Lesson 2 - Page 1 - What are the differences between ethnic groups, nations, and states?
Objectives: In this lesson, your team will:
- Differentiate the concepts nation, state, multi-national state, multi-ethnic state, nation-state, ethnic group, and sovereignty.
- Use these concepts to interpret the political geography of different countries.
General Tips: Here are a few suggestions that can help your team complete this lesson together:
- Click the
 icon to open a new window with instructions for completing the lesson's collaborative learning activities (listed as Step 1, Step 2, and so forth).
- Your team should use the Group Discussion Board (located in the Communication area) to discuss questions that appear in blue boxes.
- Important vocabulary terms are defined in the Glossary (located in the Documents area).
- Complete this lesson according to the schedule provided by your instructor. Doing so will ensure that your team learns together.
- Elect leaders for each local group who can help coordinate the efforts of the entire team.
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What is a "nation" and how is it different from a "state"?
Have you ever wondered how political borders are formed
to separate one country from another? Every country of the world has a
unique history, but all are subject to internal and external forces of
conflict and cooperation. For example, conflicts often arise over the
control of resources, control of strategic routes, or the domination of
other peoples. In other cases, regional alliances can form among
nations for military, political, cultural, or economic purposes. These
forces shape the political division and control of the Earth's surface,
and sometimes lead to the birth or disappearance of states on the world
map.
As you will learn, nationalism can be a significant
factor shaping both political conflict and political cooperation. To
understand why, we must define some concepts used by geographers to
study the political change in the world.
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