AP Human Geography Unit 4 Vocabulary

Balkanization

The Balkans were united under the new country of Yugoslavia, which fell apart during the 1990s into several smaller ethnically based countries, a process referred to as “Balkanization.”

binational or multinational state

a state that contains more than one nation.

boundary

invisible lines that mark the extent of a state’s territory and the control that its leaders have.

centripetal force, centrifugal force

centripetal forces unify them, while centrifugal for

Cold War

the competition between two superpowers - the United States and the Soviet Union - for control of land spaces all over the world.

colonies

dependent areas that were given fixed and recorded boundaries where none had formally existed before.

command economy

command economies have socialist principles of centralized planning and state ownership

compact states

the distance from the center to any boundary is about the same, giving it a shape similar to a circle.

confederal system

spreads the power among many sub-units (such as states) and has a weak central government.

consequent boundaries

is the same thing as a cultural boundary, it is a boundary between a state set by ethnic differences, especially those based on culture/religion.

core area

a central region, expanding outward along its frontiers. Their growth generally stopped when they bump into other nation-states, causing them to define boundaries.

core-periphery

the relationship between more and less developed regions.

cultural boundary

is the same thing as a consequent boundary, it is a boundary between a state set by ethnic differences, especially those based on culture/religion.

democratization

the growing of democrat authority.

devolution

the transfer of some important powers from central governments to sub-governments.

disputes: positional, territorial, resource, functional

Positional (definitional) disputes - occur when states argue about where the border actually is.

Territorial disputes - arise over the ownership of a region, usually around mutual borders.

Resource (allocational) disputes - invlove natural resources.

Functional (operational) disputes - arise when neighboring states cannot agree on policies that apply in a border area.

economic force

force that has a significant impact on economy.

electoral geography

the study of how the spatial configuration of electoral districts and voting patterns reflect and influence social and political affairs.

elongated states

states that have a long and narrow shpae, sometimes because of physical geography and other times for political or economic reasons.

enclaves, exclaves

Enclaves - they are landlocked within another country, so that the country totally surrounds it.

Exclaves - they are small bits of territory that lie on coasts separated from the state by the territory of another state.

ethnic force

ethnic forces cause devolution because they can be centrifugal. An ethnic group shares a well-developed sense of belonging to the same culture.

ethnonationalism

the tendency for an ethnic group to see itself as a distinct nation with a right to autonomy or independence

European Constitution

defines the values, fundamental objectives and spheres of action of the European Union and puts in place the machinery whereby its institutions can operate.

European Monetary Union

it involves the coordination of economic and fiscal policies, a common monetary policy, and a common currency, the euro.

European Union

A supranational organization made in Europe including many European states and was created in a effort to revitalize a war-torn Europe after World War 2 ended.

federal system

divides the power between the central government and the sub-units. Federalism accommodates regional interests by allowing for diverse needs and preferences, but also features a central gov. that is strong enough to keep the countries from falling apart.

forward capital

a capital city that serves as a model for national objectives, especially for economic development and future hopes

fragmentation

the process or state of breaking or being broken into small or separate parts.

fragmented states

states that have several discontinuous pieces of territory.

frontiers

a geographic zone where no states exercise power.

geometric boundary

These are straight, imaginary lines that generally have good reasons behind their creation.

gerrymandering

when the political party in control - either Democrats or Republicans - usually attempts to redraw boundaries in strange ways to improve the chances of its supporters to win seats.

geopolitics

the study of spatial and territorial dimensions of power relationships within the global political-territorial order.

globalization

growing commonalities among nations.

government

is a reference to the leadership and institutions that make policy decisions for a country.

heartland theory

stated that the “pivot area” of the earth - Eurasia - holds the resources, both natural and human to dominate the globe.

imperialism

empire building.

institutions

stable, long lasting organizations that help to turn political ideas into policy.

integration

the process of combining different elements into a unified whole, particularly in relation to social, economic, and cultural aspects of urban life.

internal boundaries

boundaries within a country

irredentism

a political movement that is strongly tied to nationalism.

landlocked states

countries that are completely surrounded by other countries and have no access to ocean fronts.

market economy

an economic system where two forces, known as supply and demand, direct the production of goods and services.

Territorial Morphology

that describes the shapes, sizes, and relative locations of states.

perforated state

a state that completely surrounds another state.

sovereignty

the ability of the state to carry out actions or policies within its borders independently from interference either from the inside or outside.

nationalism

national consciousness