APHG Unit 4 Political Geo Vocabulary

AP Human Geography: Unit 4 Political Geography Vocabulary. Frank W. Cox High School

Antecedent boundary

a border that has divided people since before history was written

Apartheid

a harsh system of racial segregation enforced in South Africa from 1948 - 1994

Autonomous region

an area of a country that has degree of autonomy, or has freedom from an external authority.

Balance of power

when competing forces (or countries) come to a level where no single one is strong enough to dominate the others

Balkanization

the process of a country breaking into smaller pieces that are hostile to each other

Boundary

a border that separates administrative units such as countries or provinces

Centrifugal forces

a cultural trait that divides people within a country

Centripetal force

a cultural trait that adds to the unity of a country

Chokepoint

a strategic narrow route providing passage through or to another region

Colonialism

when a more powerful country acquires full or partial political control over another country, occupying it with settlers, and exploiting it economically

Consequent boundary

a type of subsequent boundary that tries to divide the existing groups of people between two countries

Demilitarized zone

an area previously in conflict from which weapons and military forces have been removed

Democracy

a form of government in which the ultimate power rests with the people

Democratization

when a government makes changes to give all citizens have a greater voice in the country

Devolution

a national government allowing a regional government to more power to self govern

Electoral college

the system used in American presidential elections that assigns a number of votes to states by population. It encourages candidates to not only focus on populated areas

Ethnic cleansing

a powerful ethnic group pushing aside a weaker one to create an area with only their ethnicity, can lead to genocide

Ethnicity

a group of people (often of the same race) who have a shared culture; the cultural component of race

Ethnonationalism

the desire of an ethnic community to have absolute authority over its own political, economic, and social affairs

Failed state

a country where the government has become so weak it has lost control and can no longer provide basic government functions

Federal

a country where the national government is strong and the regional governments are also strong so they share power

Frontier

a zone (instead of a traditional line) that separates two states with neither state having control

Genocide

the deliberate killing of a large group of people, especially those of a particular ethnic group

Geometric boundary

a border that is a straight line and drawn without taking into account the physical and cultural features of the land

Gerrymandering

redrawing voting district boundaries to benefit one political party over another

Ghetto

a neighborhood where an ethic minority is forced to live by law or circumstances

Imperialism

when one country dominates colonies far from their home country and often imposes their culture on them

Independence movement

people that are trying to gain political independence for some area that they think should be its own country

Irredentism

a movement to reclaim land by a group who feels they have a claim on that land

Maritime boundary

the extensions of a country's territory that extend into the oceans around them

Monarchy

a country ruled by a king or queen

Multinational state

a country that has substantial amounts of more than one ethnicity

Multistate nation

a nation that controls at least one country but that a substantial portion of that group lives in an adjacent country

Nation

a very cohesive ethnicity - the distinction between the two is not clear

Nationalism

loyalty to a nation even over allegiance to country, often seen as patriotism taken to an extreme

Nation-state

a country where the vast majority of the people are of the same ethnicity (nationality)

Neocolonialism

gaining indirect control of another country through economic or cultural pressures (as opposed to colonisalism which generally used military power)

Race

the physical differences between groups of people, especially their skin color

Redistricting

in the United States, after each census redrawing voting districts due to population changes

Relic boundary

a former border between countries that can still be detected on the cultural landscape

Republic

a system of government that places the power on the people through their elected leaders and which the executive is elected, not a monarch

Self determination

the idea that nations should rule themselves instead of being controlled by others

Semiautonomous region

an area inside of a country that has some power to control itself more than other areas in the country

Separatist movement

a group advocating for independence for a nation inside a state

Shatterbelt

a region caught between stronger colliding external forces, under persistent stress, often fragmented by aggressive rivals

Sovereignty

the ability of a country to govern itself without outside influence

State

a country that has sovereignty (not what we think of in the United States!)

Stateless nation

a nationality that does not have a country and isn't the majority in any country which implies that they "should" have a country

Subsequent boundary

a border drawn after an area is settled

Superimposed boundary

a boundary that is imposed on the cultural landscape which ignores pre-existing cultural patterns

Supranationalism

two or more countries joining together for a common puporse such as economics or defense

Territoriality

the perceived connection of people, their culture, and their economic systems to the land

Terrorism

using violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, in the pursuit of political aims

Theocracy

when a country is ruled by religious leaders

unitary state

a country where the national government is strong and the regional governments are weak

defined boundary

one established by a legal document, such as a treaty.

document, such as a treaty.

delimited boundary

a line drawn on a map to show the limits of a space

demarcated boundary

A boundary marked by some visible means on the ground. Ex. wall posts, fences, etc.

administered boundary

The enforcement and maintaining of a boundary by a government