Conceptual Understanding:
Key Question: How do political, technological and physical processes influence global interactions?
Political factors that affect global interactions:
• multi-governmental organisations (MGOs) and free trade zones
• economic migration controls and rules
Our “shrinking world” and the forces driving technological innovation:
• changing global data flow patterns and trends
• transport developments over time
• patterns and trends in communication infrastructure and use
The influence of the physical environment on global interactions:
• natural resource availability
• the potentially limiting effect of geographic isolation, at varying scales
Synthesis, evaluation and skills opportunities
How processes that influence spatial interactions are interlinked in complex ways that accelerate globalization
The relative importance of different flows, and the suitability of different methods for graphically representing flows and interactions
Tuesday 30 May 2023
Political factors that affect global interactions…
Multi Governmental Organisations – Case Study EU
Task 1. Using the video below, create a timeline of the major developments in the creation of the EU from 1950 to the present day. Include recent developments on Brexit.
Task 2. Outline the main functions of the European Union by watching the video below.
Task 3. Sort out the cards into advantages and disadvantages of the EU. Note down what you feel to be the top four advantages and disadvantages. Make sure you can explain why.
Task 4. Watch the video below. Make notes on what Free Trade Zone (FTZ) is and how this differs to a Free Trade Area and a Customs Union.
Task 5. Study the diagram below and define the following:
- The Schengen Area
- The Council of Europe
- The European Free Trade Association
- The European Economic Area
- The Eurozone
Task 6. Read the following information and use it to answer this question: “Explain how the EU ensures free trade within its membership.” Make references to products and services and the increasing importance of the internet.
How does the European Union impact the flow of goods?
The EU has established a single market across the territory of all its members.
The single market involves the free circulation of goods, capital, people and services within the EU.
Companies can sell their products anywhere in the member states and consumers can buy where they want with no penalty. No customs are levied on goods traveling within the EU customs union and (unlike a free trade area) members of the customs union impose a common external tariff on all goods entering the union.
Once goods have been admitted into the market they cannot be subjected to customs duties, discriminatory taxes or import quotas, as they travel internally.
The EU is working to improve cross-border infrastructure within the EU, for example through the TransEuropean Networks. Projects include the Channel Tunnel, LGV Est, the Fréjus Rail Tunnel, the Öresund Bridge, the Brenner Base Tunnel and the Strait of Messina Bridge.
How does the European Union impact the flow of capital?
Currencies and capital can flow freely between the member states and European citizens can use financial services in any member state.
Free movement of capital is intended to permit movement of investments such as property purchases and buying of shares between countries.
Free movement of capital is an essential condition for the proper functioning of the Single Market. It enables a better allocation of resources within the EU, facilitates trade across borders, favours workers mobility, and makes it easier for businesses to raise the money they need to start and grow.
How does the European Union impact the flow of labour?
Citizens of the EU member states can live and work in any other country and their professional qualifications should be recognised.
With the lifting of most internal border controls, EU citizen can move as freely around Europe as we can within a Member State.
The Schengen Area comprises the territories of twenty-five European countries that have implemented the Schengen Agreement.
Implementing the Schengen rules involves eliminating border controls with other Schengen members while simultaneously strengthening border controls with non-member states.
The UK declined to join Schengen Convention elements related to passport control, one argument being that, for an island, frontier controls are a better and less intrusive way to prevent illegal immigration than other measures, such as identity cards, residence permits, and registration with the police, which are appropriate for countries with “extensive and permeable land borders”.
Wednesday 31 May 2023
Economic migration controls and rules…
Define: Economic Migrant
“An economic migrant is someone who emigrates from one region to another to seek an improvement in living standards because the living conditions or job opportunities in the migrant’s own region are not sufficient.“
In your lifetime you have been witness to many well documented economic migrations. The traditional case study of Mexican migrants into the USA is a famous example and the new detention centres and separation policy introduced by the previous Trump administration have added new dimensions to the issues.
We have also seen movements of millions of people from the Middle East (Syria) and North Africa displaced by war and political unrest and seeking a new life and economic prosperity in the European Union. Germany has been a big recipient country with over 1,000,000 migrants arriving in 2016 alone. Other flows exist such as European workers to Australia to take advantage of a strong economy, higher quality of life and looking to escape from austerity.
For this brief study, we will look at economic migration controls and rules on the Mexico – USA border and further afield.
Task 1. Background Research – Take notes on the Vox documentary video below. Focus on:
1. Why people move.
2. How they move.
3. The dangers to migrants.
4. Explain the issues at the northern and southern Mexican borders.
5. How do the USA apply pressure on Mexico to stop the flow & why does Mexico comply?
Now watch the Wall Street Journal video below on the construction of the USA / Mexico border wall.
6. Explain the thinking behind the construction of the Border wall.
7. What are the limitations of such a scheme?
Read this White House press release from January 2021:
8. Explain briefly what the President Biden is doing in relation to the border wall.
Assessment: Graphical Analysis
Questions:
- Using Figure 1, describe the pattern of annual migration from Mexico to the United States since 1991. (3 marks)
- Why does the flow decrease rapidly in 2001, 2002 & 2003? (1 mark)
- Using Figure 2, describe the trend in the Mexican born population in the USA. (3 marks)
- What does this suggest is now happening? (1 mark)
- Using Figure 3, describe the changes from 1993 to 2007. (3 marks)
- Suggest reasons for the three sectors that employ the highest proportion of Mexican labour. (3 marks)
- Using Figure 4, what is the total percentage increase of apprehensions at the USA-Mexico border and the Mexican Southern border? (1 mark)
- What does this infographic tell us about the changes in migration that have taken place since 2010 to 2014? (3 marks)
- Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of this infographic? (6 marks)
Thursday 01 June 2023
The Shrinking World…
| Need to know …. The Shrinking World. Friction of Distance Friction of distance is a principle that states that movement incurs some form of cost, in the form of physical effort, energy, time, and/or the expenditure of other resources, and that these costs are proportional to the distance traveled. Friction of distance is closely related to transportation and accessibility and has been signicantly reduced due to the concept of the Shrinking World. Time-Space Convergence This is when travel time between places decreases and distance declines in terms of its significance. It is generally brought about by transport innovations and improvements e.g. Airbus A380 can fly London to Perth in just 21 hours in 2018. |
Task 1.
a. Watch the video (IB Geography Globalization) below. Make notes on this document on each of the factors that James May claims to have “made the world a smaller place”.
b. Which factor do you think has been the most influential in shrinking our planet?
Transport developments over time…
To complete this work, you will need to use this worksheet. It contains the links to the video resources you will need. Your aim to to take notes and carry out research that will enable you to answer the exam question below:
Describe and explain the changes in speed and capacity in transport over time. (12)
You may also use pages 563 – 564 in the Geography textbook to help you.
Due: Monday 06 February 2023
Tuesday 06 June 2023
Influence of the physical environment on global interactions…
Starter. Identify the natural resources shown in the pictures given.
Task 1. You are going to complete a short piece of analysis to explain how the influence of the physical environment effects global interactions.
Choose any two of the four category maps below and complete a piece of analysis that explains the origins of the natural resource, the human need for that resource and the process by which this interaction takes place (between places). You can use this worksheet to complete your analysis.
No. #1 Physical Environment and Fishing
No. #2 Physical Enviornment and Oil
No. #3 Physical Environment and Coal
No. #4 Physical Environment and Palm Oil
Task 2. Geographic Isolation
On a printed out copy of this newspaper article from the Irish Independent, highlight the impacts of being a landlocked and therefore possibly remote country on people and the economy. Use the infographic below to help too.