aphug vocab

states

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

multinational state

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

nation

a community of people bound to a homeland and possessing a common identity based on shared cultural traits such a as language, ethnicity, and religion

sovereign state

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

independent state

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

colonialism

the act of forcefully controlling a foreign territory which becomes known as a colony

imperialism

the motivating impulse to control greater amounts of territory

empire

a sovereign political entity that seeks to expand beyond its origin territory to control more territory politically and/or economically

territoriality

a political and cultural strategy used by individuals, groups, or organizations to claim power over an area of land and its people/resources

neocolonialism

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

shatterbelt

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

devolution

the movement of power from the central government to regional governments within the state

international waters

the open ocean areas beyond any nations exclusive economic zone (EEZ), governed by international law like the UNCLOS, ensuring freedom of navigation, fishing, and research

exclusive economic zones

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.

redistricting

process of drawing new boundaries for US congressional districts to reflect the population changes since the previous US census

gerrymandering

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

unitary states

in independent state that concentrates power in the central government and grants little or no authority to its subnational units

federal states

an independent country that disperses significant authority among subnational units

ethnic cleansing

forced removal of one ethnic group by another ethnic group to create an ethnically consistent territory

ethnic group

people of common ancestry and cultural tradition; characterized by a strong feeling of group identity

terrorism

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

supernational organization

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

transnational corporation

a firm with the power to coordinate and control operations in more than one country, even if it does not own those operations

ethnonationalism

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

failed state

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

strait

a narrow body of water connecting two larger bodies of water

delimited

describing how boundaries are flxed or defined to identify their limits