Studied by 5 people
Balkanization
Process by which a state breaks down through conflicts among its ethnicities
Binational or Multinational State
State that contains more than one nation
Boundary
Invisible line that marks the extent of a state's territory and the control its leaders have
Centripetal Force
An attitude that tends to unify people and enhance support for a state
Centrifugal Force
A force that divides people and countries
Cold War
The completion between the two world superpowers-US and Russian- for control of land all over the world, it involve little combat, but threats of deadly force
Colonies
A territory that is legally tied to a sovereign state rather than completely independent.
Command Economy
An economic system in which the government controls a country's economy.
Compact States
A state in which the distance from the center to any boundary does not vary significantly, giving it a shape similar to a circle
Confederal System
A system that spreads power among many sub-units and has a weak central government
Consequent Boundaries
Boundaries set between countries by cultural differences, also called cultural boundaries
Core Area
The portion of a country that contains its economic, political, intellectual, and cultural focus.
Core-Periphery
A model of the spatial structure of development in which underdeveloped countries are defined by their dependence on a developed core region.
Cultural Boundary
An invisible boundary set by ethnic differences such as language or religion.
Democratization
The spread of representative government to more countries and the process of making governments more representative
Devolution
The decentralization of decision making to regional governments
Positional Disputes
Conflict over location usually associated with physical boundaries.
Territorial Disputes
A disagreement over the possession/control of land between two or more states
Resource Disputes
disagreements over the control or use of shared resources, such as boundary rivers or jointly claimed fishing grounds
Functional Disputes
disagreements between neighboring states over policies to be applied to their common border; often induced by differing customs regulations, movement of nomadic groups, or illegal immigration or emigration.
Economic Force
Economic inequalities that lead to the break up of a state
Electoral Geography
The study of the geographical elements of the organization and results of elections.
Elongated States
A state with a long narrow shape
Enclave
A distinct region or community enclosed within a larger territory
Exclave
A part of a country that is separated from the rest of the country and surrounded by foreign territory.
Ethnic Force
Ethnic causes for the break up of a state
Ethnonationalism
The tendency for an ethnic group t see itself as a distinct nation with a right to autonomy or independence
European Constitution
A 2004 European Union document, not yet ratified, which significantly increased the extent of European unity.
European Monetary Union
The agreement among the participating member states of the European Union to adopt a single hard currency and monetary system.
European Union
An international organization of European countries formed after World War II to reduce trade barriers and increase cooperation among its members
Federal Systems
Government systems that divide the powers between the national government and state or provincial governments
Forward Capital
Capital city that serves as a model for national objectives, especially for economic development and future hopes
Fragmentation
Divisons within states based on ethnic or cultural identity
Fragmented States
A state that includes several discontinuous pieces of territory
Frontier
A zone separating two states in which neither state exercises political control.
Geometric Boundary
Straight, imaginary lines that set boundaries between countries
Gerrymandering
Process of redrawing legislative boundaries for the purpose of benefiting the party in power.
Geopolitics
The study of the spatial and territorial dimensions of power relationships within a global political-territorial order
Globalization
Actions or processes that involve the entire world and result in making something worldwide in scope.
Government
The leadership and institutions that make policy decisions for a country
Heartland Theory
Hypothesis that any political power based in the heart of Eurasia could gain enough strength to eventually dominate the world.
Imperialism
A policy in which a strong nation seeks to dominate other countries politically, socially, and economically.
Institutions
Stable, long lasting organizations, that help to turn political ideas into policy
Integration
A process that encourages states to pool thier sovereignty to gain political, economic, and social advantages
Internal Boundaries
Boundaries that divide the interiors of a country into sections
Irredentism
The policy of a state wishing to incorporate within itself territory inhabited by people who have ethnic or linguistic links with the country but that lies within a neighboring state.
Landlocked States
State surrounded by other land with no direct outlet to the sea
Market Economy
Economic decisions are made by individuals or the open market.
Marketization
The state's recreation of a market in which property, labor, goods, and services can all function in a competitive environment to determine their value.
Median-Line Principle
An approach to dividing and creating boundaries at the mid-point between two places
Microstate
A state or territory that is small in both size and population.
Minority Districting
Rearranging districts to allow a minority representative to be elected
Majority Districting
Area in which the majority of the constituents in the district are racial or ethnic minorities. Used to sway electoral votes
Mixed Economy
A combination of a command and market economy
Monetary Policy
Government policy that attempts to manage the economy by controlling the money supply and thus interest rates.
Multicore State
A state that has more than one dominant region in terms of economics or politics
Nation
A group of people that is bound together by a common political identity
Nation State
A state whose territorial extent coincides with that occupied by a distinct nation or people
Nationalism
Loyalty and devotion to a nation
Perforated States
A state that completely surrounds another state
Physical Boundary
Boundary defined by a physical land mark like a river or a lake
Political Geography
The study of the political organization of the planet
Political Culture
An overall set of values widely shared within a society
Politicization of Religion
The use of religious principles to promote political ends
Politics
Activities associated with the governance of a country, especially regarding the struggle for control and power
Primate City
The largest settlement in a country, if it has more than twice as many people as the second-ranking settlement.
Privatization
The transfer of state-owned property to private ownership
Ratzel, Friedrich
Father of modern political geography
Relative Location
The position of a place in relation to another place
Rimland Theory
Nicholas Spykman's theory that the domination of the coastal fringes of Eurasia would provided the base for world conquest.
Security Council
Body of the Un that includes five permanent members that can establish peace keeping forces needed in "hotspots" of conflict
Separatist Movement
Refers to the social movements for a particular group of people to separate from a dominant political institution under which they suffer
Shatter Belts
An zone of instability between regions with opposing political and cultural values
Sovereignty
Ability of a state to govern its territory free from control of its internal affairs by other states.
Spatial Force
The breakup of a state at its margins due to distance and remoteness
Stateless Nation
A common people without a state
State
A politically organized territory that is administered by a sovereign government and is recognized by the international community.
Supranational Organization
Cooperating groups of nations that operate on either a regional or international level to make major decisions and rules
Territorial Morphology
A state's geographical shape, size, and relative location, which can affect its spatial cohesion and political viability.
Territoriality
Efforts to control pieces of the earth's surface for political and social ends
"Third Wave" Of Democratization
Refers to the third major surge of democracy in history; characterized by the defeat of dictatorial or totalitarian rulers in South America, Eastern Europe, and some parts of Africa
Three pillars
Informal term denoting the main areas in which the EU has worked since the Maastricht Treaty.
Unitary State
A state in which most political power exists at the national level, with limited local authority.
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