AP Human Geography Unit 4

Nation-State

a politically organized and recognized territory composed of a group of people who consider themselves to be a nation

Democracy

government where power resides in the majority

Autocracy

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

multinational state

a country with various ethnicities and cultures living inside its borders

Unitary State

An organization of a state in which power is concentrated in a central government

Federal State

the organization of a state in which power is shared between the federal government and its internal regional units

Irredentism

attempts by a state to acquire territories in neighboring states inhabited by people of the same nation by provoking coups or separatist movements

Imperialism

A push to create and empire by extending a country's power and influence through diplomacy or military force.

Colonialism

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

Colony

A country or area under the full or partial political control of another country, typically a distant one, and occupied by settlers from that country.

Landlocked States

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

Sovereignty

the right of individual states to control political and economic affairs within their territorial boundaries without external interference

State

A politically organized independent territory that is administered by a sovereign government, has defined borders and is recognized by the international community.

Microstate

A state that encompasses a very small land area.

Balkanization

Process by which a state breaks down through conflicts among its ethnicities

Command Economy

An economic system in which the government controls a country's economy.

mixed economy

An economy in which private enterprise exists in combination with a considerable amount of government regulation and promotion.

market economy

economic system in which decisions on production and consumption of goods and services are based on voluntary exchange in markets

Nation

a cultural entity made of up people who have forged a common identity through a shared language, religion, heritage or ethnicity - often all four of these.

antecedent boundary

a boundary that existed before the cultural landscape emerged and stayed in place as the area became settled

consequent boundary

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

subsequent boundary

a boundary that has been drawn in an area that has been settled and where cultural landscapes already exist.

superimposed boundary

a border drawn without regard to previously existing accepted borders by an outside or conquering force

Relict/relic boundary

boundary that ceases to have an official function, however the imprint of the boundary still remains on the

landscape.

geometric boundary

Political boundaries that are defined and delimited by straight lines or arc.

state-less nation

a people united by culture, language, history and tradition but do not possess a state.

Geopolitics

study of government and its policies as affected by physical geography

Multiethnic state

A state that contains more than one ethnicity

apartheid

Laws (no longer in effect) in South Africa that physically separated different races into different geographic areas.

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.

Genocide

the deliberate mass killing of a large group of people, especially those of a particular ethnic group or nation.

devolution

the transfer of political power and responsibilities from the federal government to the states mainly along regional lines.

blockbusting

Illegal practice of inducing homeowners to sell their properties by telling them that a certain people of a certain race, national origin or religion are moving into the area

Rimland Theory

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

Race

Identity with a group of people descended from a common ancestor.

European Union

An international organization of European countries formed after World War II to reduce trade barriers and increase cooperation among its members.

Shatterbelt

an area of instability between regions with opposing political and cultural values

ethnic cleansing

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

supranational organization

Organization of three or more states to promote shared objectives.

Ethnicity

A social division based on national origin, religion, language, and often race.

electoral geography

the study of the geographical elements of the organization and results of elections

Gerrymandering

Process of redrawing legislative boundaries for the purpose of benefiting the party in power.

Redistricting

The redrawing of congressional and other legislative district lines following the census, to accommodate population shifts and keep districts as equal as possible in population.

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.

Territorial Sea

states' navigational and economic sovereign territory extending 12 nautical miles (1 nautical mile = 1.15 statute miles) from the coast (since 1982); foreign ships (both military and civilian) are allowed innocent passage through it; sovereignty also extends to the airspace over and seabed below.

Contiguous Zone

Between 12 and 24 nautical miles from shore, a state may enforce laws concerning pollution, taxation, customs, and immigration

Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)

the seazone extending 200 nautical miles from the coast over which a state has special rights as to the exploration and use of marine resources

International waters (high seas)

open to all states - coastal or landlocked - to explore and use marine resources (freedom of the seas)

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).

Cold War (1945-1991)

A war of words and threats between the United States and the Soviet Union that was marked primarily by a political and economic, rather than military, struggle between the two nations.

Satellite states/nations

The Eastern European countries of Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria, as well as the eastern portion of Germany who were controlled by the Soviet Union

Reapportionment

The process of reallocating seats in the House of Representatives every 10 years on the basis of the results of the census.

Transnational Corporation

A company that conducts research, operates factories, and sells products in many countries, not just where its headquarters or shareholders are located.

subnationalism

the feeling that one owes primary allegiance to a traditional group or nation rather than to the state

Democratization

A process of transition as a country attempts to move from an authoritarian form of government to a democratic one.

electorate

All the people in a country or area who are entitled to vote in an election.