The political map of the world and regions does not remain unchanged. Qualitative and quantitative changes on the political map are distinguished. Qualitative shifts on the political map of the world may be due to:
1. Loss of independence, for example, the proclamation of Cyprus as a colony of Great Britain (1925-1960);
2. The acquisition of sovereignty, for example, education independent states- Croatia, Slovenia, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina during the collapse of Yugoslavia in 1991;
3. The introduction of a new political system, for example, the fall of the monarchy and the proclamation of a republic in Ethiopia (1974); change of republican form government controlled to the monarchist in Cambodia (1993);
4. By introducing a new administrative-territorial structure in the state, for example, Belgium has moved from a federal structure of territory to a unitary form;
5. Renaming the country or its capital: Burma - Myanmar, Upper Volta - Burkina Faso, Coast Ivory- Cote d'Ivoire; Rangoon - Yangon.
6. Transfer of capitals: Rio de Janeiro - Brasilia, Petersburg - Moscow, Karachi - Islamabad.
Quantitative changes on the political map of the world are associated with territorial losses or gains due to:
1. Military seizures: the capture of Austria by Germany in 1938;
2. Assignment - transfer of all sovereign rights to a certain territory by one state to another by agreement: the sale by Russia of Alaska to the USA in 1867;
3. Accretion - an increment of territory by alluvium (Japan) or drainage of the water area (Netherlands);
4. Adjudications (award of territory by decision of the arbitration of the International Court of Justice).
Objects political map
The entire inhabited land area is "striped" by political borders, the main of which are state ones, separating the territories and economies of different countries. A state territory is a part of the Earth's surface, including internal waters and territorial waters (from 3 to 12 miles from the coast), subsoil beneath them and the air territory (aerotorium) above it, which is subject to the power of this state. Legally, the territory of a state includes ships, aircraft, sea cables and other means of transport and communication, the territory of the diplomatic missions of this state belonging to it. All states of the world have a territory bounded by land, water and air borders, which have developed historically as a result of the events of past years.
The demarcation procedure takes place in two stages. one - delimitation- determination of the position and direction of state borders by agreement between neighboring states. This is recorded in the contract and on the maps attached to it. 2 - demarcation- the establishment of the line of the state border on the ground by the construction of boundary markers.
Part of the state borders runs along natural boundaries - mountain ranges, rivers, lakes (as a rule, along their geometric middle). If the natural boundary is difficult to overcome ( high mountains), then by different sides from it there are little similar ethnic groups and such boundaries are distinguished by stability and stability. It is not uncommon for the borders between states to be drawn according to principles other than those related to nature. Thus, the border between India and Pakistan in 1947, during the division of British India, was drawn on a religious basis, and the state borders in Africa retained the configuration of boundaries separating in the past colonial possessions different metropolises. It is in this region, where most of the borders are drawn along astronomical lines - parallels and meridians without taking into account the peculiarities of settlement different nations, there is still a high level of conflict due to territorial problems and claims.
In addition to the state territory, there are territories with international and mixed management regimes. Territories with an international regime include land areas lying outside the state territory, located in common use all states in accordance with international law (high seas, airspace outside continental shelf. The international legal regime of the Arctic regions of the Northern Arctic Ocean... Canada, Russia, Norway and other countries have divided it into "polar sectors" - spaces from the northern border of the state to the North Pole along the meridian (minor deviations are possible - Spitsbergen islands). All lands and islands within the "polar sectors" are part of state territories. See fig. 2-2.
A special international legal regime was established in Antarctica under the International Treaty of 1959.The mainland is open exclusively for scientific research for representatives of all countries of the world.
Territories with a mixed regime include continental shelves and maritime economic zones- areas outside the territorial waters 200 nautical miles wide. Unlike the territorial waters, the economic zone is not under the sovereignty of the coastal state, but has the primary right to exploration and development. natural resources, scientific research, fishing. Other states have freedom of navigation in this zone, flights, laying cables, pipelines and have access to excess allowable catch. The initiators of the establishment of economic zones in the late 60s. Latin American states took the floor. Nowadays, economic zones account for 40% of the area of the World Ocean. Shelves and marine economic zones often exceed the area of the state's land territory and can significantly increase its resource potential.
The modern political map of the world presents a variegated mosaic consisting of more than 200 countries, of which most of them are sovereign(from the French. Souverain - the highest, supreme) state. Their number grew throughout the twentieth century: in 1900 - 55, in 1914 - 71, in 1947 - 81, in 1997 - 190. Sovereign states are distinguished by independence in dealing with internal and external development, they can conclude equal treaties with other states, enter into international economic and political organizations. Only sovereign states can be members of the United Nations (UN). This interstate organization, created in 1945, united 185 countries in 1998.
