APHUG Unit 4

Key Terms/Concepts/Definitions

Political geography

A branch of human geography concerned with the spatial analysis of political systems

State

An independent political unit with a centralized authority that makes claim to sole legal, political, and economic jurisdiction over a region with defined boundaries

Sovereign state

A state that possesses the sole authority over the land and people within its boundaries

Nation

A community of people bound to a homeland and possessing a common identity based on shared cultural traits such as language, ethnicity, and religion

Nation-State

The ideal political geographical unit; one in which the nation’s geographic boundaries (a people and its culture) exactly match the state’s territorial boundaries (governance and authority)

Nationalism

Sense of belonging to and self-identifying with a national culture; people with a strong sense of nationalism derive a significant part of their social identity from a sense of belonging to a nation

Stateless nation

An ethnic group or nation that does not possess its own state and is not the majority population in any nation-state

Multinational state

A country containing multiple national, ethnic, and religious groups within its boundaries

Multistate nation

Ethnic groups territorially divided by one or more international boundaries

Autonomous region

A subdivision or dependent territory of a country that has a degree of self-government, or autonomy, in its decision making

Semi-autonomous region

A subdivision or dependent territory of a country that has some degree of, but not complete, self-government

Self-determination

A nation’s ability to determine its own statehood and form its own allegiances and government; the freedom of culturally distinct groups to govern themselves in their own territories and form their own states

Effective sovereignty

The idea that a state’s power to enforce its sovereignty may extend beyond its territory and varies over time and from country to country

Devolution

The movement of power from the central government to regional governments within the state

Ethnonationalism

A form of nationalism in which the nation is defined in terms of ethnic identity

Neocolonialism

The set of economic and political strategies by which wealthy and powerful countries indirectly maintain or extend their influence over less wealthy areas

Peripheral states

States that have relatively little industrial development, simple production systems focused mostly on agriculture and raw materials, and low levels of consumption of manufactured goods

Core state

States that have the most advanced industrial and military technologies, complex manufacturing systems, external political power, and the highest levels of wealth and mass consumption

Shatterbelt

Region of continuing and persistent fragmentation due to devolution and centrifugal forces

Choke point

A narrow passage that restricts traffic to another region

Boundary

A clearly demarcated line that marks both the limits of a territory and divisions between territories; often called a border at the global scale

Median line principle

An approach to dividing and creating boundaries at the midpoint between two places

Enclave

A territory surrounded by a country but not ruled by it

Exclave

Part of a national territory separated from the main body of the country to which it belongs

Delimited

Describing how boundaries are fixed or defined to identify their limits

Demarcated

Describing how boundaries are set apart to distinguish their limits

Relic Boundary

A boundary that no longer functions as an international border

Superimposed Boundary

A boundary that is placed on an area without regard to existing boundaries

Subsequent Boundary

A political boundary that developed with the cultural landscape

Antecedent Boundary

A boundary that was identified before an area was settled

Geometric Boundary

A boundary that has regular, often perfectly straight, lines drawn without regard for an area’s physical or cultural features

Consequent Boundary

A boundary that is drawn to accommodate existing cultural differences

Buffer State

A politically and economically weak independent country that lies between the borders of two powers

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

Conference organized to define territorial boundaries and rights to the sea

Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)

Zone that extends 200 nautical miles from shoreline in which coastal states have the sole right to exploit, develop, manage, and conserve all water resources lying beyond the land

Voting District

A territorial division for casting votes in public elections; generally, only those who live in the voting district are permitted to cast their votes there

Reapportionment

The process by which the 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives are divided proportionately by population among the 50 states following every U.S. census

Redistricting

The process of drawing new boundaries for U.S. congressional districts to reflect the population changes since the previous U.S. census

Gerrymandering

The manipulation of voting district boundaries to favor a particular political party, group, or election outcome

Unitary state

An independent state that concentrates power in the central government and grants little or no authority to its subnational units

Federal state

An independent country that disperses significant authority among subnational units

Irredentism

The political claim to territory in another country based on ethnic affiliations and historic borders

Terrorism

The calculated use of violent acts against civilians and symbolic targets to publicize a cause, intimidate or coerce a civilian population, or affect the conduct of the government

Democratization

Occurs when a sovereign state moves from a non-democracy to a democracy

Supranational organization

International political body that nation-states establish in cooperation with their neighbors for mutual political, military, economic, or cultural gain

United Nations

International organization that is responsible for maintaining international peace and security, developing friendly relations among nations, achieving international cooperation, and harmonizing the actions of nations

European Union

A political, economic, and social union of 28 independent European countries that promotes the free movement of people, goods, services, and capital among its members

Economies of Scale

Cost advantages that can come with a larger scale of operations

Failed state

A state whose political or economic system has become so weak that the government is no longer in control

Uneven development

Occurs when core states have advanced economies and a high standard of living while peripheral states have relatively little industrial development, simple production systems based mostly on raw materials, and low levels of consumption of manufactured goods

Equitable infrastructure

The construction and improvement of foundational services such as access to energy resources throughout the country

Cultural cohesion

Cultural unity; occurs when the members of a society are culturally united