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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
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