Post area of International concern here.
Marks will be given for:
Uniqueness (No repetition.) 5pts
Organized Data (Data can be comprehended
at a glance.) 5pts
Relevance of Information (What can we use
the information for?) 5pts
Use IR jargon.
UY, Kier John V.
ReplyDeleteStrait of Gibraltar, a narrow strait which that connects Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea, it is located between the southern coast of Spain and northern coast of morocco. The strait is the only connection as a water way between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, which makes it a crucial location since closing it would trigger a desiccation in the Mediterranean(Loget & Driessche, 2006).
Throughout history, the strait of Gibraltar acted as the only water way out of the Mediterranean, and control over the rock of Gibraltar offered dominance(Weitz, 2000). The Mediterranean is critically important; for the member nations of the southern region of NATO it provides common access and vital lines of communication for supplies and reinforcements(Garcia, 2011). Making the strait as a territory to settle military units or as a defensive location will give a significant advantage since it is the only passage way, it is easier to predict where will the enemy come from, so setting a trap will be easier. Fortifications along narrow waterways can turn these inter oceanic avenues into strategic chokepoints by allowing their occupiers to exercise control over warships and merchant vessels passing through them. Some of the most prominent strategic chokepoints include the Strait of Gibraltar (Weitz, 2000). As the strait serve as the only way, it can also be a disadvantage since it also gives knowledge to the enemy that the reinforcements or resources will come from the strait, giving them the advantage of ambushing the reinforcements near the Strait. Other than using it as a military power, the strait can be also used as an economic location. From World War I to World War 2, the strait served as a gathering point for aircraft and warships, it is also a harbor for repairing. While during the Cold War, the strait housed equipments that monitor the traffic passing through the Strait. Since the end of the Cold War, Gibraltar has emerged as an international financial center and tax haven by leveraging its status as a part of the European Economic Community(Weitz,2000).
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteEspinola, Ma. Isabel
ReplyDeleteThe North Pole is located in the middle of the Arctic Ocean among the waters that are permanently covered in sea ice, surrounded by the nearest lands of Nunavut, a Canadian territory, which is the closest sight of land to the North Pole, and Greenland, the world's largest island and an independent country within the Kingdom of Denmark.
Since the start of global warming, the ice caps of the Arctic have begun to melt and have led scientists all over the world to run tests, explore, and discover new things about and on the Arctic. This has led American scientists to conclude that what was once thought as a useless piece of mass that does nothing else but provide space and land for arctic living animals and is now considered one of the most wanted territories of nearby states. According to the USGS or the United States Geological Survey, there is about 22% of the world’s undiscovered but recoverable oil and natural gas in the Arctic and global warming is the key that can open up previously inaccessible shipping routes (Barkham, 2014).
Because of this discovery, many states that compose the Arctic Council, namely; Russia, Canada, Norway, the United States, and Denmark, have began staking their claims on parts of the Arctic most especially Russia, Canada, and Denmark where all three use the Lomonosov Ridge, an underwater mountain range that connects through the pole, as a way to solidify their claims on the territory.
Determining the ownership and borders of each claimnant on the Arctic, as well as when the ice caps have melted due to global warming, can greatly help pave the way for new routes to discover and use for economic interests and purposes between states including undiscovered oil that lies beneath the ice caps of the North Pole.
Location:
https://www.google.com/maps/place/North+Pole,+AK+99705,+USA/@64.75367,-147.4382587,12z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m2!3m1!1s0x51324d51d5c5f2b9:0xda1a7714d9d98964
DELA CUADRA, Paulyn Emmanuelle V.
ReplyDeleteThe Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic, Transnistria, or also called as Trans-Dniester is a small sliver of land situated along the River Dniestria and between the crevices of Ukraine and Moldova in Eastern Europe. In September 1990, as soon as the Soviet Union disintegrated, Transnistria proclaimed their independence from Moldova and openly expressed their desire to join Moscow, leading to the Transnistria War. With the Russians' helping the separatists, the war eventually ended in July 1992 with a ceasefire and was considered as one of the post-Soviet Union's "frozen conflicts" zones. Although they are a self-proclaimed sovereign and has no official government, Transnistria remains, until now, unrecognized by the international community. On the other hand, Moldova is rather tolerant of their Moscow-allied separatist region, remaining hopeful of a reunification in the future.
Transnistria is considered as one of the most worrisome disputed territories in the world. Aside from the apparent residue left by the Soviet Union, Transnistrians also have a strong affinity for Lenin, welcome the presence of Russian military to "protect" them, and most importantly, are open for annexation by Russia, therefore, triggering anxiety from future issues on regional stability in Moldova. According to analysts, Russia may use its power over Transnistria to try and force Ukraine to compromise.
Despite its unfamiliarity, Transnistria is an important pawn in Putin's hand that might cause serious international instability in the future as it had been in Crimea and it is only a matter of time before Moldova decides if it should try and reunify with Transnistria or permanently delimitate itself from the root of the chaos.
Location: https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=zDvmJj46tefo.kMyDslzZAjEs&hl=en
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteMACARAEG, Lovely Mae T.
ReplyDeleteDjibouti is a small country with an area of 23,000 sq kilometer to be found in Africa and a population of approximately 900,000. Its resources has been limited, however this small country holds gigantic strategic significance. In equating it to its Horn of Africa neighbours, Djibouti is the most stable oasis. And this minor characteristic is what makes it to be significant in upholding security and stability regarding terrorism and piracy threats along Red Sea and Gulf of Aden including civil unrest in Yemen and Somalia (Aluwasheg, 2015).
Its location is mainly the reason why it is strategically significant. It extends across the west coast of Bab Al-Mandab Straits, a vital passage for regional and international trade. The coast of Djibouti is measured to be 300-km ranging from the south from the Somali border on the Gulf of Aden up to Eritrea’s border on the Red Sea in the north. The role of Djibouti in protecting these important routes can be seen on how it secured deterioration in neighbouring Yemen from Houthi militias in occupying Hodeida port and taking hold of numerous military materials and equipment from Yemen’s government. Furthermore, Djibouti’s plays a strategic significant role for being the major port for land-locked African countries such as Ethiopia and South Sudan. Also, its port gives services to nations without facilities, for example, Eritrea, Sudan and Yemen. A few ports situating in Djibouti's straight serve the whole area making it to be the vital re-export and trans-shipment center of the region. At present Djibouti handles Ethiopian imports and exports (BBC, 2015). As said, its characteristic of being stable is accordingly what makes it important for both international and local forces. Lastly, the overflowing army installations and insights and familiarity with its posts are what make it to maintain and secure the piracy and terrorist activity (Aluwasheg, 2015).
Djibouti's location:
https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=zqC4jw3o3dg0.kFE3eAV6gdsg&hl=en_US
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteCAMILON, Paola E.
ReplyDeleteThe Gulf of Aden is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Africa and Asia forming the natural separation between countries in need of political stability, namely Yemen and Somalia. The Gulf of Aden water flows into the Red Sea through the Strait Bab el Mandeb. It presents a unique ecosystem with high biological diversity. In particular, it is surrounded by arid terrestrial environment which the reefs support rich biological communities and representatives of endangered species. In addition to its unique biotic richness, the Gulf of Aden provides an outlet to the west for Persian Gulf oil. At present, approximately 3 million barrels of oil are being transported daily through the gulf. Thus, it is now one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes (Al Saafani, 2008).
In that regard, maritime piracy has emerged over the past two decades as a legitimate threat to international trade, especially for small sailboats and yachts. The combination of weak governmental institutions and a significant flow of ships through the Gulf have allowed pirates to establish safe harbors from which to attack a plethora of available targets. Successful attacks have significant consequences such as hijacked ships, kidnapped crews, and expensive ransom negotiations. As a result, trade has been discouraged through this region. (Burlando, Cristea, & Lee, 2014). Thus, Somalia and Yemen become the victims of pirate-induced price distortions in their traded goods with consequent welfare implications. In addition, these pirates have strengthened their links with the Islamist insurgent group called Shabab. As part of their relationship, the pirates are becoming more closely involved in arms trafficking through the region (Toomse, 2009). Therefore, the relationship between the pirates and Shabab contributes to the violence and instability in Yemen and Somalia that can eventually pose a major security threat to the rest of the world.
Gulf of Aden's location:
https://www.google.com.ph/maps/place/Gulf+of+Aden/@12.7790513,44.9875358,7z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m2!3m1!1s0x161e597d7b39658f:0x45f5493342709450
Ubay, Ma. Chelca O.
ReplyDeleteThe Falkland Islands are group of islands in the South Atlantic where there are two main islands, the East Falkland and West Falkland that lies in the east of the Argentina coast. As of today, the Falklands were inhabited by kelpers (Falkland Islanders) of British origin and these kelpers were loyal to the British while they are disapprove of the Argentines and they want their island to remain of British dependency. The Falklands is largely self-financing, apart from the costs of the military base, which are paid by the UK taxpayer. The Island spends around £46m a year, mostly on public works and infrastructure. The agriculture of the island is still a major part of the economy and is dominated by sheep farming, farmland accounts for a little over 80% of the Falklands land area and a sheep appears on the islands' coat of arms, but agriculture is now less than 2% of the economy; the largest employment sector on the Islands is the Falkland Islands Government accounting for 28% of all employment.
