APHG VOCAB UNIT 4

Administered boundaries

Legal management of the border through laws, immigration regulation, documentation, and prosecution.

African Union

A continental organization founded in 2001 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, aimed at promoting unity and cooperation among African nations.

Antecedent boundaries

Borders that are established before there has been major settlement by people in a territory.

Arctic Council

Leading intergovernmental forum promoting cooperation, coordination and interaction among the Arctic States, Arctic Indigenous Peoples and other Arctic inhabitants on common Arctic issues, in particular on issues of sustainable development and environmental protection in the Arctic.

Association of SE Asian Nations (ASEAN)

An organization of countries in southeast Asia set up to promote cultural, economic and political development in the region. (formed in 1967 with the signing of the Bangkok Declaration)

Autonomous region

A location within a state that is given authority to govern independently from the national government.

Census

A survey done to collect population data; done every ten years.

Centrifugal forces

A force that tends to break apart states.

Centripetal forces

A force that tends to unify states.

Choke points

A strategic strait or canal which is narrow, hard to pass through and has competition for use.

Cold War

A period of diplomatic, political, and military rivalry between the United States and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republic (USSR) (Soviet Union).

Colonialism

A type of imperialism in which people move into and settle on the land of another country.

Consequent boundaries

Type of subsequent boundary - takes into account the existing cultural distribution of the people living in the territory and redevelops boundary lines to more closely align with cultural boundaries.

Cultural boundary

Border between two different ethnic, linguistic, and religious groups. Based on human traits or behavior.

Cultural cohesion

Capacity of different national and ethnic groups to make a mutual commitment to live together as citizens of the same state.

Decolonization

Colonial territories win their independence from colonizers.

Defined boundaries

Countries legally define and agree to where borders are located through an agreement or treaty.

Delimited boundaries

Identifying the location of the defined boundaries on a map. Usually at the same time that boundaries are defined and done through a legal designation.

Demilitarized zones

An area in which treaties or agreements between states, military powers or contending groups forbid military installations, activities, or personnel.

Democratization

The process of moving a nation's government from an authoritarian to a democratic system.

Devolution

The process in which regions within a state demand and gain political strength and growing autonomy at the expense of the central government.

Economies of scale

The cost per unit of production decreases as volume of product increases.

Electorate

The people in a country who are entitled to vote in an election.

Equitable infrastructure development

Assure that all regions of a country have a chance to development economically.

Established Territorial Seas

Area extending up to 12 nautical miles from coast in which a state has sovereignty.

Ethnic cleansing

State governments attack an ethnic group in an attempt to try to eliminate them through expulsion, imprisonment, or mass murder.

Ethnic nationalist

A person who is a nationalist where the term nation is defined as ethnic group.

Ethnic separatism

People of a particular ethnicity in a multinational state identify more strongly with their ethnic group than as citizens of the state.

Ethno-nationalism

Political ideology that emphasizes the interests and culture of a specific ethnic group, often advocating for the establishment of a nation-state based on shared ethnicity, language, and cultural identity.

European Union (EU)

A political and economic union of 27 European countries that have chosen to cooperate closely in various areas, including trade, governance, and social policy.

Exclusive economic zones (EEZs)

200 nautical miles. A state has special rights over the exploration and use of marine resources such as fishing, whaling, as well as natural resources like natural gas, oil, energy.

Failed states

A state that cannot project authority over its territory and peoples, and cannot protect its national boundaries.

Federal states

A state that practices the use of a federal government in which power is shared between a central government and various regional governments.

Genocide

The deliberate killing of a large number of people from a particular nation or ethnic group with the aim of destroying that nation or group.

Geometric boundaries

Borders that are established on straight lines of latitude and longitude instead of physical or cultural boundaries.

Gerrymandering

Redistricting for a political advantage, when the political party that controls a majority of seats in the state legislature draws political district boundaries to maintain or extend their political power.

Heartland Theory

Theory established by Halford Mackinder suggests that whoever owns the heartland of Eastern Europe will control the world.

Imperialism

A broader concept; a variety of ways of influencing another country, by direct conquest, by economic control or by cultural dominance.

Independence movements

Efforts by groups or regions within a country to gain political autonomy and establish sovereignty from a governing authority.

Independent state

Independent states are the primary building blocks of the world political map. They have defined territory with borders, a permanent population, government, sovereignty and recognition from other states.

Irredentism

A majority ethnic group wants to claim territory from a neighboring state due to a shared culture with the people residing across the border.

Land boundaries

Boundaries on land.

Maritime boundaries

Boundaries of the sea; borders of the ocean.

Military alliances

A formal agreement between two or more states for mutual support in case of war.

Militarized boundary

Boundary that is heavily guarded and discourages crossing and movement.

Multinational State

A state that contains more than one nation.

Multistate Nation

When a nation has a state of its own but also stretches across the borders of other states.

Nation

A group of people who share a common cultural heritage and have the desire to express their self-determination.

Nation-state

A singular nation of people who fulfill the qualifications of a state. The territory occupied by a particular nation of people is the same as the recognized political boundary of that state.

Natural boundary

Physical features of the landscape, such as rivers, mountains, and lakes, that create a clear demarcation between different political territories.

Neocolonialism

The use of economic, political, cultural or other pressures in order to control or influence other countries.

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)

Was initially founded in 1949 by non-communist countries as a political alliance agreeing to defend against communist advances.

Organic Theory

The idea that countries behave like organisms in that they seek nutrition to survive. The nutrition in the country's case is land territory.

Redistricting

Process of redrawing the boundaries of electoral districts every 10 years to reflect changes in population and ensure fair representation.

Relic (relict) boundaries

Border that no longer exists, but has left some imprint on the local cultural or environmental geography.

Rimland Theory

Suggests that sea power is more valuable and that alliances will keep the heartland (Eastern Europe) in check.

Satellite State

A type of state that is dominated by another state politically and economically.

Self-determination

The right of all people to govern themselves. Usually a nation, ethnicity, or former colony wants to govern themselves and establish sovereignty over their own state.

Semi-autonomous region

A subdivision that has a degree of autonomy or self-governance, but not complete sovereignty.

Shatterbelt

Instability within a region that is geographically located between states with overlapping territoriality and political power.

Sovereignty

The right of a government to control and defend its territory and determine what happens within its borders.

State

Formal term for a country.

Stateless nation

Cultural groups that have no independent political identity of their own.

Subsequent boundaries

Borders that are drawn in areas that have been settled by people, typically due to changes that have occurred over time.

Superimposed boundaries

Border that is drawn over existing and accepted borders by an outside force.

Supranationalism

The process of nation states organizing politically and economically into one organization or alliance.

Territoriality

Is the control and influence over a specific geographic space.

Territorial Sea

12 nautical miles from the coastline. Complete sovereignty over the water and airspace. Permission of 'innocent passage' of foreign ships.

Terrorism

Organized violence aimed at government and civilian targets intended to create fear in order to accomplish political aims.

Trade agreements

A legal pact between two or more countries that outlines the rules and regulations for trade between them, aiming to reduce or eliminate barriers such as tariffs and quotas.

Uneven development

The non-uniform advancement of humans over Earth's space.

Unitary states

A state where laws are administered uniformly by one central government.

United Nations (UN)

Organization tasked with preserving peace, deterring conflict, and promoting prosperity and equality in the world.

United Nations Conference on the law of the Sea (UNCLOS)

An international agreement that describes how sea-going vessels should interact with each other and with marine resources in regional waters and the high seas.

Voting districts

A subdivision of a larger state created to provide its population with representation in the larger state's legislature.