Narration

This is an edited version of an essay by Alexander B. Murphy, Department of Geography, University of Oregon. For the complete article see the Journal of Geography, May-August 2000, Vol. 99, No. 3/4.

Students should understand that drawing connections between politics and geography is not just knowing the location of current events. Instead, they should understand the ways in which political-territorial arrangements reflect and influence other aspects of geography. If individuals have any geographic image of the world at all, it is likely to be an image of a world carved up into independent countries, with perhaps some capital cities and a few major physical features sprinkled in the midst. As a result, the world political map has a certain taken-for-granted quality that provides an easily accessible frame of reference for students, but that also makes it difficult for them to ask questions about the political organization of space that beyond a country's location. A major goal of the political geography section is to establish a generalized understanding of the nature and significance of the political organization of territory in the contemporary world.

Students should know:

1. The basic ways in which humans have divided the planet for purposes of governance and control, as well as the implications of that division for such fundamental matters as the development of ethno-national conflicts.
2. The emergence of regional political-economic blocs, and the struggles to develop coordinated responses to issues that extend beyond the borders of one state.
3. How and why the political-territorial basis of the modern state system is changing.
4. That political geographic processes play out on a variety of scales, from local to regional to national to supranational to global.
5. What happens at one scale often influences what happens at other scales.

The Concept of Territoriality
Human territoriality is the attempt to control what goes on in a specific geographical area.

The Nature and Meaning of Boundaries
Political boundaries exist at a variety of scales, and these boundaries influence how goods and services are distributed, who gets represented and who does not, and how issues are confronted.

Influences of Boundaries on Identity, Interaction, and Exchange
Two Web sites that illustrate the effects of identity, interaction, and exchange on populations.

Web Sites

To view the following Web sites, please go to "See also" below.

The Teachers' Corner contains links to suggested Web sites. The College Board neither endorses, controls the content of, nor reviews the external Web sites included here. Please note that following links to external Web sites will open a new browser window. If you discover a link that does not work, please let us know by sending an e-mail to apctechsupport@collegeboard.org.

Encyclopedia Britannica Political Systems Page
Extensive discussion and numerous links related to political organization and types of political systems.