ASSIGNMENT

POLITICAL GEOGRAPHY ATTRIBUTES OF NATION STATES

By: AMEYA AATMAN

CICHS10054

Nation states are the political, geographical as well as economic unit of modern world. Since
the end of colonialism, the world is rapidly changing into nation states.
So, first we would like to discuss on these terms i.e. Nation-states. A distinction can be
made between nations and states: a nation is a community of people with a common
identity, shared cultural values and an attachment to a particular territory. Their identity is
intimately associated with the territory. A state, on the other hand, is a political organization
covering a particular territory. So, Nation-state is actually a politico-geographical
phenomenon. The state is likely to show the greatest stability and permanence when it
corresponds closely with a nation. Congruence occurs when there is a perfect fit between
nation and state. It is a rare occurrence. Incongruence between nation and state is more
common. Two different types of incongruence can be noted:

Nation without states Throughout the world there are instances of nation without states
in which people whose shared values and aspirations are not expressed in state formation .
We have many examples for this like the Kurdish nation and the Palestine nation. They
are actually a failure in the international politics as the world forum listens to states not
disposed nations.

States with more than one nation- Israel was an example of a common occurrence, one
state but a number of nations. This form of incongruence is the rule rather than the
exception. The result was a multi-ethnic state. In the case of the United Kingdom, the state
incorporated the Welsh, Irish and Scots as well as the English. Across the Channel,
Normandy, Brittany, Provence, Burgundy and the Midi were incorporated into the French
state. In the case of Russia, tsarist expansionism eastward and southward meant that the
Russian state, and eventually the Soviet state, contained a varied ethnic mix including
Georgians, Armenians, Azerbaijanis, Turkmen and Mongols.
These type of states are actually home to secessionist movements and ethnic conflicts. As
they have to deal with it at the regular basis. Israel is a very good example of these kind of
states.

The ability to link a particular territory to a particular group is essential to the definition of
modern nation state. States are a spatial unit of the earths surface. Their spatial quality is
not a secondary feature, it is of major importance. Actually these are the terms which
characterises a nation state. States have responsibility for particular pieces of territory. The
nature of this environmental legacy can influence the power of the state. Therefore each
state has some characteristics which is to fulfil the criteria of a nation state.
Therefore, every state has certain characteristics which it can be described and set apart
from all other states. These are
Size
Shape
Nature of frontiers and boundaries

SIZE :
The size of a country is important. Size can be measured in a number of ways:
Physical size
Population size
Economic size
Physical size: The larger a state the more chance of having a range of commodities. States
such as the USA which straddle many degrees of latitude and longitude have the advantage
of a variety of environmental conditions which can be utilized at different times in the
resource cycle. There are also disadvantages. Big states may have difficulty in maintaining
internal cohesion. Separatist movements flourish when there is distance between the
centre and the periphery physical distance as well as socio-economic distance.
Population size: The size of a country can also be measured with respect to population.
Canada has a large surface area but a relatively small population. India, in contrast, has a
smaller territory but a very much larger population. Population size, like physical size, can be
a source of strife as well as opportunity.
Economic size: Of major significance is the economic size of a country. Consider Brunei, a
small country with a small population. However, its rich resource endowment of oil makes it
one of the wealthiest single states in the world. Size of fiscal resources is an important
indication in the ranking of states.

Location also plays an important role in determining the economic aspects of a nation state.
The absolute location of a state is important. We can, for example, distinguish between
landlocked states and those states which have access to the sea. The relative location of a
state is another important dimension, i.e. relative in relation to other states. The point of
contact is international boundaries.

SHAPE:
A countrys shape can affect its wellbeing as a state by fostering or hindering effective
organization. The shape of a state is important because it helps determine potential
communication internally, military protection, access to resources, and more. The following
is a list of the six types of state shapes:

Compact states: They have relatively equal distances from their centre to any boundary
much like a circle. They are often regarded as efficient states. An example of a compact
state would be Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, and Burundi.
Elongated states: They have a long and narrow shape. The major have problem with these
states are with internal communication and cause isolation of towns from the capital
city. Malawi is an example of this.

Prorupted states: They occur when a compact state has a portion of its boundary extending
outward exceedingly more than the other portions of the boundary. Some of these types of
states exist so that the citizens can have access to a specific resource such as a large body of
water. In other circumstances, the extended boundary was created to separate two other
nations from having a common boundary. An example of a prorupted state would
be Namibia.

Perforated states: They have other state territories or states within them. A great example
of this is Lesotho, which is a sovereign state within South Africa.

Exclave states: A portion of a state that is separated from the main territory and surrounded
by another country. Ex: Germany before unification.
Enclave states: A piece of territory surrounded by a country which is not ruled by that
country (may be an exclave of another country).

NATURE OF FRONTIERS AND BOUNDARIES:

State boundaries are determined either by physical features such as rivers, mountains,
deserts, or glaciers or by cultural features such as religion, culture, or ethnicity. Boundaries
are actually dynamic features that vary with space and time. Throughout most of human
history, boundaries were determined by frontiers where no political entity controlled the
area. These were often large, uninhabitable regions such as deserts, oceans, glaciers, etc.
But technological and communication advancements have allowed nations to protect their
regions without the need of frontiers. Today, most frontiers have been replaced by
boundaries.

Desert boundaries can be quite large barriers for states that can serve for protection.
Deserts are common along 30 degrees north or south of the equator where permanent high
pressure creates sunny, dry conditions year-round.

Mountainous boundaries can also provide protection over large areas if they are difficult to
climb through. But they can also isolate societies from each other by means of
transportation, trade and export, and culture. Like desert boundaries, they can also make
geopolitics difficult when determining the boundary of a state since it's not a distinct
boundary or line.
Water boundaries like rivers, lakes, and oceans create state boundaries. If the body of water
is large enough, it can be protective. Invading armies would need to use boats and limited
resources to attack a state from its water boundary. But boundaries that use rivers and
lakes can be problematic with changing climates. If a river meanders to a new location, does
the boundary of that country also change?

Cultural boundaries: They are used to separate people with differences in both of these
cultural traits. Often times, cultural and ethnic conflicts occur between people with different
languages or religions. Religious differences often coincide with boundaries between states,
but in only a few cases has religion been used to select the actual boundary line. The most
notable example was in South Asia, when the British partitioned India into two states on the
basis of religion. The predominately Muslim portions were allocated to Pakistan, whereas
the predominantly Hindu portions became the independent state India. Language is an
important cultural characteristic for drawing boundaries, especially in Europe. By global
standards, European languages have substantial literacy traditions and formal rules of
grammar and spelling. Language has long been a significant means of distinguishing
distinctive nationalities in Europe. But recently, the state of Sudan separated into Sudan and
South Sudan along a language boundary.

These are the geographic characteristics of a nation state. The state system is an evolving
world system. May be, we will not be able to see this categorization in the future but it is
the modern day categorization.