Unit 4 - Political Patterns and Processes TQ 1

State

(country), political unit with a permanent population and boundaries that are recognized by other states that allows for the administration of laws, collection of taxes, and provision of defense.

Nation

people who think of themselves as one based on a sense of shared culture and history and who desire political autonomy.

Nation State

a state with a single nation (very few exist).

Stateless Nation

a nation who do not have their own independent state.

Multi-National State

a state with two or more nations (includes most states).

Multi State Nation

a nation living across states.

Autonomous Region

an area which governs itself, but is not an independent country.

Semi-Autonomous Region

an area which can govern itself in certain areas, but does not have complete power to govern.

Sovereignty

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

Colonialism

rule by an autonomous power over a subordinate people and place that creates unequal cultural and economic relations.

Imperialism

the drive toward creation and expansion of an empire and then once established, its perpetuation.

Self-determination

the process by which a country determines its own statehood and forms its own allegiances and government.

Independence Movements

an area that believes that it should be its own country. eg. colonized people against their colonizers.

Political Power

expressed geographically as control over people, land, and resources.

Government

political system with governing authority.

Authoritarian Government

gov't with a strong central power, no constitutional accountability, no individual freedoms

e.g. absolute monarchy (Saudi Arabia), dictatorship (North Korea), fascism (Germany).

Democracy

government where power resides with the majority.

Republic

government where power resides in a body of citizens entitled to vote and is exercised by elected representatives responsible to them and governing according to law (U.S., Germany, France).

Democratization

the process of moving from a non-democracy (authoritarian rule, colonial rule) to a democratic system.

Neocolonialism

form of indirect control through the use of economic/political pressures to control or influence other countries, especially former colonies in which they continue to be exploited.

Shatterbelt

region endangered by local conflicts within the state or between countries in the area, as well as the involvement of opposing great powers outside the region.

Choke Points

geographical feature (sea OR land) that has significant strategic importance. eg. Straits of Gribaltar, English Channel, Panama Canal, Suez Canal.

Human Territoriality

the connection of people, their culture, and their economic systems to the land creating a desire for ownership over a defined space.

Boundary

line that defines the limit of state jurisdiction that is a vertical plane that cuts through the subsoil and extends into the airspace above and often coincides with cultural, national, or economic divisions.

Boundary Definition

phase in which the boundary is negotiated and legally described.

Boundary Delimitation

phase in which the boundary is drawn on the map.

Boundary Demarcation

phase in which markers are placed on the ground (signs, walls, fences).

Boundary Administration

phase in which the boundary is maintained.

Boundary Dispute

disagreement over the location of a boundary/movement across the boundary (migration/smuggling) and can cause conflict.

Irredentism

when a state wants to annex territory whose population is ethnically similar. eg. Russia annexation of Crimea.

Antecedent Boundary

boundary in the natural landscape that existed before the cultural landscape emerged and stayed in place as people moved in. eg. rain forests between Malaysia and Indonesia, mountains between France and Spain, lakes between U.S. and Canada.

Consequent Boundary

boundary that coincides with cultural groups (religion, language). eg. Europe.

Subsequent Boundary

boundary that evolves as the cultural landscape of an area takes shape and changes as cultural landscape changes. eg. Northern Ireland and Ireland, Pakistan and India, Sudan and South Sudan.

Superimposed Boundary

boundary that is drawn by powerful outsiders (eg. colonizers) and ignores existing cultural groups. eg. Israel and Palestine, Yugoslavia, Africa.

Relic Boundary

boundary that no longer exists as an international border, but remnants of its existence remain. eg. North and South Vietnam, Berlin Wall.

Geometric Boundary

boundary that follows a straight line or arc. eg. U.S. and Canada, western U.S., North and South Korea, colonial boundaries in Africa (Berlin Conference).