AP Human Geography Unit 4 Vocab

Anocracy

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

Autocracy

a country that is run according to the interests of the ruler rather than the people

Balance of power

a condition of roughly equal strength between opposing countries

Boundary

an invisible line that marks the extent of a state's territory

City-State

a sovereign state comprising a city and its immediately surrounding countryside

colonialism

an attempt by one country to establish settlements and to impose its political, economic, and cultural principles in another territory

colony

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

compact state

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

democracy

a country in which citizens elect leaders and can run for office

elongated state

a state with a long and narrow shape

federal state

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

fragmented state

a state that includes several discontinuous pieces of territory

frontier

a zone separating two states in which neither state exercises political control

gerrymandering

the process of redrawing legislative boundaries for the purpose of benefitting the party in power

landlocked state

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

microstate

a state that encompasses a very small area of land

multinational state

a state that contains two or more cultural groups with traditions of self-determination that agree to coexist peacefully

nation

a large group of people who are united by common cultural characteristics, such as language and ethnicity or by shared history

nation-state

a state whose territory corresponds to that occupied by a particular nation

perforated state

a state that completely surrounds another country

prorupted state

an otherwise compact state with a large projecting extension

self-determination

the concept that ethnicities have the right to govern themselves

sovereignty

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

state

an area organized into a political unit and ruled by an established government that has control over its internal and foreign affairs

terrorism

the threatened or actual use of illegal force and violence by a non-state actor to attain a political, economic, religious or social goal through fear, coercion, or intimidation

unitary state

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

weapon of mass destruction

a nuclear, biological, chemical, or other weapon that can kill and bring significant harm to a large number humans or cause great damage to human made structures, natural structures , or the biosphere