Stephanie N.

Bongolan

POLITICAL GEOGRAPHY OF ASIA AND NORTH AMERICA

At the end of the lesson the learner’s will be able to:

Define the political geography in Asia, North, and South America

Identify the Historic issues in Asia, North, and South America

NORTH AMERICA’S POLITICAL GEOGRAPHY

North America, the third-largest continent, extends from the tiny Aleutian Islands in
the northwest to the Isthmus of Panama in the south.

North America is home to the citizens of Canada, the United States, Greenland,
Mexico, Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama,
and the island countries and territories of the Caribbean Sea and western North
Atlantic.

The continent includes the enormous island of Greenland in the northeast and the
small island countries and territories that dot the Caribbean Sea and western North
Atlantic Ocean. In the far north, the continent stretches halfway around the world,
from Greenland to the Aleutians. The northern half of North America is covered
mostly by Canada, except for the northeastern part, which is Greenland (part of
Denmark), and the northwestern part, which is Alaska (part of the United States).

Historic Issues
Widespread contact between the Indigenous people of North America and European
explorers was the defining moment for the continent’s political geography. Italian
explorer Christopher Columbus’ first landing on Caribbean soil in 1492 set in motion
the voyages of other Europeans: Spanish explorers Hernando De Soto and Ponce de
Leoón; French explorer Jacques Cartier; and British explorers Sebastian Cabot and
Henry Hudson.

Contemporary Issues
Today, North America’s political geography is deeply influenced by economic and
demographic trends. Two important policies—the North American Free Trade
Agreement (NAFTA, signed in 1994 and ended in 2020) and the Dominican
Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR, signed in 2004)—
have affected trade between countries on the continent. Most significantly, the
agreements have reduced or eliminated duties and tariffs. A duty is a kind of tax
charged for items purchased outside the country. A tariff is another kind of tax,
charged on imports and exports.
Both policies have eliminated duties on U.S. and Canadian agricultural exports, such
as corn, wheat, and soybeans. The agreements have also reduced tariffs on goods like
coffee, sugar, fruits, and vegetables. These are important exports for the rest of the
continent.

Future Issues
After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the United States and all of North
America became more concerned with safety. National security at the international,
regional, and domestic level will continue to be an important issue. Internationally,
the HICs of North America, especially the United States, continue to negotiate their
diplomatic presence in the world while claiming to protect themselves from terrorist
attacks at home.

The United States, under its Constitution, is a federal, representative, democratic

republic, an indivisible union of 50 sovereign States.

In most elections, the winner is determined by the popular vote. The popular vote is
the sum of all ballots cast by voters in an election. The word “popular,” in this sense,
refers to the population. The popular vote is the people’s vote. Senators, congressional
representatives, governors, and nearly every other elected official in the United States
is selected by popular vote. There is one major exception. Americans elect a president
every four years, and it is possible for a candidate to win the popular vote but lose the
election.

The electoral college is a group of people chosen by voters to elect the president.
A swing state is a state where presidential elections tend to be relatively close.
Because of that, these states have a tendency to “swing” from one party to the next
over the course of a few elections. Presidential candidates tend to pour most of their
time and money into swing states, since they are key in determining the outcome of an
election.

Fun Facts!

Largest population in North America is Mexico City

Canada is slightly larger than the United States
North America was named after Italian explorer Amerigo Vespucci (who was the first
Eurasian to realize the Americas were separate from Asia)

ASIA'S POLITICAL GEOGRAPHY

Asia is the largest and most populous continent, home to the largest (Russia) and most
populous (China) nations.
Asian governments and citizens have created and responded to political and social
change in ways that have profoundly affected these relationships at both the local and
international level. As the continent continues to increase its political and economic
prominence, its policy decisions will hold greater weight for the global community.

Historic Issues
One of the oldest and most intensely debated political disputes continues to be
negotiated in the Levant, an area in the eastern Mediterranean. The Levant, part of the
Middle East, has been continuously occupied for thousands of years by the historic
cultures of Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and Israel.

Current Issues
India’s and China’s economic growth has been profound in the last 20 years. Both
countries have removed government controls, increased foreign trade, and built strong
export-based economies. This economic growth has had both positive and negative
effects.

Future Issues
Asia’s growing political and economic prominence will continue to place stress on
both local and global processes. Great focus has been placed on how Asia’s increased
development has negatively affected the environment. National governments and
international organizations are working to protect local natural resources and the
broader global climate.

South Asia
Home to the Indian subcontinent, South Asia is the most populous geographical
region in the world. Although it remains the second poorest region in the world after
Sub-Saharan Africa, it has experienced strong economic growth over recent decades.
South Asia, five countries have parliamentary governments, including Bangladesh,
Bhutan, India, Nepal and Pakistan. Of these, three are federal republics (India, Nepal
and Pakistan), one is a unitary republic (Bangladesh) and one is a constitutional
monarchy (Bhutan).

Southeastern Asia
Southeast Asia is divided into Mainland Southeast Asia (or Indochina) and Maritime
Southeast Asia (or the Malay Archipelago). Most countries in the region have had
high economic growth in recent years. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations
(ASEAN) has been instrumental in creating economic cooperation between countries
in the region.
Monarchy has thrived in five countries of Southeast Asia, blending traditions of
kingship from the pre-colonial era with modern forms of constitutional rule. Brunei,
Thailand, Malaysia, and Cambodia have monarchs as titular heads of state; Indonesia
uniquely has forms of monarchy that thrive in a republican context at the regional
level. These two traditions of monarchy, one archaic and the other modern, coexist
uneasily—especially in times of stress, whether because of succession or political
instability. Therefore, to understand the dynamics of political stability in Thailand and
Malaysia, the role of monarchs cannot be ignored.

