ap hug - political organization of space

political geography

a branch of geography that studies geographical influences on political systems and power relationships

geopolitics

the study of the interplay between international political relations and the territories in which they occur

core country

a country that is well-developed with a strong economic base

periphery country

a less-developed, economically poor country

state

a politically bound area controlled by an established government that has authority over its internal affairs and foreign policy

synonymous with the term “country” (e.g., Iraq, South Africa, Canada)

sovereignty

the political authority of a state to govern itself

microstate (ministate)

a country that is small in both population and area

city-state

a small sovereign state that is made up of a town or city and the surrounding area

nation

a group of people bound together by some sense of a common culture, ethnicity, language, shared history, and attachment to a homeland (e.g., the French, Koreans, Mexicans)

stateless nation

a nation of people without a state that it considers home (e.g., Kurds, Basques, Palestinians, the Hmong)

nation-state

a state in which the cultural borders of a nation correspond with the state borders of a country (e.g., Japan, Iceland, Denmark)

political boundary

an invisible line that marks the out limits of a state’s territory

frontier

a zone of territory where nos Tate has governing authority

geometric boundary

a boundary created by using lines of latitude and longitude and their associated arcs

physical boundary

a boundary based on the geographical features of the Earth’s surface

ethnographic (cultural) boundary

a boundary based on ethnographic and cultural considerations, such as language and religion

boundary evolution

the technical wording of a treaty that legally defines where a boundary should be located

delimitation

the process of mapmakers placing the boundary on the map

demarcation

the process of physically representing a boundary on the landscape

border landscape

the zonal area on both sides of the boundary

antecedent boundary

a boundary that existed either before humans settled an area or very early during the settlement history

subsequent boundary

a boundary that develops along with the development of the cultural landscape

superimposed boundary

a political boundary that ignores the existing cultural organization on the landscape

irredentism

a political movement by an ethnic group or other closely aligned group that aims to reoccupy an area that the group lost

group’s territorial claims are often based on national, historic, or ethnic affiliations

relic boundary

boundary that is no longer used but can still be seen on the landscape (e.g., the Great Wall of China)

reunification

the rejoining of two regions that were previously a single state (e.g., the reunification of East and West Germany)

ethnic conflict

conflicts that involve violence between members of different religious groups (e.g., Muslins and Hindus in South Asia)

balkanization

a contentious process of a state fragmenting into smaller states, which are often hostile or uncooperative with one another (e.g., the breakup of the former state of Yugoslavia)

annexation

the process of adding territory to an already existing state (e.g., the United States purchasing Alaska from Russia)

definitional boundary dispute

a dispute that arises due to the legal language of the treaty’s definition of the boundary

locational boundary dispute

a dispute that arises when the definition of the border is not questioned, but the interpretation of the border is in question

operational boundary dispute

a dispute that occurs when two countries next to each other disagree on a major issue involving the border

allocation boundary dispute

a dispute over the actual use of a boundary, such as the use of a resource that crosses the boundary

international law of the sea

laws establishing states’ rights and responsibilities concerning the ownership and use of the Earth’s waters and their resources

exclusive economic zone (EEZ)

a sea zone over which a state has special rights over the exploration and use of marine resources stretching 200 nautical miles from the coast

median-line principle

a line that is drawn in the water equidistant from each competing party to settle a question of sea resource access

global commons

areas in which no country has access or exclusive right to exploit natural resources (e.g., Antarctica)

colonialism

the practice of establishing political dominance over a people for economic, political, and territorial gain (e.g., European colonization of Africa)

imperialism

the practice of taking control of an area that is already politically organized

self-determination

the power of a people to establish their own government the way that they see fit

enfranchisement

the process of gaining the legal right to vote (e.g., the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in 1920 giving women the right to vote)

democratization

the process of establishing representative and accountable forms of government led by popularly elected political representatives

territorial morphology

the study of states’ shapes and their effects

compact shape

the shape of a country in which the distance from the center of a state to any of its outer boundaries is roughly the same length (e.g., Poland)