But in the world there are about 30 non-self-governing territories... The term "territory" in political and economic geography used in relation to lands that do not have sovereign status or with limited local self-government. During the era of colonial conquests, they became dependent on metropolises . Non-Self-Governing Territories include colonies , which are subject to the UN requirement for independence (East Timor, French Guiana, East Samoa, etc.). The reason for the preservation of colonial possessions lies in their important military-strategic position, which allows them to control vast territories, sea routes or carry out military and space projects. Non-Self-Governing Territories also include the "overseas departments and regions" of France (Reunion Island in Indian Ocean, French Polynesia, etc.) and "associated states" (Puerto Rico). In fact, it is - protectorates, possessing only local self-government. Colonial possessions on the modern political map of the world are mainly preserved in two regions - in Oceania and the Caribbean.
In the past, the varieties of Non-Self-Governing Territories included dominions and mandated territories... Dominions in 1867-1947 parts of the British Empire that were part of the British Commonwealth of Nations and recognized the British Queen as the head of state, for example, Canada (since 1867), the Australian Union (since 1901), New Zealand (since 1907), the Union of South Africa ( since 1910). Now the term "dominion" has fallen out of use, although 17 of the former dominions still continue to recognize the Queen of England as the head of state.
Mandatory territories were the former colonies of Germany, which after the First World War were mandated to League of nations came under the control of the winning countries. So, Great Britain received a mandate (a document certifying the rights of the governing country) to govern Palestine and Iraq, France - Syria, Lebanon. After World War II, the League of Nations mandate system was replaced by the UN trusteeship system. The Mariana, Marshall and Caroline Islands, which gained independence in 1991, were then transferred under the control of the United States.
A POLITICAL MAP OF THE WORLD
Stages of the formation of the political map of the world
Forms state structure and board. Independent States and Non-Self-Governing Territories.
Political map of the world: forecasts of the 21st century
The political map, like any other, depicts states, their borders, administrative-territorial division, Largest cities... All of this is understood as something much more - the patterns of placement of forms of state structure of the countries of the world, relations between states, territorial conflicts associated with the drawing of state borders.
The political map of the world is in the process of constant changes occurring as a result of wars, treaties, the collapse and unification of states, the formation of new independent states, changes in the forms of government, the loss of statehood / political sovereignty /, changes in the area of states / countries / - the territory and water area, their borders, change of capitals, change of names of states / countries / and their capitals, change of forms of government, if they are shown on this map.
Only during the 1990s. a new state of Eritrea appeared on the political map of the world (the seceded province of Ethiopia on the shores of the Red Sea), Cambodia changed the form of government, becoming a constitutional monarchy.
Formation of a modern political map of the world mostly happened to New(the turn of the 17th - 16th centuries before the 1st World War) and Newest periods in history... The European colonization of the New World, which began in the 15th century with the capture of the final points of the trans-Saharan trade - the cities of Ceuta and Melilla, by the Europeans, the economic and political development of new territories led to significant changes on the political map - the emergence of new forms of state structure and government. The largest metropolises were Spain and Portugal, later joined by Great Britain, France, the Netherlands, Germany. Territories in America, Africa, Asia (with rare exceptions) received colonial status.
At the beginning of the 19th century, the national liberation movement in Latin America led to the formation of new independent states.
At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, the struggle between the leading metropolises for the territorial redistribution of the world intensified, the peak of which was the 1st World War.
The ratio of area and population of metropolises and colonies at the beginning of the twentieth century
* In total, in 1900, the colonial possessions of all the imperialist powers covered an area of 73 million square meters. km (55% of the land area) with a population of 530 million people (35% of the world's population).
The main milestones in the formation of a modern political map in Newest period there were the 2nd World War, 1950-60s (the collapse of the colonial system - the decolonization of Africa, Asia, Oceania, the Caribbean), the turn of the 1980-90s. (major changes on the political map of Eastern Europe).
FORMS OF STATE STRUCTURE OF COUNTRIES OF THE WORLD
All objects of the political map of the world can be conditionally divided into two large groups: independent states and non-self-governing territories.
INDEPENDENT STATES. This status is enjoyed by monarchies and republics, they can conclude equal treaties with other states, be members of the UN, enter into international economic and political organizations. The form of government influences the socio-political life of countries, traditions, but does not determine either the level economic development nor
features of the internal political situation: often monarchies (for example, in Europe) are essentially more democratic than some republics.
