Studied by 17 people
nation
group of people with common cultural characteristics
Ex: French, Mexicans
sovereignty
political authority of a state to govern itself
nation-state
state whose political boundaries correspond with its cultural boundaries
Ex: Iceland, Japan
berlin conference
meeting in the late 1800s which the European powers determined the boundaries of their colonies in Africa
multistate nation
when a nation stretches across international borders
Ex: Korean, Indian
colonialism
process when one state takes control and settles in another
reapportionment
changing the number of reprsentatives in each district to accommodate to population
shatterbelt
region caught between two stronger feuding forces
Ex: Sudan, Ukraine, Turkey
relic
boundary type that no longer functions but can still be seen on the landscape
Ex: Great Wall of China
ASEAN
(Association of Southeast Asian Nations) organization to promote cultural, political, and economic development
subsequent
boundary type established after the settlement of the area
Ex: Northern Ireland
superimposed
boundary type established by an outside power
Ex: African states in Berlin Conference
geometric
boundary type that is a straight line that disregards geographic features
Ex: US/Canada border
delimited
boundary type that is drawn on a map
stateless nation
group of people who share common cultural characteristics but lack a state.
Ex: Kurds in Turkey, Syria, Iran & Iraq
UN Law of the Sea
convention that defines the rights and responsibilities of states’ use of the oceans
centrifugal force
forces or attitudes that divide/weaken a state
Ex: political instability, religious differences
federal state
state where government authority is shared between the central body and smaller regional authorities with significant autonomy for regions.
Ex: USA
irredentism
when part of an existing state breaks away and merges with another, often based on shared culture or history
Ex: Russia and Ukraine
subnationalism
allegiance of people to a traditional group or nation rather than to a state
Ex: Quebecois in Canada
NATO
(North Atlantic Treaty Organization) political and military alliance with members in North America and Europe
EU
(European Union) seeks to promote peace & economic cooperation
unitary
type of state where power is held by the central government only
Ex: China, Japan, UK
antecedent
boundary type that existed before the land there was settled, opposite of subsequent
Ex: US/Canada border
failed state
state where government has lost the ability to provide the most basic of public services
Ex: South Sudan, Syria
heartland theory
states that controlling the center of Eurasia could give a state the power needed to eventually the dominate the world
state
area with a permanent population
controlled by a government that has authority over its affairs and foreign policy
defined boundaries
recognized by other states
consequent
boundary type drawn to accommodate a cultural divide
Ex: India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh
multinational
type of state that contains two or more distinct cultural groups
Ex: Canada, France, Russia
autonomous region
area within a country that has autonomy from external authority
Ex: Scotland
imperialism
extending a country’s power and influence through diplomacy and/or military force
United Nations
has over 190 members; aims to increase global political cooperation
African Union
aims to encourage development & stability in Africa
Centripetal force
something that unifies people and enhances support for the state
Ex: shared history, economic prosperity
balkanization
fragmentation of a region into smaller, often hostile, political units
Ex: Yugoslavia
Devolution
transfer of power from the central government to regional governments within the state or the breakup of a large state into several smaller independent ones
neocolonialism
control by a powerful country over its former colonies or other less developed countries using economic pressure
Ex: influence of China in Africa
rimland theory
controlling the land near the coasts of Eurasia can lead to world domination
OPEC
(Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) controls the price of oil
defined
boundary type established by a legal document or treaty
Ex: North and South Korea
demarcated
boundary type identified by physical objects like walls, signs, and fences
exclusive economic zone
area of the sea which a state has absolute control over the use of marine resources
redistricting
drawing of new electoral boundary lines in response to population change
gerrymandering
when officials redraw electoral districts in order to favor a certain political party
organic theory
states are like organisms w/ life cycles that need to be nourished by acquiring less powerful states to survive
satellite state
formally independent but under heavy influence or control by another state
Ex: Korea, Vietnam, and Afghanistan during the Cold War
annex
formal obtaining of territory by conquest or occupation
Ex: Nazi Germany WWII
census
an official count of the population, typically recording various details of citizens
Choke point
strategic strait or canal which could be closed or blocked to stop sea traffic
Ex: Panama Canal
city state
small sovereign state that is made up of a town or city and its surrounding area
Ex: Vatican City
cold war
time of rivalry between the US and USSR. started end of WWII and lasted to the collapse of the Berlin Wall and Soviet Union (1989-1991)
decolonization
when colonized nations gain independence
Ex: much of Africa & Asia after WWII
democratization
transition from autocratic to more representative forms of government
Ex: Tunisia
domino theory
idea that if one country falls under the influence of communism, then surrounding countries will as well
ethnic cleansing
forced removal of an ethnic group from a territory
Ex: deportation of Cossacks during the Russian Civil War
forward capital
the symbolic relocation of a state’s capital city, usually for economic or strategic reasons
Ex: Brasilia
genocide
deliberate killing aimed to destroy a particular nation or ethnic group
Ex: Holocaust
geopolitics
study of the effects of geography on politics and relations among states
microstate
a state that is small in population and area
Ex: Andorra, Monaco
militarized boundary
heavily guarded and discourages crossing and movement
Ex: US/Mexico border
nationalism
a nation’s desire to create and maintain a state of its own
natural boundary
based on physical features
Ex: Mount Everest between China and Nepal
open boundary
crossing is unrestricted
Ex: the European Union
self-determination
when a group of people form their own state and choose their own government
supranational
outside or beyond the authority of one national government
supranational organizations
organizations of 3 or more countries that transcend national boundaries to make decisions on a geopolitical level
Ex: UN, NAFTA
territoriality
the willingness to defend the space a person or group claims
UN convention of the law of the sea
governs relations about how to use and control the oceans.
4 zones = territorial sea, contiguous zone, exclusive economic zone, high seas
semi autonomous region
area with a moderate degree of self-governance
Ex: Hong Kong
frontier
geographic area where no state has direct control over
Ex: international waters
definitional boundary dispute
dispute over the interpretation of legal documents/maps
Ex: unclear depictions
locational boundary dispute
occur when parties disagree about where a boundary should be located
Ex: river has shifted
operational boundary dispute
disagreement on how a boundary should function
Ex: open vs militarized, relating to trade or immigration
allocational boundary dispute
dispute over the ownership of natural resources
Ex: underwater or underground resources like oil
administered boundaries
enforced by laws & regulations
globalization
integration of markets, states, communication, and trade on a worldwide scale
creates interdependence
ethnic separatism
when a person/group identifies more as their own ethnic group than as a citizen of the state
Ex: Catalan in Spain
terrorism
use of violence or intimidation for political reasons
Note 
Flashcard (38)