AP Human Geography Unit 4 Review Flashcards

Flashcards covering key vocabulary and concepts from Unit 4 of AP Human Geography.

State

A geographic area with a permanent population, defined borders, a sovereign government, and is recognized by other states.

Sovereign Government

A government that has control over its domestic and international affairs.

Nation

A group of people with a shared culture, history, homeland, and a desire to govern themselves.

Self-determination

A crucial aspect of a nation's identity, referring to their right or desire to self-govern.

Nation-State

A self-governing state with a relatively uniform population, typically sharing a common language, culture, and history.

Multinational State

A state that consists of multiple nations within its borders, with various ethnic, linguistic, or cultural groups.

Multi-State Nation

A nation that exists across multiple states.

Stateless Nation

A nation with a history of self-determination but no officially recognized state.

Autonomous Region

A region within a state that enjoys a certain level of independence from the state and has its own government.

Semi-Autonomous Region

A region controlled by another state but granted a moderate degree of self-governance.

Colonialism

The practice of acquiring territories and settling there to exert political, economic, and social control over the area.

Imperialism

The idea of growing a state or empire by exerting force over other nations to gain economic and political power without establishing settlements.

Decolonization

The process by which colonies gain independence from their colonizers.

Devolution

The transfer of political power from a central government to a regional government.

Territoriality

The tendency to establish and defend a specific geographic area.

Neocolonialism

The indirect use of political, cultural, or economic power to influence or control another country.

Shatter Belt

A region where countries or people are subject to political, cultural, and economic pressure from external powers in conflict.

Choke Points

Geographic areas that have to be passed in order to reach a destination.

Geometric Boundary

A boundary that uses straight lines and follows lines of latitude and longitude.

Antecedent Boundaries

Boundaries that existed before human settlement or the creation of the cultural landscape.

Relic Boundary

A boundary that is no longer officially recognized but still affects the cultural landscape.

Superimposed Boundary

A boundary created by an external power without consideration for the local communities.

Subsequent Boundaries

Boundaries that develop along with the development of the cultural landscape.

Consequent Boundary

Boundaries created to separate ethnic, religious, or linguistic groups.

Frontier

A geographic area where no state has direct power or control over.

International Boundaries

Boundaries that separate one sovereign state from another.

Internal Boundaries

Boundaries that separate different regions within a single state.

Definitional Boundary Disputes

Disputes that occur over the interpretation of the original documents that define the boundary.

Locational Boundary Disputes

Disputes that occur over the location of the boundary and the ownership of the land.

Operational Boundary Disputes

Disputes that occur when countries have different ideas on how to manage a boundary.

Allocational Boundary Disputes

Disputes that occur when countries have a dispute over the use of what is on or in the boundary.

UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea)

A convention held by the United Nations to help countries better understand how to deal with allocational boundary disputes in the sea.

Redistricting

The redrawing of districts to better reflect the area's population after the census is conducted.

Gerrymandering

The process of redistricting a voting district in a way to favor one political party over another.

Cracking

A method of gerrymandering where like-minded voters are spread across many districts to dilute their influence.

Packing

A method of gerrymandering where like-minded voters are stacked into just a few districts.

Unitary States

States where power is concentrated with the national government.

Federal States

States where power is distributed between the national government and regional governments.

Ethnic Separatism

When a person or group starts to identify more as their own ethnic group than as a citizen of the state and wants more political power or wants to separate from the state.

Terrorism

Involves the use of violence and/or intimidation against civilians to instill fear for political purposes.

Irredentism

A movement by a nation to unite other parts of its nation that are located in another state's boundaries.

Supranational Organization

An alliance that consists of multiple countries that work together to achieve common goals or address specific issues or challenges that impact the states.

Centrifugal Forces

Forces that divide people, a state, or a group.

Centripetal Forces

Forces that unite people, a state, or a group.

Failed State

A state that no longer has a functioning government.

Ethnonationalism

A specific cultural group wants to be separate or wants control over themselves based on the specific ethnicity or nationality.