MONARCHIES - a form of government in which power is concentrated in the hands of one person - the king, emperor, king, sultan and is inherited. In absolute monarchies, the power of the monarch is practically unlimited. Their number on the political map of the world is constantly decreasing, most of them are located in Asia (in fact absolute monarchies are Bhutan, Oman, UAE, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait).
The head of theocratic monarchies is a religious leader. Such states on Globe only a few - the Vatican, headed by the Pope; Saudi Arabia the king of this monarchy is both the head of the religious community of Sunni Muslims and the Sultanate of Brunei.
In constitutional monarchies, the power of the monarch is limited by the constitution, and in parliamentary - by parliament. In fact, monarchs "reign but do not rule", having become a symbol of the nation and a tribute to tradition. Most monarchies in Western Europe have this form of government - Great Britain, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, etc.
By the end of the 1990s. there were about 30 monarchies in the world: 2 - in Oceania, 3 - in Africa, 13 - in Asia, 12 - in Europe, including Andorra, which is actually a republic, formally - a constitutional monarchy (principality), from the end of the XIII century ... under the double sovereignty of France and Spain. Some monarchies have republican elements, such as federalism. The supreme rulers of federal constitutional monarchies are elected: for five years by the hereditary rulers of the Malaysian sultanates (in Malaysia), the Supreme Council of the Emirs (in the United Arab Emirates). A constitutional monarchy in Belgium since 1993, according to a referendum, has become a federation.
Countries of the world with a monarchical form of government
| Overseas Europe | Overseas asia | ||
| Andorra | principality | Bahrain | emirate |
| Belgium | kingdom | Brunei | sultanate |
| Vatican | Papal State (theocratic monarchy) | Butane | kingdom |
| Great Britain | kingdom | Jordan | kingdom |
| Denmark | kingdom | Qatar | emirate |
| Spain | kingdom | Kuwait | emirate |
| Liechtenstein | principality | Malaysia | kingdom |
| Luxembourg | grand duchy | Nepal | kingdom |
| Monaco | principality | UAE | emirates |
| Netherlands | kingdom | Oman | sultanate |
| Norway | kingdom | Saudi Arabia | kingdom |
| Sweden | kingdom | Thailand | kingdom |
| Japan | empire | ||
| Cambodia | kingdom | ||
| Africa | Oceania | ||
| Lesotho | kingdom | Tonga | kingdom |
| Morocco | kingdom | ||
| Swaziland | kingdom | ||
REPUBLIC. In the republics, the highest state power belongs to the elected representative body and the head of state is elected by the entire population of the country who has the right to vote in elections. In presidential republics, unlike parliamentary ones, the powers of the head of state and head of government are concentrated in the hands of the president. Presidential republics are, for example, the USA, Argentina, Brazil.
The administrative-territorial units that are part of the unitary republics are directly subordinate to the central government.
Federation members in composition federal republics have a certain political and economic independence and, as a rule, the attributes state power- flag, anthem, constitution, parliament. The members of the federation have common allied, or federal governing bodies, the army.
The members of the confederation, while maintaining their formal independence, have their own bodies of state power, but they also create joint bodies to coordinate the military and foreign policy actions of the confederations. According to the constitution, only Switzerland has the status of a confederation, although in fact, the form of government of this country is close to federal.
Almost 3/4 of the world's states are republics. This form of government, as a rule, was elected from the beginning of the 19th century by the countries of Latin America that achieved independence, Russia after the revolution of 1917, almost all the former colonies in Asia and Africa in the middle of the 20th century. After World War II, the countries of Eastern Europe, Italy, Greece, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran were proclaimed republics.
The number of federal republics in the world is about 20; they were created mainly on the basis of ethnic or national differences ( the Russian Federation, Belgium, Switzerland, India, Pakistan, Myanmar, Nigeria), or taking into account the historical features of the formation of statehood (USA, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Venezuela, Germany, Austria, Malaysia, UAE, South Africa, Comoros, Australia, Federation of Micronesia) ...
Countries of the world with a federal administrative-territorial structure
| the Russian Federation | |
| Overseas Europe | Africa |
| Austrian republic | Federal Islamic Republic of the Comoros |
| Kingdom of Belgium | Federal Republic of Nigeria |
| Federal Republic of Germany | South Africa |
| Swiss Confederation Union Republic Yugoslavia | |
| Overseas asia | America |
| Republic of India | Federative Republic of Brazil |
| Malaysia | Republic of Venezuela |
| Union of Myanmar | Canada |
| United United Arab Emirates(UAE) | Mexican United States |
| Islamic Republic of Pakistan | United States of America Argentine Republic |
| Australia and Oceania | |
| Federated States of Micronesia Australia |
Charles Louis Montesquieu (1689-1755), a famous French educator, a representative of the philosophical school of natural law, considered the form of government to be a function of the climate and size of the country.
