NAME



NAME _____________________________ Class Period _____

Key Issue 1. Where Are States Located? Pages 257—264.

1. What is the definition of a state?

What does your textbook mean when it says that a state has sovereignty?

Why is a state a good example of a formal or uniform region?

What word is a synonym for a state?

How many countries were there in the world in 1940?

How has this changed since then?

2. There is some disagreement about how many states there actually are in the world because of regions which may, or may not, actually be states. Complete the table to demonstrate three cases:

|Korea (North and South) |Peoples Democratic Republic of China (China) and/or |Western Sahara or Sahrawi Republic |

| |Republic of China (Taiwan) | |

|One State if you agree that: |One State if you agree that: |One State if you agree that: |

|Two states if you agree that: |Two states if you agree that: |Two states if you agree that: |

3. What is the only large landmass on Earth’s surface that is not part of a state? [NOTE: This answer is in the text before number 2.]

What is the name, and the major terms of the treaty which provides a legal framework for governing this area?

4. The area of Western Sahara [referenced in number 2 above] is an example of the disagreement over the number of states in the world today. In addition to this question, two cities in Morocco are controlled and claimed by Spain. What are these two cities?

What is the position of the people of these cities adjacent coastal land in terms of reunification with Morocco or continued association with Spain?

5. List the six largest states in the world in order of size, and give the size in millions of square miles:

_________________________________ ___________ million square miles

_________________________________ ___________ million square miles

_________________________________ ___________ million square miles

_________________________________ ___________ million square miles

_________________________________ ___________ million square miles

_________________________________ ___________ million square miles

6. What is a microstate?

Approximately how many microstates are recognized in the world today?

What is the maximum size of these states?

What is the smallest microstate which is a member of the United Nations?

What geographic characteristic do these states have in common?

7. Where is the area known as the “Fertile Crescent” located? What current day states are part of the Fertile Crescent?

What were the first states which first developed in the Fertile Crescent called? Give a definition of this type of state.

Which ancient empires were located in the Fertile Crescent?

Some geographers consider the fertile Nile River Valley in Egypt as an extension of the Fertile Crescent. During what time period did the ancient Egyptian empire flourish?

8. Political unity in the ancient world reached its height with the establishment of the Roman Empire. What areas of the world were included in the Roman Empire? Which modern states were at the farthest ends of this territory?

After the fall of the Roman Empire where did the first states emerge in the former territory of the Empire? Approximately when did this occur?

9. Give a definition for the following related terms:

colony:

colonialism:

What were the three basic reasons why European nations established colonies?

1)

2)

3)

What three terms can be used to summarize these motives?

____________________ ____________________ ____________________

10. Refer to the class powerpoint slide #21, “European Colonies in the Americas 18th Century” to answer the following: Which European countries established colonies in North and South America during the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries?

When did these states loose most of these colonies?

11. What is imperialism? Explain how imperialism and colonialism differ.

Even though imperialism and colonialism differ somewhat, the imperial territories are still referred to as colonies. Which European states established imperial colonies in Africa, Asia, and the Pacific Ocean during the 19th and early 20th centuries?

What is meant by the expression, “the sun never sets on the British Empire”?

12. What practices did the French utilize in governing their colonies?

What practices did the British utilize in governing their colonies?

When did most of the European colonies in Africa and Asia gain their independence?

How did United Nations membership change as these new states were created?

13. According to the CIA World Factbook, there were 60 colonies remaining in the world in 2005. According to your textbook [see Figure 8-5, pages 264-265] where are most of these colonies located?

What is the most populous colony in the world today? Which state governs this territory?

What is the least populous colony in the world today? Where is it located? Which state governs this territory?

Key Issue 2. Why Do Boundaries Cause Problems? Pages 264—274.

14. What is a boundary?

Identify two types of boundaries, and give examples of each:

______________________________:

______________________________:

Explain three reasons why boundaries are of interest to geographers.

1)

2)

3)

15. Your text identifies five basic shapes for states, as listed in the table below. Complete the

table based on your reading. The text gives examples which you should list. Also try to give one or two of your own examples.

|SHAPES |EXAMPLES |

|compact |greatest advantage… |  |

|prorupted |reasons for prorupting the shape of a state… |  |

|elongated |biggest problem… |  |

| |best way to minimize the problem… |  |

|perforated |how is the "perforator" state dependent on the |  |

| |"perforatee"? | |

|fragmented |different kinds… |  |

16. What do we mean by a landlocked state?

Where are most of the world’s landlocked states located?

Why are so many landlocked states found in this area of the world?

What problems do landlocked states have?

17. Shade and label the names of each of the landlocked states in Africa on the map below.

[pic]

18. What is a frontier? How does a frontier differ from a boundary?

Why are boundaries more likely to be places where conflicts occur between states than frontiers?

How common are boundaries between states in the world today? Give examples of existing boundaries.

19. Complete the table below to describe the advantages of each type of physical boundary.

|Mountains |Deserts |Water/River |

|  |  |  |

20. What type of problems are caused by the use of oceans as boundaries for states?

Why does this occur?

What are the four main provisions of the 1983 Law of the Sea?

