AP HUG
Class Activity- Political Organization of Space Lab
Name____________________________________
Date___________ Period________
Task 1—Supranational Organizations
Definition of a supranational organization: Three or more states who have formally agreed to political, economic, and/or cultural
cooperation.
Directions: Use the websites www.europa.eu, www.un.org, and www.nato.int to research these three major supranational organizations and
answer the questions in the table below.
For more information on the European Union, watch these videos: “European Union Explained” (http://youtu.be/O37yJBFRrfg) or “A Brief
Summary of the history of European Union enlargement“ (http://youtu.be/RE6QgoykLZU )
EU
What does the
acronym stand for?
What are the
member states?
- How many?
- Key states?
What is the purpose
of the organization?
When was the
organization
created?
Has it expanded
since creation?
UN
NATO
EU
What are the
requirements for
membership?
Are there any states
currently hoping for
membership?
Is there anything in
particular preventing
their membership?
Since its creation,
has the group been
successful in its
endeavors?
Explain why or why
not.
Do you believe this
supranational
organization will
remain a significant
political entitiy?
Or, is it declining in
its importance?
UN
NATO
Task #2—State Shapes and Boundaries (Territorial Morphology)
1. Watch the following videos related to state boundaries and answer the questions.
a. Countries Inside Countries: Bizarre Borders Part 1 (http://youtu.be/Vui-qGCfXuA)
How could it affect a state to only have one neighbor?
b. Canada and the United States: Bizarre Borders Part 2 (http://youtu.be/qMkYlIA7mgw)
Why did the author of this video classify the U.S. / Canada border as “bizarre?”
4. Read the information about state boundaries and complete the table below using an atlas or online map.
Historically, frontiers rather than boundaries separated states. A frontier is a tangible geographic area that provides an area of separation. A boundary is
an infinitely thin, invisible, imaginary line. Almost universally, frontiers between states have been replaced by boundaries. Exceptions: Antarctica and
Arabian Peninsula.
Physical Boundaries
Definition and Types




Find three examples from
states other than the United
States. Describe each
specific type of boundary.
Coincide with significant features of natural landscape.
mountain boundaries - effective if difficult to cross; contact may be limited or
impossible; rather permanent and sparsely inhabited
desert boundaries - hard to cross, sparsely inhabited
water boundaries - readily visible on map; relatively unchanging; typically in
the middle of the water; can be good protection from attack; difficulty arises
when position of water changes over time; exact location of ocean boundary
can be problematic (1983 Law of the Sea - standardized territorial limits for
most countries at 12 nautical miles; gave states exclusive rights to fish and
other marine life within 200 miles)
Cultural Boundaries
 Follow distribution of cultural
characteristics or other “manmade”
qualities.
 geometric boundaries - drawn as
straight lines on map. Examples:
U.S./Canada, Chad/Libya
 religious boundaries - when religion
is used to select actual boundary line.
Example: British partitioned India into
Pakistan (Muslim) and India (Hindu)
 language boundaries: an especially
important cultural characteristic for
defining boundaries in Europe.
Physical Boundaries
Pros?
Cons?
Find three examples within
the United States.
Cultural Boundaries
5. Study the “Walls of the World” infographic on
the left. Choose ONE wall and write a short
paragraph that explains why it exists and any
current issues associated with it. The info
graphic can also be found at the website below
Task #3—Geopolitics: World Power Theories
1. Watch Crash Course World History: The Cold War https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9HjvHZfCUI
Who “fought” in the Cold War? Why?
What was the purpose of the Berlin Wall?
How might containment be related to the Domino Theory?
What was the effect of the Cold War on Europe?
2. Watch Crash Course U.S History: The Cold War https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9C72ISMF_D0
What were the goals of Containment?
What was the Truman Doctrine?
What was the Marshall Plan?
How was the Cold War a centripetal force for the United States?
3. Watch Crash Course U.S History: The Cold War in Asia https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2IcmLkuhG0
Summarize the Cold War in Asia in a paragraph
4. Read the information about geopolitical theories and carefully examine the map.
Geopolitics: the study of the spatial and territorial dimensions of power relationships
Friedrich Ratzel: A 19th C. geographer who theorized that a state has a life cycle with a predictable rise and fall of power. (Now controversial
because used by Adolf Hitler to justify attacking weaker states, promoting German nationalism)
Heartland Theory (British geographer Sir Halford Mackinder): The idea that a land-based power would ultimately rule the world; a “pivot area”
of the earth (Eurasia) holds the resources, both natural, and human, to dominate the globe. Attracted support when Soviet Union emerged as a
superpower after WWII.
Rimland Theory (Nicholas Spykman, 1944): The key to global power is not the Eurasian heart, but the rim. The rim is the large swath of land
encircling the heartland, roughly touching oceans and seas. Rimland theory states that this area is unlikely to fall under any one superpower’s
control, which is an important key to keeping a global, geopolitical balance of power.
Cold War: Dominated geopolitics from 1945-1991. The competition between two superpowers -- the United States (capitalism, democracy) and
the Soviet Union (communism, dictatorship) -- for control of land spaces all over the world. The domino theory stated that if one state in a region
came under the influence of communism, then the rest of the
region would “fall” to communism as well. Often used to justify
U.S. intervention around the world.
Questions:
1. How do the heartland and rimland theories relate to the Cold
War?
2. How do the heartland, rimland, and domino theories relate to
NATO? To the U.N.?