AP Human Geography - Unit 4 Vocabulary

Political Geography

the study of how political processes & structures are influenced by geographic space, including borders, territories, and the distribution of power

Nation

a group of people who share culture

Nation-State

state where the borders of a national group’s homeland coincides with the borders of the state

Stateless Nation

nation is spread out over several different states

Multinational State

country with several national groups within their borders

Multi-State Nation

nation’s homeland has a state of its own and also spread across its borders into other countries

Semi-Autonomous Region

have a moderate degree of self-government and freedom to government themselves

Autonomous Region

high degree of self-government and freedom to govern themselves

Sovereignty

a state’s authority to control its territory and govern itself

Self-Determination

the right of all people to choose their own political status

Imperialism

the process by which one state exercises political, economic, or military domination over another state

Colonialism

one expression of imperialism that focuses and occupying land in another state

Independence Movements

group of people advocating for separation from larger a political entity on basis of ethnicity, religion, nationality, etc.

Devolution

when the national government grants political power to a regional authority within the country

Territoiality

connection of people, their culture, and their economic systems to the land 

Neocolonialism

use of economic, political, cultural, or other pressures to control or influence other countries, especially former dependencies.

Shatterbelts

region of the world with political instability due to cultural and political influences

Chokepoints

narrow strategic passageway to another place that is difficult to pass through

Geopolitics

the study of the effects of geography and politics and relations between countries

Organic Theory

countries need “nourishment” and living space “lebensraum” to survive

Heartland Theory

land based power was the key to global domination

Rimland Theory

countries derived power from controlling water routes in the ocean, densely populated port cities

Relic Boundary

former boundaries that once existed but no longer have an official function (economic, cultural, etc)

Superimposed Boundaries

boundaries that are drawn by outside powers and tend to ignore existing boundaries

Geometric Boundaries

straight lines or arcs drawn by humans, often using latitude and longitude line

Antecedent Boundaries

established before many people settle the area

Subsequent Boundaries

drawn in areas that have been settled by people, established by territoriality

Consequent Boundaries

type of subsequent boundary that takes into account the differences on the cultural landscape