Vast empires are prone to despotic rule, because for stability in a large state, it is necessary that the remoteness of the places where orders are sent to be balanced by the speed of their implementation. Thus, small states by their nature must be republics, vast empires under the rule of despots, average size- to obey the monarch. This means that in order to preserve the principles of government, the state must keep its size unchanged: political system may change depending on the expansion or contraction of the territory. Small states with a democratic system, as a rule, perish from an external enemy, and large ones - from internal problems. Thus, the optimal form of government will be the one that combines the advantages and advantages of republican rule with the strength of the monarchy. Montesquieu considered the federation to be such a form of government: as a spatially unified union of sovereign republics, capable of resisting the enemy and maintaining its size not at the cost of losing democracy.
NON-SELF-GOVERNING TERRITORIES
The great geographical discoveries and the seizure of lands in the New World by European powers led to the emergence of new forms of state structure of territories that fell into the dependence of the metropolises.
The term territory in political geography is currently used in relation to lands that do not have a sovereign status; less settled, mastered, with limited rights local government or to lands with undefined status (for example, Western Sahara).
Non-self-governing territories include colonies (countries under the rule of a foreign state and deprived of political and economic independence), protectorates (in this form, dependence was established by an unequal treaty, according to which external economic and political relations were transferred to the protector state).
Colonies are officially defined as territories officially included in the UN list and are subject to the independence requirement. Not included in the "colonial list" and "overseas departments", "freely associated states".
Modern colonies are important for the metropolises, mainly from military-strategic positions. So, Great Britain continues to hold Gibraltar on the coast of Spain, the Falkland (Malvinas) Islands, because of which in 1982. an armed conflict broke out between Great Britain and Argentina. "Overseas territory" of France is Polynesia, where on about. Mururoa tests nuclear missiles in the atmosphere. A cosmodrome has been built in French Guiana, the "overseas department" of France.
Mandatory (or mandated) territories... This was the name of the former colonies of Germany, which after the 1st World War, under the mandate of the League of Nations, came under the control of the victorious countries: East Africa- Tanganyika (Great Britain), Togoland and Cameroon (divided between Great Britain and France), German South West Africa- Namibia (South African Union), Rwanda-Urundi (Belgium), German New Guinea(Australia), Caroline, Marshall and Mariana Islands (Japan), Nauru and Samoa (New Zealand). After World War II, the mandate system of the League of Nations was replaced by the UN trusteeship system. So, after World War II, the Mariana, Marshall and Caroline Islands were transferred to the custody of the United States, which in 1991. gained independence.
Non-Self-Governing Territories
| Possessions | In Africa | In Asia | In America | Islands in the Pacific and Indian oceans | ||||
| Great Britain | Saint Helena | Anguilla; Virgin Islands; Cayman islands; Montserrat; Terke and Caicos; Bermuda; Falkland Islands (Malvinas) - disputed territory with Argentina | Pitcairn | |||||
| France | Maore Island - military base - (special territorial entity); Reunion Island - “overseas department”; Crozet Islands | French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique - “overseas departments”; the islands of Saint Pierre and Miquelon | “Overseas Territories” - French Polynesia; Society Islands (including Tahiti), Gambier, Tubuai, Marquesas and others; New Caledonia; Wodyais and Futuna; the island of Saint-Paul; the island of Amsterdam; Kerguelen Island | |||||
| The Netherlands | Antilles (Curacao, etc.); Aruba - the status of internal self-government | |||||||
| Portugal | Macau (Macau) - until 2000 | |||||||
| Spain | Ceuta and Melilla | |||||||
| USA | Virgin Islands; Puerto Rico - "free association" with the US with self-government rights | Eastern Samoa; Guam (“unincorporated territory”); Midway (naval base); Wake; Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Federated States of Micronesia, Republic of the Marshall Islands - "Free Association with the USA" | ||||||
| Australia | Christmas Island; Cocos (Keeling) Islands - formally annexed to Australia; Norfolk | |||||||
| New Zealand | Tokelau Islands - “Non-Self-Governing Territory of New Zealand”; Cook Islands and Niue - "Self-governing States in free association with New Zealand" | |||||||
Note. The status of "free association" implies that the state has internal self-government and a certain degree of independence in the field of foreign policy.
