Deck 8: Political Geography

Question 1

The Antarctic Treaty established that

A) states may establish research stations in Antarctica , but militaries are not permitted.
B) countries can submit claims to Antarctica until 2009.
C) Argentina, Chile, and the United Kingdom claimed portions of Antarctica
D) Russia and Argentina have claimed portions of Antarctica.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

The first states in ancient Mesopotamia were

A) city-states.
B) colonies.
C) empires.
D) nation-states.
E) patron-states.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Kosovo might not be considered a sovereign state because

A) the United States and many European countries recognize it.
B) Serbia, Russia, and many other countries do not recognize it.
C) ethnic cleansing was practiced there.
D) its capital and largest city is Pristina.
E) it is a subdivision of Serbia.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

The territorial ambitions of the Nazi party in the 1930s exemplified the idea of

A) a multinational state.
B) many states speaking a common language.
C) dividing the country into eastern and western sections.
D) a war against Italy.
E) the nation-state.

Question 5

Kosovo can be considered a sovereign state because

A) the United States and many European countries recognize its sovereignty.
B) Serbia recognizes its sovereignty.
C) ethnic cleansing was practiced there.
D) its capital and largest city is Pristina.
E) it is a subdivision of Serbia.

Question 6

Korea is a good example of a(n)

A) sovereign state.
B) nation-state.
C) ethnicity divided between more than one state.
D) colony.
E) patron-state.

Question 7

The Sahrawi Republic is not recognized by

A) Mauritania.
B) Morocco.
C) Spain.
D) the United Nations.
E) the Polisario Front.

Question 8

The attempt by one country to impose political control over another territory is

A) colonialism.
B) constitutionality.
C) self-determination.
D) sovereignty.
E) suffrage.

Question 9

The only large land mass not part of a sovereign state is/are

A) the North and South Polar regions.
B) Greenland.
C) Siberia.
D) Borneo.

Question 10

Before the world was divided into a collection of independent states in the 1800s,

A) it was under control of the Roman Empire.
B) powerful kings divided control of various continents.
C) much of the Earth's surface was unorganized territory.
D) only the Fertile Crescent was organized in any way.
E) city-states everywhere fought one another for regional dominance.

Question 11

The world's largest multinational state is

A) China.
B) Canada.
C) Russia.
D) Alaska.
E) India.

Question 12

An area organized into an independent political unit is a

A) colony
B) nationality
C) satellite
D) state.
E) suburb.

Question 13

The most populous countries not members of the UN are

A) Taiwan and Kosovo.
B) North and South Korea.
C) Switzerland and Monaco.
D) Monaco and Vatican City.
E) Western Sahara and Morocco.

Question 14

After the fall of the Roman Empire,Europe

A) became more unified under the British Empire.
B) divided into city-states along the Fertile Crescent.
C) gained military dominance over Asia and northern Africa.
D) was fragmented into rival estates held by nobility.
E) consisted of unorganized territory.

Question 15

The first widespread use of the nation-state concept came in

A) Mesopotamia.
B) the Roman Empire.
C) Western Europe.
D) the United States.
E) Southeast Asia.

Question 16

The Fertile Crescent

A) followed the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.
B) extended from the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean Sea.
C) was the location of the first city-states in the Middle East.
D) is sometimes considered to be extended into the Nile Valley.
E) all of the above

Question 17

Political unity in the ancient Mediterranean world reached its height in

A) the Fertile Crescent.
B) Egypt.
C) the Roman Empire.
D) Western Europe.
E) the Alexandrian Empire.

Question 18

A territory tied to a state rather than being completely independent is a

A) nation.
B) state.
C) nation-state.
D) colony.
E) patron-state.

Question 19

Taiwan can be considered a sovereign state because

A) China recognizes its sovereignty.
B) its government carries on diplomatic relations with many other countries.
C) the Nationalist party rules both China and Taiwan.
D) its size meets the minimum geographic threshold for independence.
E) it is no longer a British colony.

Question 20

A state with control over its internal affairs has

A) centripetal forces.
B) nationality.
C) suffrage.
D) sovereignty.
E) ethnicity.

Question 21

Boundaries in much of Europe follow the

A) distribution of languages.
B) demands of the victorious British and French.
C) containment of Nazism.
D) League of Nations.
E) North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

Question 22

Which shape most easily fosters the establishment of effective internal communications for a smaller state?

