An area organized into a political unit and ruled by an established government that has control over its internal and foreign affairs
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Microstate
A state that encompasses a very small land area
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Sovereignty
Ability of a state to govern its territory free from control of its internal affairs by other states
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City-State
A sovereign state encompassing a city and its immediately surrounding countryside
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Nation
A large group of people who are united by common cultural characteristics, such as language and ethnicity, or by shared history
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Nation-State
A state whose territory corresponds to that occupied by a particular nation
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Self-Determination
The concept that ethnicities have the right to govern themselves
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Multinational State
A state tat contains two or more cultural groups with traditions of self-determination that agree to coexist peacefully by recognizing each other as distinct nationalities
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Colonialism
An attempt by one country to establish settlements and to impose its political, economic, and cultural principles in another territory
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Balance of Power
A condition of roughly equal strength between opposing countries or alliances of countries
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Democracy
A country in which citizens elect leaders and can run for office
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Autocracy
A country that is run according to the interests of the ruler rather than the people
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Anocracy
A country that is not fully democratic or fully autocratic but rather displays a mix of the two types
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Unitary State
An internal organization of a state that places most power in the hands of central government officials
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Federal State
An internal organization of a state that allocates most powers to units of local government
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Weapon of Mass Destruction
A nuclear, biological, chemical, or other weapon that can kill and bring significant harm to a large number of humans or cause great damage to human-made structures, natural structures, or the biosphere
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NATO
North Atlantic Treaty Organization
A military alliance among 16 democratic states in North America and Europe
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The Warsaw Pact
A military agreement among communist Eastern European countries. The Warsaw Pact disbanded in 1991 following the end of communism in Eastern Europe
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Terrorism
The threatened or actual use of illegal force and violence by a non state actor to attain a political, economic, religious, or social goal through fear, coercion, or intimidation
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Boundary
An invisible line that marks the extent of a states territory
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Frontier
A zone separating two states in which neither state exercises political control
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Compact State
A state in which the distance from the center to any boundary does nor vary significantly
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Prorupted State
An otherwise compact state with a large projecting extension
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Perforated State
A state that completely surrounds another one
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Elongated State
A state with a long, narrow shape
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Fragmented State
A state that includes several discontinuous pieces of territory
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Landlocked State
A state that does not have a direct outlet to the sea
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Gerrymandering
The process of redrawing legislative boundaries for the purpose of benefitting the party in power
Studied by 20 people
