Studied by 9 people
State
independent states are primary building blocks of the world political map
Nation
a group of people with a common identity through shared cultural traits such as language, religion, ethnicity, and heritage
Nation-State
when the borders of the nation match the borders of the state - a state with (ideally) only one nation within it
Multinational State
a country with various ethnicities and cultures within its borders
Stateless Nation
nations of people without a state to occupy
Multistate Nation
consists of a nation of people that live in more than one state
Autonomous Region
a part of a country that has a degree of self-governance and power over its own affairs
Semiautonomous Region
a region that has some control over its own affairs, but is also controlled by another state
Sovereignty
a states authroity to control its territory and govern itself
Self-determination
the right of all people to govern themselves.
Decolonization
the process of ending colonialism, which is when a country takes control of another country's resources, land, and culture
Devolution
due to centrifugal forces, power is shifted from the central government or administeration to regional authorities which are usually reflective to nation
Berlin Conference
a meeting of European colonial powers that took place in Berlin, Germany to draw political boundries in Africa
Territoriality
the control and influence over a specific geographic space
Neocolonialism
the use of economic, cultural, political, or other pressures in oder to control or influence other countries
Shatterbelts
instability within a region that is geographically located between states with overlapping territoriality and political power
Balkanization
the process of a country or region breaking up into smaller, hostile units
Choke Point
a narrow geographical feature, like a strait, or canal, where the movement of people, goods, or military forces can be easily restricted or controlled, often giving significant strategic advantage to the country that controls it
Antecendent
borders that are established before there has been a major settlement by people in a territory
Subsequent
borders that are drawn in areas that have been settled by people, typically due to changes that have occured over time
Consequent
type of subsequent boundry - takes into account the existing cultural distribution of the people living in the territory and redevolops boundary lines to more closely align with cultural boundries
Superimposed
borders that is drawn over exisiting and accepted borders by an outside force
Geometric
borders that are established on straight lines of latitude and longitude instead of physical or cultural boundries
Relic
border that no longer exists, but has left some imprint on the local cultural or environmental geography
Defined
countries legally define and agree to where borders are located through an agreement or treaty
Delimted
identifying the location of the defined boundries on a map, usually at the same time that boundries are defined and done through a legal designation
Demarcated
visible marking of the landscape with objects, such as fences or signs
Administered
legal management of the border through laws, immigration regulation, documentation, and presecution
Defintional boundry dispute
a disagreement between countries or regions over the interpretation of the legal definition of a boundary
Locational boundry dispute
a disagreement between countries or groups regarding the precise location of a political border
Operational boundry dispute
a disagreement over how to manage a border between two political entities
Allocational boundry dispute
a conflict between countries or regions regarding the rights to access and utilize shared natural resources like water, oil, or minerals located near or across their border
United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)
an international treaty that establishes legal guidelines for maritime activities, defining boundaries between countries' territorial waters, exclusive economic zones, and the high seas
Territorial Sea
a maritime zone extending 12 nautical miles from a country's coastline
Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)
a maritime area extending 200 nautical miles from a country's coastline, where that nation has sovereign rights to explore, exploit, conserve, and manage the natural resources found within the seabed, subsoil, and water column, including fish stocks and mineral deposits
Census
Official population count that also includes data on age, race and sex. It is conducted every 10 years
Reapportionment
Process in which U.S. House of Representative seats are re-allocated to different states, based off of population change.
Electoral College
Organization that utilizes the popular vote to then vote for president. Loss of congressional seat = Loss of electoral College seat
Redistricting
State's internal political boundaries that determine voting districts for the US house of reprsentatives and the state legislature. Redrawn to accurately reflect the new census data.
Voting District
A geographic term used by state and local governments to organize elections.
Gerrymandering
Redistricting for a political advantage, when the political party that controls a majority of seats in the state legislature draws political district boundaries to maintain or extend their political power.
Packing
Clustering like-minded voters into a single district, thereby allowing the other party to win the remaining districts.
Cracking
Dispersing like-minded voters among multiple districts in order to minimize their impact and prevent them from gaining a majority.
Representative Districts
The ideal, in which the voting districts are equal in population, contiguous and compact. They are truly representative of the people living in the district.
Federal
A style of government in which power is shared between central ,regional and local governments.
Unitary
A style of government in which power is centerally located and the purpose of regional or local units is to carry out policy.
Ethnic Separatism
people of a particular ethnicity in a multinational state identify more strongly with their ethnic group than as citizens of the state
Ethnic Cleansing
State governments attack an ethnic group in an attempt to try to eliminate them through expulsion ,imprisonment or mass murder.
Terrorism
organized violence aimed at government and civilian targets that is intended to create fear in order to acomplish political aims.
Irredentism
A majority ethnic group wants to claim territory from a neighboring state due to a shared culture with the people residing across the border.
Supranational Organization
An alliance of 3 or more states that work together in pursuit of common goals
United Nations (UN)
an organization of the world's countries that promotes peace and security around the globe
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
a group of 28 countries that has agreed to protect each other in case of attack; founded in 1949
European Union (EU)
a free trade zone encompassing 27 European countries
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
a trade alliance that promotes trade and economic integration among member nations in Southeast Asia
World Trade Organization (WTO)
a permanent global institution to promote international trade and to settle international trade disputes
Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries
an international economic organization whose member countries all produce and export oil
Regionalism
the political, economic, and cultural development of a distinct geographic region
Ethnonationalism
a political ideology where a nation is defined primarily by a shared ethnicity
