HGAP Unit 4 Study Guide (only vocab)

political geography

a branch of human geography about spatial analysis of political systems

political map

a map showing the spatial organization of the countries and territories on Earth at one point

state/country

independent political unit w/ a centralized authority that makes claim to sole legal, political, and economic jurisdiction over a region with defined boundaries

independent state

a state that rules itself and is not subject to the authority of another state

sovereign state

a state that possesses the sole authority over the land and people within its boundaries

nation

community of people bound to a homeland that have a common identity based on shared cultural traits, i.e. language, ethnicity, and religion

nation state

the ideal political geographical unit; the nation’s geographic boundaries (people, culture) exactly match the state’s territorial boundaries (governance, authority)

nation-state ideal

political authorities govern in the name of all a country’s citizens, modern mass communications link all residents, and state-based citizenship rights reinforce the idea of a national identity

nationalism

Sense of belonging to and self-identifying with a national culture; strong sense of nationalism get part of their social identity from nation

stateless nation

an ethnic group or nation that does not possess its own state and is not the majority population in any nation-state

multinational states

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

multistate nations

ethnic groups territorially divided by one or more international boundaries

autonomous region

subdivision or dependent territory of a country that has a degree of self-government, or autonomy, in its decision making

semi-autonomous region

A subdivision or dependent territory of a country that has some degree of, but not complete, self-government

self determinism

nation’s ability to determine its statehood and form its allegiance and government; the freedom distinct groups to govern themselves in their own territories and form their own states

core areas

a small territorial nucleus from which a country grows in area and over time; political power center

escarpments

abrupt slopes that break up the general continuity of the terrain, forest, mountains, desert, seas

effective sovereignty

a state’s power to enforce its sovereignty may extend beyond its territory, varying over time and per country

devolution

movement of power from the central govt meant to regional govts within the state

ethnonationalism

a form of nationalism in which the nation is defined in terms of ethnic identity

neocolonialism

set of economic and political strategies by which wealthy and powerful countries indirectly maintain or extend their influence over less wealthy areas

peripheral state

states that have relatively little industrial development, simple production of agriculture and raw materials, and low consumption of processed goods

core state

states that have the most advanced industrial and military technologies, complex manufacturing systems, external political power, and the highest levels of wealth and mass consumption

shatterbelts

region of continuing and persistent fragmentation due to devolution and centrifugal forces

choke points

a narrow passage that restricts traffic to another region

straits

a narrow body of water connecting two larger bodies of water

territoriality

political and cultural strategy used by people and groups to claim power over an area of land and its people and resource

boundaries

clearly demarcated line marking limits of a territory and divisions bw territories, called a border globally

median-line principle

approach to dividing and creating boundaries at the midpoint bw two places, esp w armed conflicts

borderland

a region straddling both sides of an international boundary where national cultures overlap and blend to varying degrees

frontier

region at margins of control and settlement; along international boundaries geographically remote from central authorities and have little settlement

enclave

a territory surrounded by a country but not ruled by it

exclave

part of a national territory separated from the main body of the country to which it belongs

delimited

describing how boundaries are fixed or defined to identify their limits

demarcated

describing how boundaries are set apart to distinguish their limits

relic boundary

no longer functions as an international border

superimposed boundary

placed on an area without regard to existing boundaries, ignoring different cultures occupying that area

subsequent boundaries

developed with the cultural landscape: a boundary that has been drawn where people have already settled and established culture in that area

antecedent boundary

identified before an area was settled; boundaries are drawn before there is any settlement in the area

geometric boundary

regular, often perfectly straight ,lines drawn without regard for an area’s physical or cultural features

consequent boundary

drawn to accommodate existing cultural differences; drawn as a consequence of a certain thing happening, like tension or war

demilitarized zone (DMZ)

area where treaties or agreements bw nations, military, or contending groups forbid military activity; usually along frontier or boundary bw two powers or alliances

buffer state

politically and economically weak independent country between the border of two powers

satellite states

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

united nations convention on the law of the sea (UNCLOS)

conference held to define territorial boundaries and right to the sea through establishment of four zones

territorial sea

allows fishing and innocent passage

contiguous zone

coastal state enforcement, vessels out of waters

exclusive economic zone (EEZ):

most critical UN zone, 200 nautical miles from shoreline, where coastal states can do whatever they want with resources there

high seas

all states, fishing and mineral sources

arctic circle

area defined at 66 degrees, 34 minutes north latitude line → Canada, denmark norway russia US

electoral geography

sub field of political geography that analyzes geography of political preferences and how geography can shape voting outcomes

voting districts

territorial division for casting votes in public elections; generally, only those living in the voting district are permitted to cast their votes there

electoral college

538 electors; 270 electoral votes to elect president; states number of electors = number of members in congress (per number in house of representatives, two for its senators))

reappointment

process by which 435 seats in house of representatives are divided proportionately by population among 50 states after every US census

redistricting

process of drawing new boundaries for US congressional districts to reflect population changes since the last census; each district corresponds to one seat in the House

gerrymandering

manipulation of voting district boundaries to favor a particular political party, group, or election outcome

packing

gerrymandering a voting district by concentrating all opponents into one district, creating a large majority of that party in the district while ensuring that it cannot win any election

cracking

gerrymandering a voting district by dividing opponent votes into many districts, diluting the oppositions vote to ensure it’s not a majority in any district

sub national units

smaller areas into which a larger state is divided

unitary state

independent state that concentrates power in central govt and grants little or no authority to sub national units

federal states

an independent country that disperses significant authority among sub national units

irredentism

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

terrorism

calculated use of violent acts against civilians and symbolic targets to publicize a cause, intimidate civilians, or affect govt conduct

international terrorism

transcends national boundaries and is intended to intimidate people in other countries

domestic terrorism

acts by individuals or groups against the citizens or government of their own country

state terrorism

terrorism committed by govt agents whose leaders have ordered them to murderer imprison or force into exile perceived enemies of the state

sub national terrorism

terrorism committed by nongovernmental groups that feel wronged by their govt

ETA

basque separatist organization in Spain that used terrorism in its campaign for an independent Basque state

democratization

occurs when a sovereign state moves from a non democracy to a democracy

supranationalism

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

supranational organization

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

United Nations

international; responsible for maintaining peace and security, developing friendly relations bw nations, achieving cooperation, and harmonizing actions

European Union

political, economic, social union of independent Euro countries that promotes free movement of people, goods, services, and capital among members

African Union

continental organization of African states, seeking to drive Africa’s growth and economic development through cooperation and integration of member states

arctic council

international govt forum promoting interaction among Arctic states and indigenous communities on common Arctic issues, like sustainable development and environmental protection

regional trading bloc

multi-country agreement reducing/eliminating taxes to promote free flow of goods and services internationally

economies of scale

cost advantages that can come with a larger scale of operations

• output increases, cost per unit decreases

• more investment n production → more money

NAFTA-USMCA

trade agreement bw Canada, USA, Mexico; eliminate tariffs, reduce barriers, intellectual property rights, environmental protection, international transportation recipe

Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)

regional intergovernmental organization to promote intergovernmental cooperation and facilitate economic growth, social progress, and cultural development in the region

north atlantic treaty organization (NATO)

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

failed states

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

uneven development

occurs when core states have advanced economies n good standard of living, while peripheral states have less development, simple production, and low consumption

allegiance

loyalty or commitment to a country

equitable infrastructure

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

cultural cohesion

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

iconography

set of traditional symbols or symbolic uniforms associated with a country and its citizens