AP Human Geography Unit 4 Vocab

State

Formal term for a country

Sovereignty

Power of a political unit to govern itself

City State

Independant city (Vatican City)

Nation

Common cultural heritage in a group

Nation-State

State with same nationality throughout

Multinational State

State with many nations

Autonomous Region

Mini state within a larger state

Stateless Nations

Nation without a state (The Kurds)

Multi-State Nations

Nation has state of its own but stretches across many states. (Mexicans)

Natural Boundary

Boundary based on natural features that separate entities. (Rio Grande)

Geometric Boundary

Boundary that is a straight line. (Indonesia/Papa New Guinea)

Antecedent

Boundary drawn before a large population was present. (U.S./Canada)

Subsequent

Boundary drawn to accommodate religious, ethnic, linguistic, or economic differences. (India/ Pakistan)

Relic

Boundaries that no longer function historically but evidence of it still exists. (Brandenburg Gate)

Superimposed

Boundary drawn by outside powers. (Boundaries in Africa)

Defined Boundary

Boundary defined by legal documents. (Treaty of Versailles)

Delimited Boundary

Boundary drawn on map to show limits of space. (Canada/Alaska)

Demarcated Boundary

Boundary shown by physical objects placed on landscape. (Fences)

Administered Boundary

Boundary enforced by government or group using regulations. (City limits)

Definitional Boundary Disputed

Parties disagree over how to interpret legal documents. (Loopholes)

Locational Boundary Disputes

Parties disagree where a boundary should be located.

Operational Boundary Disputes

Parties disagree about how a boundary should function.

Allocational Boundary Disputes

Boundary separates natural resources.

Territoriality

Willingness by one person or a group of people to defend the space they claim.

Self-Determination

Ability of a state to decide its own future.

Imperialism

When one country uses another for something.

Colonialism

People move into and settle on land of another country.

The Berlin Conference

Representatives of European Empires met to lay out claims on Africa.

Decolonialization

Colonized nations won independence from colonizing forces.

Cold War

Period of rivalry between U.S. and USSR started end of WWII continued until 1989.

Satellite States

One state dominated by another, politically and economically.

Geoplolitics

Study of the effects of geography on politics and relations among states.

Organic theory

A state has to grow or it will cease to exist.

Heartland Theory

If you control the heartland you can control the rimland, if you control both you control the world.

Rimland Theory

If you control the rimland you have a chance of controlling the heartland.

Neocolonialism

Form of imperialism where more powerful states exert indirect control over less powerful ones.

Shatterbelt

Region that suffered instability because it is caught between conflicting powers.

Choke Point

Strategic strait or canal which is narrow, hard to pass through, and has competition for use.

Federal State

Country where government authority is shared among a central government and various other smaller regional authorities.

Unitary State

Country where government authority is held by central government.

Centripetal Force

Force that unites people together.

Nationalism

Proud of where you live.

Centrifugal Force

Force that breaks people apart.

Devolution

Transfer of political power from central government to lower, subnational levels of government.

Subnationalism

Peoples primary allegiance is to a traditional group or ethnicity, rather than state.

Irrendentism

Annexation of another states territory on the basis of shared culture, history or ethnicity.

Ethnic Cleansing

Process in which a more powerful ethnic group forcibly removes another.

Terrorism

Organized violence.

Balkanization

Breaking of states into smaller often hostile states along ethnic-linguistic lines.

Transnational Corporations

Companies that can conduct business on a global scale.

Globalization

Integration of markets, states, communication and trade on a worldwide scale.

Supranational

Transcending national boundaries, authority, or interests.

Supranational Organizations

Organization of 3+ countries that join together for their mutual benefit.