Questions tagged [political-geography]
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What measures have been proposed to assess geopolitical instability over time?
History has comprised periods of relative peace punctuated by wars. The 20th century, for example, breaks down into three “peaceful” periods interspersed by the two world wars. The peaceful spells, ...
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What is the historical basis for the claim that "Taiwan has always been part of China"?
Since young, I am informed that Taiwan is always a part of China and should not seek independence, and that the Chinese Communist Party will not hesitate to use force to stop the Taiwanese from ...
MCW♦
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Has any country ever annexed territory of another country without physically controlling it?
Russia "annexed" some territories that it does not have control over. There are many examples when a state claims territories that de facto are not under its control. But usually such ...
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When did the White House get its current address, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue?
Thanks to Wikipedia's "On this day" feature, I’ve just seen this painting of the White House after it was burned by the British forces in 1812:
The background appears to be farmland, but ...
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Why did Lübeck not have colonies like other strong city-states?
Why did Lübeck not have colonies, far away trading-posts or even more land like other strong city-states? They had a big fleet and a big army as well.
For example the city-state of Venice was rich on ...
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What was the name for the region before it was "the Balkans"?
I'm working on a project set in the 15th century as the Ottoman Turks made forays into the West.
I'm looking for an appropriate term for the region bordered by Anatolia, Romania and Bulgaria to the ...
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Can we say that the first empire that divided its territory into provinces was the Neo-Assyrian Empire?
It is well known that the Persian Empire was divided into 20 smaller territories governed by satraps, and even Persian territories conquered by Alexander The Great kept their satraps. However, the Neo-...
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Why did Burgers' Transvaal try to build rail east?
According to shanskraal,
[Thomas Burgers, president of the Transvaal Republic] considered a railway link with the non-British port of Delagoa Bay (Maputo) as essential for the economic survival of ...
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Why are the USA and Canada's states border so straight?
Many states within the USA and Canada have straight lines as a border, completely ignoring natural borders like mountains or rivers. Many American states and Canadian provinces are just rectangle-...
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Where were Hindus and Sattagydia in the late Achaemenid Empire?
I found two maps that show territorial composition of Achaemenid Empire around 500 BC:
While there are other significant differences between them (because of historical sources scarcity), the most ...
CommunityBot
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What was the area of the Mamluk Sultanate?
Both in the Baḥrī period and the Burjī period. I've been trying to find an answer for about 30 minutes and I've found nothing, so if you know, a source would be good too.
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Has there been a war in which the South conquered the North?
There've been many wars in which the side known as the "North" conquered the one known as the "South", e.g.:
Three Kingdoms period in China: the Northern kingdom conquered the two Southern ones
The ...
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What was the largest place to be named after a specific, individual animal (i.e. not a species)?
Not so many individual, non-human animals have been immortalized in place names. Often those were about animals known only as remains, as in Dead Horse Glen, but some living animals, named or unnamed, ...
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How were political borders marked during the Middle Ages?
I have a very specific question regarding borderlands: between 500-1500, how were the political borders identified? Was it a mere furrow on the ground? Did we have any signs? In other words, were such ...
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Is there an historical example for the possibility of peaceful resolution of Kashmir conflict?
For decades two nations (born out of one) have been looking for excuses to hurt each other. Just when you think that both nations have gotten over their respective pasts and are finally moving towards ...
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What was the area of Nazi Germany at its height?
The only number I’ve been able to find is the area of it in 1939, but it obviously got a lot bigger after that.
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What was the geopolitical status of Newfoundland prior to 1949? [closed]
Newfoundland "only" became part of Canada on March 31, 1949.
What was the geopolitical status of Newfoundland prior to its annexation to Canada (or however it fused with the rest of Canada, if "...
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What caused the rapid African population growth in the last decades?
Wikipedia states:
[African] population doubled in the period 1982–2009[4] and quadrupled from 1955–2009, according to United Nations estimates.
Is there a consensus on the causes behind this rapid ...
MCW♦
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Why are Vorarlberg and Tirol part of Austria, when they are only connected to it by high mountains?
The western lands of Vorarlberg and Tirol are part of Austria, but they are only connected to Austria by mountainous pass which is not very practicable (Tirol and Vorarlberg among themselves are also ...
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Why was the shape of German states pre-WWII (especially Prussia) so complicated?
The shapes of the Länder territories in Germany were very complicated. There was hundreds exclaves and enclaves all over the place to the point it became ridiculous.
Notably the shape of Prussia, ...
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When and what was the maximum extent of Nationalist China?
The Republic of China (1912–49) claimed a large area of land, the most notable difference compared to present-day China being the inclusion of Mongolia. However, it's my understanding that at no point ...
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Where can I find more information about former German internal enclaves and exclaves?
This question is related to the question I asked previously: Why was the shape of German states pre-WWII (especially Prussia) so complicated?
Most maps of pre-WWII are not detailed enough to see an ...
CommunityBot
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What was this small state in the south of France in 1789?
On wikipedia I came across the following rough political map of Europe in 1789:
To my surprise there seems to be a small state enclaved in the south of France, circled in the picture. I have no clue ...
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When were the most recent Amendments to the boundaries of Boston Ward 3?
When were the most recent Amendments to the boundaries of Boston Ward 3? What were the changes at the time?
CommunityBot
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Who owns the Saudi-Iraqi neutral zone after the 1991 Gulf War?
According to Wikipedia, the Saudi-Iraqi neutral zone was created in 1922 by the British-controlled Iraq and the Sultanate of Nejd (the predecessor of Saudi Arabia). The same article continues:
As ...
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Who inherited from the pre- World War II German states?
The German states (aka Länder) have been completely reshaped after WWII and I wonder: Which current German states inherited laws and state-owned property from the former pre-WWII states?
In states ...
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What are the modern names of the nations mentioned in Ystoria Mongalorum?
Giovanni Carpini in his Ystoria Mongalorum lists as factions under the dominion of the Mongol Empire:
Nations that have been subjugated:
Meniti
Colona-Thorati
Sassi
Thoas
Sarthi
...
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Where did the Gabare Jahangiri Dynasty assert authority?
Where did the Sunni Muslim dynasty assert authority?
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How was the first official geographical border established in Europe?
In this moment of history, geographic state borders are defined in official treaties between countries. These treaties determine where the territory of certain state ends and where the territory of ...
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Why has Hainan been so little fought over?
There are two really substantial islands off the coast of China, namely Taiwan (Formosa) and Hainan. Whereas Taiwan has been occupied, colonised, renamed and fought over for the last 600 years, Hainan ...
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