Other significant employers in the Islands are transport and communications 12%, the employment in the agricultural industry has continued to decline since 2006 with 189 employees in 2012 (Rogers, 2013). Tourism is the second-largest part of the economy, an average of only 500 tourists visited the Falklands per annum but by 2007, this figure had grown to 55,000 and the Falkland Islands Tourist Board hired its first tourism director that year. In 2010, the transport and hospitality sector was expected to contribute £7.8 million or 7.7% of the island’s GDP (Bloomberg, 2013). The islands have become a regular port of call for the growing market of cruise ships to Antarctica and elsewhere in the South Atlantic. On the other hand, the Falkland Island is rich on mineral resources and has been investing in wind power, many oil companies is exploring the Island in search of oil. Darwin and Stebbing reservoirs have estimated 2,040 million barrels of recoverable oil, and the Rockhopper’s Sea Lion oil discovers 325 million barrels of recoverable oil the first oil is expected in 2016 with peak production of 120,000 barrels a day by 2018 (Rogers, 2013). The wealth and resources of the Falkland Islands is one of the reasons why United Kingdom and Argentina fought and both claiming the Island as part of their territory and until now neither of the both side was willing to agree on the central issue of eventual sovereignty. In 1965, the United Nations designated the territory as a “colonial problem” and called on both countries to negotiate a solution.
Falkland Island location:
https://www.google.com.ph/maps/place/FIQQ+1ZZ,+Falkland+Islands+(Islas+Malvinas)/@-51.7092598,-61.7599849,7z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m2!3m1!1s0xbc2a89b94491e3a3:0x322aaaff8dd9c53a
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteMANZANO, Bryan George M.
ReplyDelete“..I love rivers, carrying ideas as well as goods. ... of all rivers I most love the Rhine.” – Victor Hugo
The Rhine River has been one of the most important bodies of water that greatly contributed to the history of Western Europe. It passes through four countries namely, Netherlands, France, Germany, and Switzerland, while its catchment basins extend to Italy, Austria, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, and Belgium (Marney, 2008). It was able to shape European History as it became a venue for economic relations between European countries. The Rhine River is a great example of how bodies of water can become channels of socio-political and economic unification. In fact, the oldest active European organization, the Central Commission for Navigation on the Rhine, was founded in order to assure cooperation among the states that were mentioned beforehand. Its primary purpose is to ensure that navigation is open and at the same time maintain a regime to govern the activities in the river that is official and at the same time homogenous (Marney, 2008).
The economic activities that surrounded the river prompted the establishment of cities within its banks. Cities such as Basel, Rotterdam, and Cologne owed their economic success to the Rhine River, as commerce and trade prospered along its riverbanks. But the modernization that was brought by these cities meant interfering with the ecosystem and the biodiversity of the river. One of the worst cases took place during 1986 in Switzerland when a storehouse of pesticide was caught on fire and 1,250 tons of chemicals contaminated the river (Giger, 2009). This incident killed much of the living organisms that existed within the river, and it was not only a concern for Switzerland, but the others as well. It was because of circumstances like these that encouraged the countries involved to continually cooperate with one another. Although at time there may be conflicting interests, it is evident that all parties want to utilize the river efficiently as possible.
The strategic location and the economic opportunities that the Rhine River brings necessitate cooperation among the Western European states. The policy coordination among states play a crucial rule not only for economic purposes but for diplomatic purposes as well. Although, environmental challenges pose a great threat for the economic activities of states, it actually contributed to strengthening coordination between them.
Rhine River Location: https://www.google.com.ph/maps/place/Rhine+River/@49.2652011,3.37571,6z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m2!3m1!1s0x4796eb8bf7df150b:0xbbc945e6761c3c82?hl=en
Located in the East China Sea, Socotra Rock is the subject of a territorial dispute between the People’s Republic of Korea and The People’s Republic of China. Korea, referring to it as Ieodo considers it to lie within their EEZ. However, China which refers to it as Suyan Rock objected to the Korean claim despite the reef being 136 kilometres nearer to the Korean Peninsula (Kim, 2012). Socotra Rock is a submerged reef 4.6 meters below sea level. It is situated 149 kilometres from Mirado and 287 kilometres from the nearest Chinese island which is Sheshandao. The reef is submerged at all times. The UN maritime law states that submerged rocks cannot be claim by any country as part of their own territory. However, Nations are allowed to control and use the sea and natural resources around the rock (Kuo, 2013). The rocks became an issue in 1996 when the maximum reach of EEZ’S was extended to 200 nautical miles. The extension created an overlapping zone between China, Japan and Korea and thus it is up to the states involved to delimit the actual maritime boundary (Kim, 2012). The Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) of China includes the airspace of Socotra and the South Korean government has also expanded its ADIZ which overlaps with both China and Japan.
ReplyDeleteA researcher of the Jeju-based Society of Ieodo Research Kang Byeong-cheol said that the issue “is of great strategic interest considering China’s strengthening naval power”. Experts believed that China’s claim is associated to their greater maritime ambitions. It included China’s protests to South-US military drills near it shores. Via jurisdiction of Ieodo China would secure a sea route for fleets using the area to get into the Pacific. Also, the Northeast Asian countries interest in the Socotra Rock started in 1980 when huge oil and gas deposits together with abundant fishery resources which includes croaker, herring, bass, mackerel, flounder and squid were found there.
Socotra Rock Location: https://www.google.com.ph/maps/place/Socotra+Rock/@32.1086527,125.1666667,7z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x350863adca8caf1b:0x75df2fdde8cedf74?hl=en
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteGARCIA, Homyr Jr. L.
ReplyDeleteThe Nile River is the father of African rivers and the longest river in the world. It begins in well-watered regions near the equator and flows northward across the terrible Sahara Desert before it empties into the eastern Mediterranean Sea In addition, it is a major north flowing river in the north-eastern Africa and it is 6,853 kilometres long. According to Diana Rizzolio Karyabwite (2000), the Nile is considered as an International river because of the fact that its water resources are shared by eleven countries which are the following: (1) Tanzania; (2) Uganda; (3) Rwanda; (4) Burundi; (5) Congo-Kinshasa; (6) Kenya; (7) Ethiopia; (8) Eritrea; (9) South Sudan; (10) Sudan and (11) Egypt. Nowadays, about one third of the total population in Africa lacks access to water (World Water Council, 2006). And because of that, the existence of the Nile River became beneficial to the aforementioned people especially those who belong to the eleven countries it encompasses.
The Nile remains the lifeblood of the countries through which it courses. In addition, the river is useful in terms of irrigation and transporting products to other places, and this has been its purpose since the ancient period (BBC News, 2011). In a more specific context, farmers use the water in the river in order to produce a wide variety of crops including citrus fruits, cotton, wheat, sugarcane, legumes and sorghum. However, even though the use of it can be considered as a successful agriculture program, the countries where the Nile flows are still considered poor but on the year 1999, the Nile Basin Initiative was started in order to utilize the Nile River more and its benefits. The Nile is also being used for its hydroelectric power capabilities. Although plans are still underw¬ay to continue developing electricity production in the area, several dams have already been built to control flooding and generate hydroelectric power.
On the other hand, the impact of the Nile River on the politics of the North African region have been so significant that they threaten to spark interstate conflicts which can potentially destabilize the countries that depends on the said river since it is the only renewable source of water in their area which is essential to their food and water security. And because series of agreements were made in order to prevent the aforementioned conflict. An example of this is the one of the most prominent agreements signed by Egypt, Britain and Sudan (Nunzio, 2013).
“The Nile seems to be impervious to change. It flows on now, as it always flowed, perpetually renewing itself from year to year and from century to century, a never- ending flood of war, life- giving water that spans half Africa from the Equator to the Mediterranean, and it is still the mightiest river on Earth”. - Alan Moorehead
Nile River Location:
https://www.google.com.ph/maps/place/Nile,+Egypt/@31.3181169,32.265009,8z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x145ab3a846ac45ad:0x623b3324fc34ab22?hl=en
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteOZAWA, Hennesy D.
ReplyDeleteNapoleon once said, “If the Earth were a single state, Istanbul would be its capital.”
Situated strategically along the Silk Road, Istanbul City is the largest city located in Turkey. It is located in the coordinates of 410 33’ and 400 28’ North latitudes and 280 01’ and 290 55’ East longitudes and with an area of 2, 063 mi². In the East, this city is bounded by the summits of Kocaeli Mountain Ranges while Marmara Sea in the South and lastly by the waterline of Ergene in the West. Istanbul plays a huge role in the world as it has a geographical strategic location on earth because it possesses an equivocal position between the continent of Europe and Asia (Irfan, 2010). With this, Istanbul is considered as the “Gateway to Asia.” On the other hand, not just the continents that were being connected by Istanbul but also the Black Sea and Marmara Sea via Istanbul Strait. Moreover, with its significant location on Earth where Asia and Europe are bordered by a strait, it became the only city in the world where seas can go directly through it.
