Key Concepts in Political Geography and International Relations

African Union

Supranational organization of African countries to increase trade inside Africa

antecedent boundary

a boundary before human settlement; mountains

Arctic Council

supranational organization of countries that border the arctic circle

Association of Southeast Asian Nations

Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand; combine economies to compete with China

at-large congressional district

a member of the US house of representatives (a congressperson) represents the entire state such as Wyoming. In the image below Wyoming is an at large district and only has 1 congressperson.

autonomous region

a subnational political unit that has a high degree of self governance

Berlin Conference

1887 European colonial powers dividing up Africa, happened during the peak of the industrial revolution due to the demand for raw materials. The boundaries are superimposed.

centrifugal force

pushes people away; creates vulnerable states; wars, famines, persecution of a cultural group

centripetal force

pulls people; creates viable states; strong economies, social and cultural acceptance

choke point

narrow passage for global resources; Strait of Hormuz, Malacca, Suez Canal

colonialism

Western Europeans claiming territory and diffusing cultural and economic systems on the global scale

consequent boundary

a boundary drawn to match EXISTING cultural groups; India and Pakistan, Serbia Bosnia, Croatia.

boundary definition

legally defining the boundary

boundary delimitation

drawing on the map

boundary demarcation

marking on the landscape with signs or fences

boundary administration

the control of flows across boundaries such as border checkpoints

decolonization

after WWII the physical end of colonialism and imperialism

demilitarized zone

buffer zone between two fighting countries; no military stuff zone; N and S Korea DMZ

democratization

the global diffusion of democracy and democratic movements

devolution

the transfer of power from a central government to a regional subnational political units

devolutionary forces

centrifugal forces that causes regions in a state to want more control; this is not state fragmentation but can lead to fragmentation.

disputed zone

a region of the world in which more than one state claims political or economic sovereignty over the region; Kashmir, India/Pakistan.

devolution

the transfer of power at the national level to regional governments

economies of scale

producing more lowers the cost per unit item

ethnicity

a group of people with a shared homeland and culture

ethnic cleansing

the attempt to remove a minority ethnic group

ethno-nationalist movements

the movement of ethnic groups desiring self-determination and wanting sovereignty. This is increasing as more and more ethnic groups gain access to social media

ethnic separatism

when an ethnic group tries to break away and form their own territory

European Union

economic supranational organization of Europe; free trade open borders

exclusive economic zone

200 nautical miles from the shore of resource control

failed state

no longer functioning

federal state

has subnational political entities that share power with the central government; states or provinces. In the image below Germany, Mexico and Australia are Federal states.

geometric boundary

straight line boundary; The US and Canada, Egypt is Geometric

gerrymandering

redrawing political districts to favor a political party. This is done by packing or cracking. Packing puts all of one ethnic group into one district and cracking separates an ethnic group into multiple districts so that their vote doesn't count.

imperialism

expansion of European powers controlling Africa and Asia; the demand for raw materials expand imperialism during the 1800 industrial period

independence movement

the organization of a group to break away from a state

independence movements

formed after decolonization forming about 50 new countries

independent states

the building blocks of the contemporary world map (200 countries)

infrastructure development

states with good infrastructure are more politically stable because more people have access to goods and services

international waters

oceans past 200 nm EEZ

irredentism

a state tries to claim territory with their majority ethnic group

maritime boundary

ocean political boundaries

meridian line principle

not 200 nm in between two countries the EEZ is divided

military alliances

for protection; NATO

multinational state

more multiple nations or cultural groups; duh

multi state nation

a nation that lives in many states; Germans, Koreans

nation

a group that wants self determination

nation-state

a state with only one ethnic group; Japan

nation-state concept

the idea that people should be able to govern territory based on their culture

neocolonialism

periphery states are still controlled economically and culturally by core states

North Atlantic Treaty Organization

military alliance US and Western Europe (well for now)

political effect of changes in communication technology

facilitates devolution, democratization, more and more ethnonationalist groups can organized democratic or independence movement with social media

supranationalism

3 or more states form an alliance, can be economic, military, cultural or environmental

political entity

an area with a unique set of laws from surrounding area

reapportionment

reassignment political seas between states after a census

redistricting

redrawing political districts based on population changes

relic boundary

no longer politically functioning; North and South Vietnam; Berlin Wall, Germany

right of passage

UNCLOS, ships have to allow neighboring ships to pass through if there is not 12 nm between the states but can inspect the ships of other states

self-determination

the desire to govern based on your culture

semi autonomous region

high degree of self-governance but less than a fully autonomous region. In the Image below Northern Ireland is a part of the state of the United Kingdom but has a semi autonomous government. The rest of Ireland is The Republic of Ireland and is a sovereign state.

shatterbelt

culturally and politically fragmented because of outside forces; East Europe, Africa

sovereignty

the right to govern without outside interference

Spratly Island

disputed zone in the South China Sea

state

the territory or the land; in Human Geography state means country

state fragmentation

states breaking into new political units.

state disintegration

a state that no longer exists; Soviet Union; Yugoslavia

stateless nation

a nation without their own territory; Kurds, Palestinians

subsequent boundary

develops as two cultures grow together over time; China and Vietnam

superimposed boundary

drawn by an outside force; Africa states are superimposed

supranationalism

the movement of more and more states forming alliances

supranational organizations

3 or more states form an alliance; EU, ASEAN

territoriality

imposing cultural and economic systems on the landscape

territorial sea

the sovereignty of a state extends 12 nm into the ocean; part of the UN law of the Sea.

terrorism

acts of violence to achieve a political goal

tariffs

taxes on imported goods

unitary state

centralized control over the entire state; a top down government.

United Nations

supranational organization of all (most) of the world's states

United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea

sets maritime laws

viability

the ability of the state to function and provide for its people.

voting district

about 700,000 people grouped with one representative

Spain

devolutionary forces; Catalonia and Basque regions

Belgium

Flanders and Wallons

Canada

English and Quebecois (French)

Nigeria

300 different ethnic groups; uneven development, Lagos is the world's fastest growing city

Sudan

disintegrated state into North and South Sudan

Soviet Union

disintegrated state into Russia and 15 other states

Yugoslavia

a failed state in Southeast Europe that fragmented into the new states.