Political geography concepts

State

Political unit with a permanent population and boundaries that are recognized by other states that allows for the administration of laws, collection of taxes, and provision of defense.

Nation

People who think of themselves as one based on a shared sense of culture and history and who desire political autonomy.

Nation-State

A state with a single nation.

Multinational State

A state with two or more nations.

Stateless Nation

A nation who does not have their own independent state.

Sovereignty

The authority of a state to govern itself without external interference.

Territoriality

The connection of people to a specific geographic area and their assertion of control over it.

Autonomy

The ability of a region or group to govern itself independently.

Devolution

The transfer of decision-making power from a central government to a lower level government.

Territorial Disputes

Conflicts over land ownership and control between states or groups.

Annexation

The process of adding land to a city, state, or country.

Buffer State

A smaller state situated between two larger, potentially hostile states.

Self-Determination

The process by which a country determines its own statehood and forms its own allegiances and government.

Stateless Ethnic Groups

Ethnic groups that do not have their own state or political representation.

Microstate

A very small sovereign state in terms of land area and population.

City-State

A sovereign state that consists of a single city and its surrounding territory.

Frontier

An area/zone where no state has complete political control.

Compact State

A country that is small, roundish, and has a centralized government.

Elongated State

A state shape that has a long sliver of land that extends far in one direction.

Prorupted State

A state having a shape that is a central land body with one part extending out much more than others.

Fragmented State

States whose land masses are fragmented into two or more parts.

Perforated State

A state that completely surrounds another state.

Landlocked State

A state that has no access to direct water sources because it is surrounded by other places.

Territorial Morphology

The location of the country, size, and form as key in determining variations of cultures and political views.