Considering the strategic position where the seas can reach directly through the lands of Istanbul, Istanbul possesses an instant essential strategic control over the straits and strategic location by being situated in the center of the two of the world’s largest continents (Murphy, 2015). It gained much importance due to the fact that this city joins the two continents and allows it for equal access to both. In addition, as it was established where seas and lands meet, this brought significant contributions in Istanbul. One important contribution of its geographical strategic location is that it became the center for commerce. Being at the center of international land and sea trade routes, Istanbul immediately became the hub of the economy of Turkey. In addition, Istanbul being surrounded by the significant water formations brings the countries the opportunity to access natural resources that are essential not just only for the people’s daily living but for the economic aspect of the country as well (Kerimoglu, 2002).
Istanbul’s geographical strategic location made the city as an important point in the world attracting and encouraging European and Asian countries for investments and healthy socio-political and economic relations with one another other.
Istanbul City Location:
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Istanbul,+%C4%B0stanbul,+Turkey/@40.9819995,29.2250396,11z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x14caa7040068086b:0xe1ccfe98bc01b0d0
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteRUBIO, Marlon Cyrus V.
ReplyDeleteThe Port of Singapore is one of the largest port for shipments in the world. Located on the southern end of the Malay Peninsula, about 30km south-west of the Port of Johor in Malaysia, the Port of Singapore offers connectivity to over 600 ports in 123 countries. The port had played an important function in the boost of the economic development of Singapore (Fabbri, 2015).
It holds almost 20 percent of the shipments circulating not just within the countries in Asia, but around the world. The Port of Singapore has purpose terminals that are functioning to handle oil, petroleum and natural gas products as well as cement and steel products. It also has a terminal exclusive for car shipments, one of the biggest in the region (Port of Singapore, Singapore, n.d.). The port gave Singapore their advantage to neighbouring countries because of how it controlled and manipulated the flow of trade in the water ways going inside Asia, and going out. Perhaps this ability of Singapore gives a modern definition to “command of the sea”, but in this case, it is only regional yet the benefit and the economic development they gained is undeniably a great step in reaching and being considered as a first world country.
In the present time, Singapore had utilized the port, increasing their GDP with 7 percent of it coming from their Maritime industry. Although, limited in their natural resources, the port of Singapore had become a major point of in the development of economic capacity of Singapore and its trade relations with countries around the globe.
Port of Singapore’s location:
https://www.google.com.ph/maps/search/port+of+singapore/@1.2867515,103.7331147,12z
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeletePINLAC, Christine Mae F.
ReplyDeleteThe Gulf of Guinea (GG) is a part of the Atlantic Ocean that constitutes of 5,500 km coastal arch extending from Senegal in West Africa to Angola on the Atlantic coast. This zone is composed African nations namely: Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo (RDC), Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo (Gopalkrishna, 2011). Even though these african countries are characterized as having corrupt governments, it cannot be undermined the potential of the Gulf of Guinea as a energy source. As a matter of fact, United States, China and some European countries are already in motion in securing their national interests in terms of reource imports.
According to Alfred T. Mahan, “the strategic value of any place depends upon three principal conditions: Its position, or more exactly its situation, the resources of the place itself and of the surrounding country and its military strength, offensive and defensive”. These three factors can be used to examine the greatest potentiality of the Gulf of Guinea. Firstly, GG has a strategic location as a shipping route as it contains shipping ports and facilities offshore especially when Suez Canal was closed due to crisis, Gulf of Guinea along with Cape of Good Hope served as an alternate shippping route for Europe, Asia and Far East Pacific regions (Agu, 2012). Secondly, The Gulf of Guinea is a sub-region of Africa that has strategic significance due to the growing demand of natural resources specifically oil. As of today, the Gulf of Guinea provides approximately 25 percent of the global energy in the world and with the recent discovery of hydrocarbon deposits amounting of 50.4 billion barrels in this area, it can be expected to maximize its full potentiality. Also, it is not just the quantity of oil Gulf of Guinea it provides but it is also about the oil’s quality. The oil that GG contains is characterized of very high quality as it is light with low sulphur content (Dietrich, 2004)
Unfortunately, in terms of military strength the Gulf of Guinea is not yet maximized because the crimes of piracy contributed to the destabilizing factors of the this region. Arm smugglers used the this area for arms trafficking like the terrorists groups of Boko Haram Nigeria, al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), al Shabab of Somalia, and elements of the Iranian regime have used this area for arms trafficking (Giorigis, 2013). This is the reason why the European Union along with the United State reinforced security policies in order to prevent and regulate illegal activities in the area. In evident to this, Exercise Obangame Express, a regional and multilateral naval and maritime exercise involving Europe, US and Africa, was created for the improvement of the naval security in the Gulf of Guinea.
As the stiff international competition among industrialized nations including the United States, some European countries, China, Japan, and India for more reliable energy sources, the Gulf of Guinea is the best seeming option as it has been estimated that most of the new oil entering the world market in the next 10 to 15 years will come from the Gulf of Guinea (Gopalkrishna, 2011). Energy uncertainty has amplified the geo-strategic implication of the Gulf of Guinea
Gulf of Guinea's location:
https://www.google.com.ph/maps/place/Gulf+of+Guinea/@2.8035332,10.117301,5z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0xfddf81fd107c6f1:0xb3533d5635fc1083
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteTABUNDA, Hannah Leigh M
ReplyDeleteThe Strait of Malacca has long been a major gateway for trade to and from Asia. This body of water is considered to be one of the most strategically positioned territories primarily because it connects Andaman Sea (Indian Ocean) and the South China Sea (Pacific Ocean). This funnel-shaped waterway runs between Malaysia and Indonesia which has been in continuous use since ancient times, with Roman, Greek, Chinese and Indian traders all benefitting from this natural channel (Hirst, 2014).
In the present, this narrow gap is primarily recognised as the pivot of trade and military power in East Asia. It also continues to be the world’s second-busiest waterway primarily serving Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore, the littoral states of the Malacca Strait. Indonesia controls the majority of the sea lane while Singapore controls the smallest area of the strait but still has the biggest economic benefit from shipping activities. Its value in the present can be accounted from Singapore’s strategic position and good governance making it one of the world’s great pivots for shipping and commerce. It serves as a port bringing electronic and consumer goods from Asia to Europe and the Middle East. It also serves as a substantial port bringing supplies of oil from the Gulf to China and U.S. Largely a quarter of the globe’s commodities passes through the Straits (Linehan, 2014).
Therefore, the idea of closing or shipping being stopped by a hostile power may have occupied the minds of world’s great trading powers. Because of this, U.S. has created measures to retain its strong position there while China on the other hand is currently developing its naval capacity and views protecting its overseas trade as a major priority and huge concern (Jakarta Post, 2007).
The Malacca Strait can thus be concluded as a valuable strategically placed territory because it cultivates economic prosperity and trade hence proving to be a maritime power. Mahan mentioned in one of his essays that the control of the sea by means of maritime trade and naval control means predominant influence in the world. No matter how great the wealth and product of a territory, nothing facilitates the necessary improvements other than the sea (Mahan, 2012). It can be agreed upon that the Malacca Strait is geographically important and thus persists to be a hotspot of desire among nations which aims to gain control over this territory even if ownership has already been established in the international arena.
Location: https://www.google.com/maps/place/Malacca+Strait/@4.1773608,94.9938311,6z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x3035c1450ba4e5c9:0xf486b1a0e32acab1
The Crimean peninsula is an internationally recognized semi-autonomous region of Ukraine. It is located on the south of Ukraine, stretches out to the Black Sea and is separated from Russia to the east by the narrow Kerch Strait. Crimea has a modern history intrinsically linked with Russia. It contains the largest population of ethnic Russians within Ukraine, and harbours a significant portion of Russia's navy in Sevastopol (Taylor, 2014). However, in 2014, the Russian Federation had annexed Crimea and authoritatively regarded the peninsula as Russian territory and sovereignty.
ReplyDeleteFor centuries the Crimean Peninsula, which occupies a strategically important location on the Black Sea and has arable land, has been fought over by various outside forces (Taylor, 2014). Russia basically annexed Crimea for its naval strategic value for Russian interests within the region and the black sea (Schwartz, 2014). Since the Crimean peninsula is internationally recognized as a territory of Ukraine, the annexation resulted into conflict. The conflict inevitably expanded to parts of Ukraine, where more than 6,000 people have now been killed after nearly a year of fighting (Birnbaum & Demirjan, 2014).
The annexation, however, is regarded by the United Nations and by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) as illegal. The UN General Assembly (UNGA) adopted a resolution, affirming its commitment to Ukraine's territorial integrity and urging all parties to strive for peaceful resolution of the Ukrainian crisis "through direct political dialogue” (Yang, 2014). On the other hand, NATO recognized Russia's military aggression in Ukraine is in blatant breach of its international commitments and it is a violation of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, at the same time asserting that the annexation of Crimea illegal and illegitimate (Dews, 2014.)
The Crimean Peninsula dispute serves as an example of the anarchical behaviour of states. In the modern world, territorial disputes such as the Crimean Peninsula dispute is of great importance because if dominant states are not prevented in their illegal annexation of territories, serious consequences would root out such as attempts to redraw the dividing lines of the world, monopolize markets, shuffle populations, and defy and rewrite international laws into the advantage of the great powers.