Central Asia.
Political conquests in this region-- the establishment of Turkish empires in the 6th and
7th centuries BC, the invasion of Genghis Khan, and eventual incorporation into
Russia in the 18th century--have resulted in Central Asia's multi-ethnic culture. In
1991, the region's five Soviet socialist Republics were returned their independence.
In the modern standard definition, the region is home to the 'stan-countries,' all former
Soviet republics, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan,
some definitions also include Afghanistan. Central Asia has an area of 4 million km²
and a population of 73 million. By far the largest country is Kazakhstan (2,724,900
km²). The most populous of all the nations in Central Asia is Uzbekistan (34.2 million
inhabitants).

East Asia
Economies of East Asian countries have experienced rapid economic growth over the
past century. With about 1.2 billion people, China is the world's most populous
country of the region. Vulnerable to political unrest, the region has witnessed violence
toward Tibetan independence organizations as well as ongoing strained relations
between between North and South Korea.
The eastern region of Asia consists of the Asian nations of China (including the
special administrative regions of Hong Kong, Macau, and Tibet), Japan, Mongolia,
North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea), South Korea (Republic of
Korea), and Taiwan (Republic of China). East Asia covers an area of 11.8 million km²
(4.5 million sq mi). 1.68 billion people live in East Asia. The most populous country
is China, with 1.44 billion inhabitants.
Each of these countries is quite different politically. Japan and South Korea are
Western-style capitalist democracies. China is a communist dictatorship, which still
has free markets in certain places. And North Korea is one of the most extreme
communist dictatorships on Earth, with completely controlled (or 'planned') markets.

Western Asia
The southwestern-most part of Asia is a region at the crossroads between Asia,
Africa, and Europe. The terms have to some extent a similar notion as 'Middle East'.
West Asia is the most important region of the world. The strategic geographical
location of West Asia has made the region from ancient times the center of world
focus among nations and Empires as they tried to control over the trade route to the
east. West Asia is an area which is strategically situated at the junction of the three
continents of Asia, Europe and Africa.
There are 20 independent countries in Western Asia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain,
Cyprus, the northeastern part of Egypt (Sinai), Georgia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan,
Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, the State of Palestine (Gaza Strip and West Bank), Qatar,
Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.

SUMMARY:

North America - the third-largest continent

North America Historic Issues - Widespread contact between the Indigenous people
of North America and European explorers was the defining moment for the
continent’s political geography.
North America Contemporary Issues - North America’s political geography is
deeply influenced by economic and demographic trends
North America Future Issues - After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the
United States and all of North America became more concerned with safety.
Asia - is the largest and most populous continent, home to the largest (Russia) and
most populous (China) nations.
South Asia - Home to the Indian subcontinent, South Asia is the most populous
geographical region in the world.
Central Asia - Political conquests in this region-- the establishment of Turkish
empires in the 6th and 7th centuries BC, the invasion of Genghis Khan
East Asia - Economies of East Asian countries have experienced rapid economic
growth over the past century. With about 1.2 billion people, China is the world's most
populous country of the region
SOUTH AMERICA’S POLITICAL GEOGRAPHY

The fourth-largest continent on Earth is home to twelve sovereign states: Argentina, Bolivia,
Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, and
Venezuela. The continent is located almost entirely in the Southern Hemisphere, bordered in
the west by the Humboldt (Peru) Current of the Pacific Ocean, in the east by the Brazil
Current of the Atlantic Ocean, and in the north by the Caribbean Sea.

South America is called Latin America Latin because it is generally understood to consist of
the entire continent of South America in addition to Mexico, Central America, and the islands
of the Caribbean whose inhabitants speak a Romance language.

Historic Issues

The European colonization of South America defined the continent’s early political
geography. The Treaty of Tordesillas of 1494 granted Spain and Portugal the exclusive right
to colonize all lands outside of Europe.

The treaty also established a line of demarcation, which gave all land west of the line to Spain
and all land east of the line to Portugal. Spain colonized the majority of South America and
Portugal colonized present-day Brazil.

Contemporary Issues

Today, South America’s political geography can be defined by a desire to reduce foreign
influence. The nationalization and privatization of industry, as well as the influence of
indigenous groups, are the primary political issues affecting South America.

Future Issues

Urbanization will define the human geography of South America in years to come. Latin
America is the most urbanized of the world’s developing regions. It is the only developing
region with more poor people in cities than in rural areas. Individuals and families face
increasing job insecurity, lower wages, and a reduction in social services such as electricity
and water. The 1980s have ushered in a drastic change in the political climate of Latin
America where a conspicuous tide of democratization affected a shift of political power from
military to civilian rule. Nearly all the countries have been democratized and constitutional
transfer of
political power has become commonplace. Presidential and general elections have been held
in many countries in Latin America, and the election systems based on the multi-party system
has taken root in these countries. At present, nearly all of the 33 Latin American and
Caribbean countries have established democratic governments. The presidential system is
four to six years term, and the legislative system is bicameral and Bicameral congress.