Dominions in 1867-1947 parts of the British Empire that were part of the British Commonwealth of Nations that recognized the British Queen as the head of state were named, for example, Canada (since 1867), the Australian Union since (1901), New Zealand (since 1907), the Union of South Africa (since 1910).
After the formation in 1947 of the Commonwealth, in which by the beginning of the 1990s. consisted of 48 independent states and territories dependent on Great Britain, Australia and New Zealand, the term "dominion" fell out of use, although 17 former dominions still continue to recognize the English queen as the head of state.
The Commonwealth includes formally equal countries, but different in terms of economic development, ethnic, linguistic, confessional characteristics, etc. The Commonwealth has neither a single constitution, nor alliance-treaty agreements, nor official attributes; it does not appear in the international arena (for example, in the UN, in any international actions, etc.). Members of the Commonwealth have the unconditional right to unilaterally withdraw from it whenever they wish. Burma, Ireland, Pakistan took advantage of it. All states that are part of the community have full sovereignty in their internal and external affairs. The decisions of the annual conferences are not valid for the country that did not vote for them.
Most members of the Commonwealth have a traditional form of government: either republics (India, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Ghana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, etc.), or their little monarchy (Great Britain, Malaysia, Brunei, Swaziland, etc.). Some of the community members are Canada, the Australian Union (Australia), New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Tuvalu, Mauritius, Antigua and Barbuda, the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Grenada, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Christopher and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Jamaica - do not consider themselves either republics or monarchies. Their inhabitants are actually not considered subjects of the Queen of Great Britain, but only citizens of their states. Practically any questions of internal life and external (international) relations of these states (officially: "states within the Commonwealth") can be decided by their parliaments and governments independently, formally independently of Great Britain. At the same time, they voluntarily chose for themselves the head of state, a symbol supreme power Queen of Great Britain, enshrining it in the constitutions. Some of them use the attributes of Great Britain (for example, New Zealand - the English anthem "God Save the Queen", English orders that the Queen of Great Britain awards New Zealanders on the proposal of the New Zealand government, etc.); in fact, all of them, albeit to varying degrees, are guided by the politics, laws, traditions of Great Britain (including linguistic, cultural, everyday, ceremonial ceremonies, etc.), live, as it were, with an eye on England.
The French Union includes overseas departments of France - the islands of Martinique, Guadeloupe, Reunion and overseas territories - French Guiana, French Polynesia.
The number of Non-Self-Governing Territories on the political map of the world continues to decline.
The huge colonial empires of France, England, Spain actually disintegrated. In March 1990, Namibia gained independence, in the early 1990s. - Caroline, Marshall and Mariana Islands.
Macau has the status of a Portuguese territory with the rights of internal self-government, this territory should come under the jurisdiction of China by the end of 2000.
Puerto Rico has the status of a state freely associated with the United States.
Political map of the world: forecasts for the 21st century
According to the forecasts of Saul Cohen, ex-president of the Association of American Geographers, in 25-30 years the number of states in the world will increase by 50 percent.
The scale of changes in the political map is great: at the end of the 19th century, there were only sixty independent states. Main part modern states the world gained independence after 1944.
Self-determination trends will prevail: ethnic communities seek to create formations that take into account their historical experience. It is likely that state borders that do not correspond to the linguistic and territorial identity of the nations living there will lose their significance.
On the other hand, regional groupings such as the European Union, which increase the economic and technological interdependence of states, challenge the established notions of state sovereignty and negate the meaning of borders.
What probable changes in state borders can be predicted based on these positions?
Australia will split into several states, one of which will be created by the aborigines.
In Europe: Catalonia and the Basque Country will officially leave Spain. Brittany will break away from France. Belgium will disintegrate into Flanders and Wallonia. The Sami will create their country in the northern regions of Norway, Sweden and Finland, they will be joined by the northern regions of Russia and Canada: in the future, the Confederation of the Arctic Circle.
Russia: new states will emerge on Far East, in the Urals, in the Eastern and Western Siberia... Tatarstan, Dagestan, Kaliningrad, Tuva and Buryatia will gain independence.
Asia: India loses Punjab and part of Kashmir. Afghanistan splits into at least three ethnic public education... The Philippines will lose Mindanao, where the majority is Muslim. A significant part of Kazakhstan will join Russia. From China, breaking the resistance of the Chinese - the Han people, Tibet and the Khingan region stand out. Taiwan will merge with China, while Inner Mongolia will become part of independent Mongolia. Three autonomous regions are formed - Inner, North and South-East China. Several industrialized centers such as Shanghai will gain pseudo-independence and will resemble today's Hong Kong.
