unit 4

A political unit with a permanent population and boundaries, recognized by other states, allowing for administration of laws.

State

A group of people who perceive themselves as one based on shared culture and history, desiring political autonomy.

Nation

A state with a single nation; examples include Japan, Iceland, and Armenia.

Nation-state

Nations that do not have their own independent state, such as the Palestinians and Kurds.

Stateless nations

States with two or more nations, like France and the USA.

Multinational states

An area that governs itself but is not an independent country, such as Greenland.

Autonomous region

Final authority over a territory and the right to defend territorial integrity against incursion.

Sovereignty

A nation's desire to create and maintain a state of its own.

Nationalism

A form of imperialism where people move into and settle on the land of another country.

Colonialism

The perceived connection of people, their culture, and their economic systems to the land.

Territoriality

A strategic narrow route providing passage through or to another region.

Choke point

The transfer of decision-making power from a central government to a lower level.

Devolution

Redrawing voting district boundaries to benefit a political party.

Gerrymandering

A force or attitude that unifies people and enhances support for the state.

Centripetal force

A force or attitude that divides the state.

Centrifugal force

A boundary drawn to accommodate cultural differences and changes.

Subsequent boundary

A boundary drawn by outsiders that ignores existing cultural groups.

Superimposed boundary

Gaining indirect control of another country through economic or cultural pressures.

Neocolonialism

An area from which weapons and military forces have been removed.

Demilitarized zone

The fragmentation of a state into smaller, often hostile, units along ethnic lines.

Balkanization

An alliance of three or more states formed for mutual benefit and shared goals.

Supranationalism

Zone of water adjacent to a state's coast, in which the state has rights to explore and manage resources.

Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)

A boundary that no longer exists as an international border but leaves remnants in the landscape.

Relic boundary

An approach to dividing maritime boundaries at the midpoint between two places.

Median-Line Principle

Influencing a country or group of people by direct conquest, economic control, or cultural dominance.

Imperialism

Movements by regions that believe they should be their own country.

Independence movements