A state is an independent political entity with sovereignty over its internal and foreign affairs. There are currently 191 UN member states. Some areas have unclear or disputed statehood, such as Korea, which is divided between North and South, and Taiwan, which is claimed by China. Western Sahara's status is also disputed, as Morocco controls most of it but the Polisario Front controls parts outside Morocco's defensive wall. State sizes vary greatly, from large countries like Russia and Canada to microstates like Monaco. The concept of the modern state is relatively new, having evolved from earlier systems like city-states, empires, and tribes. Colonialism beginning in the 1400s led European powers to establish colonies in other parts

1. CH 8, Key 1 Location of States

2. Introduction Definitions A state is an area organized into a political unit and ruled by an established government that has control over its internal and foreign affairs. A state has sovereignty which means it has independent control of its affairs from other states. It is also recognized by other states There are 191 independent states that are members of the United Nations

4. I Problems in Defining States Korea, one state or two Formerly a colony of Japan Divided after WWII and both sides had separate governments North invaded south in 1950 and cease-fire divided nation along the 38 th parallel Admitted to the U.N. in 1992 as separate countries China and Taiwan Nationalist fled to the island of Taiwan when Communist took over China in the 1940s Both sides considered themselves the real China. United States supported Taiwan until 1971 and the Peoples Republic of China was admitted into the U.N. Taiwan is still recognized as a sovereign state, but it is not part of the UN

5. Problems continued Western Sahara Most African countries consider Western Sahara to be a sovereign state, but Morocco claims it and built a wall around it Spain withdrew in 1976 and Morocco gained control. The opposition known as the Polisario Front controls the portion outside the wall. U.N has tried to hold a referendum to let people decide but it keeps getting delayed. With this the cities of Ceuta and Melilla in Northern Morocco have some autonomy but favor remaining part of spain State Sizes Size varies widely. Russia is the largest with 11% of the worlds land. Followed by China, Canada, USA, Brazil and Australia At the opposite end are Microstates, or very small countries. The Smallest in the U.N is Monaco Many microstates are islands or old sovereign states in Europe

6. II Development of the State Concept Ancient and Medieval States States are a new idea. Before 1800 the earth was divided in ways such as city-states, empires, and tribes. Most of it was unorganized. The Fertile Crescent formed an arc between the Persian Gulf and the Mediterranean Sea The first states evolve in Mesopotamia and were City States where a city was sovereign and ruled the surrounding countryside. Sometimes the conquering of several city-states would form an empire Egypt to the west emerged as a separate empire. They built an empire along the Nile River that lasted almost 3000 years.

8. Colonies A colony is a territory that is tied to a sovereign state rather than being independent Colonialism is the effort by one country to establish settlements and impose its political, economical, and cultural principles on other territories. Europeans established colonies for three reasons Missionaries spreading the word Resources for the economy Create image of power Colonialism Begins in the 1400s when Europeans sail west to find new route to Asia. In Africa it was termed imperialism because they took control of areas already occupied by indigenous peoples. United Kingdom becomes the largest empire where the “Sun never set” followed by the French. Portugal, Spain, Germany, Italy, Denmark, The Netherlands, and Belgium all controled colonies

10. Colonial practices varied between the European States. France tried to assimilate its colonies and spread their culture and many remained loyal to France after independence The British created different governments in each area which helped protect the local cultures better and lead to generally peaceful independent movements Most African and Asian colonies became independent after WWII and now have 109 members of the U.N.

11. Remaining Colonies There are only a few remaining colonies and most are Islands in the Pacific and Caribbean Sea Puerto Rico is the most populous which is a commonwealth of the USA Refer to map on pages 246 for others Smallest population is Pitcairn islands which was settled by mutineers from the British ship the Bounty. It has only 54 people.