1)

2)

3)

4)

21. Three types of cultural boundaries have been used to create states: geometric, religious and language. The definition of each is self-explanatory: geometric boundaries are simply arbitrary lines drawn on a map, usually along lines of latitude and longitude (but generally for some specific reason); religious and language boundaries divide areas based on the predominate religious or language group. Below are listed examples of these three types of boundaries. For each, identify the type of boundary used, which groups are separated by each boundary, and any resulting conflict/ controversy created by this type of division.

United States and Canada:

In addition to the two western boundaries between the U.S. and Canada, what other type of boundary separates the U.S. and Canada in the east?

Chad and Libya:

British partition of India:

Ireland:

Europe after World War II:

22. Describe in detail the events in Cyprus which lead to the division of the island into Greek and Turkish areas.

23. Explain the difference between a unitary state and a federal state.

In recent years why have some states restructured their governments to transfer some authority from the national government to local government units?

24. Examples of the restructuring of political power can be seen in France and Poland in recent years. For each of these countries, describe the changes which have been made in the distribution of government power and tell why these changes have been made.

France:

Poland:

25. What does the term gerrymandering mean?

Identify the three different types of gerrymandering and explain how the party in power would draw election boundary lines to ensure that they have a majority in the state (use the numbers provided in the text).

________________________________:

________________________________:

________________________________:

Key Issue 3. Why Do States Cooperate with Each Other? Pages 274—280.

26. What are the three major types of cooperation that countries engage in, or put another way, give three reasons why countries cooperate with each other.

What was the major goal of the international and regional organizations created after the Second World War?

Which countries formed the United Nations following World War II?

How many members did the U.N. have in 1945? _________ How many in 2007? _________

Which countries are the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council?

Identify four problems which limit the effectiveness of the United Nations in its efforts to prevent military conflicts in the world today.

1)

2)

3)

4)

Despite these problems the United Nations remains one of the best examples of political cooperation by large numbers of states. Why is this the case?

27. Why is the idea of only two superpowers a relatively new one?

Give a definition of the term balance of power:

Your text states that both of the superpowers demonstrated that they would use military force if necessary to prevent an ally from becoming too independent. Identify three examples of military intervention by the two superpowers in the affairs of their allies. Give the name of the country and date of the intervention:

Soviet Union:

United States:

28. What is N.A.T.O.? Which countries were members of this alliance?

What was the Warsaw Pact? Which countries were members of this alliance?

What was the basic purpose of N.A.T.O. and the Warsaw Pact?

What happened to the Warsaw Pact after the collapse of the Soviet Union and end of the Cold War? Which countries have joined N.A.T.O. since that time?

Why did many of the Eastern European countries join N.A.T.O.?

29. Complete the chart on notable non-military regional organizations.

|Regional Organization |Members |Purpose |

|Organization of American States |  |  |

|Organization of African States |  |  |

|Commonwealth of Nations |  |  |

30. The era of two “superpowers” ended with the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1992. The world has returned to a pattern of more than two superpowers that predominated before World War II. However, the current pattern of global power displays two key differences. Identify and describe these:

1)

2)

31. Today’s European Union was originally formed as the European Economic Community, which later changed its name to the Common Market and then the European Community. Which six countries were the original members?

How many members does the European Union have today?

Which of these members are former Communist countries and parts of the old Soviet Union?

What is the main task of the European Union?

Identify three steps taken by the European Union which have turned Europe into the world’s wealthiest market.

1)

2)

3)

32. [NOTE: Refer back to page 278 and the map explanation on page 279 to answer this question.]

In what year did Germany first become a unified state? Which Prussian leader accomplished this?

What happened to the boundary of Germany after its loss to the Allies in World War I?

What happened to Germany after its loss to the Allies in World War II?

How and when was Germany reunited into one state?

Examine the maps of Germany in 1924 and 2007 on page 279. How did the eastern boundary with Poland change on these two maps—as a result of the division of Germany after World War II?

Key Issue 4. Why Has Terrorism Increased? Pages 280—287.

33. What is terrorism?

What methods do terrorists use to try to achieve their objectives?

How do terrorists justify the use of violence to achieve their objectives?

How does terrorism differ from other acts of political violence?

Why do terrorist target ordinary people instead of military personnel?

34. The United States and its citizens became the targets of terrorists at the end of the twentieth century. For the dates listed below, identify the target of these terrorist attacks and the location where each attack occurred:

|DATE |TARGET |LOCATION |

|December 21, 1988 |  |  |

|February 26, 1993 |  |  |

|April 19, 1995 |  |  |

|June 25, 1996 |  |  |

|August 7, 1998 |  |  |

|September 12, 2000 |  |  |

What acts of terrorism were the following Americans responsible for?

Theodore J. Kaczynski

Timothy J. McVeigh and Terry I. Nichols

Which act of terrorism against the United States brought a realization that the United States was involved in a war of terrorism against our country? Briefly described what happened, where, and the number of Americans victims.

35. Who was Osama bin Laden?

Why did bin Laden “declare war” against the United States?

What is the meaning of the Arabic word “Al-Qaeda”?

Summarize six facts about Al-Qaeda from your text:

1)

2)

3)

4)

5)

6)

36. List the three ways in which states (particularly in the Middle East in recent decades) have given support to terrorists.

1)

2)

3)

Note in which of the above ways each of the following states has supported terrorism and then briefly describe it.

|State |Type of Support |Summary of Issues |

| |(from list above) | |

|Libya |  |  |

|Afghanistan |  |  |

|Iraq |  |  |

|Iran |  |  |

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