In Africa: Ethiopia, apart from Eritrea, will lose Ogaden to Somalia. The resource-rich provinces of Kasai and Katanga will spill out from Zaire. The result of the civil war in Sudan will be the formation of two states - an Arab ( Northern part) and Nilotic (southern part). South Africa can split into three states, and one of them is the Zulu Country.
In America: Brazil will be composed of three autonomous regions. Canada will disappear altogether. Mexico will crumble into four or more pieces. Over time, the borders of the United States may take on different shapes.
List of literature
Hermann Van der Vee. History of the World Economy: 1945 - 1990 .-- Moscow: Nauka, 1994.
Capitalist and Developing Countries on the Eve of the 90s (Territorial and Structural Shifts in the Economy in the 70s and 80s) / Ed. V.V. Volsky, L.I. Bonifatieva, L.V. Smirnyagin. - M .: Publishing house of Moscow State University, 1990.
Mironenko N.S. Introduction to the geography of the world economy. - M .: Publishing house of the University named after Dashkova, 1995.
Models in geography / Ed. P. Haggett, J. Chorley.- M .: Progress, 1971.
Naumov A.S., Kholina V.N. Geography of people: Tutorial(Educational series "Step by step": Geography.) - M .: Publishing house of the gymnasium " Open world", 1995.
Naumov A.S., Kholina V.N. Geography of the population and economy of the world: Textbook (Educational series "Step by step": Geography.) - M .: Publishing house of the gymnasium "Open World", 1997.
Smirnyagin L.V. Geography of the world economy and socio-cultural context // Questions of economic and political geography of capitalist and developing countries... Issue 13. - M .: ILA RAN, 1993.
Haggett P... Geography: Synthesis of Modern Knowledge. - M .: Progress, 1979.
Haggett P. Spatial analysis in economic geography. - M .: Progress, 1968.
Harvey D. Scientific explanation in geography (general methodology of science and methodology of geography). - M .: Progress, 1974.
V. N. Kholina Geography human activity: economics, culture, politics .: Textbook for 10-11 grades of schools with in-depth study of humanitarian subjects. - M .: Education, 1995.
Economic geography of capitalist and developing countries / Ed. V.V. Volsky and others - M .: Publishing house of Moscow State University, 1986.
http://www.altnet.ru/~rim/lekcicon/020/liter2.htm
A political map of the World- This geographic map, which indicates sovereign states, dependent territories, their borders and capitals, administrative centers. The modern political map of the world was formed at the end of the 20th century.
Throughout history, the political map of the world has remained dynamic, changing over time. The dynamism of the political map of the world is a change in names, borders, area of territory, capitals, sovereignty, forms of government, state structure, territorial division of states.
Changes on the political map are quantitative and qualitative. Quantitative changes are associated with the accession of newly discovered lands to the state, territorial gains and losses due to wars, the unification or disintegration of states, the exchange of land plots by states, etc. (Fig. 35). Qualitative changes are caused by the acquisition of sovereignty, a change in the forms of government and state structure, the formation of interstate unions, etc. At present, quantitative changes are decreasing and mainly qualitative changes are taking place on the political map of the world. The modern political map of the world has been forming for millennia and has gone through four stages of formation: ancient, medieval, new and newest (modern).
Ancient stage covers the era of the slave system. It is characterized by the development and collapse of the first states on Earth: Ancient, Carthage, Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome etc. The main means territorial changes at this time there were hostilities.
The medieval stage in the formation of the political map of the world is associated with the era of feudalism. The states of the Middle Ages strove for distant territorial conquests. For example, Europe was completely divided (Byzantium, Holy Roman Empire, England, Spain, Portugal, Kievan Rus). A new stage that began in the 16th century. and lasted until the end of the First World War, was distinguished by colonial expansion and the spread of international economic relations throughout the world. This stage went down in history as the era of the great geographical discoveries, at this time large empires were formed.
At the turn of the XIX-XX centuries. the struggle between the leading countries for the territorial division of the world has intensified. In 1876, only 10% of the territory of Africa belonged to Western European countries, in 1900 - already 90%. By the beginning of the XX century. the division of the world was completely complete. The newest, or modern, stage began after the First World War.
It is characterized by the collapse of a number of empire states (Russian, Ottoman, Austro-Hungarian), world colonial empires, the emergence and disintegration of the world socialist system, the formation of independent African states ("the year of Africa"), the emergence of a number of new countries after World War II, the collapse of the USSR , Yugoslavia, etc.
