Geography 202 section 502

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Geography 202 section 502

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1. Diversity amid Globalization

• World Regions Demographics
• Cultures Geopolitics Economies

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Five Hegemonies in 500 years

• (1) Portugal-mid 1500s
• (2) Holland-mid1600s
• (3) Britain I-mid 1700s (ended 1776)
• (4) Britain II-mid 1800s (1815-83)
• (5) USA-mid 1900s (1945-73)
• (6) USA II???

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Two Types of Diversity

• Diversity over Space--what geographers call
  areal differentiation or, why different world
  regions differ (culture history).
• Diversity over Time--or, the past is not a
  perfect guide to the future (although we should
  not ignore it!) Much of the success of leaders
  such as FDR Churchill came from knowing
  history--failure of Hitler and Lenin for thinking
  they could reinvent it.

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The Twelve World Regions (115)
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World Regions

• What defines a region?
• Part physical, part human geography
• Physical regions at this scale largely defined by
  plate tectonics
• Some physical regions climatic, others based on
  vegetation--at sub-tectonic level
• Part economic, part cultural geography
• Part legal, part illegal trade
• Part political (internal), part geopolitical
  (external)

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World Trade Organization (110)
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World Trade Organization

• WTO Single most powerful NGO
• Nation-States increasingly have ceded power to
  supra-national political organizations (EU, NATO)
  NGOs
• NGOs date to new nationalism of late 1800s,
  needed to manage resources across state
  boundaries (time zones came first!)
• World increasingly a mosaic of NGOs
• Reflects legal component of world-economy

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The Global Drug Trade (16)
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Global Illicit Trade/Terrorism

• Reflects that component of world-economy operated
  by non-state actors
• Slavery, prostitution, drugs, pornography were
  legal in past. Middle class nation-states made
  them increasingly illegal
• Terrorism is a response to the emergence of the
  nation-state
• Slavery, prostitution, drugs, pornography,
  terrorism are downsides of globalization (but
  getting rid of globalization wont make them go
  away since there is demand/support for them!)

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Defining the Region the Metageography of World
Regions

• Physical Characteristics
• Areally Compact
• Common Geological History
• Common Climate
• Common Vegetation

• Human Characteristics
• Common History
• Common Economic Activity
• Common Language
• Common Religion
• Common Political System
• Common Geopolitics

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World Population (122)
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World Population

• Two regions dominate world population map China
  India
• Global population currently 6 billion and rising
  fast
• Almost all rise is in less-developed world
• Traditional model of control through economic
  development

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Demographic Indicators (Table 11, 3rd edn.)
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Demographic Indicators (Table 11, 4th edn.)
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Demographic Indicators

• Main problem TFR (number of children per female)
• TFR controlled by of fertile females cultural
  habits of reproduction--these last vary VERY
  widely
• Wests habits are delayed marriage, strong female
  control over decision to reproduce
• TFR of 2 would maintain population as is in very
  long term

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Population Pyramids (125)
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Population Pyramids

• Classic pyramid that of Nigeria. High
  dependency ratio in 0-14 age categories, with
  high infant mortality
• Slow or no growth pyramids have different
  dependency ratio, 65 and up
• BUT, elderly provide indirect economic benefits
  (caring for grandchildren, as volunteers etc.)
• In developed countries people 65 and up still
  consume heavily, which drives economy, especially
  medical services.

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Demographic Transition (126)
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Demographic Transition

• Main flaws are is that is modeled on western
  experience, assumes economic development
• Overall, death rates fall first as various
  conditions improve. Birth rates fall later.
  Population moves from one phase of stability to
  another, but numbers increase greatly. Health
  care unimportant until Stage 4
• Stage 2 crudely depicted--really a two (or more)
  stage process
• 2 (A) reduction in deaths from better food
  supply, sometimes because of more productive
  agriculture, but ALWAYS because of better
  transportation--most famines highly localized
  crop failures
• 2 (B) reduction in deaths from better public
  health, in particular separating water supplies
  from human waste, thus preventing such killers as
  cholera
• Stage 3 birth rate reduces mostly because of
  education of women
• Stage 4 main increase in life expectancy from
  improvements in health care. Birth rate
  variations from war and social forces.

