Chapter 8 Political Geography Reading Guide

  1. What area between France and Germany has been disputed for the last 300 years?
  2. What is a state?
  3. Why did relations between North and South Korea deteriorate recently?
  4. What is the most populous state not in the United Nations?
  5. Why do countries want control of the area within the Artic Circle>
  6. MATH: How many Monaco’s could fit into Russia?
  7. What is a city-state?
  8. What is a colony?
  9. What are the three basic reasons for European colonialism?
  10. What two countries had the largest overseas empires?
  11. Where are most colonies that still remain located?
  12. Describe each of the five basic shapes of states.
  13. What is a land locked state?
  14. Explain the two typed of boundaries between states?
  15. Give examples in the United States for each of the types of physical boundaries.
  16. What is a geometric boundary?
  17. Where are language boundaries most prevelant?
  18. What is a frontier?
  19. Explain the difference between a unitary state and a federal state.
  20. What is the main difference in economic geography between the United States and Europe?
  21. What is gerrymandering?
  22. What is the United Nations?
  23. What were the eight super powers present before World War 1?
  24. What were the two major military alliances that formed during the Cold War?
  25. Describe one of the regional organizations listed on pages 258 and 259.
  26. In today’s world what is the most important element of a states power?
  27. Today, what is the worlds leading super power, according to the textbook?
  28. What is COMECON?
  29. What is the main task of the European Union?
  30. What is terrorism?
  31. What four United States presidents have been assassinated?
  32. How is a terrorist attack different than other types of conflict?
  33. Who was Theodore Kaczynski?
  34. What happened on September 11th, 2001?
  35. Why did Bin Laden go to Afghanistan?
  36. Why did Bin Laden declare war on the United States?
  37. How has Al-Qaeda’s use of religion to justify attacks posed challenges for Muslims and Non-Muslims alike?
  38. At what 3 levels have states sponsored terrorism?
  39. How were the mujahedeen able to fend off the Soviet’s?
  40. Why didn’t the global community back the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003?
  41. How have Iraq’s demographics led to issues in the new government?
  42. Who was Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi?
  43. Why have Western European countries replaced their currencies with the Euro?