Samoa - Political:
1.) If applicable- identify and briefly explain what kind of state it is.
- Samoa is a Nation-state.
2.) Research what type of shape this country is. How might its shape impact the country? (Provide picture please)
- Samoa is a in a fragmented shape. The shape will impact the country as a whole by causing issues with communication.
3.) Research its type of borders/boundaries and how they were created.
- The type of boundaries that set apart Samoa from one another is it just being a fragmented shape, which is indeed physical. Other than that, Samoa has a strong bond to its community as one and are nearly all like family. Samoa's cultural is rather ethnic than geometric.
4.) Is it a member of the UN? When did it join?
- Yes, Samoa is a member of the UN, which they were admitted into on December 15, 1976.
5.) Does your country have a history of colonizing or being colonized by another country? Explain.
- Yes, Samoa does have a history of being colonized by other countries - 3 in fact: America, Germany and Britain.After World War I, during the time of the Mau movement in Western Samoa (then a New Zealand protectorate), there was a corresponding American Samoa Mau movement, led by Samuel Sailele Ripley, who was from Leone village and was a WWI war veteran.i
During World War II, U.S. Marines in American Samoa outnumbered the local population, having a huge cultural influence.
6.) Any boundary/border conflicts? Type? With whom? Why?
- Samoa is not experiencing any kind of boundary/border conflict being that Samoa is territory belonging to the US, and not a lot of people are willing to put up with the US and it's military being that Samoa is always ground to stationed active members
Citation(s):
- http://www.worldometers.info/united-nations/
- http://www.britannica.com/place/Samoa-island-nation-Pacific-Ocean
- https://samoainfo.wikispaces.com/Effects+of+Colonialism
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samoan_Civil_War
Ukraine - Political:
1.) If applicable- identify and briefly explain what kind of state it is.
- Ukraine was considered to be a nation-state because the ethnic distinctions between Belarusians, Ukrainians, and Russians are blurred - they speak similar East Slavic languages and are all prominently Eastern Orthodox Christians.
2.) Research what type of shape this country is. How might its shape impact the country? (Provide picture please)
- Ukraine is a compact type of state. Compact states are the simplest to manage, since the government is close to all portions of the state, it helps to keep the country together by making communications easier within it.
3.) Research its type of borders/boundaries and how they were created
- The Russian-Ukrainian border is the international state border between Russia and Ukraine, which formally has been in existence since Ukraine's independence from the Soviet Union on August 24, 1991, which was built by Ukraine to keep Russia out. There's also sea boundaries on the southern border of Ukraine that stretches as the external boundary of the Ukrainian territorial waters.
4.) Is it a member of the UN? When did it join?
- Ukraine became part of the UN on October 24, 1945.
5.) Does your country have a history of colonizing or being colonized by another country?
- Ukraine has been colonized by Russia. In Moscow, Russia’s parliament has authorized former colonel Vladimir Putin to employ the Russian military into Ukraine.
6.) Any boundary/border conflicts? Type? With whom? Why?
- The only border conflict Ukraine has is with Russia, which is classified as a allocational boundary dispute because Russia wants Ukraine to have things like more land and ports.
Citations:
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russia%E2%80%93Ukraine_border
- https://c4ss.org/content/25055
- http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate/2015/02/01/what-does-vladimir-putin-really-want-in-ukraine/
- http://www.ibtimes.com/ukraine-russia-conflict-thousands-ukrainian-troops-border-russian-influenced-2024074
(Source: sedac.ciesin.columbia.edu)
