# data[].attributes.body
Political Geography studies politics, powers, and governments and how location influences them.

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
Golden Dome of the Rock Mosque in Jerusalem. A Muslim place of worship in a Jewish nation.

# data[].attributes.body
Palestine is a stateless nation because the Palestinians are an ethnic group that does not possess their own state. They are citizens of the state of Israel, but they are excluded from aspects of the Jewish welfare state and are denied equal democratic citizenship. Hebrew is considered the everyday language in Israel, but Palestinians speak Arabic. Their religion is predominantly Islam - not Jewish.

# data[].attributes.body
A state is an area with an established government that has authority over its internal affairs and foreign policy. It has a permanent population and a defined territory. South Africa is a multi-ethnic state, made up of a variety of cultures and ethnic groups. It has eleven official languages. South Africa lacks the singular cultural identity that a Nation-state has so it is considered a State.

# data[].attributes.body
France is a nation-state because of its nationalist identity, its physical borders, and its government. It has a shared language and a cultural identity shared among the majority of the people. Its sovereignty is internationally recognized.

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
Border Conflict of Western Sahara and Morocco. The red line indicates the berm that separates the territories - Morocco to the west, Western Sahara to the east.

# data[].attributes.headline
4.4 & 4.5 Boundary Conflict Map of Western Sahara and Morocco

# data[].attributes.subject
4.4 & 4.5 Boundary Conflict Map of Western Sahara and Morocco

# data[].attributes.body
The Polisario Front is a group of indigenous people of the Western Sahara region who believe the region should be an independent state. Morocco controls the area west of the berm which cuts off access to the ocean from the Polisario, making the area east of the berm almost unlivable. Morocco argues that Western Sahara is too sparse to govern itself.  Even more important - Western Sahara is rich in minerals and offers a vast distance of Atlantic coastline for fishing and offshore oil drilling, making it potentially valuable to Morocco's economy.

# data[].attributes.headline
Boundary of Western Sahara - Morocco Conflict

# data[].attributes.subject
Boundary of Western Sahara - Morocco Conflict

# data[].attributes.body
A physical boundary called a berm separates the different territories of Western Sahara and Morocco. Even though a physical boundary is normally considered a geographical feature of the Earth's surface, this berm is manmade.  Sand and stone walls with bunkers, fences, and landmines run north to south of the region. This berm is thought to be the longest continuous minefield in the world.

# data[].attributes.body
Maryland's districts are prime examples of gerrrymandering. The districts are structured to give an edge to the Democratic Party in elections.

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
Maryland's districts are structured to favor the Democratic party.

# data[].attributes.body
Gerrymandering is a manipulation or redrawing of the boundaries of a voting district to favor one party or class.

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
How do the boundary lines of District 3 impact election outcomes?

# data[].attributes.body
District 3 is just one of many Maryland districts that are clear examples of gerrymandering. Manipulating district maps in this way helps Maryland to favor Democratic candidates. These district lines give Democratic candidates an unfair advantage when the boundaries ensure a the majority within are Democratic voters, therefore producing election outcomes that may not truly represent the people's wishes.

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
A federal government allows smaller units to have some say in how they are governed, while unitary keeps all power in the central unit.

# data[].attributes.body
In unitary states all the powers of government stay with the central government, but in a federal government, the powers of government are divided between the central government and the smaller units.

# data[].attributes.body
A federal government is better than a unitary government. Power is spread among more areas, rather than being concentrated in one central rule. This makes the government more democratic, and less likely to take a turn towards dictatorships, since the central government does not have full control. Smaller units (like American states) are able to make some decisions about how their unit is governed without the central government telling them what they can and can't do.

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
Yugoslavia experienced the effects of ethnic conflicts from 1989-2008. 

# data[].attributes.body
The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was made up of Bosnia, Serbia, Montenegro, Croatia, Slovenia, and Macedonia. MANY ethnic groups comprised this region: Serbs (Orthodox Christians), Croats (Catholics), Bosniaks (Muslims) and ethnic Albanians (Muslims). There were boundaries between the different groups but with much overlapping. The Republic was held together by President Tito, but when he died in 1980 the Republic began to fall apart. Conflicts and disputes among the groups sprang up all over. Conflict between Serbs and Croats seethed among other smaller conflicts going on at the same time. Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic took advantage of Serbian nationalism to strengthen Serbs position in Yugoslav government. While pushing for more Serbian autonomy he along with the many ethnic conflicts going on in the country, contributed to the complete destruction of the Yugoslav Republic. Today there are 7 states of the former Yugoslavia -  Bosnia and Herzegovina,Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Slovenia.

# data[].attributes.headline
Devolution and Challenges to Sovereignty

# data[].attributes.subject
Devolution and Challenges to Sovereignty

# data[].attributes.body
Devolution of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia challenged its sovereignty and ultimately resulted in the end of the Republic and the emergence of the 7 states that exist in its place today. Centrifugal forces including religious beliefs, cultural differences, distrust of government, economic instability, ethnic separatism, and territory disputes all contributed to the disassembly of the Republic.