APHG Chapter 8 Political Geography

State

An area organized into a political unit and ruled by an established government that has control over its internal and foreign affairs

Microstate

A state that encompasses a very small land area

Sovereignty

Ability of a state to govern its territory free from control of its internal affairs by other states

City-State

A sovereign state encompassing a city and its immediately surrounding countryside

Nation

A large group of people who are united by common cultural characteristics, such as language and ethnicity, or by shared history

Nation-State

A state whose territory corresponds to that occupied by a particular nation

Self-Determination

The concept that ethnicities have the right to govern themselves

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

Colonialism

An attempt by one country to establish settlements and to impose its political, economic, and cultural principles in another territory

Balance of Power

A condition of roughly equal strength between opposing countries or alliances of countries

Democracy

A country in which citizens elect leaders and can run for office

Autocracy

A country that is run according to the interests of the ruler rather than the people

Anocracy

A country that is not fully democratic or fully autocratic but rather displays a mix of the two types

Unitary State

An internal organization of a state that places most power in the hands of central government officials

Federal State

An internal organization of a state that allocates most powers to units of local government

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

NATO

North Atlantic Treaty Organization

A military alliance among 16 democratic states in North America and Europe

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

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

Boundary

An invisible line that marks the extent of a states territory

Frontier

A zone separating two states in which neither state exercises political control

Compact State

A state in which the distance from the center to any boundary does nor vary significantly

Prorupted State

An otherwise compact state with a large projecting extension

Perforated State

A state that completely surrounds another one

Elongated State

A state with a long, narrow shape

Fragmented State

A state that includes several discontinuous pieces of territory

Landlocked State

A state that does not have a direct outlet to the sea

Gerrymandering

The process of redrawing legislative boundaries for the purpose of benefitting the party in power