Location: https://www.google.com/maps/place/Crimean+Peninsula/@44.9999978,34,14z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x40eac2a37171b3f7:0x2a6f09e02affbaeb
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteNATIVIDAD, GENESIS JOY A.
ReplyDeletePanama Canal, the 77.1-kilometer waterway connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean, was once hailed by the world as the strategic artery of the United States (Lister, 1999). It is currently managed by the Republic of Panama, between Colombia and Costa Rica, is one of the offshore islands in Central America that connects the North and South America (The World Factbook, 2015). Specifically, the Panama Canal is the connecting link of the North Pacific Ocean to access the North Atlantic Ocean through the Caribbean Sea (Wagtendonk, 2014).
It once became the superhighway through which America rose to becoming the great power it is today. Historically, during the early part of the 20th century when world power still relies on maritime power, the United States funded building the canal to move their ships from the eastern to the western parts of the globe in a shorter period of time, thus allowing them more presence and apparent dominance (Diaz-Espino, 2014). On the economic side of its significance, the trade between the Pacific and Atlantic became easier through reduced expenditures for transporting products (Feinberg, 2014). With the control of the Panama Canal in the hand of the United States, the pivot of commerce and military power was gained by America.
However, in 1977, the United States returned the right to manage and control the canal to the Republic of Panama, thus reducing its importance since railroads became the better option for transport (Diaz-Espino, 2014). But now, after almost four decades, the United States has regained interest in Panama Canal, with other countries such as Korea and China trying to gain control in the area (Forbes, 2015). This is due to the new trend in global trade that relies mainly on transport through seas of huge shipping vessels and Panama is the best option due to its ideal location allowing shorter travel time to probe Atlantic to Pacific (Forbes, 2015).
According to the Heartland Theory of Political Geographer H.J. Mackinder, the value of specific locations rests on three pillars: first, its advantages in transport technology through distant shrinkage in travelling from a location to another especially in terms of region to region; second, the global patterns of distribution of military and political power house; and third, the perception of the key political and military players of the relative location in relation to the global situation (Dikshit, 1999). By using the given criteria, first, Panama Canal has regained its importance in transport technology in the current global trend in commerce. This important status as a linking highway of world trade gives it a relevance in today’s situation like what it used to have before. Second, the Korean and Chinese interest in the area could raise the United States and other nations’ eagerness to establish control or at least presence in the area. Due to its ideal location in being able to link the Pacific and the Atlantic at significantly smaller expenditure, the Panama Canal can once again be a home for military fleets of nations. This kind of advantage was once enjoyed by the United States, but due to the shifting winds of time, any nation that is capable to sustain and build military infrastructure in the area can have the opportunity to do so since the Republic of Panama does not have its own military force and is currently experiencing economic turmoil. Lastly, Panama Canal can cater the large ships that can be used to transport people, technology, commercial products and even military weapons. Panama Canal’s location has been proven to give advantages in transportation. This kind of accessibility is vital in international relations as it provides contact and communication. Also, establishing prominence is establishing good relations for it is through this reputation that one can attract partners or impose caution to other states.
http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/namerica/camerica/pncanal.htm
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteMEDINA, Caryl Louise L.
ReplyDeleteThe Kuril Islands are part of a volcanic archipelago stretching from Hokkaido, Japan to the Russian Kamchatka Peninsula and is approximately 750-810 miles long. The chain has 56 islands in the area and 100 volcanos (40 of which are active); whereas the islands themselves are summits of stratovolcanoes forming the Kuril Trench. Landscapes on the island include many kinds of beach and rocky shores, cliffs, wide rivers and fast gravelly streams, forests, grasslands, alpine tundra, crater lakes and peat bogs (McGinley, 2007).
The Kuril Islands are surrounded by waters in the North Pacific, supporting a wide range and high abundance of marine life. The islands have strategic and economic value, in terms of fisheries and also mineral deposits of pyrite, sulfur, and various polymetallic ores. There are also ongoing oil explorations which is an aspiration to provide an economic boost. Historically, the islands first came under Japanese administration in the fifteenth century during the early Edo period of Japan, in the form of claims by the Matsumae clan, and played an important role in development during the period with its vast amount of marine resources (Stephan, 1974). Currently, the islands are subject to a territorial dispute between Russia and Japan wherein Japan claims the two large islands in the southern area. Since only the southern island has large areas covered by trees, Russia will be left with the less productive areas if Japan’s succeeds in claiming the southern islands.
Aside from being an economic strategic tool and its function for resource extraction, the territory has a significant role in military tactics and an advancement of sea command. Russia uses the location as a port and a breakwater in Kitovy Bay as a major means of transport, sailing between the cove and ships anchored offshore. The islands also serve as an area of protection for the borders of Russia due to its terrain and as such, Border Guard Service troops are stationed on the islands. The claiming of the territory means a claiming of “borderline advantage.” Borders do not just denote the boundaries of the territorial state but are cast as key sites from which the safety and security of the nation can and should be guaranteed and protected. Governments present territorial borders and their regulation as central to national security, and preventing the arrival and potential arrival of undocumented migrants is in turn one of the key objectives of border control and protection (Vogl, 2015). It could also bring cooperation policies as the islands’ location is a route to the relations between the EU, China and Taiwan and security in the Far East.
Location: https://www.google.com.ph/maps/place/Kuril+Islands,+Russia/@45.9131515,145.3472074,5z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x5f361a99d615196f:0xc236c976c67650bf
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteLUCASAN, Meryl Abigail A.
ReplyDeleteThe Danube River is the second-longest river in Europe and also the longest river within the current European Union region. It flows through ten European-states namely, Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Germany, Hungary, Moldova, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia and Ukraine. It originates in Germany's Black Forest, and flows in a South-easterly direction through central and Eastern Europe to the Black Sea. In addition, it flows directly through many significant European cities, including four national capital cities namely, Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest and Belgrade (Price, 2010). Furthermore, its drainage basin extends in nine more countries namely, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Czech Republic, Italy, the Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, Poland, Slovenia and Switzerland (International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River, 2011).
Over the centuries, the Danube has been less important as an economic corridor than the Rhone or the Rhine River, but it has been one of the most significant cultural and historic boundaries in Europe. Strategically important as a means of transport and trade, the river served for centuries as the northern frontier for much of the Roman Empire. The Roman legacy bestowed upon the Danube the importance as a medieval trade route. The goods were moved either by boat or barge, or along its banks, fostering development of the Habsburg and Hungarian empires. This role created important trade and transportation centers all along it, including Regensburg and Ulm in Germany, Linz and Vienna in Austria, Bratislava in Slovakia, Budapest in Hungary, and Belgrade in Serbia. Beyond Belgrade, the Danube enters the Iron Gates, a great corridor through the Carpathian Mountains and the Balkan Mountains and then it spills into the plains of the ancient Roman province of Wallachia (Prince, 2010).
The geopolitical aspect of the Danube can connect Western, Central and South Eastern Europe. The collapse of communism has created the conditions the approach the issues in a complex way, even though there are enormous economic difficulties in the countries that the river is crossing. It is very important, from a geopolitical perspective that some landlocked European states such as, Austria, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary have access to the Black Sea through the Danube River. Furthermore, it crosses various regions with different economies, relief and influences that comes from the Mediterranean, Atlantic and continental Europe (Baltalunga & Dumitrescu, 2008). The economic value of the Danube River is immense; it is a vital resource for water supply, sustaining biodiversity, agriculture, industry, fishing, recreation, tourism, power generation and navigation. A large number of dams, reservoirs, dykes, navigation locks and other hydraulic structures have been built in the Danube River Basin to facilitate many of these important water uses (International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River, 2011).
Danube River’s Location:
https://www.google.com.ph/maps/place/Danube/@46.591712,17.3655484,7.94z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x47997e14e88eae97:0x8800350df35eccd7
FERMIN, John Vincent F.
ReplyDeleteGeography always have its ways of changing the course and destiny of the world, the Bosporus strait was foretold to embody this potential being an important passageway location historically, strategically and culturally. Rooted from history, it was an object of two conflicts; that of the War of Crimea in 1854 and the Dardanelles in 1915 (Sansal, 2015). Such controversy that involved the Bosporus Strait was due to its potentials on strategic conditions. The Republic of Crimea which was then under Russia saw this potential that made it put its interest in it (Sansal, 2015). Connecting the Black sea with the Mediterranean Sea, the Bosporus Strait is a 17-mile long natural waterway situated in the northwestern Turkey which supplies the Western and Southern Europe with oil from the Caspian Sea (Bhave, 2011). Furthermore, the Bosporus strait is evidently the border between Asia and Europe particularly distinguishing Asian Turkey from European Turkey.
