HGAP Unit 4

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Political geography

A branch of human geography concerned with the spatial analysis of political systems

Political map

A map that shows the spatial organization of the countries and territories on the entire globe at a given point in time

State or Country

An independent political unit with 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

Sovreign state

A state that possesses the sole authority over the land & people within its boundaries

Nation

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

nation-state

The ideal political geographical unit, one in which the nation's geographic boundaries (a people and its culture) exactly match the state's territorial boundaries (governance and authority)

nation-state ideal

the idea that 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; a unified nation-state

Nationalism

Sense of belonging to and self-identifying with a national culture; people with a strong sense of nationalism derive a significant part of their social identity from a sense of belonging to a 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 (ex., Palestinians or Kurds)

multinational state

A country containing multiple national, ethnic, and religious groups within its boundaries (ex., the United Kingdom, including Wales, Scotland, and England)

autonomous region

A subdivision or dependent territory of a country that has a degree of self-government, or autonomy, in its decision-making (ex., Tibet, China)

multistate nations

Ethnic groups territorially divided by one or more international boundaries

semiautonomous region

A subdivision or dependent territory of a country that has some degree of, but not complete, self-government (ex., Catalonia, Spain)

Self-determination

A nation's ability to determine its own statehood and form its own allegiances and government; the freedom of culturally distinct groups to govern themselves in their own territories and form their own states

Core area

A small territorial nucleus from which a country grows in area and over time

Escarpments

Abrupt slopes that break up the general continuity of the terrain

Effective sovereignty

The idea that a state's power to enforce its sovereignty may extend beyond its territory & varies over time and from country to country. Globalization can either strengthen or weaken state sovereignty

Devolution

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

Ethnonationalism

a form of nationalism in which the "nation" is defined in terms of ethnicity (almost every country except the U.S.)

Neocolonialism

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

peripheral states

States that have relatively little industrial development, simple production systems focused mostly on agriculture and raw materials, and low levels of consumption of manufactured goods

Core States

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

Shatterbelt

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

choke point

A narrow passage that restricts traffic to another region

strait

a narrow body of water that connects two larger bodies of water

boundary

A clearly demarcated line that marks both the limits of a territory and divisions between territories; often called a border at the global scale

Median-line principle

An approach to dividing and creating boundaries at the midpoint between two places.

Borderland

A region straddling both sides of an international boundary where national cultures overlap and blend to varying degrees (ex., the South U.S.)

Frontier

A region at the margins of state control and settlement

enclave

A territory surrounded by a country but not ruled by it (ex., Lesotho)

exclave

Part of a territory separated from the main body of the country to which it belongs.

Demilitarized zone (DMZ):

An area in which treaties or agreements between nations, military powers, or contending groups forbid military installations, activities, or personnel; usually lies along an established frontier or boundary between two or more military powers or alliances.

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:

A boundary that no
longer functions as an international border

Superimposed boundary:

A boundary that is
placed on an area without regard to existing boundaries.

Subsequent boundary:

A political
boundary that developed with the cultural landscape.

Antecedent boundary:

A boundary that was identified before an area was
settled.

Geometric boundary:

A boundary that has regular, often perfectly straight,
lines drawn without regard for an
area's physical or cultural features.

Consequent boundary:

A boundary that is drawn to accommodate existing cultural differences.

Buffer state:

A politically and economically
weak independent country that lies between the borders of two powers.

Satellite state:

A 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 organized to define territorial boundaries and rights to the sea.

Exclusive economic zone
(EEZ):

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.

Arctic Circle:

Area defined by the 66
degrees, 34 minutes north latitude line.

Electoral geography:

A subfield of political geography that analyzes the geography of political preferences and how geography can shape voting outcomes.

Voting district:

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

Electoral College:

A body of 538 electors in the United States; a majority of 270 electoral votes is required to elect the president; a state's number of electors equals the number of members in its
congressional delegation (one for each member in the House of
Representatives plus two for its senators).

Reapportionment:

The process by which the 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives are divided proportionately by population among the 50 states following every U.S. census.

Redistricting:

The process of
drawing new boundaries for
U.S. congressional districts
to reflect the population
changes since the previous
U.S. census.

Gerrymandering:

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

Packing:

Gerrymandering a voting district by concentrating all of the
opposition party into one district, thereby 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 opposition votes
into many districts, thus diluting the opposition's vote to ensure it
does not form a majority in any district.

Subnational units:

The smaller areas into which a larger state is divided (for example, states in the United States, provinces in
Canada).

Unitary state:

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

Federal state:

An independent country that disperses significant authority among subnational units.

Ethnic cleansing:

The forced removal of an ethnic group by another ethnic group to create ethnically homogeneous territories.

Terrorism:

The 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.

International terrorism:

Terrorism that 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 government agents whose leaders have ordered them to murder, imprison, or force into exile perceived enemies of the state.

Subnational terrorism:

Terrorism committed by nongovernment
groups that feel wronged by their government.

ETA:

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

Irredentism:

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

Supranationalism:

Occurs when a collection of nation- states and their citizens relinquish 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.

Democratization

Occurs when a sovereign state moves from a non-democracy to a democracy.

United Nations (UN):

Responsible international organization for maintaining international peace and security, developing friendly
relations among nations, achieving international cooperation, and
harmonizing the actions of nations.

European Union (EU):

A political, economic, and social union of 28 independent European countries that promotes the free movement of people, goods, services, and capital among its
members.

African Union (AU):

A continental organization of African
states that seeks to drive Africa's growth and economic
development through
cooperation and
integration of member
states.

Artic Council

An international governmental forum that promotes
interaction among the Arctic states and indigenous communities on
common Arctic issues, particularly sustainable development and
environmental protection.

Regional trading bloc

A multi-country agreement that reduces or
eliminates taxes to promote the free flow of goods and services
across international borders.

Economies of Scale

Cost advantages that can come with a larger scale of operations.

North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA- USMCA):

A 1994 trade agreement between Canada, the United States, and Mexico; revised as the United States- Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) in 2020.

Association of Southeast Asian
Nations (ASEAN):

A regional
intergovernmental organization
comprising 10 countries in
Southeast Asia to promote
intergovernmental cooperation
and facilitate economic growth,
social progress, and cultural
development in the region.

North Atlantic Treaty
Organization (NATO):

An intergovernmental military alliance among 29 North American and European countries with the purpose of guaranteeing the
freedom and security of
its members.

Failed State

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

Uneven development:

Occurs when core states have advanced economies and a high standard of living while peripheral states have relatively little industrial development, simple production systems based mostly on raw materials, and low levels of consumption of manufactured
goods.

Allegiance:

Loyalty or commitment to a country.

Equitable infrastructure:

The construction and improvement of
foundational services such as access to energy resources
throughout the country.

Cultural cohesion:

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

Iconography:

A set of traditional symbols or symbolic forms
associated with the country and its citizens.