World political, ethnic and religious conflicts. Humanity is a complex ethnic system consisting of several thousand ethnic communities. They differ in number and level of development. Conflicts are generated by the political, socio-economic and historical conditions of the ethnic groups in which they live.
Political conflicts. Throughout the second half of the twentieth century. the Middle East remains a permanent "hot spot" in the world. The cause of the conflict is a historically formed complex of political problems based on territorial, religious and ethnic problems. Here the interests of Israel, Syria, Egypt, Lebanon and other countries collide. (Using funds mass media, name the current conflicts in the current year.)
Territorial conflicts are associated with numerous migrations of the population, changes in state borders, and the creation of independent states. The main reason dispute is the historical nature of the disputed territory, and this entails claims on the territory of other states. For many decades, the conflict between India and Pakistan over the Kashmir region has continued. An example of political and interethnic conflicts is the war between Bosnians and Serbs after the collapse of Yugoslavia.
Ethnic groups that do not have their own sovereign states seek to organize social movements with the aim of creating a sovereign state. An example is the armed struggle of the Kurds in Turkey, Iraq and Iran with the aim of creating the state of Kurdistan.
One of the factors of ethnic conflicts can be the historical memory of peoples. She keeps traces of violent activity in the area national policy in relation to them: arbitrary change of national borders, artificial division of ethnic communities, unjust national order, etc.
Religious contradictions are often intertwined with national contradictions. This also leads to the emergence of "hot spots". For example, in Northern Ireland, there has been religious strife between Catholics and Protestants for many years.
The ecological situation and the struggle for resources (land and subsoil) can cause aggravation of relations. Each of the conflicting parties seeks to justify their right to use land and natural resources. An example is the conflict between Britain and Argentina over control of the Falkland Islands.
Most regional and local conflicts take place in Asia (India, Indonesia, Afghanistan, Israel, Iraq, etc.) and in Africa (Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan, Ethiopia, Liberia, etc.). All conflicts lead to forced migration of the population and to severe consequences in the economic and social life states.
The dynamism of the political map of the world is expressed in the change in the borders of states, the collapse of empires, individual large states, the emergence of new countries. The modern political map of the world was formed in four stages in the process of changes that occurred as a result of wars, the conclusion of treaties, the disintegration and unification of states, the formation of new independent states, changes in the forms of government, the change of capitals, and the change in the names of countries and their capitals.
A POLITICAL MAP OF THE WORLD
Stages of the formation of the political map of the world
Forms of government and government. Independent States and Non-Self-Governing Territories.
Political map of the world: forecasts of the 21st century
The political map, like any other, depicts states, their borders, administrative-territorial divisions, the largest cities. All of this is understood as something much more - the patterns of placement of forms of state structure of the countries of the world, relations between states, territorial conflicts associated with the drawing of state borders.
The political map of the world is in the process of constant changes occurring as a result of wars, treaties, the collapse and unification of states, the formation of new independent states, changes in the forms of government, the loss of statehood / political sovereignty /, changes in the area of states / countries / - the territory and water area, their borders, change of capitals, change of names of states / countries / and their capitals, change of forms of government, if they are shown on this map.
Only during the 1990s. a new state of Eritrea appeared on the political map of the world (the seceded province of Ethiopia on the shores of the Red Sea), Cambodia changed the form of government, becoming a constitutional monarchy.
The formation of the modern political map of the world mainly took place in the New (the turn of the 17th - 16th centuries before the 1st World War) and the Newest periods of history. The European colonization of the New World, which began in the 15th century with the capture of the final points of the trans-Saharan trade - the cities of Ceuta and Melilla, by the Europeans, the economic and political development of new territories led to significant changes on the political map - the emergence of new forms of state structure and government. The largest metropolises were Spain and Portugal, later joined by Great Britain, France, the Netherlands, Germany. Territories in America, Africa, Asia (with rare exceptions) received colonial status.
In the early 19th century, the national liberation movement in Latin America led to the formation of new independent states.
At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, the struggle between the leading metropolises for the territorial redistribution of the world intensified, the peak of which was the 1st World War.
In total, in 1900, the colonial possessions of all the imperialist powers covered an area of 73 million square meters. km (55% of the land area) with a population of 530 million people (35% of the world's population).
The main milestones in the formation of the modern political map in the Newest period were World War II, 1950-60s (the collapse of the colonial system - the decolonization of Africa, Asia, Oceania, the Caribbean), the turn of the 1980-90s. (major changes on the political map of Eastern Europe).
