APHG Unit 4 - Political Geography

physical geographic boundaries

natural barriers between areas such as oceans, deserts, and mountains

cultural boundaries

boundary that divide people according to some cultural division, such as language, religion, or ethnicity

antecedent boundary

a boundary that existed before the cultural landscape emerged and stayed in place while people moved in to occupy the surrounding area

physical

Antecedent boundaries are typically based on ___________ features

subsequent/ethnographic boundary

boundary that is typically created while the cultural landscape is evolving and is subject to change over time

ethnocentric

Subsequent boundaries are characteristically _______________ in nature, meaning they are usually related to cultural phenomena

ethnocentric

believing in the superiority of one's own ethnic and cultural group, and having a corresponding disdain for all other groups

subsequent/ethnographic boundary

may be drawn to accommodate ethnic, religious, linguistic, or economic differences among groups; often altered as a result of non-cultural developments such as governmental negotiations or war

superimposed boundary

boundary that is drawn by outside powers and may have ignored existing cultural patterns; often LACKS conformity to natural features

landlocked states

states without territory connected to an ocean

relic boundary

boundary that no longer exists, but is still evident on the landscape (ex: Berlin Wall)

geometric boundary

boundary that is a straight line or arc drawn by people that does NOT closely follow any physical feature

consequent boundary

A type of subsequent boundary that takes into account existing cultural or physical landscapes

cultural consequent boundary

border that is drawn taking into account language, ethnicity, religion, or other cultural traits

cultural

Consequent boundaries are created with the _____________ landscape as a PRIMARY consideration

physical consequent boundary

a division that uses already-existing natural features that divide a territory such as rivers, deserts, or mountains

open boundary

boundary that is unguarded and people can cross it easily, with little or no political intervention

militarized boundary

boundary that is heavily guarded and discourages crossing

begins, ends

Boundaries signal where one political entity __________ and another _________.

Uncertain

Throughout history, ___________ boundaries have been a frequent cause of bloodshed and war.

defined boundary

A boundary that is established by a legal document, such as a treaty, that divides one entity from another (invisible line)

delimited boundary

a boundary that is drawn on a map by a cartographer to show the LIMITS of a space

demarcated boundary

boundary that is identified by physical objects placed on the landscape (ex: a sign, set of fences and walls)

definitional boundary dispute

boundary dispute that occurs when 2 or more parties disagree over how to interpret the legal documents or maps that identify the boundary

antecedent

Definitional boundary disputes often occur with _____________ boundaries.

locational/territorial boundary disputes

boundary disputes that center on where a boundary should be, how it is delimited (mapped), or demarcated

irredentism

type of expansionism when one country seeks to annex territory where it has cultural ties to apart of the population or historical claims to the land

operational/functional boundary dispute

boundary dispute that centers NOT on where a boundary is BUT how it functions

state

the largest political unit, the formal term for a country; has a DEFINED boundary, contains a PERMANENT population, maintains SOVEREIGNTY over its domestic and international affairs, recognized by other states

sovereignty

the power of a political unit or gov't to rule over its own affairs

nation

group of people who have certain things in common such as a common CULTURAL heritage, a set of BELIEFS and values that unify them, a traditional CLAIM to a particular space as their HOMELAND a desire to est their own state/express self-rule in another way

nation state

a nation of people who fulfill the qualifications of a state

multinational state

country that contains more than one nation (ex: Canada)

autonomous region

a defined are within a state that has a high degree of self-government and freedom from its parent state

semiautonomous region

A state that has a degree of, but not complete self-rule

stateless nation

A cultural group that has no independent political entity

allocational/resource boundary dispute

a boundary separates natural resources that may be used by both countries

demarcation

How a border is labeled on the physical landscape such as with a fence, wall, stones or signs; can indicate the type of relationship that exists b/w countries and be a clue to how the border functions

administered boundary

how a boundary will be maintained, how it will function, and what goods and people will be allowed to cross

controlled boundary

boundaries that have checkpoints where a passport or visa are required to enter the country; these boundaries ALLOW some people and goods to cross the border while DENYING entry to others

exclaves

Territories that are part of a state, yet geographically separated from the main state by one or more countries (ex: Alaska)

political enclaves

states, territories, or parts of a state or territory that are completely surrounded by the territory of another state (ex: Lesotho)

shatterbelt

a place located between two very different and contentious regions; under consistent STRESS and may suffer INSTABILITY or FRAGMENTATION due to external aggression

internal boundaries

used at the subnational scale to divide countries into smaller units (states, counties, cities, etc.)

