Political+Geography

Political Geography



**What is it?** Political geography is the study of political or governmental institutions and states from a geographic or spatial perspective. This means that political geography largely focuses on borders, provinces, territories, cities, and other artificial entities. The map above is "political" because it depicts various color-coded states, labels of governments and territories, and population centers ("political geography"). Below is a video discussing the basic components of political geography.

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**What are its implications?** Political geography has a strong impact on an area in many respects. If two towns are separated by a national border, their level and nature of interaction is very different compared to if they were in the same state. Political aspects of geography can unite or divide an area. The map above, of the German states in 1808, depicts a collection of small governments with a common language and (relative) culture, yet divided by borders. This dynamic changed when Germany was unified officially in 1871. This political unification resulted in a rise of German nationalism and pride--and helped form Germany into one of Europe's great powers.

Sanford-Springvale are a single town government, yet the two parts of the town have different names. Sanford is the bigger, more populated southern two-thirds of the town. Springvale is the less populated "village" of the town taking up the northern third. The southern part of the town is referred to as South Sanford, but does not share the same sort of distinction from Sanford proper as does Springvale. Springvale has its own fire station, public library, and zip code. These things help reinforce a subtle yet present sense of independence or distinction from the rest of the municipality. All of Sanford-Springvale attends the same high school, and there is no defined border separating the two entities. If Springvale were to be a separate town, many issues like taxation and school attendance would come into play. Thus, governmental organization is vital to how small communities operate, just as it is on a global scale.
 * How does this relate to Sanford-Springvale?**

Sanford-Springvale lies in the center of York County, and does not share a border with another state as does the neighboring town of Lebanon.

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