Crossing the Line GIS Activity

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     I chose Basque Country for my new country and a unifed Korea as my convergent country. Basque Country is a small region of land sitting on the west side of the border of France and Spain. Most of it resides in Northern Spain, with a small percentage that lies in the corner of Southwest France. The Koreas are in East Asia, in-between China and Japan.
     I believe the Basque people will break away from France and Spain because they are one of the oldest culture groups in Europe. They speak a language from an entirely different language family, and have gone through a lot as a people. They were persecuted and suffered immensely during the Spanish Civil War, and they lost much of their autonomy, creating a surge in Basque Nationalism. I think Korea  will be eventually be unified. Although divided because of decisions that were made at the end of World War 2, both countries still want to eventually unite. They have a shared traditional Korean history from before the war. But more importantly now, once they unified, they could have a stronger economy. While some tensions have fluctuated over the years, the potential economic benefits of a unified Korea may be enough for unification sometime in the future.
     The Basque Country borders are physical boundaries because the Basque people live in the mountains. The Pyrenees Mountains had been their home for years, and for a while also helped protect them from countries conquering them and forcing them to assimilate. The Korean borders are cultural borders, making the borders similar to when Korea used to be united.
     A sovereign Basque Country would mean that the Basque people would not have to fear persecution like they have in the past. The people in charge of them would be one of them, instead of French of Spanish people making decisions for them. If Korea united, they would have a stronger front if ever up against larger, more powerful countries, and could share their recourses, giving them potential improved economic power.