APHGEO Unit 4

all vocab definitions

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/country

An independent political unit with a centralized authority that makes a 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.

Sovereign state

A state that possesses the sole authority over the land and 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 where the nation's geographic boundaries exactly match the state’s territorial boundaries.

Nationalism

A sense of belonging to and self-identifying with a national culture.

Stateless-Nation

An ethnic group or nation that does not possess its own state.

Multinational States

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

Autonomous Region

A subdivision or dependent territory of a country that has a degree of self-government.

Semi Autonomous Region

A subdivision that has some degree of, but not complete, self-government.

Self Determination

A nation’s ability to determine its own statehood and form its own allegiances and government.

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.

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 ethnic identity.

Neocolonialism

Economic and political strategies by which wealthy countries maintain or extend influence over less wealthy areas.

Peripheral States

States with relatively little industrial development and focused on agriculture and raw materials.

Core States

States with the most advanced industrial and military technologies and the highest levels of wealth.

Shatterbelts

Regions of continuing and persistent fragmentation due to devolution.

Choke Point

A narrow passage that restricts traffic to another region.

Straits

A narrow body of water connecting two larger bodies of water.

Boundary

A clearly demarcated line that marks both the limits of a territory and divisions between territories.

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.

Frontier

A region at the margins of state control and settlement.

Enclave

A territory surrounded by a country but not ruled by it.

Exclave

Part of a national territory separated from the main body of the country.

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 developed with the cultural landscape.

Antecedent Boundary

A boundary identified before an area was settled.

Geometric boundary

A boundary with regular, often straight, lines drawn without regard for physical features.

Consequent Boundary

A boundary drawn to accommodate existing cultural differences.

Demilitarized Zone

An area where military activities are forbidden by treaties between nations.

Buffer States

Independent countries that lie between the borders of two powers.

Satellite State

A nominally independent country politically 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

Zone extending 200 nautical miles from the shoreline for exclusive resource rights.

Arctic Circle

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

Electoral Geography

A subfield of political geography that analyzes geography's influence on political preferences.

Voting Districts

Territorial divisions for casting votes in elections.

Electoral College

A body of electors in the United States responsible for electing the president.

Reapportionment

The process of dividing the 435 House seats among the states based on population.

Redistricting

The process of drawing new congressional district boundaries after a census.

Gerrymandering

The manipulation of voting district boundaries to favor a particular party.

Packing

Gerrymandering by concentrating opposition votes into one district.

Cracking

Gerrymandering by diluting opposition votes across many districts.

Subnational Units

Smaller areas into which a larger state is divided.

Unitary State

An independent state that grants little or no authority to subnational units.

Federal State

An independent country that disperses authority among subnational units.

Irredentism

A political claim to territory in another country based on ethnic affiliations.

Terrorism

The calculated use of violent acts against civilians to affect government conduct.

International Terrorism

Terrorism that transcends national boundaries.

Domestic Terrorism

Acts against citizens or government of one's own country.

State Terrorism

Terrorism committed by government agents against perceived enemies of the state.

Subnational Terrorism

Terrorism committed by nongovernment groups against their own government.

ETA

Basque separatist organization in Spain that used terrorism in its campaign.

Democratization

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

Supranationalism

When nation-states relinquish some sovereign rights to a larger body.

Supranational Organizations

International political bodies that promote cooperation among member states.

United Nations

An international organization responsible for maintaining peace and security.

European Union

A political, economic, and social union of 28 independent European countries.

African Union

A continental organization seeking economic development through cooperation.

Arctic Council

An international forum promoting sustainable development in the Arctic.

Regional Trading Bloc

An agreement among multiple countries to reduce or eliminate trade taxes.

Economies of Scale

Cost advantages that can arise from larger scale operations.

North American Free Trade Agreement

A trade agreement between Canada, the U.S., and Mexico revised as USMCA.

Association of SouthEast Asian Nations

A regional organization of 10 Southeast Asian countries promoting cooperation.

North Atlantic Treaty Organization

An intergovernmental military alliance among North American and European countries.

Failed states

States where the government has lost power and cannot function effectively.

Uneven Development

Disparities in technological and economic development between core and peripheral states.

Iconography

A set of traditional symbols associated with a country and its citizens.

Equitable infrastructure

The construction and improvement of foundational services across a country.

Cultural cohesion

Occurs when society members are culturally united.