human geo 4.1-4.6

State

Political unit with defined territory permanent population government and sovereignty

Nation

Group of people with shared culture history language or identity

Nation state

State where most people share one national identity

Multinational state

State with multiple national groups

Multistate nation

Nation spread across multiple states

Stateless nation

Nation without its own recognized state

Sovereignty

Ability of a state to govern itself without outside control

Autonomous region

Region with self rule under a central government

Semi autonomous region

Region with limited self rule

Exclave

Part of a state separated from the main territory

Enclave

Territory completely surrounded by another state

Unitary state

State where power is concentrated in the central government

Federal state

State where power is shared between national and regional governments

Devolution

Transfer of power from central government to regional governments

Devolutionary pressures

Forces that push regions to seek autonomy

Ethnic separatism

Movement where ethnic groups seek independence

Balkanization

Process of breaking a region into smaller hostile states

Irredentism

Movement to reunite a nation across borders

Ethnic devolution

Devolution caused by ethnic differences

Economic devolution

Devolution caused by unequal wealth

Spatial devolution

Devolution caused by distance from the capital

Physical geography

Natural features that influence political organization

Boundary

Invisible line separating political territories

Natural boundary

Boundary based on physical features

Geometric boundary

Straight line boundary drawn by humans

Relic boundary

Former boundary no longer in use

Superimposed boundary

Boundary imposed without regard to culture

Subsequent boundary

Boundary created after settlement patterns

Antecedent boundary

Boundary established before settlement

Consequent boundary

Boundary that follows cultural differences

Militarized boundary

Boundary heavily guarded by military forces

Open boundary

Boundary with little restriction on movement

Territoriality

Effort to control land and resources

Shatterbelt

Region with political instability and conflict

Imperialism

Control of weaker regions by stronger states

Choke point

Narrow passageway important for trade or military

Apportionment

Distribution of representatives based on population

Reapportionment

Redistribution of seats after population changes

Redistricting

Redrawing electoral district boundaries

Gerrymandering

Manipulating districts for political advantage

Step one of creating a boundary

Define step legal description of boundary location

Step two of creating a boundary

Delimit step drawing boundary on a map

Step three of creating a boundary

Demarcate step marking boundary on land

Step four of creating a boundary

Administer step enforcing the boundary