APHG UNIT 4 VOCAB

State

A politically organized territory with a sovereign government recognized by the international community. Example: The United States, France.

Nation

A group of people sharing common cultural traits such as language, religion, and an attachment to a particular territory. Example: The Kurds, the Japanese, Irish, Welsh, English, Jewish.

Nation-state

A state whose territory corresponds to that occupied by a particular nation. Example: Japan, Iceland.

Multinational state

A state that contains more than one nation within its borders. Example: The United Kingdom, Canada.

Autonomous region

A region within a state that has a degree of autonomy, or freedom from external authority. Example: Hong Kong in China, Basque.

Semiautonomous region

A region where local governing authorities have limited power and the central government retains higher control. Example: Scotland in the United Kingdom. Native American Land

Stateless nation

A nation without a recognized sovereign state. Example: The Palestinians, the Kurds, Basques, Catalans, Native Americans Tribes.

Multi-state nation

A nation that stretches across multiple states. Example: The Koreans in North and South Korea and the Hungarians.

Sovereignty

The authority of a state to govern itself or another state. A country being in full control of its laws and regulations.

Berlin Conference

Conference held in 1884-85 where European countries divided African territories without consideration of indigenous boundaries. Example: Creation of countries like Nigeria and Kenya.

Self-determination

The right of people to choose their own form of government. Example: Independence movements in former colonies. Russia's defense for taking over Crimea.

Decolonization

The process by which colonies become independent from the colonizing country. Example: India's independence from Britain.

Devolution

The transfer of power from a central government to regional governments. Example: The establishment of the Scottish Parliament.

Territoriality

A willingness by a person or group of people to defend the space they claim. Example: National boundaries based on cultural affiliations, Shatterbelt, and Neocolonialism.

Neocolonialism

The continued economic and cultural control exerted by former colonial powers indirectly over their former colonies. Example: Economic influence of Western countries on Africa.

Shatterbelts

Regions caught between stronger colliding external cultural-political forces. Example: The Balkans during the Cold War, Middle East, Parts of Europe, and Caucasus Mountain Region.

Balkanization

The fragmentation of a region into smaller, often hostile units. Example: The breakup of Yugoslavia, Soviet Union, Hindustan Partition.

Choke point

Narrow passages that restrict the movement of people or goods, creating a point of congestion or vulnerability. Example: The Strait of Hormuz, Panama Canal, Spratly Islands.

Antecedent

A boundary that was established before the cultural landscape developed. Example: The boundary between the United States and Canada.

Subsequent

A boundary evolved as the cultural landscape of a region evolved.

Consequent

A boundary that is drawn to accommodate existing cultural differences. Example: The boundary between India and Pakistan.

Superimposed

A boundary imposed by external forces without regard to existing cultural patterns. Example: The borders created by the Berlin Conference.

Geometric

Political boundaries defined and delimited as straight lines or arcs or following lines of latitude or longitude. Example: The boundary between the United States and Canada at the 49th parallel.

Relic

A boundary that no longer exists but has left an imprint on the cultural landscape. Example: The Berlin Wall, Great Wall of China.

Defined

Boundaries established by a legal document, such as a treaty. Example: The boundary between the U.S. and Mexico defined by the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.

Delimited

The translation of written terms of a boundary into an official cartographic representation. Example: Drawing a boundary on a map.

Demarcated

Physical marking of a boundary on the landscape. Example: Fences and walls marking territorial boundaries.

Administered

How boundaries are maintained and regulated. Example: Checkpoints and patrols at national borders.

Definitional Boundary Dispute

Dispute over the legal language of the boundary agreement. Example: Argentina and Chile's boundary dispute over wording in treaties.

Locational Boundary Dispute

Dispute over the location of the boundary on the ground. Example: Ethiopia and Eritrea's conflict over border placement.

Operational Boundary Dispute

Dispute over how a boundary functions. Example: The U.S. and Mexico dispute over immigration policies.

Allocational Boundary Dispute

Dispute over resources that lie in the boundary area. Example: Kuwait and Iraq's dispute over oil reservoirs.

United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)

An international agreement that outlines maritime boundaries and resource rights. Example: Delimiting territorial seas, Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs).

Territorial sea

Area extending up to 12 nautical miles from a state's coast over which it has sovereignty.

Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)

Area extending up to 200 nautical miles from a state's coast, in which it has rights to manage resources.

Reapportionment

Changing the number of representatives based on the state's population.

Electoral College

Organization that utilizes the popular vote to then vote for President. Loss of congressional seat = loss of Electoral College seat.

Redistricting

Redrawing of electoral district boundaries to have equal amount of people in each district.

Voting District

A territorial subdivision for electing representatives and organizing state and local governments.

Gerrymandering

Redistricting for a political advantage, when the political party that controls a majority of seats in the state legislature draws political district boundaries to maintain or extend their political power. Example: Drawing district lines to create voter majorities for particular parties.

Packing

Concentrating opposing party voters in one district to reduce their impact elsewhere. Clustering. Example: Creating a district with an overwhelming majority of one party.

Cracking

Dispersing opposing party voters across multiple districts to dilute their influence. Dispersing. Example: Dividing a strong minority group across several districts.

Representative Districts

Electoral districts represented by elected officials. Example: Congressional districts in the U.S.

Federal

A system where a central government shares power with sub-national entities such as states or provinces allowing each entity to maintain some level of sovereignty. Example: The United States, where power is divided between the federal government and state governments.

Unitary

A system where all the power resides with the central government, but it may delegate duties to local governments. Example: France, where the central government is in Paris, controls the majority of decisions. As well as countries like Japan and Kenya.

Ethnic separatism

When an ethnic group desires to separate from the larger state due to cultural, ethnic, tribal, or governmental differences. Example: The Basque region in Spain seeking independence.

Ethnic cleansing

The forced removal of an ethnic group from a region, aiming to make it ethnically homogeneous. Example: The Bosnian War(Yugoslavia conflicts) in the 1990s, The Holocaust.

Terrorism

The use of organized violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, in the pursuit of political aims. Examples: Violence in Basque regions.

Irredentism

A type of expansionism where one country seeks to annex territory where it has cultural ties to part of the population or historical claims to the land. Example: Russia taking over Crimea in 2014.

Supranational Organization

Entities formed by three or more states for mutual benefit and shared goals. Example: The European Union (EU).

United Nations (UN)

An international organization founded in 1945 to promote peace, security, and cooperation among countries.

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)

A military alliance between North American and European countries formed in 1949 to ensure collective security and promote freedom. Military Alliance. Important in changes in the Balkans.

European Union (EU)

A political and economic union of 27 European countries that promotes integration and economic cooperation. Has open barriers and almost no tariffs.

Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)

A regional organization comprising ten Southeast Asian countries aimed at promoting political and economic cooperation.

World Trade Organization (WTO)

An international organization that regulates international trade to ensure smooth, predictable, and free trade flows.

Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)

An intergovernmental organization of oil-exporting countries focused on coordinating and unifying petroleum policies.

Regionalism

When the loyalty for a distinct part of a country is more important than the entire country. Example: The push for independence by Quebec in Canada.

Ethnonationalism

Support for the political interests of a particular ethnic group within a state, especially its national independence or self-determination. Example: Fragmentation within Syria and Iraq gave rise to Kurdish independence movements in those countries.