AP Human Geography Unit 4 Vocabulary

state (country)

political unit with a permanent population and boundaries that are recognized by other states that allows for the administration of laws

nation

people who think of themselves as one based on a sense of shared culture and history and who desire political autonomy
e.g. Japanese

nation-state

a state with a single nation (very few exist)
e.g. Japan

stateless nation

a nation who do not have their own independent state
e.g. Palestinians

multi-national state

a state with two or more nations (includes most states) e.g. Germany

multi-state nation

a nation living across states
e.g. Koreans

autonomous region

an area which governs itself

semi-autonomous region

an area which can govern itself in certain areas

sovereignty

final authority over a territory and the right to defend territorial integrity against incursion

colonialism

rule by an autonomous power over a subordinate people and place that creates unequal cultural and economic relations

imperialism

the drive toward creation and expansion of an empire and then once established

self-determination

the process by which a country determines its own statehood and forms its own allegiances and government

independence movements

an area that believes that it should be its own country
e.g. colonized people against their colonizers

political power

expressed geographically as control over people

government

political system with governing authority

authoritarian government

gov't with a strong central power

democracy

government where power resides with the majority (Ancient Greece)

republic

government where power resides in a body of citizens entitled to vote and is exercised by elected representatives
responsible to them and governing according to law (U.S.

democratization

the process of moving from a non-democracy (authoritarian rule

neocolonialism

form of indirect control through the use of economic/political pressures to control or influence other countries

shatterbelt

region endangered by local conflicts within the state or between countries in the area

choke points

geographical feature (sea OR land) that has significant strategic importance
e.g. Straits of Gibraltar

human territoriality

the connection of people

boundary

line that determines the limit of state jurisdiction that is a vertical plane that cuts through the subsoil and extends into the airspace above and often coincides with cultural

boundary dispute

disagreement over the location of a boundary/movement across the boundary (migration/smuggling) and can cause conflict

irredentism

when a state wants to annex territory whose population is ethnically similar
e.g. Russia annexation of Crimea

antecedent boundary

boundary in the natural landscape that existed before the cultural landscape emerged and stayed in place as people moved in
i.e. rain forest between Malaysia and Indonesia
i.e. mountains between France & Spain
i.e. lakes between U.S. & Canada

consequent boundary

boundary that coincides with cultural groups (religion

subsequent boundary

boundary that evolves as the cultural landscape of an area takes shape and changes as cultural landscape changes
i.e. Northern Ireland and Ireland
i.e. Pakistan and India
i.e. Sudan and South Sudan

superimposed boundary

boundary that is drawn by powerful outsiders (e.g. colonizers) and ignores existing cultural groups
i.e. Israel and Palestine
i.e. Yugoslavia
i.e. Africa

relict (relic) boundary

boundary that no longer exists as an international border

geometric boundary

boundary that follows a straight line or arc
i.e. U.S. and Canada

Berlin Conference

a meeting (1884-1885) between European nations to divide Africa among them for colonization with the intent of preventing conflict over the process

Colonization in Africa

from the 17th to 19th centuries

de-colonization in Africa

the superimposed boundaries of Africa remained in place after independence

demilitarized zone (DMZ)

a buffer zone created by treaties/agreements between two or more military powers that falls on either side of the actual boundary
e.g. DMZ between North Korea and South Korea

international agreements

establishment of formal commitments between countries on world related issues that can either encourage interactions (trade) or discourage disputes (resources)
e.g. trade

international sanctions

policies or actions designed to induce states to change their behavior
e.g. embargo (ban) on military

Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)

established rights and responsibilities of states concerning ownership/use of oceans/seas and their resources as developed by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea

4 zones under Law of the Sea:
Territorial Sea: zone of water adjacent to a state's coast (12 miles) in which a state has sovereignty
Contiguous Zone: zone of water adjacent to Territorial Sea (24 miles) in which state can enforce customs

voting district

subdivision for electing members to a legislative body

redistricting

when voting districts are redrawn due to changes in population

gerrymander

redistricting that is unfair and gives an advantage to a particular political party by concentrating voting strength

unitary state

state that is governed as a single unit with a central top down form of form of governance where local territories only have power that is granted by the central government
e.g. U.K.

federal state

state where there is a division in power between a central government and local territories/provinces/States/oblasts
e.g. Canada

subnational political territorial unit

region that is given greater autonomy from the central government

autonomous region

an area which governs itself

semi-autonomous region

an area which can govern itself in certain areas

devolution

the transfer of decision-making power from a central government to a lower level

CAUSES of devolution:

• ethnic separatism (religion

devolution occurs when

states fragment into subnational political territorial units
e.g. Spain: Basque/Catalonia
Belgium: Flanders/ Wallonia/Brussels
Canada: Nunavut
Nigeria: Western Region/Eastern Region

devolution occurs when

states disintegrate
e.g. Ethiopia/Eritrea
Sudan/South Sudan
East Timor/Indonesia
U.S.S.R. break up
Yugoslavia: Slovenia

supra-nationalism

political and/or economic alliance of three or more states that is formed for mutual benefit to promote shared goals and resolve disputes

United Nations (UN)

union formed to promote international world peace and security after WWII

European Union (EU)

economic alliance between European countries (1992) that established free trade and open borders and a common currency (Eurozone)

North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)

economic alliance to gradually eliminate tariffs and trade barriers between the U.S.

African Union (AU)

political

NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)

military alliance formed after WWII between the U.S.

ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations)

economic alliance aimed at improving development in Indonesia

Arctic Council: alliance aimed at promoting cooperation

coordination and interaction among Arctic states

military alliance

alliance between two or more states who agree on mutual protection and support in case of a crisis
e.g. NATO formed to defend against threats by communist countries after WWII (Cold War: period of political and military tension between the USSR and Western states after WWII)

trade agreement

treaty between two or more states who agree on trade

economies of scale

cost advantages gained by an increased level of production

The Paris Agreement

establishment of protocols dealing with greenhouse gas emissions by the United Nations

political change

advances in communication technology have facilitated devolution

centripetal forces

forces within a state that promote unity and national stability (nationalism)

• effective government/institutions/infrastructure (public education

centrifugal forces

forces within a state that destabilize or weaken it

• ineffective government/institutions/infrastructure (public education