AP Human Geography - Unit 4

AP Human Geography Unit 4

what is a 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

what is sovereignty?

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

what is a 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)

what is a stateless nation?

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

what is a multinational state?

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

what are multi-state nations?

ethnic groups territorially divided by one or more international boundaries

what is an autonomous region?

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

what is a semi-autonomous region?

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

what is 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 territory and form their own states

what is escarpment?

abrupt slope that breaks up the general continuity of the terrain

what is ethnonationalism?

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

what is devolution?

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

what is neocolonialism?

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

what is a shatterbelt?

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

what is a choke point?

a narrow passage that restricts traffic to another region

what is a relic boundary?

a boundary that no longer functions as an international border

what is a superimposed boundary?

a boundary that’s placed on an area without regard to existing boundaries

what is an antecedent boundary?

a boundary that was identified before an area was settled

what is a geometric boundary?

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

what is a consequent boundary?

a boundary drawn to accommodate existing cultural differences

what is a delimited boundary?

boundaries drawn on a map

what is a demarcated boundary?

identified by physical objects (walls, signs, fences)

what is a demilitarized zone?

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

what is the berlin conference?

(1884) division of the continent of Africa among various European imperial powers

what is the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea?

conference organized to define territorial boundaries and rights to the sea

what is an exclusive economic zone?

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

what is a 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

what is redistricting?

the process of drawing new boundaries for U.S. Congressional districts to reflect the population changes since the previous U.S. Census

what is gerrymandering?

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

what is the electoral college?

a body of 538 electors in the United States; a majority of the 270 votes is required to elect the president; a state’s # of electors equals the # of members in its congressional delegation (1 for each member in the house of Representatives plus 2 for its Senators)

what is a unitary state?

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

what is a federal state?

an independent country that disperses significant authority among subnational units

what is ethnic cleansing?

when a people group commits mass expulsion or mass killing of a particular ethnic group whom they do not want to exist either in a particular region or in the world as a whole

what is 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

what is irredentism?

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

what is supranationalism?

the process of nation states organizing politically and economically into one organization or alliance

what is democratization?

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

what are economies of scale?

cost advantages that can come with a larger scale of operations

what are supranational organizations?

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

what are the United Nations (UN)?

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

what is the 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

what is the European Union?

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

what is the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)?

a regional intergovernmental organization compromising of 10 countries in Southeast Asia to promote intergovernmental cooperation and facilitate economic growth, social progress, an cultural development in the region

what is the 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

what is the African Union (AU)?

a continental organization of African states that seeks to dive Africa’s growth and economic development through cooperation and integration of member states