Unit 4-2: Political Patterns and Processes

African Union (AU)

A continental organization of African states that seeks to drive Africa's growth and economic development through cooperation and integration of member states

Antecedent Boundary

A boundary that was identified before an area was settled

Arctic Council

An international governmental forum that promotes interaction among the Arctic states and indigenous communities on common Arctic issues, particularly sustainable development and environmental protection

Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)

A regional intergovernmental organization comprising 10 countries in Southeast Asia to promote intergovernmental cooperation and facilitate economic growth, social progress, and cultural development in the region

Buffer State

A politically and economically weak independent country that lies between the borders of two powers

Consequent Boundary

A boundary that is drawn to accommodate existing cultural differences

Cultural Cohesion

Cultural unity; occurs when the members of a society are culturally united

Delimited

Describing how boundaries are fixed or defined to identify their limits

Demarcated

Describing how boundaries are set apart to distinguish their limits

Demilitarized Zone (DMZ)

an area in which treaties or agreements between nations, military powers or contending groups forbid military installations, activities or personnel.

Democratization

Occurs when a sovereign state moves from a non-democracy to a a democracy

Economies of Scale

Cost advantages associated with large-scale production.

Equitable Infrastructure

the construction and improvement of foundational services such as access to energy resources throughout the country

European Union (EU)

A political, economic, and social union of 28 independent European countries that promotes the free movement of people goods, services, and capital among its members

Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)

Zone that extends 200 nautical miles from shoreline in which coastal states have the sole right to exploit, develop, manage, and conserve all water resources lying beyond the land

Failed State

a state whose political or economic system has become so weak that the government is no longer in control.

Federal State

an independent country that disperses significant authority among subnational units

Geometric Boundary

A boundary that has regular, often perfectly straight, lines drawn without regard for an area's physical or cultural features

Irrdentism

The political claim territory in another country based on ethnic affiliations and historic borders

North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)

A 1994 trade agreement between Canada, the United States, and Mexico; revised as the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) in 2020

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)

A intergovernmental military alliance among 29 North American and European countries with the purpose of guaranteeing the freedom and security of its members

Relic Boundary

a boundary that no longer functions as an international border

Satellite State

A nominally independent country that is politically, militarily, and economically controlled by a more powerful state

Subsequent Boundary

a political boundary that developed with the cultural landscape

Superimposed Boundary

A boundary that is placed on an area without regard to existing boundaries

Supranational Organization

International political body that nation-states establish in cooperation with their neighbors for mutual political, military, economic, or cultural gain

Supranationalism

Occurs when a collection of nation-states and their citizens relinquish some sovereign rights to a larger-scale body that exercises authority over its member states

Terrorism

The calculated use of violent acts against civilians and symbolic targets to publicize a cause, intimidate or coerce a civilian population, or affect the conduct of the government

Uneven Development

occurs when core states have advanced economies and a high standard of living while peripheral states have relatively little industrial development, simple production systems based mostly on raw materials, and low levels of consumption of manufactured goods

Unitary State

an independent state that concentrates power in the central government and grants little authority to the provinces

United Nations (UN)

International organization that is responsible for maintaining international peace and security, developing friendly relations among nations, achieving international cooperation, and harmonizing the actions of nations

United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)

Conference organized to define territorial boundaries and rights to the sea

Administer

to manage the way borders are maintained and how goods and people cross them

Define

to explicitly state in legally binding documentations such as a treaty where boundaries are located, using reference points such as natural features or lines of latitude and longitude

Delimit

to draw boundaries on a map, in accordance with a legal agreement

Demarcate

to place physical objects such as stones, pillars, walls, or fences to indicate where a boundary exists

Subsequent Boundaries

a border drawn in an area that has been settled and where cultural landscapes exist or are in the process of being established

Consequent Boundary

a boundary line that coincides with some cultural divide, such as religion or language

Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)

as established in the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, a zone of exploitation extending 200 nautical miles seaward from the a coastal state that has exclusive mineral and fishing rights over it