22

__________ is an example of a country which was never a classical colonial power.

A)Singapore
B)Netherlands
C)Belgium
D)Germany

Question 23

Distance,remoteness and marginal location enhance the potential for devolution.This form of devolution is referred to as

A)ethnic devolution.
B)territorial devolution.
C)economic devolution.
D)economic marginalization.

Question 24

Padania is to Italy as Upper Silesia is to _________________

A)Ukraine.
B)Serbia.
C)Poland.
D)France.

Question 25

Ratzel's organic theory was converted into a subfield of political geography called geopolitics which was subsequently translated into practical national policies by some of his students.What country used geopolitics as a philosophy of expansion?

A)Japan
B)Nazi Germany
C)Britain
D)France

Question 26

Which is not characteristic of unitary state governments?

A)highly centralized
B)capital city functions as core of power
C)suppression of regional subcultures
D)concerned with fostering diversity of regional cultural expression

Question 27

A series of concrete pillars _________ the northern boundary of Kuwait with Iraq.

A)defines
B)delimits
C)demarcates
D)determines

Question 28

In Italy,the Northern League's desire for independence was based on the economic difference between the northern Po region and the southern Mezzogiorno.These differences are attributed to

A)regional ethnic differences.
B)religious differences between north and south.
C)core-periphery processes.
D)ecological differences.

Question 29

Geometric boundaries,totally unrelated to any aspects of the cultural or physical landscape,were made considerable use of by the colonial powers in

A)Asia.
B)South America.
C)Central America.
D)Africa.

Question 30

Nigeria is a state with a federal system of government.This fact is reflected in the adoption of _________ law in the states of the Muslim North.

A)British Common
B)Nigerian Federal
C)Shari'a
D)local tribal

Question 31

The movement of power from the central government to regional governments is referred to as

A)revolution.
B)pluralism.
C)supranationalism.
D)devolution.

Question 32

A boundary between countries is a

A)line on the ground only.
B)line shown only on maps.
C)point of separation on and below the surface only.
D)vertical plane that cuts through the rocks below and air above.

Question 33

The boundaries of independent African states were drawn at the Berlin Conference and were essentially drawn

A)arbitrarily.
B)along ethnic lines.
C)along religious lines.
D)along ecological lines.

Question 34

The process of adjustment of the number of representatives in the U.S.House of Representatives to reflect shifts in population patterns is known as

A)gerrymandering.
B)territorial representation.
C)electoral geography.
D)reapportionment.

Question 35

Scotland and Wales are to the UK as ____________ are to Spain.

A)Galicia and Catalonia
B)Kaliningrad and Lithuania
C)Corsica and Sardonia
D)South Tyrol and Sardonia

Question 36

The first political geographer who studied the state in detail was Friedrich Ratzel who postulated that the state resembles a biological organism.His organic theory identified ______________ as a state's essential life giving force.

A)population
B)a strong military
C)space
D)mobility

Question 37

Which country has experienced violent devolution?

A)Yugoslavia
B)Italy
C)Czechoslovakia
D)Belgium

Question 38

Sir Halford Mackinder developed what would become known as the heartland theory which suggested that interior Eurasia contained a critical "pivot area" that would generate a state capable of challenging for world domination.The key to the area according to Mackinder was

A)natural protection.
B)distance.
C)natural resources.
D)Eastern Europe.

Question 39

The boundary between the United States and Canada west of the Great Lakes is an example of a(n)

A)physical-political boundary.
B)geometric boundary.
C)mountain crest boundary.
D)administrative boundary.

Question 40

Which is an example of an allocational boundary dispute?

A)dispute over the interpretation of boundary treaty terminology
B)dispute over boundaries not covered by a treaty (e.g. Yemen-Saudi Arabia)
C)dispute over the function of a boundary with regard to migration
D)dispute over rights to resources (e.g. oil, water) crossed by international boundaries

Question 41

Following World War there were fewer than 75 states in the world

Question 42

The League of Nations was created in 1919 as the first international organization that would include all nations of the world.Its success was dealt a serious blow by the failure of which country to join?

A)Britain
B)Russia
C)the United States
D)Canada

Question 43

In 1943 Mackinder wrote about his concerns over the potential of Stalin's control of the countries of Eastern Europe.His views led to the development of the United States' containment policy and to the establishment of

A)friendly relationships with China.
B)the United Nations.
C)N.A.T.O.
D)the Berlin Wall.

Question 44

The Marshall Plan was a post-WW II endeavor by the United States to economically revive

A)Europe.
B)Japan.
C)sub-Saharan Africa.
D)South America.

Question 45

As the European Union grows bigger,what is a potential worry?

