INTST101 Chapter 1-4: INTST 101 Textbook Notes Chapters 1-4
12 Oct 2013
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Document Summary
International studies involves studying things between nations, specifically by looking at how different countries relate to, and deal with, each other, in all kinds of important ways: economically, politically, culturally, militarily, etc. There are over 200 countries in the world today, and every single part of earth has been claimed by some country, or group of countries. There are 3 general exceptions to this observation: (1) Antarctica; (2) atmospheric near-space, on the edge between the atmosphere and outer space; and (3) the high seas, in the middle of the oceans. Countries have 4 basic elements (figure 1. 1 (p. 3)): territory (natural resources), population (people), culture (high & low), and state (government). The most vital natural resources include: water, food crops, other plants, animals, timber, and useful rocks and minerals (silver, gold, coal, oil, etc. Top 10 countries by territorial size: russia, canada, united states, china, brazil, australia, india, Argentina, kazakhstan, sudan (before the partition between north and south in 2011)
