AP Human Geography Unit 4

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.