The strait is currently under the control of Turkey who holds the decision regarding its matters, however today Turkey allows anyone to pass the strait especially during peacetime. Various instances have made Bosporus strait popular or rather controversial in the world. First, the Bosporus strait had been a controversial passageway for ships due to its narrow size. The passageway of Bosporus has a length of 30 km and a width of just 1 km (Bhave, 2011). Collision of ships have happened in this strait such as the one in 1991 that left 21,000 livestock (Sheeps) dead. Moreover, as the strait is connected to the Black Sea and the Mediterranean, the waves and wind coming from these seas made it more difficult for ships especially large ones to pass. Despite this, the strait continues its purpose. Second, the political geography of the Bosporus strait made it important in managing the continental boundary between Asia and Europe. Not only that this serve as a border but also a bridge and connector of cultures between the two continents. Third and lastly, the geopolitical importance of the Bosporus strait involves being a major transitway of crude oil and other petroleum products. Nearly 50,000 vessels of oil transit the straits each year (Bhave , 2011). As the Caspian sea holds many oil reserves, it needs to transport such oil to parts of Europe, Asia and other western countries. Bosporus strait fulfills this purpose as a convenient passageway for ships. Moreover, not only that the strait serves as a passageway for exporting oil but it also retains its commercial importance of transporting petroleum products between the Black sea and the rest of the world.
Indeed; historically, strategically and culturally, the Bosporus strait has made a name in the international arena. It is truly endowed with potentials of connecting every location to the rest of the world.
Bhosporus Strait's Location:
https://www.google.com.ph/maps/place/Bosphorus,+Turkey/@41.2001211,29.0871362,15z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x14cacaf6a1b454cf:0x7bab8b9dc19261dc?hl=en-ph
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteMany countries rely heavily on fossil fuels like oil as their country's energy source, like electricity and to keep cars running in order for their economy to run as well. The greatest concentration of oil is non other than the middle east where most of the Arab countries in the region produce large amounts of oil to be exported to many countries in the different parts of the world. There is no place more important to the transportation of these oils other than the Persian gulf.
ReplyDeleteThe Persian gulf is located in the middle east surrounded by many oil rich countries like Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, U. A. E., Qatar, Iraq, Kuwait and Iran. It is here in the gulf that major tanker vessels go through to get oil and be shipped to other countries, it is the mojor oil hub of the world and no where else can claim the title. The gulf has an area of about 93,000 square miles (241,000 square km). Its length is some 615 miles (990 km). The Persian gulf is so important to the world particularly to the large countries that requires huge amount of oil like the United States. To ensure that the flow of the energy giving oil to the rest of the world goes unimpeded, and to ensure that their interest is best served, the United States even positioned the United States Navy 5th Fleet which operates an entire Carrier battle group, an array of landing ships with Marines on board and nuclear submarines as well.
The Persian gulf has also been a witness to some of the most recent wars of the 20th and the 21st century like the Iran-Iraq war, the the Persian Gulf war where the United States toppled the Iraqi threat on the region and to ensure that the flow of the trade of oil will not be impeded. The security of the gulf is very imperative and that is the reason why the United States has to maintain dominance of the sea in that particular region to ensure that the flow of oil is safe. If the flow of oil in the gulf would be stopped for even just a week or a month, the entire world would suffer because oil is the life blood of many industrialized countries in the world and when their industries shut down, their economy shuts down and their country with it.
http://www.britannica.com/place/Persian-Gulf
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/feb/17/bahrain-protests-us-fifth-fleet
The Strait of Hormuz links the Indian and the Pacific Ocean, or in a narrower scope the Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman, and the Arabian Sea which separates the countries of Iran and Oman. The Strait is considered to be a chokepoint, a bottleneck or a constriction wherein there is a narrower passageway compared to its neighboring bodies of water. It is 21 miles or 33 km wide up to 60 miles or 95 km at its widest (Briney).
ReplyDeleteThe countries of Iran and Oman share territorial rights over the Strait of Hormuz being the nearest countries to the body of water. Since the 1980s according to Briney, there was an Iran-Iraq War; the country of Iran tried to warn that they will be closing the Strait due to the interruption in the transportation of goods. The Strait is also a place wherein many naval battles occurred between the countries of United States and Iran in April 1988 once United States assailed Iran. Later in the 1990s, the disparities between Iran and United Arab Emirates because of the colonization of some islands resulted into the start of many warnings of closing the Strait.
The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world's most tactical chokepoint because of the volume of oil transport which is 30% in all seaborne exported oil. It is known as the one of the most used channel for oil-carrying boats or ships coming from the Middle East (particularly from the countries of Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates) to pass and be shipped to the countries of Asia which are Japan, India, China and South Korea; the regular oil transport is about 17 million last 2013 making it approximately six billion barrels of oil annually (U.S. Energy Information Administration, 2014). Besides its usage of being an oil transport, it has a military importance as well (World Atlas, 2015).
Last June 2008, the country Iran declared that if its country will be assailed by United States, the Strait of Hormuz will be closed so that there could be a huge destruction made to the oil markets (Briney). The United States’ counteraction is that the closure of the Strait would assert an act of war. In the most current news, Iran warned to close the Strait because of the international demands to discontinue nuclear programs. In January 2012, Iran’s oil prohibition was declared by the European Union.
The Strait of Hormuz can be seen as a very important place of trade and navigation. The ownership of this body of water will lead to the disruption of the continuance and development of the world oil market. Many countries have tried to own and close it, but many have tried to resolve the conflicts.
Strait of Hormuz Location:
http://www.worldatlas.com/aatlas/infopage/hormuz.htm
AQUILIZAN, Dohn Alfred E.
ReplyDeleteWith the thawing of the cold war, the former members of the Soviet Union became independent from one another causing each state autonomous control over its lands. Nagorno-Karabakh, a small mountainous land mainly occupied by Armenians but is located within Azerbaijan’s internationally recognized border, which became the root of the forbearing conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Although the claims are said to be historical, another key reason for the battle over Nagorno-Karabakh and the noticeable absence of any tangible prospect that shall serve as a solution is because of its geographical location and its geopolitical importance (Carley, 1998). The Caucasus region, where Nagorno-Karabakh is located, serves as a gateway from the East of the world to the West without the utilization of seas and oceans. The mountainous lands of Nagorno-Karabakh are in the border lines of former Soviet Union territories and the realm of the Islamic World. Because of these, the interest in claiming over the lands became not limited to Armenia and Azerbaijan but peaked those also of the United States, The European Union, The Islamic Countries, China, and the former Iron Ruler of the Soviets which is Russia which led to the frozen state of unresolved issues over the lands (Croissant, 1998).
Because the lands of Europe can access the Caspian Sea and the countries in Central Asia through Nagorno-Karabakh, it plays an important role in the strategic geo-economic clouting of interests such as trade, energy and commerce. In order to transport bulk and luxurious goods, which are the basis of one country’s economic prowess, with controlled and limited utilization of air spaces and bodies of water the European countries must possess an access in the lands located at the Caucasus region. The land of Nagorno-Karabakh is a direct and crucial link in the establishment of land-based continent-vast corridors of trade that connects China and India with Europe and the Middle East, and vice versa. If successful, this shall revive the old concept of silk-routes that existed in China into a modern era (Croissant, 1998).
The pivotal location of Nagorno-Karabakh also is an important factor in maximizing national and regional securities. With the existence today of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), it is important for the European Countries, especially Russia, and Western Countries like the United States of America to secure the lands that gives access to the realm of the Islamic World in which the ISIS could pass through without being noticed unlike when compared to the use naval and aerial means. In the 9/11 incident, although the United States was not able to stop the terrorism because of the involvement of innocent civilians, the countries around Nagorno-Karabakh was able to give assistance to the United States by preventing anymore unauthorized aircraft to pass through from the East to the West therefore preventing further atrocities (Freire, 2004).
Nagorno-Karabakh location:
https://www.google.com.ph/maps/search/nagorno-karabakh/@39.8217123,46.7508325,14z/data=!3m1!4b1?hl=fil
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteBEJARIN, Joanne Camille P.
ReplyDeleteThe Indians call it New Moore, and the Bengalis call it South Talpatti. One may ask why there shall be two names for a mere sandbar of formation which appeared suddenly in the Bay of Bengal, and it is for the reason that it is located immediately south of the international border river between India and Bangladesh called the Hariabhanga. New Moore or South Talpatti was first observed by American Satellites in 1974, back when it only had an area of 2,500 square meters, and few years later, it was observed that the area it occupied increased almost four times (Sinha, 1977). A peculiar thing about this disputed landform is that its elevation never exceeded two meters or six feet above the ocean (Morris, 2010).
For barely even being considered a land formation, there has been such a pronounced dispute for the land. But this intensity of the dispute may well be due to the possible existence of unexploited oil and natural gas in the region which could definitely contribute to the economic gains of the state that gains custody. It would only be right to mention that because of its peculiar height coupled with the current state of global warming and unpredictable currents, it was inevitable that this landform suddenly disappeared in March of 2010 (Magnier, 2010).
The proximity of the sand bar to both countries give them equal rights to exploit its resources according to Article 57 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea or UNCLOS (United Nations, 1982). However, no country was ever able to build a settlement or a station to prove the existence of resources in the sand bar for the reason that is was not visibly there at all times (BBC News, 2010). Assuming that the land form never disappeared at certain periods of time, the location of this sandbar could have been pivotal because it is strategically located enough-two kilometres from the shore-to serve as a site to establish a naval station that could guard illegal or unprecedented entries from the Bay of Bengal. As Arnoldy (2010) claimed, if this disappearance contributed any good to the situation, it is the fact that it deemed impossible the existence of the dispute altogether. It is perhaps one of the few situations that global warming acted as a natural peacemaker and led to a conflict resolution (Mia, 2013).
