AP HUG Aitken Unit 4 - Political Entities

State

An area with defined boundaries that controls its internal and external affairs

Nation

A group of people with a common culture

Nation State

A state in which the cultural borders of a nation align with the state borders

Stateless Nation

A nation of people without a state to consider home

Multistate Nation

When a nation has a state of its own but stretches across borders of other states

Multination State

A country that contains more than one nation within its borders

Autonomous Region

An area of a country that has a high degree of ability to control its territory; like Hong Kong from China

Sovereignty

The power of a political unit to rule over its own affairs

Self Determination

Concept that a group or territory have the right to rule themselves in the way they see fit

Colonialism

The practice of one country establishing settlements in another territory

Imperialism

Extending a country's power and influence through diplomacy or military force

Microstate

A state that encompasses a very small land area.

Multiethnic state

state that contains more than one ethnicity; ethnic group is not actively seeking self determination (ex. U.S.)

enclave

an enclosed territory that is culturally distinct from the foreign territory that surrounds it

Exclave

a part of a country that is seperated from the rest of the country and surrounded by foreign territory.

Territorality

In political geography, a country's or more local community's sense of property and attachment toward its territory, as expressed by its determination to keep it inviolable and strongly defended.