electoral geography

using spatial thinking techniques and tools to analyze elections and voting patterns

voting districts

internal boundaries that divide a country's electorate into subnational regions

electorate

people of a country who are eligible to vote; vote for leaders in each district to govern on their behalf

census

a count of the population, ever 10 years

reapportionment

changing the number of representatives granted to each state so it reflects the state's population

redistricting

the redrawing of district boundaries so that each distract contains roughly the SAME number of people

gerrymandering

the drawing of boundaries for political districts by the party in power to protect or increase its power

cracking

type of gerrymandering where you are dispersing a group into several distracts to prevent a majority

packing

type of gerrymandering where you are combining like-minded voters into one district to prevent them from affecting elections in other districts

stacking

type of gerrymandering where you are diluting a minority-populated district with majority populations

hijacking

type of gerrymandering where you are redrawing 2 districts in order to force 2 elected representatives of the same party to run against each other

kidnapping

type of gerrymandering where you are moving an area where an elected representative has support to an area where he or she does NOT have support

centripetal force

force that helps unify people within a country

centrifugal force

force that tends to divide people, break states apart, or even prevent state from forming

nationalism

a nation's desire to create and maintain a state of its own; unifies people

satellite state

independent nation under the control of a more powerful nation

devolution

the transfer of some powers and responsibilities from the federal government to the states; one or more regions are given INCREASED AUTONOMY by the central political unit

self-determination

the right of people to choose their own sovereign government WITHOUT external influences

geopolitics

the study of the effects of geography on politics and relations among states

territoriatlity

a willingness by a person or a group of people to defend space they claim; key concept in geopolitics

neocolonialism

economic, political, or even cultural control that is indirectly exerted over developing countries

choke point

place of physical congestion between wider regions of movement and interaction

federal state

state that unites separate political entities into an overarching system that allows each entity to maintain some degree of sovereignty

unitary state

state where most or all of the governing power is held by the NATIONAL government

large, US, Canada, Russia

__________ landmass countries - such as _________, ____________, & __________ - tend to be federal states

smaller, Japan, Egypt, Spain

__________ landmass countries - such as _________, ____________, & __________ - tend to be unitary states

annexation

the process of legally adding territory to a city

European Union (EU)

a political and economic union of 27 member states that are located primarily in Europe; trading partners

subnationalism

describes people who have a primary allegiance to a traditional group or ethnicity

ethnic separatism

the advocacy of full political separation (or secession) from the larger group along cultural, ethnic, tribal, or governmental lines

ethnic cleansing

Process in which more powerful ethnic group forcibly removes a less powerful one in order to create an ethnically homogeneous region

autonomous regions

regions that have their own local and legislative bodies to govern a region w/ a population that is an ethnic minority within the entire country; they handle their own DAY-TO-DAY GOVERNANCE BUT are NOT fully independent from the state in which they are located

Balkanization

the fragmentation of a state or region into smaller, often hostile, units along ethno-linguistic lines

supranationalism

the practice of multiple countries forming an organization for the benefit of all members

democratization

the transition from autocratic to more representative forms of politics

time-space compression

the social and psychological effects of faster movement of information over space in a shorter period of time

regionalism

when loyalty to a distinct portion of a country is more important than loyalty to the entire country

ethnonationalism

support for the political interests of a particular ethnic group within a state, especially its national independence or self-determination

Organic Theory

theory that argues that states are born and that they need nourishment and living space to survive; lebensraum; Friedrich Ratzel

Heartland Theory

theory that argued LAND-based power was essential in achieving global domination; Sir Halford Mackinder

Rimland Theory

theory that argued power is derived from controlling strategic MARITIME areas of the world (SEA POWER WAS KEY [the RIMLAND comprises densely populated coastal areas that reside outside the heartland; they have more varied resources than the heartland & access to the sea])

compact

state shape in which the distance from the center to any boundary does not vary significantly.

elongated

state shape that has a long sliver of land that extends far in one direction; can be challenging for communication

fragmented

state shape whose territory is disconnected and divided into segments; looks broken; usually separated by water

enclave

a distinct region or community enclosed within a larger territory

perforated

a state that completely surrounds another state

prorupted

a compact state with a large projecting extension