Location of New Moore/South Talpatti:
https://www.google.com.ph/maps/place/New+Moore,+Bangladesh/@21.615347,88.581148,172061m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!3m1!1s0x3a01122b4c1e3603:0xfdc97aa8345ae4
Amaro, Beya Marie F.
ReplyDeleteThe Western wall
The western wall or the Wailing Wall is like any other wall whose purpose is to protect and secure a particular area or a landmark. Though, the unique part about the western wall is that it secures a particular religious structure. Also, the wall itself serves as a religious site to several religion and religious sects where they offer their prayers. The length of this sacred structure is one thousand six hundred feet but the only exposed section of the wall is a hundred and eighty seven feet (Berkovitz 2001). The western wall has been a topic in a series of arguments, debate and discussions.
One of the discussions about the wall is that several religious sectors are claiming for its possession and rights. In Judaism, they consider the wall as the holiest place in the world by the virtue of the temple on the temple mount. While the Muslims claims that the wall is part of their possession because they claim that it is part of the temple mount, which is a holy place for them. For Christians, Jerusalem is the holiest city because of the tradition and beliefs that is written in their holy book (Berkovitz, 2001).
The wall had been standing there for a very long time now, and it witnessed events that changed humanity. From religious conflicts to territorial disputes down wars between different groups, and still the wall stood firm (CNN, 2015). The wall may not be as political or internationally related topic at first, but when you look at the issue closely, it is an issue of religion. And, Religion somehow and sometimes dictates politics and international relations. In our raging world today, we make things complicated for ourselves, but we do not know that to be able to solve a particular conflict you just have to go back to its roots. The issue of possession of the western wall can be traced back in the ancient times.
The Western Wall location:
https://www.google.com.ph/maps/place/Western+Wall/@31.7767189,35.2323198,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m2!3m1!1s0x150329c939ceab8f:0x83ad5efed1777179
LINTAG, Geraldine Princess A.
ReplyDeleteThe Ferghana Valley is located in Central Asia that lies along Eastern Uzbekistan, Southern Kyrgyzstan and Northern Tajikistan hence, the demography of the valley is divided among the Uzbeks, Kyrgyz, and Tajiks. As Central Asia’s geopolitical core it is coupled with issues which concerned the international community namely, terrorism, religious extremism, Afghanistan’s instability, hydrocarbon resources and regional transit capacity which can link Asia to Europe (Bobokulov, 2014). It is comparable to a ticking time bomb that can explode anytime because of the building tensions between enclaves and the three countries surrounding the valley. The Ferghana Valley contains nine enclaves wherein majority of them are located in Kyrgyzstan, these enclaves consists of Uzbekistan’s exclaves: Sokh, Shakhimardan, Qalacha, Djangail, and Tayan; Tajikistan’s exclaves: Vorukh, Western Qalacha, Sarvak; and Kyrgyzstan’s exclave: Barak (Merkulova, 2013).The enclaves emerged as a result of the Soviet Union’s delimitation process created to suit administrative purposes which is not much of problem during the time of the USSR since the whole region were united as one political entity, but following its collapse, the Ferghana Valley became one of the most unstable places in the region because of the unsorted delimitation and demarcation of borders. Border management policy in each country could have shut down the tensions in the valley but states in Central Asia were unproductive in border discussions.
Despite the complexity of territorial boundaries in Ferghana Valley it remains valuable in this era of globalization and economic interdependence. Being the most densely populated area in the region it holds the largest consumer market in Central Asia; it also has a substantial industrial capability as the largest oil refinery in the region is located in Ferghana City; transport lines that connect Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan with the rest of Eurasia cross the valley; it is also a key element of regional hydro energy system (Bobokulov, 2014). Active engagement in border delimitations and demarcations by Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan to sort out the tensions between them and their exclaves can stop and destroy the ticking time bomb altogether and create an avenue for economic and social development.
The Ferghana Valley location: https://www.google.com.ph/maps/dir//Fergana+Valley,+Uzbekistan/@40.7661903,71.2198057,7z/data=!4m13!1m4!3m3!1s0x38bb3e601945a455:0xcfe47f648e385923!2sFergana+Valley,+Uzbekistan!3b1!4m7!1m0!1m5!1m1!1s0x38bb3e601945a455:0xcfe47f648e385923!2m2!1d71.5!2d40.7666667
DELA CRUZ, Ma. Clarissa M.
ReplyDeleteNiger Delta, which is one of the three largest wetlands in the world, makes up 7.5% of Nigeria’s land mass. It is a heterogeneous and multicultural region with over 20 ethnic groups, including those of Yoruba, Edo, Igbo, Izon, and Cross River Stock. This region is abundant in human and natural resources; it consists of a number of distinct ecological zones, coastal ridge barriers mangrove swamps, fresh water swamps, forests, and lowland rain forest. Aside from being hugely endowed with oil and gas deposits, fertile agricultural land, abundant rivers and fish, forest and human resources, the Niger Delta also supports a complex bio-diversity and other biological and ecological features. According to UNDP Report (2006), more than seventy percent of the people depend on natural environment for their livelihood.
This region is called the breadwinner of the nation. Its oil and gas account for over 85% of the Nation's gross domestic product (GDP); over 95% of the National budget; and over 80% of the national wealth. The region has also accounted over 90% of the nation's export earnings since 1975. Because of Niger Delta, Nigeria has become West Africa’s biggest producer of petroleum, with an estimate of 2 million barrels of oil extracted from Niger Delta a day. This region is the home of multinational corporations such as Shell, Chevron, Mobil, etc.
However, oil has been a curse in disguise of a blessing to the people of Niger Delta. Paradoxically, the region remains the poorest, due largely to the ecologically unfriendly exploitation of oil and state policies that expropriate the indigenous peoples of the Niger Delta of their rights to these natural resources. Pollution and continuous flaring of gas from oil prospecting and production have created health hazards and rendered fishing and other farming activities, useless. Large oil spills kill fish; destroy agricultural crops; pollute the waters which seriously affect families and communities. Today, the inhabitants of Niger Delta are left with nothing but damaged farmlands and polluted rivers with no electricity, potable drinking water and other basic social amenities.
Niger Delta location:
https://www.google.com.ph/maps/place/Niger+Delta+Post/@5.0230759,6.8155575,8z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x105d57c2bf7bb7a9:0x2ca3661514dded7d?hl=fil
The Yellow River or Huang He is the "mother river of China". Its basin was the center of Chinese politics, economy, and culture for over 2,000 years. It is the second-longest river in China and sixth longest in the world. The river is also the symbol of the Chinese spirit: bearing burdens (its sedimentation), adaptation (its course changes), and perseverance (its continual flow).
ReplyDeleteThe Yellow River is the most important water resource for the dry north of China, playing an irreplaceable role in economic development, and agriculture. Since 1960 over 14 dams have been constructed on the river for hydroelectric power, which is vital to northern China's infrastructure.
However, the Yellow River is also called "China's Sorrow". Each year, over 1.6 billion tons of soil flows into the Yellow River, this causes the continual rise and shift of the riverbed. It was extremely prone to flooding, and had caused millions of deaths, including the deadliest disaster in human history.
With global warming, decrease in rainfall in the Yellow River Basin, and increasing water demands for irrigation, industry, etc., the Yellow River has been used up by its lower reaches since 1972, when it ran dry for the first time in recorded history. The longest dry period lasted 226 days in 1997.
As of today, the river has been abused. It has become so polluted in some reaches that it is unfit for agricultural and industrial use, because of the huge increase in factory and sewage discharges from China's fast-expanding cities. The government is taking measures to deal with Yellow River pollution, such as setting limits on the volume of major pollutants discharged into rivers and lakes, and controlling overuse of water resources.
Yellow River location:
https://www.google.com.ph/maps/place/Yellow+River,+Madoi,+Golog,+China/@34.8114357,97.2862207,11z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m2!3m1!1s0x37a7cf56c06ff4cb:0x5a019e5ba80270f5
CAGARA, Garilissa Erin
ReplyDeleteOne of the world’s geopolitical crises became even worse because of a current incident, there has been an issue of a Russian jet shot down by Turkish military over Syrian borders. The place to where the aircraft truly reached is still debatable. The Russian pilot insists that he knew the region because he had been flying that location and that the jet had not been in Turkish airspace “even for a second” (BBC, 2015). Russian defence officials say the plane never entered Turkish territory, and that Turkish pilots made no attempt to talk with the Russians before they fired. However, the Turkish government remained firm in stating that the location of the Russian jet is within its borders. The place where the jet is believed to reach Turkey is Bayır Bucak. Another reason for this issue could be that these states are on opposing sides in Syria’s conflict, with Russia supporting President Bashar al-Assad, while Turkey is a staunch critic. Turkey is part of the US-led coalition against the so-called Islamic State (IS) group (Robertson, 2015).
