近代以来,以领土为物质基础的民族或者国家间的竞争和合作均发生在特定的地理空间之内。人们对地理空间与民族或者国家间相互关系影响的认识反映在国际关系理论中。就是地缘政治学,换言之,地缘政治是在对国际上各种政治力量及其相互关系进行地理空间分析的基础上,为维护国家利益制定适当的对外政策和战略的一种理论。地缘政治最基本的内核是地理要素.即地理位置、国土幅员、邻国、地形与气候、资源以及距离等。科学认识地缘政治学基本的地理要素.是正确把握、运用地缘政治学的先决条件。
Competition and cooperation among nation-states based on territory occur at a given geographical spatial context since modem times (since 1648). Geopolitics, which is represented in theories of international relationship, is the cognition of influence between geographical spatial context and nation-states. In other words, geopolitics is a school of in- ternational relationship theory to make proper foreign policies and strategies to protect national interests based on the spatial correlation analysis among international political forces. The essential of geopolitics is its geographic factor, including geographic position, the stretch of territory, the neighbouring countries, topography and climate, resources, distance. The scientific conception of geographic factor of geopolitics is a prerequisite of understanding and applying geopolitics correctly.