Boundaries, Unitary v. Federal, And Gerrymandering

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Religious Boundaries Religious differences often coincide with boundaries between states, but in only few cases has religion been used to select the actual boundary line. For example, Britain partitioned India into two states, India (Hindu) and Pakistan (Muslim). Language Boundaries Language is an important cultural characteristic for drawing boundaries and was important to the allied leaders because it helped create new states and adjust existing boundaries. For example, the French language was a major element in the development of France as a unified state in the seventeenth century. Cyprus’s “Green Line” Boundary There’s only one official crossing point established between Cyprus and Greece, which is a strict buffer zone controlled by the UN. Traditionally, the Greeks and Cypriots coexisted peacefully, but after the coup and invasion, the two became geographically isolated. In Figure 8-10, the photograph on the right illustrates how difficult it to cross the Greek and Cyprus border. Boundaries Inside States Local boundaries are sometimes drawn to separate nationalities or ethnicities. Unitary and Federal States There are two types of government: unitary, which places most power in the hands of the central government officials, and federal states, which allocates strong power to units of local government within the country. Unitary government system works best in nation-states while the federal system is more suitable for very large states. Trend Toward Federal Government There has been a strong global trend toward federal government. The trend is that the unitary systems have been curtailed in a number of countries and scrapped along in other. France: Curbing a Unitary Government France has a long tradition of unitary government in which a very strong national government dominates local government decisions. They have two tiers of local
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