Studied by 74 people
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
Note
Flashcard