A) compact
B) elongated
C) fragmented
D) prorupted
E) prolonged

Question 23

There are several extremely small political units in the world that have all but which of the following characteristics?

A) Many are islands.
B) Several have no permanent population.
C) Most are in the southern hemisphere.
D) Many have indigenous populations.
E) Many of are still dependencies of the United States or a European state.

Question 24

Which of the following is more typical of a democracy than an autocracy?

A) Leaders selected according to clear rules of succession.
B) Citizen participation is sharply restricted.
C) Constraints on the exercise of power by the executive.
D) Leaders exercise power with no meaningful checks from other institutions.
E) Leaders selected from within the established political elite.

Question 25

Landlocked states

A) lack direct access to the sea.
B) must cooperate with immediate neighbors to engage in trade.
C) are common in sub-Saharan Africa.
D) include Lesotho and Swaziland.
E) All of these are true of landlocked states.

Question 26

Gambia is an example of a(n)________ state.

A) elongated
B) fragmented
C) landlocked
D) compact
E) prorupted

Question 27

Frontiers between countries are

A) becoming more common.
B) the same as a boundary.
C) becoming less common.
D) usually extremely narrow.
E) None of these statements is true.

Question 28

The motives of European states in establishing colonies can be summarized as all but which of the following?

A) God
B) glory
C) guilt
D) gold
E) B and C

Question 29

An example of a perforated state is

A) South Africa.
B) Sahrawi Republic.
C) Slovenia.
D) Borneo.

Question 30

A feature of the physical environment commonly used to separate states includes all but which of the following?

A) deserts
B) geometry
C) mountains
D) lakes
E) rivers

Question 31

A common physical boundary separating North African countries from countries to the south is

A) desert.
B) water.
C) mountain.
D) ethnic.
E) religious.

Question 32

Kenya is an example of a(n)________ state.

A) elongated
B) fragmented
C) landlocked
D) compact
E) prorupted

Question 33

By 1914,most of Latin America

A) was under the colonial control of Spain and Portugal.
B) was part of the Protectorate of Mexico.
C) had formed independent states.
D) had converted to Protestantism.
E) was being colonized in the search for gold and other riches.

Question 34

A frontier,in contrast to a boundary,

A) separates two states.
B) is an area rather than a line.
C) has become a more common means to separate states.
D) is a region of ethnic conflict.
E) all of the above

Question 35

A country that is not fully democratic but also not fully autocratic is described as a(n)

A) dictatorship.
B) anocracy.
C) totalitarian state.
D) socialist group.
E) corptocracy.

Question 36

The Germans established the proruption known as the Caprivi Strip in present-day Namibia for which of the following reasons?

A) access to resources in central Africa
B) disruption of British communications
C) fighting apartheid in neighboring South Africa
D) access to the Zambezi river
E) A, B, and D

Question 37

Malawi is an example of a(n)________ state.

A) elongated
B) fragmented
C) landlocked
D) compact
E) prorupted

Question 38

Greenland

A) is the world's largest landmass not under national control.
B) is considered a colony of Iceland.
C) has a high degree of autonomy despite remaining a part of Denmark.
D) recently became independent from Canada along with the territory of Nunavut.
E) All of these are true of Greenland.

Question 39

Angola is an example of a(n)________ state.

A) elongated
B) fragmented
C) landlocked
D) compact
E) prorupted

Question 40

Elongated states may suffer from poor internal communication and difficulty defending its borders.Which of the following is not an elongated state?

A) Malawi
B) Gambia
C) Namibia
D) Chile
E) Italy

Question 41

Europe was fragmented into small estates after the fall of the Roman Empire.

Question 42

The European Union

A) has removed most barriers to trade within its borders.
B) is governed by an elected European Parliament.
C) provides subsidies to its poorest member states.
D) has 27 members.
E) All of these are true.

Question 43

Redistricting so that the opposition is spread across many districts as a minority is termed a(n)________ strategy.

A) wasted vote
B) stacked vote
C) gerrymandering
D) excess vote

Question 44

The nation-state concept originated and has been used most extensively in modern Europe.