The process of forming a political map is associated with the period of the emergence of the social division of labor, private property and the stratification of society into classes. The change in social formations determined the time lines of the main stages in the formation of the political map. There are 4 periods in the formation of the political map:
1. Ancient stage(until the 5th century AD) is characterized by the formation of slave states (China, India, Mesopotamia), the flourishing of culture in Egypt, Greece and Rome. The main means of territorial change are force and military action.
2. Medieval stage(V - XV centuries) is characterized by the formation of feudal states in Europe (Byzantium, the Holy Roman Empire, Kievan Rus) and on the American continent (the states of the Incas and Aztecs). An internal market is formed, the isolation of farms and regions is overcome, the desire of feudal states for territorial conquests (Kiev, Moscow Russia, the Byzantine Empire, Portugal, Spain, the formation of the economy of England and France begins);
3. New stage(from the 15th century until the end of the First World War) is associated with the era of great geographical discoveries, which led to the colonization of the world. Countries in Africa, Asia and America were involved in the international division of labor. The political map of the world became especially unstable, as the struggle between the developed capitalist countries for the division of the world intensified, and the beginning of European colonial expansion was laid. At the beginning of the period, Spain and Portugal (the navy) dominated, an agreement was signed on the division of the world into Spanish and Portuguese (border 150 miles from the Azores). Then England and France dominate (they mastered North America, Africa, Australia). At the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. there is a struggle for the territorial division of the world (England belonged to Africa, Australia, Oceania, South Asia, French-Caribbean). By 1914, the largest metropolises were the United States, Japan, Western Europe... The origin, formation and development of capitalism.
4. Newest stage(the end of the First World War to the present day). During this period, such major events took place as the appearance on the world map of the RSFSR, and later the USSR, the first and second world wars. As a result, two political camps were formed - capitalist and socialist, many colonies disintegrated. By the end of this period, more than 100 independent states arose in the territories of Africa, Asia and Latin America.
The twentieth century, from the point of view of the formation of the political map, can be divided into three stages:
1. The end of the First World War - the beginning of the second - the borders of Germany changed significantly (Alsace and Lorraine became part of France, part of the territory of Schleswig-Holstein to Denmark, etc.). Germany lost all of its few colonies in Africa and Asia. Germany's ally, Austria-Hungary, ceased to exist. Poland was restored after its liquidation as a result of three partitions of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Great Britain, France, Belgium, and Japan are expanding their colonial possessions. In 1922 the USSR was formed. The Ottoman Empire ceased to exist in the Asian region.
2. After the Second World War until the end of the 80s. - the territory of Germany and Japan has significantly decreased. The collapse of the world colonial system and the formation of a large number of independent states in Asia, Africa, Oceania, Latin America: Syria 1943, Indonesia 1945, India 1947, Libya 1951, etc. The state of Israel was formed (1947-1948). The emergence welfare state Cuba. The peak of decolonization came in the 60s, when 43 independent states were formed, 3/4 of which were on the territory of Africa (Nigeria, Sudan, Chad, etc.). Formation of military blocs - NATO, CMEA.
3. The end of the 80s. to the present day: the destruction of the world socialist system and the collapse of the USSR. There was a unification of the German territories into a single state - the Federal Republic of Germany (1990). As a result of the collapse of the USSR in 1991, 15 sovereign states were formed, 12 of which formed the CIS. The disintegration of Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia into seven independent states (into the Czech Republic, Slovakia; Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro), the reunification of Hong Kong with the PRC. Namibia gained independence (1990), Eritrea seceded from Ethiopia. The emergence of new states on the territory of Oceania (Republic of Palau, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia). Timor (2002) was the last sovereign state in the world to be formed. Change of names of states: Kampuchea - republic, Cambodia - monarchy, Burma - Myanmar.
As a result of these changes, the world is transforming from bipolar to monopolar. Before the collapse of the USSR, the world was dominated by two states - the USA and the USSR. Currently, four main centers dominate - the United States, Japan, Western Europe and China.
Quantitative changes on the political map of the world:
1. accession of newly discovered lands;
2. territorial gains or losses due to wars;
3. unification or disintegration of states;
4. voluntary concessions or exchange of land plots;
5. recapture of land from the sea (Netherlands), land reclamation (Japan).
Qualitative changes on the political map of the world:
1. historical change of socio-economic formations - Mongolia (from feudalism to socialism);
2. the country's acquisition of sovereignty;
3. the introduction of new forms of government;
4. formation of interstate political unions and organizations;
5. the appearance on the political map of "hot spots" - hotbeds of interstate conflict situations.
At the initial stages, quantitative changes prevailed, now - qualitative ones, since the world has already been divided.