The Turkish government say the aircraft ignored warnings and violated Turkish airspace. They say two of their F-16 jets were snarled and brought down the Russian plane with a missile strike. On the other hand, Moscow insists its jet remained in Syrian airspace. Both sides say they have hard evidence to back up their accounts. Turkey has produced a map which it says proves its case (Chance & Martinez, 2015). Now the issue arises to where the Russian jet has truly landed. The story has now both sides of the coin proclaiming that Turkey per se, only upheld its sovereign rights over their territory. Furthermore, Russian pilots did not withdraw from its geographical information, saying that they were inside an ally’s land thus, no international right to property was violated. The issue not only envelopes a question of which state owns the Bayir Bucak (from which the Russian jet reached such airspace) but it has also lead to the powers of these states to create defensive or offensive attacks, a new war may even arise from this conflict of airspace or geopolitical area for this matter.
Location:
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34925229 or https://www.google.com.ph/maps/place/Bay%C4%B1r+Bucak+Sk.,+31440+K%C4%B1r%C4%B1khan%2FHatay,+Turkey/@36.4900549,36.3504157,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m2!3m1!1s0x152f621ef3819ef9:0x19e4a8405e101d2b
QUIMSON, Wilde Ehrolle John A.
ReplyDeleteThe Spratly Islands are located in the West Philippine Sea (or South China Sea, in reference to China). It is a collection of aquatic assets consisting of islands and unexplored resources that are mostly the cause of dispute. It is without doubt that the controversy surrounding these islands have included multiple countries including Brunei, Vietnam, Malaysia, and others, especially the Philippines and China.
The geographical location of the Spratly Islands have produced much confusion on claims made by various countries on its ownership. Discussions on the subject matter have been debated upon, but ultimately we cannot deny the fact that the amount of effort exerted by these countries to claim these islands are substantial. China and other countries have claimed historical evidence that may support their ownership claims. Nevertheless, the Philippines has still provided by UNCLOS their contention for ownership of these islands.
An important collection of assets is essential to a country, especially with the idea of geographical proximity and strategic location contributing to the advantages you can get from acquiring these islands. From a geopolitical perspective, the study of policies is necessary to extinguish or manage this dispute. With the high amount of strategic position and economic resource at stake, it is relevant to witness how this matter unfolds in the international arena.
Location: https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=zIym14CoHj3s.kjRLps6mSj_A&hl=en
ABELENDE, Arra Jean S.
ReplyDeleteDeclared by India as a part of the state of Jammu and Kashmir, Aksai Chin is also considered a part of the Chinese sovereign region of Xinjiang. The common conflicts between countries involve territories rich in oil, gas, or minerals, but in this case, the countries at odds are geo-strategic: The former fears losing it would make the whole of its north-east region defenseless, while the latter needs it to link Tibet to Xinjiang (Swami, 2013).
Aksai Chin is a deserted area but it served as a trade route of Xinjiang and Tibet during the ancient times. Eventually, though, experts claim that a swap will ultimately do the trick—India will have to let go of its claims to Aksai Chin in order for China to recognize its sovereignty over Arunachal Pradesh. The Sino-Indian War of 1962 came to blows in this area. In 1996, confidence-building measures and other agreements to resolve the dispute are concluded. However, in 2006, the Chinese ambassador to India claimed Arunachal Pradesh as a part of the Chinese territory, so in turn, in 2009, India positioned additional military forces along the area.
Location:
https://www.google.com.ph/maps/place/Aksai+Chin/@34.6818224,78.0476657,8z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m2!3m1!1s0x38ff9ce287122433:0xdfade1cd4541de6a
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteAREVALO, Anella Vianchi
ReplyDeleteFollowing the end of the longest civil war in Africa, which ultimately produced the independence of South Sudan from Sudan, is the rise of conflict between the two parties which started in 2012. The area of dispute is the entire border which connects Sudan and South Sudan, athough particular locations like Heglig (a Sudanese town which contains the Greater Nile Oil Pipeline) and the Abyei region (an oil-rich border region) are focused on. The causes of dispute primarily revolve around the battle for control over oil-rich regions within the originally united country (BBC, 2015).
Despite the abundance in oil reserves, Sudan is still one of the least developed countries within the African continent (BBC, 2015). This reason alone makes the battle over oil control particularly important for the two countries. Even after South Sudan’s independence, tension continues to persist because the oil resource is concentrated along South Sudan but the pipelines and refineries are in the north (Doane, 2006). From 2005-2012, agreements have been made to settle differences and to resolve the murders that resulted from violent clashes; but the conflict is further aggravated by the division of alliances between pro-north and pro-south Sudanese (Global Policy Forum, 2015).
The emergence of the Sudan-South Sudan conflict brings damage to the world market because of the huge reduction of oil supply (Williams, 2015). Moreover, strained relations with foreign allies and enemies like Iran, Israel, Kenya, United Kingdom, United States, Vietnam and Yemen called forth the intervention from the United Nations, the Arab League and the African Union so as to prevent further harm to the greater international community (Copnall, 2015).
Sudan-South Sudan map:
https://www.oxfamireland.org/sites/default/files/south-sudan-map_0_0.jpg
Oil dispute map:
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-12115013
Border map:
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TCRN798SlwY/T7_4ofUFTnI/AAAAAAAAAjg/o6nFOfj-_rU/s1600/sudan_border_disputes_map_3.png
Brunei, China, Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam are the countries who are claiming in part or in whole of the Spratly Island. These countries claims this piece of island although it is not capable of being plowed to grow crops, have no indigenous inhabitants, and have a few islands of permanent drinkable water supply, because it has a huge reserves of natural resources around them and it also has a huge reserves of oil and natural gas according to the discovery of The Geology and Mineral Resources Ministry of the People's Republic of China. However, the US Energy Information Administration contests the discovery of China and said that there is no oil exists in the island. Still, the alleged discovery of China have intensified the territorial claims of the six countries (Montesgaard, 2015)
ReplyDeleteSpratly Island's Location:
https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=zIym14CoHj3s.kjRLps6mSj_A&hl=en
Spratly Island Discourse:
http://www.e-ir.info/2015/07/19/the-spratly-islands-dispute-a-discourse-analysis/
BOCO, Eva Joy C.
ReplyDeleteKalapani, which is where India, China, and Nepal meet, is a conflict of interest between India and Nepal (Grooves, 2014). The conflict involves about 75 sq km of area in Kalapani. India and Nepal differ as to which stream constitutes the source of the river. Nepal regards the Limpiyadhura as the source; India claims the Lipu Lekh. Nepal has reportedly tabled an 1856 map from the British India Office to support its position. India and Nepal have released different maps that claiming Kalapani as theirs. India claims the edge of the Kalapani since 1962 and have maintained the claim ever since. While the claim of Nepal came from the Suguali Treaty signed by the British Indian officers and Nepal in 1816.
Territory is one of the four elements of the state. A defined territory is important for a state. Kalapani River lies near the Sino-Indian frontier that is why who ever have the control of the river gains strategic military value. With the history of the Sino-Indian War, it will be a better gain for India to have a control of the river. But boundaries are manifestations of national identity (Majumder, 2015), and with the current civil attacks and wars in Nepal, to have the sole right over the Kalapani River will be a morale booster for its people and country. Boundaries as manifestations of national identity can also be a cause of war, and if this dispute over the Kalapani River will not be solve, a war can happen. In war, no one wins.
Location of Kalapani https://www.google.com.ph/maps/place/Kalopani,+33100,+Nepal/@28.6378417,83.5884025,14z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m2!3m1!1s0x39be074260ad88b3:0x31a121feac9379c9
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteBESARIO, Kenny Anne R.
ReplyDeleteVozrozhdeniye is a small island located in the middle of the vast Aral Sea. It was once a secret biological weapons test site facilitated by the Soviet government. The geographical isolation of the Vozrozhdeniye Island is said to be the reason why the location was chosen. Unauthorized access to the site was easily hindered due to the surrounding large, sparsely populated areas (Pike, 2011). In addition, the hot and dry climate of the area was also ideal in suppressing the pathogenic microorganisms’ growth (Miller, 1999).
When Soviet’s work in the site ended, all the biological weapons were thoroughly sealed and buried under the ground. But due to an ecosystem collapse, Aral Sea got drained, hence, Vozrozhdeniye grew in size. This meant that the latter could soon be connected to the mainland and could possibly cause contamination. Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan—owners of the jurisdictionally divided Aral Sea—separately asked the US for help regarding the issue (Shoemaker, 2014). Consequently, with both countries’ permission, American scientists conducted studies in Vozrozhdeniye and found out that some deadly microorganisms of anthrax had survived. Due to this discovery, many assumed that the island could have been a potential target for global terrorists. In 2001, this prediction led to an official agreement between the US and Uzbekistan. The US agreed on giving technical and financial assistance to Uzbekistan to completely clear the island from any trace of anthrax (Shoemaker, 2014).
Indeed, many were involved in the Vozrozhdeniye Island because of its geographical importance. First, the Soviet government had purposefully chosen the island because of its conducive geographical location. Second, when it was revealed that there was a geographical issue in the island that could've potentially endangered human lives, an international cooperation resulted. The aforementioned also served as evidences that proved that geography played a vital role in the decision-making processes in the international political arena throughout the course of history.
Location of the Vozrozhdeniye Island
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteANG, Almer Angelo S.
