Centripetal vs. Centrifugal Forces: AP Human Geography Crash Course
Countries today face a myriad of issues that threaten to divide its citizens. Religious differences, for
example, can split people of the same culture. Differences in language can be a cause for unrest, and
may require resolution by the central government. Cultural diversity in many countries is deeply rooted
and can create powerful divisions within the population. Divisions are a reality in any country, but there
are also forces that unite countries and strengthen the populace because of a strong love of and loyalty
to their country. This AP Human Geography study guide will explore those forces that divide (centrifugal)
or unify (centripetal) a country. We will define centrifugal and centripetal forces and how they can
originate in political, economic or cultural dimensions. We will also discuss why these two forces are
vital to the survival of the state.
Both centrifugal and centripetal forces exist in the same dimensions, and examples are in the areas of
religion, language, ethnicity, government, and physical geography. This study guide will help you
understand the definition centrifugal and centripetal forces and give you examples of how each force
can unite or divide a state.
What Makes a State a State?
The concepts of political geography and the state are important to understand when we discuss
centripetal and centrifugal forces, because they may affect the future of a country. In the context of
human geography, please note that term terms state and country are synonymous and are used
interchangeably. Before we look at forces that can divide or unite a country, let’s review the concepts of
political geography and the state. Political geography is how humans define and control land and its
resources through the establishment of states. Our planet is divided into political units called states or
countries. Each country has defined borders, which have set boundaries, and are organized into a
political unit, ruled by an established government that has control over its internal and foreign affairs.
Countries occupy a defined territory and have a permanent population. A state has sovereignty, which
means independence from control of its internal affairs by other states. A nation is a group of unified
people with a common culture. The Kurds would be an example of a nation without a state of their own.
Nation-states describe a state comprised of a population with over 90 percent of a particular culture.
Japan and Lesotho are good examples of nation-states.
A concern of any country is how to stay sovereign in the face of forces that may divide its citizens. States
draw on unifying forces to rally its citizens behind forces common to its national identity. A federal state
gives local political units like states or provinces within that country a measure of power. Conversely,
unitary states are characterized by a strong central government. Divisive forces threaten a country’s
sovereignty by dividing the country and breaking down the central government. They are also forces
that unite and bind a country together like a common faith or a shared ideology. Let’s look at what
those forces are.
Centripetal vs Centrifugal Forces Defined
The theory of centripetal and centrifugal forces is associated with political geographer Richard
Hartshorne. He argued that the integration of a state’s geographical area involved two competing
forces. Centrifugal forces that pull people apart, and centripetal forces that bring people together. These
forces can limit interaction, producing regionalism and creating dissimilarity among people of a country.