elongated shape

describes a country that has long and narrow land extensions (e.g., Chile)

fragmented shape

describes a country that has two or more discontinuous, or separate, pieces of territory (e.g., Indonesia)

perforated shape

describes a state that has a smaller state located entirely within it (e.g., Italy and South Africa)

exclave

a portion of a state that is geographically separated from the mainland by another country or countries (e.g., Alaska being separate from the U.S. mainland)

enclave

a country that is completely surrounded by another state (e.g., Vatican City)

prorupted shape

a country that is characterized by having a compact shape plus a large projecting landmass (e.g., Namibia)

nationalism

doctrine based on the idea that an ethnocultural group, or nation, has the power to control its own affairs

federal government

a system of governing in which the central government shares authority with regional subdivisions (e.g., United States government sharing power with the 50 U.S. state governments)

unitary government

a system of governing in which. central government maintains control over the entire country (e.g., France)

embassy

a state’s main diplomatic office in a foreign state

ambassador

a state’s chief diplomat, whose function is to represent the state in a foreign country

consulate

an office similar to an embassy that serves a secondary role in a foreign country

supranational organization

international bodies formed by three or more states to promote shared objectives (e.g., the United Nations)

United Nations (UN)

a global organization that provides a forum in which the states of the world can meet to discuss and vote on issues related to international issues such as political, social, legal, environmental, and military concerns

North Atlantic treaty organization (NATO)

a military alliance originally created by 16 states, consitsting of the United States, Canada, and 14 European countries, to counter the Soviet threat during the Cold War

today, NATO still provides collective security to all of its member states

satellite state

a country that is technically independent but under heavy political, economic, and military influence from another country (e.g., Eastern European states under Soviet influence during the Cold War)

buffer zone (buffer state)

a region or state that provides territorial separation, or a “cushion” between rivals

iron curtain

barrier separating the former Soviet bloc and the West prior to the decline of communism in 1989

shatterbelt region

a region such as a country or multiple countries caught up in a conflict between two superpowers (e.g., Vietnam during the Cold War)

halford mackinder

a British political geographer who wrote a thesis outlining the heartland theory

heartland theory

suggests that whoever controls Easter Europe and Western Asia has the political power and capital to rule the world

nicholas spykman

an American political scientist who countered Mackinder’s heartland theory with an alternate theory called the rimland theory

remland theory

claims that forming alliances and controlling the coasts and seas are necessary to maintain the political power to control the world

domino theory

a Cold War-era theory that suggested that when one country experiences rebellion or political disunity, other countries around it will also experience turmoil as a result, leading to a domino effect of political instability in the region

european union (EU)

with nearly 30 member-states and a population of over 510 million, the EU’s aim is to promote the free movement of people, goods, services, and economic capital; to enact legislation and administer justice for all members; and to maintain common policies on trade, development, and agriculture

centripetal force

an attitude or force that unifies people and increases support for a state

these forces keep the country together (e.g., national identity and patriotism)

centrifugal force

an attitude or force that pulls people apart

these forces can limit interaction, produce regionalism, and create dissimilarity among the citizens of a country (e.g., differences in religion and language)

national iconography

symbols of nationalism (e.g., national flags, national anthems, art)

regionalism

the expression of a common sense of identity and purpose combined with the creation of institutions that shape collective action within a geographical region

autonomous region

a segment of a country that has some degree of self—governing authority granted to it by the state (e.g., Basque Country in Spain)

theocracy

a state whose government is under the control of a group of religious leaders (e.g., Iran, Vatican City)

devolution

the process of a state giving up of power over another state or region (e.g., the break up of the Soviet bloc countries at the end of the Cold War)

historical geography

a subset of geography that analyzes geographical patterns through history

immigrant state

a country that is comprised primarily of immigrants and their descendants (e.g., the United States)

confederation

an association of sovereign states by a treaty or agreement

reapportionment

the political process of reallocating the electoral seats to the regions of a state

gerrymandering

a process by which a political party manipulates political boundaries for political gain