Question 45

The congressional districts of Iowa display

A) "wasted vote" gerrymandering.
B) no gerrymandering.
C) "stacked vote" gerrymandering.
D) "excess vote" gerrymandering.

Question 46

The world is becoming more democratic through

A) the replacement of monarchies with elected governments.
B) increased participation from universal rights to vote and serve in government.
C) the diffusion of democratic governance from democracies in Europe and North America.
D) All of these are reasons the world is becoming more democratic.
E) None of these are reasons the world is becoming more democratic.

Question 47

Which of the following is not true of al-Qaeda?

A) Al-Qaeda has been implicated in several bombings since the attack on the United States in 2001.
B) Al-Qaeda is a single unified organization.
C) Most al-Qaeda cell members have lived in ordinary society, supporting themselves with jobs or crime.
D) Finance, media, legal-religious policy and military committees report to a council called Majiis al shura.
E) Al-Qaeda grew out of the war against the Soviet Union in Afghanistan.

Question 48

Physical boundaries are more natural than cultural boundaries.

Question 49

Then-Secretary of State Colin Powell used what geographic tool to make the case for war with Iraq before the United Nations?

A) aerial photos of alleged chemical weapons bunkers
B) documents linking Iraq to yellowcake uranium
C) maps showing Iraq's territorial dispute with Kuwait
D) recordings linking Saddam Hussein to al-Qaeda

Question 50

State-sponsored terrorism commonly includes all but

A) providing sanctuary for terrorists.
B) providing supplies to terrorists.
C) prohibiting women from attending school.
D) actively sponsoring terrorist attacks.

Question 51

An increasing number of states have adopted a federal form of government primarily to

A) grant different ethnicities or nationalities more effective representation.
B) encourage the breakup of the superpower alliances.
C) govern compact states more effectively.
D) deploy scarce resources efficiently.
E) meet all of the above needs.

Question 52

With the end of the Cold War,

A) Russia has become a nation-state.
B) military alliances have become more important in Europe.
C) nationalities have been discouraged from expressing their cultural identities.
D) the European Union has become the world's leading economic superpower.
E) the Organization of American States has disbanded.

Question 53

Hong Kong is usually considered a colony of China.

Question 54

The European Union has

A) replaced COMECON as the main organization for regional cooperation in Eastern Europe.
B) protected Western Europe from a Soviet invasion.
C) promoted economic growth in Western Europe.
D) closed NATO military bases around the Mediterranean Sea.
E) done all of these.

Question 55

Taiwan is a member of the United Nations.

Question 56

The process of redrawing legislative boundaries to benefit the party in power is called

A) gerrymandering.
B) stacking votes.
C) hanging chads.
D) redlining.
E) blockbusting.

Question 57

A state which places most power in the hands of a central government is a

A) federal state.
B) nation-state.
C) fragmented state.
D) unitary state.
E) compact state.

Question 58

Acts of terrorism can be difficult to differentiate from acts of war because

A) both use bombs.
B) both may target civilians and appear unjustified.
C) neither is provoked.
D) both target only governments.
E) all use well-organized groups.

Question 59

Under the Law of the Sea,a country's exclusive economic zone extends 200 nautical miles from the coast.

Question 60

South Africa is a good example of a landlocked state.

Question 61

What are the major types of physical and cultural boundaries,and what conflicts can occur between states because of the manner in which boundaries are drawn?

Question 62

Why are many countries moving from unitary to federal forms of government?

Question 63

Why did the Soviet Union face difficulty governing a multinational state,and why does Russia face difficulties today?

Question 64

Gerrymandering is legal.

Question 65

How can terrorism be difficult to distinguish from other acts of violence,such as war?

Question 66

The most important elements of state power are increasingly military rather than economic.

Question 67

Compare and contrast the issues of statehood for Korea and Western Sahara.

Question 68

Federal states have strong central governments.

Question 69

Define gerrymandering and explain how it relates to the geographic concept of place.

Question 70

What geographic elements contributed to the development of the United States and Soviet Union/Russia as superpowers,and what geographic elements contribute to the weakness of these two countries?

Question 71

Discuss the development of the modern concept of the state.

Question 72

What special problems do landlocked states face?

Question 73

Osama bin Laden declared war on the United States in 1996 because of United States support of Saudi Arabia and Israel.