AP Human Geography Territorial Morphology

Review:
  1. What would be an example of a geometric boundary?
  1. What are Subsequent Boundaries?
  1. What are Antecedent Boundaries?
  1. What are superimposed boundaries?
  1. What is an example of a relic boundary?
/ BOUNDARIES
Boundary – invisible line marking state’s territory – ARTIFICIAL
Can be based on….
Natural/physical features (mountains, river) Rivers are bad because they move..in a drought who gets the water? If an oil spill who cleans it up?
Meridian Line Principle: boundary right down middle of river
Cultural features (language, religion)
Geometric: follow straight line that has nothing to do with nature or culture
Boundary origins
Relict: boundaries that no longer exist but you can still see effects
FRONTIERS
Historically frontiers, not boundaries, separate states.
Frontiers = zone where no state exercises complete political control. Frontier was a buffer zone of safety…boundaries are thin lines that bring people right up to each other & increases chances of dispute
Highly contested frontier today…oceans – claim sea & its resources
OCEANS
Law of the Sea established in 1983
 restrict territorial seas to 12 nautical miles from shoreline, in which ships of other countries have right of passage
EEZ – Exclusive Economic Zone – state has economic rights to 200 nautical miles from shore. In this zone each state has the right to explore and exploit natural resources in water, seabed, and soil
Shapes of States – territorial morphology
a term that describes the shape, size, and relative location of states
Landlocked States: no outlet to sea…BAD situation – makes you dependent on other state for sea access/shipping/trade
Most landlocked states in Africa – 14
Exclaves: small, detached holdings that are completely separate from country and lie within boundaries of another state (ex: W. Berlin to W. Germany; embassies)
Centrifugal V. Centripetal Forces
Centrifugal forces pull apart and lead to dissolution
ex. Tribes, ethnic strife, regionalism, language or religious differences……Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, China-Taiwan, USSR, Basques in Spain, French in Canada, etc.
Centripetal Forces unify, create common identity –
national institutions, pledge, anthem, common language/religion, even external threats (9/11, Pearl Harbor