A)that not all countries will want to adopt the Euro
B)that smaller member countries such as Denmark will get lost in the mix
C)that there will be a need to have a universal language
D)that they will need to establish a government

Question 46

One move by the old League of Nations that would have a critical impact in the second half of the twentieth century involved

A)maritime boundaries.
B)refugee questions.
C)atmospheric boundaries.
D)mineral resources underlying two or more countries.

Question 47

According to one of the authors of the textbook,attachment to region and to the European Union is greater than attachment to the state in

A)Britain.
B)Benelux (Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg).
C)Switzerland.
D)Yugoslavia.

Question 48

Once a body of people is incorporated within a political boundary they are a nation.

Question 49

The United Nations is not a world government,but in recent years individual states have asked the United Nations to do a number of different things,including __

A)peacekeeping.
B)writing human rights standards
C)providing for refugees.
D)setting maritime boundaries.

Question 50

Russia has recently taken forcible control of _____________,which has produced a chilling effect on NATO's possible eastward expansion.
A)Catalonia

A) Padania
B) Crimea
C) Latvia

Question 51

Participation in the United Nations serves the useful purpose of committing states to

A)loan money to poorer ones.
B)agreeing to world laws.
C)international standards of behavior.
D)respect and accept present political boundaries.

Question 52

Belgium is an example of a nation-state where nation and state coincide within boundaries.

Question 53

Recent geopolitical theory emphasizes the "deconstruction" of spatial assumptions and territorial perspectives of leading western politicians and analysis of the way their ideas are used to manipulate public opinion.This field of research is called

A)Heartland theory.
B)Marxian geopolitical theory.
C)Critical geopolitics.
D)British/American school of geopolitics.

Question 54

As of 2005,which major European Union nation has not entered the Euro Monetary Zone?

A)Great Britain
B)Germany
C)Italy
D)France

Question 55

In Europe prior to the mid-1600s,sovereignty was expressed over people rather than over a territory.

Question 56

Listed among the challenges to the state in the twenty-first century are all the following except

A)terrorism.
B)economic globalization.
C)increased cultural communication.
D)the United Nations.

Question 57

The first major experiment in regional supranationalism was undertaken in Europe before the end of World War II and involved the three countries

A)the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg.
B)Belgium, Germany, and France.
C)Britain, Belgium, and Norway.
D)France, Poland, and Germany.

Question 58

Technically supranationalism refers to efforts by ______ or more states to forge associations for common advantage and in pursuit of common goals.

A)2
B)4
C)5
D)3

Question 59

Which of the following is NOT a supranational organization?

A)United Nations
B)North American Free Trade Association
C)North Atlantic Treaty Organization
D)United States

Question 60

The European Union's future expansion into the Muslim realm by the inclusion of __________ is highly controversial and strongly opposed by Greece.

A)Saudi Arabia
B)Bosnia
C)Algeria
D)Turkey

Question 61

NAFTA is a North American supranational association for mutual economic benefit.

Question 62

According to Hartshorne,centrifugal forces work to build a nation-state.

Question 63

Discuss the boundaries of the coterminous United States in terms of boundary type and in terms of potential for various types of boundary disputes.

Question 64

Discuss supranationalism in general terms.How has the European Union developed as a supranational entity? What do you think the future development of the European Union will be like?

Question 65

Discuss the European state model in terms of territory,sovereignty,homogeneity and control
Discuss centripetal and centrifugal forces acting on states - choose an example or examples to illustrate

Question 66

Taiwan is a member of the UN.

Question 67

The Rio Grande River is a geometric boundary separating the United States and Mexico.

Question 68

With its federal system,Nigeria vests judicial power in its various States.This is illustrated by the prevalence of Shari'a law in Nigeria's Muslim north.

Question 69

Norway is a member of the EU.

Question 70

Critical geopolitics emphasizes the analysis of diplomatic and power relations between various state groupings.

Question 71

Discuss the factors needed to create a nation-state.Are there any perfect nation-states? What factors can threaten a nation-states stability?

Question 72

Discuss core-periphery processes on a global scale.Give an example of countries or regions you believe to exemplify each of the three divisions of the world-economy (i.e.,core,periphery,and semi-periphery).

Question 73

Mackinder's heartland theory of geopolitics maintained that world domination would be exercised through sea power.

Question 74

Huntington's thesis in The Clash of Civilization is similar to Wallerstein's view that international relations are reducible to economic rather than cultural factors.

Question 75

Why is Sub Saharan Africa likely to face more serious problems creating cohesive independent states that would be politically stable and lack serious internal ethnic frictions?

Question 76

The League of Nations intervened to aid Ethiopia when attacked by Italy in the mid-1930s.

Question 77

Most Hungarians are of non-Slavic ethnic origins.

Question 78

Devolution is affecting many countries in the world today.

Question 79

Disputes over water (e.g.among Syria,Turkey,and Iraq over the Euphrates)are examples of allocational boundary disputes.

Question 80

Gerrymandering refers to electoral redistricting in order to gain a political advantage.