HUMAN GEO UNIT 4

Political geography

The study of how the world is politically organized

Political Map

A map that shows the spatial organization (borders) of countries and territories across the globe

Homogeneous

States that have one general culture, language, and way of life

Heterogenous

States that are extremely diverse and have multiple cultures within the political border

State

Area of land with a well defined and internationally recognized border

Nation

Group of people who share the same culture but do not necessarily have a defined border

Stateless Nation

An ethnic group or nation that do not have their own state or is not the majority population within another state

Multi-state nation

Ethnic group that is divided by one or more political borders

Nation-State

A state that has only one dominant culture that creates a common national identity for all citizens

Multinational State

A country containing multiple national, ethnic, and religious groups within its boundaries

Autonomous Region

A territory within a state that has the autonomy to govern itself

Semi-autonomous region

A region that can govern itself in certain agreed areas with the country it belongs to, but does not have complete power to govern themselves

Self-determination

A process by which a group of people form their own state and choose their own government

Internal sovereignty

The power that a government has within its own territory

External sovereignty

The control of a region by a state against other countries

Core area

Small territorial nuclei from which a country grows over time

Imperialism

The drive for a wealthy country to expand its territory

Colonialism

The result of a country having an imperialistic drive

Berlin Conference

A conference held by the European powers where they divided Africa among themselves

Devolution

When a countrys central government gives some level of autonomy to other regions under its control

Peripheral States

Developing countries

Core states

Developed countries

Neocolonialism

New type of colonialism that gives powerful countries benefits

Shatterbelt

Regions that are highly unstable because of all the fighting

Chokepoint

Geostrategic locations that are narrow passages that restrict traffic from one region to another

Delimited

When two countries survey the geography of the land and agree on paper to the border that will separate the two

Demarcated

When there is a physical obstacle placed to mark a border

Demilitarized Zones

Boundary zones that two countries have agreed to not have any military action

Satellite states

Countries that have some independence but are connected to a more powerful country’s military and economy

Buffer states

Weak countries between two powerful countries

International boundary

The border between 2 or more countries

Internal boundary

A border within a country that divides the country into states

Voting districts

Districts to divide votes

Gerrymandering

The manipulation of voting district boundaries to favor a particular political party

Cracking

Spreading voters of a particular type among many districts in order to deny them a sufficiently large voting bloc

Packing

Concentrating the opposing party’s voting power in one district to reduce their voting power in other districts

Electoral college

Group of representatives from each state who vote for the president

Federal government

Governments that share power with state and local governments

Unitary government

Government that holds all the power for the entire country

Sovereignty

A country’s ability to make its own decisions and determine its own destiny

Globalization

A term used to describe how trade and technology have made the world more connected

Supranationalism

Process of countries joining together in trade or political agreements

NATO

Military alliance of 31 countries

EU

Many European countries together into an alliance for mutual economic benefit

UN

Collection of countries around the world who discuss ways to ensure sustainable development

AU

55 African countries seeking to work together to promote stability on the continent

Arctic council

Made up of countries who have territory in the arctic circle

Association of Southeast Asian Nations

Made up of ten countries in southeast Asia to promote governmental cooperation

Terrorism

Calculated use of violent acts against civilians to instill fear and influence the government

International terrorism

Terrorist acts that transcends national boundaries

Subnational terrorism

When a terrorist act is committed by non-governmental groups because they feel wronged by the government

Domestic Terrorism

A terrorist act that is committed against ones own country

Irredentism

When a country invades another country in order to take back territory that is populated by ethnically similar people

Centrifugal forces

Forces that tear people apart within a country

Centripetal Forces

Forces that bring people together within a country

Allegiance

Loyalty to a nation

Equitable infrastructure

When infrastructure in a country is equal through the states

Cultural cohesion

When citizens of a country are culturally unified

Iconography

Symbols that have powerful meaning to the citizens of a country

Median-Line principle

The principle that a nation’s maritime boundaries should conform to the median line distance from neighboring states