Untitled Flashcards Set

State

An area organized into a political unit and ruled by an established government, controlling its internal and foreign affairs. Examples include the United States, France, and Japan.

Sovereignty

Independence from control of its internal affairs by other states. An example would be a country like Canada, which governs itself without outside interference.

Nation

A group of people with similar characteristics that may or may not occupy their own state. An example is the Basques in Spain and France.

Multiethnic State

A state that contains more than one ethnicity, such as the United States, Brazil, and India.

Nation-State

A state whose territory corresponds to that occupied by a particular ethnicity. An example is Japan, where the population largely shares a common culture and ethnicity.

Stateless Nation

A group of people without a state, such as the Kurds or Chechens, who seek self-determination.

Autonomous Region

An area that has limited self-rule within a larger state. An example is Hong Kong within China.

Colonialism

The effort by one country to establish settlements and impose its political, economic, and cultural principles on another territory. Historical examples include the British Empire in India and the Spanish colonization of South America.

Gerrymandering

The practice of redrawing legislative boundaries to benefit the party in power. An example is the manipulation of district boundaries in many U.S. states to favor one political party.

Balkanization

The breakup of a country into smaller countries due to ethnic or political conflicts, as seen during the breakup of Yugoslavia.

Exclave

An outlier of a state that is physically detached from the main area of the state. An example is Alaska, which is separated from the contiguous United States.

Enclave

A territory that is entirely surrounded by another state, such as Lesotho, which is surrounded by South Africa.

Democracy

A country in which citizens elect leaders and have a voice in government. Examples include Germany and Australia.

Autocracy

A country run according to the interests of the ruler rather than the people. An example is North Korea.

Anocracy

A regime that is a mix of democratic and autocratic features. An example is Russia, which combines elements of both systems.

Devolution

The transfer of power from the national government to state or local governments. An example is the devolution of powers to Scotland and Wales within the UK.

Centrifugal Forces

Forces that destabilize the government and encourage the country to fall apart. Examples include ethnic tensions and economic disparities.

Centripetal Forces

Forces that bind together the people of a state and give it strength. Examples include nationalism and shared cultural values.

Compact State

A state where the distance from the center to any boundary does not vary significantly. An example is Hungary.

Elongated State

A state that is long and narrow, potentially leading to communication issues. Examples include Chile and Vietnam.

Prorupted State

A compact state with a large projecting extension. An example is Thailand.

Perforated State

A state that completely surrounds another state. An example is South Africa, which surrounds Lesotho.

Fragmented State

A state that includes several discontinuous pieces of territory. An example is Indonesia.

Colonization

The act of establishing control over a foreign territory. An example includes European powers colonizing Africa in the 19th century.

Frontier

A zone where no state exercises complete political control. An example is the area between North Korea and South Korea.

Territorial Sea

A zone extending 12 nautical miles from a coastal state's coastline, over which it has sovereignty. All coastal states, like those in the Mediterranean, have this zone.

Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)

A sea zone up to 200 nautical miles from a coast where a state has rights to explore and exploit natural resources. For example, the U.S. has an EEZ extending around its coastlines.