CHAPTER 8 —> Political Geography

state

a country that has a government, that controls what comes in and out of it, has defined borders, has a sovereign government, and is recognized

nation

a culturally defined group of people that share the same beliefs, language, history, religion, and region; ethinic group

nation-state

a state dominated by a relatively homogeneous culture group; one nation within one state

territoriality

a fundamental aspect of human behavior and refers to the need to lay claim to the spaces we occupy and the things we own

Peace of Westphalia

created modern states

mercantilism

general sense associated with the promotion of commercialism trade

multinational state

state with more than one nation

multistate nation

nation across multiple state borders

stateless nation

an oppressed nation with no rights in multiple state borders

colonialism

imperial powers exercised ruthless control over their domains and organized them for maximum economic expolitation

core

process incorporate higher levels of education, salaries, and technology

periphery

incorporates lower salaries and less technology

semi-periphery

core and periphery processes are both occuring

centripetal

forces that bring a nation together

centrifugal

forces that bring a nation apart

unitary

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

federal

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

devolution

the movement of power from the central government to regional governments within the state and breaks into multiple countries

territorial representation

system wherein each representative is elected from a territorially defined district (EX. US has territorial representation)

reapportionment

the process by which districts are moved according to population shifts, so that each district encompasses approximately the same number of people

majority-minority districts

packed districts in which a majority of the population is from the minority

Gerrymandering

drawing electoral (voting) districts to benefit one political group over another

geometric boundary

a political boundary defined and delimited as a straight line or an arc, based on a grid system (EX. Canada & U.S)

physical-political boundary

a political boundary defined and delimited by a prominent physical feature in the natural landscape, such as a river or the crest ridges of a mountain range (EX. Sweden & Finland)

unilateralism

a world order in which one state is in a position of dominance with allies following rather than joining the political decision-making process

multilateralism

when multiple countries work together on a given issue

supranational organization

a separate entity composed of three or more states that forge an association and form an administrative structure for mutual benefit and in pursuit of shared goals

Balance of Power

Condition of roughly equal strength between opposing countries

Boundary

Invisible line that marks the extent of a state's territory

City State

A sovereign state comprising a city and it's hinterland.

Compact State

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

Federal State

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

Fragmented State

A state includes several discontinous pieces of territory

Frontier

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

Perforated State

A state that completely surrounds another one.

Prorupted State

An otherwise compact state with large projecting extension

Sovereignty

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

Anocracy

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

Autocracy

a system of government by one person with absolute power.

colony

A territory that is legally tied to a sovereign state rather than completely independent.

Elongated State

A state whose territory is long and narrow in shape.

Self-determination

the right of people to choose their own form of government

Rimland Theory

Nicholas Spykman's theory that the domination of the coastal fringes of Eurasia would provided the base for world conquest.

Heartland Theory

Hypothesis proposed by Halford MacKinder that held that any political power based in the heart of Eurasia could gain enough strength to eventually dominate the world.

Democracy

A political system in which the supreme power lies in a body of citizens who can elect people to represent them

Landlocked State

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

Terriorism

the use of violence by groups against civilians to achieve a political goal

Microstate

A state that encompasses a very small land area.

weapons of mass destruction

Biological, chemical, or nuclear weapons that can cause a massive number of deaths in a single use.

Semiautonomous region

an area inside of a country that has some power to control itself more than other areas in the country ie Indian Reservations

Nation

a politically organized body of people under a single government

Autonomous Regions (ARs)

an area of a country that has a degree of autonomy, or has freedom from an external authority

Imperialism

A policy of extending a country's power and influence through diplomacy or military force.

Neocolonialism

Also called economic imperialism, this is the domination of newly independent countries by foreign business interests that causes colonial-style economies to continue, which often caused monoculture (a country only producing one main export like sugar, oil, etc).

Shatterbelt

a region caught between stronger colliding external cultural-political forces, under persistent stress, and often fragmented by aggressive rivals (e.g., Israel or Kashmir today; Eastern Europe during the Cold War,...).

choke point

a point of congestion or blockage

Territoriality

In political geography, a country's or more local community's sense of property and attachment toward its territory, as expressed by its determination to keep it inviolable and strongly defended.

relic boundary

a former boundary line that is still discernible and marked by some cultural landscape features

superimposed boundary

a boundary that is imposed on the cultural landscape which ignores pre-existing cultural patterns (typically a colonial boundary)...

antecedent boundary

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

consequent boundary

a boundary line that coincides with some cultural divide, such as religion or language

Berlin Conference

A meeting from 1884-1885 at which representatives of European nations agreed on rules colonization of Africa

demilitarized zone

A zone from which military forces or operations or installations are prohibited

Law of the Sea

Law establishing states rights and responsibilities concerning the ownership and use of the earth's seas and oceans and their resources.

Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)

as established in the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, a zone of exploitation extending 200 nautical miles seaward from the a coastal state that has exclusive mineral and fishing rights over it

Terrorism

Acts of violence designed to promote a specific ideology or agenda by creating panic among an enemy population

Irredentism

a policy of cultural extension and potential political expansion by a country aimed at a group of its nationals living in a neighboring country

ethnic cleansing

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

Democratization

the process of creating a government elected by the people

Supranationalism

a venture involving 3 or more national states political economic or cultural cooperation to promote shared objectives

United Nations (UN)

an organization of independent states formed in 1945 to promote international peace and security

NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)

A 1949 defense alliance initiated by the US, Canada, and 10 Western European nations

European Union (EU)

(syn Common Market) an economic association established in 1957 by a number of Western European countries to promote free trade among its members

ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations)

An international organization linking together the 10 most important countries of Southeast Asia

Artic Council

a high-level intergovernmental forum that addresses issues faced by the Arctic governments and the indigenous people of the Arctic

uneven development

The increasing gap in economic conditions between core and peripheral regions as a result of the globalization of the economy.

Delimited Boundary

a line drawn on a map to show the limits of a space

Demarcated Boundary

A boundary demarcated (marked) by some visible means on the ground. Ex. wall posts, fences, etc.

Territorial Sea

Up to 12 nautical miles of sovereignty; commercial vessels may pass, but non-commercial vessels may be challenged.

EEZ (Exclusive Economic Zone)

The 200 nautical miles from a nation's shoreline of protected resources and economic activity

Devolution

Transferring responsibility for policies from the federal government to state and local governments.

Spain

issues with Spanish and the Catalonia

Belgium

Issues between the Flemish and ethnic French

Canadian Conflict

Quebec is fighting for independence, to make French an official language

Sudan Conflict

The conflict between the north and south, and religious conflicts

Chechnya Conflict

As the Soviet Union disintegrated, the Chechen separatists declared independence in 1991. By late 1994, the First Chechen War broke out and after two years of fighting the Russian forces withdrew from the region

Demilitarized Zone (DMZ)

A strip of land running across the Korean Peninsula that serves as a buffer zone between North and South Korea.

Demarcation Boundary Process

Phase in which the boundary is visibly marked on the landscape by a fence, line, sign, wall or other means

subsequent boundary

a boundary line that is established after the area in question has been settled and that considers the cultural characteristics of the bounded area

Chokepoints (Strategic Waterways)

a point of congestion or blockage