ReplyDeleteThe Senkaku or Diaoyu islands is a territorial dispute between Japan and China, It is located in east mainland of China. Both Japan and China claims the ownership of the islands. China states that the Senkaku or Diaoyu islands is belong to them since ancient times but the Japanese government declare that nobody owned the Senkaku or Diaoyu islands. In 1945, after the second world war, the Senkaku or Diaoyu islands come under the control of the United States and In 1971, the United States with the cooperation of Japan signed an agreement to return the Senkaku or Diaoyu islands to Japan government (Manyin, 2013). Despite the signed agreement, the Chinese government states that they are the one who has the rights because they were the first one to discover the Senkaku or Diaoyu islands. But the Japanase government states that there is no evidence or proof that any Chinese people living the Senkaku or Diaoyu islands.
Claiming the Senkaki or Diaoyu islands between Japan and China is vital for the national security of their state. China develop strong armed forces and strong defenses like submarine and the Japanese government with help of the United States, build up a strong navy. The United States required some military to go to Japan for the security of people in Japan and to protect for a possible war against China (Manyin, 2013). The Japanese government relationship with United States help them in claiming the islands over the China.
Location: https://www.google.com.ph/maps/place/Senkaku-shot%C5%8D+%2F+Diaoyudao+%2F+Diaoyutai+Islands/@25.8245238,122.4619355,8z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m2!3m1!1s0x345932d270066773:0x9e50ac6f2a0f78e2
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteCELINO, Ralph Rafael C.
ReplyDeleteGibraltar, commonly referred to as the Rock and one of the Pillars of Hercules, is a peninsula situated in the southern edge of Spain with a population of about 30,000 people. Once a part of the territory of Spain, sovereignty over the land was ceded in perpetuity to Great Britain in the Treaty of Utrecht and continues to be a British Overseas Territory for more than 300 years (Lincoln, 1994). However, Spain plans to take its sovereignty back as it lays its claim over the Rock, arguing that the British sovereignty violates its right to territorial integrity, one that is protected under international law (Barford, 2013). Great Britain on the other hand, insists that the Treaty of Utrecht gives it sovereignty over Gibraltar and that Gibraltarians, who in a referendum expressed their desire to remain under British authority, have the right to self-determination entitled to them also by international law (Barford, 2013).
Contestation on sovereignty over the peninsula may be due to the territory’s military and economic importance. Gibraltar was deemed an important territory of Great Britain in the past because of its strategic location, withstanding numerous sieges and serving British military purposes during the world wars. Majority of the territory is occupied by a military air base, a naval base, and also serves as a stop-over for ships that need to refuel (Cuenca, 2013). The Rock can also serve as a watchtower for the British in monitoring the ships that pass through the Mediterranean coming from the Atlantic and Islamic extremism spreading in Africa’s Sahel Belt (Cuenca, 2013). The Rock’s military role may become even more significant as Great Britain plans to convert the military base on the Rock as a NATO base, open for use to all members of the organization, but with sovereignty still under the British (Dejevsky, 2015). This plan may also serve as a solution to the territorial dispute between Great Britain and Spain. Whatever the outcome of the dispute may be, its existence as well as the willingness of involved parties to risk affecting their relations with each other only affirms Gibraltar’s importance as a strategic military location with its own growing economy.
Gibraltar's location:
https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=zJxjuxrPB8CY.kBmfaB45zzys&hl=en_US
Leary, Chulmari P.
ReplyDeleteThe Bakassi Peninsula, situated on the African Atlantic Gulf of Guinea, has been of strategic importance since colonial rule. Although “oil-rich” may be the modifier used in every mention of the word Bakassi in the Nigerian medium, the peninsula became a major source of tensions between Cameroon and Nigeria (Placido, 2015). Amid the many border disputes that the said countries have had in recent years since its independence, the Bakassi peninsula stands out very clearly as the most. The military struggle between the two nations has resulted in some form of division between the islands wherein things became very heated on May 16, 1981 when a Nigerian military patrol army violated Cameroon's territory by penetrating the Bakassi peninsula and opening the fire on the Cameroon Navy (Negiar, 2010). In return, the Cameroon troops killed five Nigerian soldiers wherein Cameroon alleged that the incident has provided Nigerian authorities the excuse for exploiting the incident politically and for trying to put the blame on Cameroon (Negiar, 2015). Using diplomatic means, both nations had laid to rest the incident that resulted in the death of Nigerian soldiers but it appears to have raised the issue on who should own the Bakassi Peninsula to the forefront of relations between both nations since then.
In addition, it was after this incident that Cameroon decided to take the border dispute to the ICJ for its adjudication. Hence, the territory was transferred to Cameroon on 14 August 2008 (McGee, 2008). The relevance of this information is that, the Bakassi Peninsula has aroused several interests from oil companies because of the discovery of rich reserves of high grade crude oil. In fact, multinational oil companies have participated in the exploration of the peninsula and its offshore which is obliging since governments are using the border dispute as a means of diverting attention away from their poverty records. Thus, the withdrawal between two countries can have a comprehensive resolution which can be implemented and achieved for the security and peace of the said countries per se.
Bakkasi Peninsula's location:
https://www.google.com.ph/maps/place/Bakassi+Peninsula,+Cameroon/@4.5663125,8.3145132,10z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m2!3m1!1s0x10670ee9e7c4c5bb:0xd7b9f521925a39a4
ANDAL, Thomas Sergio
ReplyDeleteThe Liancourt Rocks is located in the Sea of Japan and it is between South Korea and Japan. It is almost equidistant between the two states. The Liancourt Rocks is named by the French in 1849 and it is also known as Dokdo (solitary islands) in Korea and Takeshima (bamboo islands) in Japan. The Islands consist of two main lands and is surrounded by smaller rocks. It is almost 230 000 sq m in size.
Both Japan and Korea claim sovereignty over the islands. Since 1954, a South Korean coastguard has been stationed there. Both sovereign states provided historical claims over the islands and its surrounding area. The Japanese Government claims that “Dokdo is an integral part of Korean territory historically, geographically and under international law. (Fern, 2005, p. 78)” While the Korean Government as cited in Fern (2005) claims that “Tokdo is our territory, historically and under international law (p. 78).” The Liancourt Rocks is located in a good fishing spot and it is thought that natural gas is near the area .
Over the years, both states gave their own claims over the disputed region. In 2005, Japan set up the Takeshima Day as a protest to the Korean claims. “Both sides have routinely used the issue to stir up nationalist sentiment for domestic political gain (Miller, 2011).” The importance of the Liancourt Rocks the the states is that it can be a source of resources which would contribute to their economy. Claiming sovereignty over the islands would give their respective people, The Korean and Japanese, a sense of nationalism and national identity.
Sources
Fern, S. (2005). Tokdo or Takeshima? The International Law of Territorial Acquisition in the Japan-Korea Island Dispute. Stanford Journal of East Asian Affairs , 5 (1), 78 - 89.
Miller, B. (2011, August 2). Dokdo Row Flares Again. Retrieved November 26, 2015, from The Diplomat: http://thediplomat.com/2011/08/dokdo-row-flares-again/
Homeres, Roland III P.
ReplyDeleteThe Danish Straits is one of the most strategic location for trade and military maneuvers. The Danish Strait is a chokepoint, meaning it is a point of congestion where most trade routes would likely pass. The danish Strait connects the East part of the North Sea to the Baltic Sea. Note also that the Danish Strait is not a single strait rather it is a system of channels composing of three Straits namely: Oresund, Great Belt and Little Belt. The Copenhagen Convention of 1857 made the Danish Straits an international waterway and present policies concerning the body of water still takes its roots from The Copenhagen Convention of 1857 (UNESCO, n.d.).
This strait is of great importance for the matter that 3.3 million barrels of oil pass through this strait. Most of the oil passing here came from Russia, however Russia's interest in this region is primarily economic. The recent developments and the escalating tensions between Europe and Russia, surprisingly, does not affect the aforementioned body of water (Bender, 2015) primarily because of the importance of the resources that pass through the straits.
Sources
Bender, J. (2015, April 1). These 8 narrow chokepoints are critical to the world's oil trade. Retrieved from Business Insider Website.
UNESCO. (n.d.). Environment and development in coastal regions and in small islands. Retrieved from UNESCO website: http://www.unesco.org/csi/act/russia/legalpro6.htm
Location of Danish Strait:
https://www.google.com.ph/maps/place/Danish+straits,+Denmark/@56.1388831,10.0863399,7z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x464db941174bc683:0x3b8acbea08fc27d6?hl=en
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteMONDIDO, Atheena Mae M.
ReplyDeleteThe Suez Canal in Egypt was opened after its 10 years of construction in November 17, 1869; in other words it is a man made canal. This canal allows ships from South of Asia pass to Europe without having to pass around Africa, which is a big help in the trading system of each continent due to the efficiency it gives when it comes to transporting the products faster than it was before. It is a canal that connects the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea which means that it is in between the continents of Africa and Asia.
Due to the great impact of this canal to the trading world, when the Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser in 1956 nationalized the canal by transferring its supervision and maintenance to the Suez Canal Authority which led to the Suez Crisis, UK, France and Italy invaded Egypt.
August 2014 when the Suez Canal Authority decided to expand the canal to accommodate larger amount of traders that wish to pass it.
Location:
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Suez+Canal,+Egypt/@30.5093843,31.8848526,9z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m2!3m1!1s0x14f9aaeef52d333b:0xadec1b7a1220a846