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Growth of World Cities (129)
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World Cities

• More than 50 world population now urban
• Historically cities only grew from rural-urban
  migration (cities had high death rates)
• Largest cities growing fastest, most from
  continued massive rural-urban migration, part
  from reproduction
• Worlds fastest growing cities all in LDCs
• Megalopolis (developed world) versus megacity
  (LDCs)

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The Main Measures of Culture

• Huntington (The Clash of Civilizations) suggests
  there are two main measures of culture
• Language
• Religion
• We can, of course, define others

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World Languages

• Most major world regions unlike our own. North
  America has only three official languages (one
  very minor), US only one
• Most major world regions polyglot. Have multiple
  official languages, spoken written
• China relatively unusual in that, although
  polyglot, has single official written language

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World Religions (138)
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World Religions

• World much more religiously homogenous than
  linguistically
• Four major religions dominate planet Buddhism,
  Christianity, Hinduism, Islam
• Of those only Christianity and Islam proselytize
  heavily, have been see-sawing for world dominance
  for past 600 years
• Currently Christianity ahead, growing most by
  conversion, Islam by reproduction.

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Nations without a State (142)
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Rise of the Nation-State

• Main organizing principle of world politics is
  territorially bounded nation-state (NS) (true NS
  should be ethnically homogenous--almost never is)
• NS very recent idea idea of natural boundaries
  first propounded in French Revolution
• NS became powerful in late 1800s as old agrarian
  societies collapsed. NS was buffer against
  possessive individualism of laissez-faire
  capitalism
• Spread widely in New Nationalism of late 1800s

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Nations without States

• Ideal of NS became globally dominant only after
  WWII, fall of most of old global empires, and
  creation of UN
• Full dominance of NS came w/fall of last empire,
  the USSR
• World is mosaic of nations, few of which
  politically control states (i.e. a coherent
  territory). Many are non-state actors embedded
  (relatively) peacefully within nation-states. N.
  American examples are PQ, Indian groups with
  tribal territories, Mormons, Hispanics in US SW,
  Nation of Islam etc.
• Some non-state actors turn to violence to achieve
  political control of territory establish a
  state (e.g. IRA, Chechens, Kurds etc. etc.)

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Reasons for War (casus belli)

• Europe most war prone region of planet for last
  2,000 years
• Chinese warring states period ended 221 BC
• Three reasons for war in Europe
• (1) To force ones ideology on another
  (traditionally in Europe wars of dynastic
  succession or religion)--Hundred Years War
  (1337-1453), Eighty Years War (1568-1648), Thirty
  Years War (1618-1648).
• (2) Possession of WMD (in current
  terms!)--Grotiuss doctrine of pre-emptive strike
  based on Drakes Corunna Raid of 1587
• (3) Violation of territorial integrity of
  nation-state--only casus belli since 1648 because
  of immense destruction of civilian populations in
  Thirty Years War--at least 30 of population of
  Germany killed.
• From 1648 to c. 1916 western war was between
  professional armies
• after c. 1916 war again on civilians in west
  (U-boats, air raids)

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The Colonial World 1914 (144)
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Colonial World

• Between 1800 1914 Europe, Russia, US expanded
  from controlling 35 of earths surface to 84
• Less than 100 years ago, just before WWI, most of
  world was a mosaic of nations embedded in 14
  Empires, incl. that of US. Almost no modern
  style nation-states existed
• New Nationalism of late 1800s had huge impact
• World of 1914 overthrown by two world wars and
  series of revolutionary shifts (to communism in
  USSR, national socialism in Germany Japan,
  democracy in US, social democracy in what has
  become EU)

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Table 1.2 Development Indicators of the Largest
10 Countries, 3rd edn.
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Table 1.2 Development Indicators of the Largest
10 Countries, 4th edn.
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World GNI per capita (147)
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GNI/PPP per capita

• Table 12 shows Gross National Income per capita
  as well as Purchasing Power Parity (GNI adjusted
  for what things cost in real terms)
• Omits EU, but EU only major world region close to
  US (Eurostat does not aggregate across EU 25, but
  EU overall has slightly larger share of world GNI
  than US)
• Note that China is highly unlikely to pose
  serious economic challenge to US for foreseeable
  future (30 years or so)

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Social Indicators (Table 13--folded into Table
12 in 4th edn.)
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Social indicators

• Main shift in West in last 50 years has been
  marked reduction in discrimination against
  females
• Female labor force participation should be high
  40
• Life expectancy for females should now exceed
  that for men by several years--if not is strong
  evidence of discrimination
• Illiteracy rates should be roughly similar for
  males and females