Unit 4: Political Geography (AP Human)

nation-state

a state whose territory is identical to that occupied by a particular ethnic group or nation

city-state

a sovereign state comprising a city and its immediate hinterland

self-determination

the concept that ethnicities have the right to govern themselves

multiethnic state

a state that contains more than one ethnicity

multinational state

a state with more that one ethnicity with traditions of self-determination and self-government

balkanization

the process by which a state breaks down through conflicts among its ethnicities

centrifugal forces

the forces that divide people and countries

centripetal forces

the forces that unite people and countries

devolution

the granting of self-rule to local and regional authorities or the breaking up of a state into one or more states

autonomous regions

an area of a country that rules itself

democratization

the process of creating a government elected by the people

multi-state nation

a nation or cultural group that is divided across two or more state borders

stateless nation

an ethnic group without a formal country

nationalism

loyalty and devotion to a particular nationality

irredentism

any political or popular movement intended to reclaim and reoccupy a lost homeland

annexation

the formal act of acquiring something (especially territory) by conquest or occupation

Berlin Conference

Meeting at which Europeans agreed on rules for colonizing Africa

antecedent boundary

Existed prior to the current cultural landscape/settlement of people (Ex: Saudi Arabia/Yemen - desert in between countries)

consequent boundary

Coincides with cultural divide (Ex: Vatican City,

Israel/Palestine)

geometric boundary

Based on longitude and latitude; usually identified as straight lines on a map

relic boundary

No longer exists but can still has an effect on the area (Ex: The Berlin Wall (East/West Berlin))

subsequent boundary

Boundary that is being created in real time with the cultural landscape, ever changing and evolving (Ex: Vietnam/China)

superimposed boundary

Established by an outside power/country (Ex: Pakistan/India - The British Empire)

boundaries are defined

Putting in writing exactly where the boundary is located (involves treaties/legal documents)

boundaries are delimited

Drawing of the borders, cartophophy (map making)

boundaries are demarcated

Determining what will physically represent this boundary.

boundaries are administered

Deciding how this boundary will be respected and maintained (how will the flow of goods be conducted? Flow of people?)

choke points

strategic channel where narrow waterways or other narrow passages are vulnerable to military blockade disruption

Cold War

The power struggle between the Soviet Union and the United States after World War II. The nations never directly confronted each other on the battlefield but deadly threats went on for the next 50 years.

Colonialism

the policy or practice of acquiring full or partial political, cultural, and economic control over another country, occupying it with settlers, and exploiting it economically

colony

A territory that is legally tied to a sovereign state rather than completely independent.

Communism

A political theory derived from Karl Marx, advocating class war and leading to a society in which all property is publicly owned and each person works and is paid according to their abilities and needs. True communism has never been achieved by any state. Some countries today claim to be communist, but have other political systems in place, and/or suffer from fascism and corruption in their governments.

compact state

A state in which the distance from the center to any boundary does not vary significantly.

demilitarized zone

A zone in which military forces, operations, or installations are prohibited

Democracy

A political system in which the supreme power lies in a body of citizens who can elect people to represent them

Elongated State

A state whose territory is long and narrow in shape.

ethnic separatism

desired regional autonomy expressed by a culturally distinctive group within a larger, politically dominant culture

Ethnonationalism

a form of nationalism in which the "nation" is defined in terms of ethnicity

Federal State

An internal organization of a state that allocates most powers to units of local government. (EX: USA)

Unitary State

An internal organization of a state that places most power in the hands of central government officials (EX: France)

fragmented state

A state that is not a contiguous whole but rather separated parts (Ex: Indonesia)

frontier

a zone where no state exercises complete political control

Geopolitical Theories

Theories concerned with strategic advantage and the balance of political, economic and military power on the earth's surface.

Gerrymandering

the drawing of legislative district boundaries to benefit a party, group, or incumbent

Imperialism

A policy of extending a country's power and influence through diplomacy or military force.

independent state

a country, recognized by United Nations, that is sovereign and rules itself

Landlocked State

A state that is completely surrounded by the land of other states, which gives it a disadvantage in terms of accessibility to and from international aquatic trade routes

Law of the Sea

laws establishing states' rights and responsibilities concerning the ownership and use of the Earth's waters and their resources

microstate

A state that encompasses a very small land area. (Ex: Vatican City)

Perforated State

a state that completely surrounds another one (Ex: Italy)

political boundaries

lines that define the border of a country or state

Prorupted State

an otherwise compact state with a large projecting extension (Ex: Thailand)

Redistricting

The redrawing of congressional and other legislative district lines following the census, to accommodate population shifts and keep voting districts as equal as possible in population.

Shatterbelt Theory

Cohen's theory that armed conflicts after 1950 would likely occur in areas within Southwest Asia (Middle East)

Sovereignty

Ability of a state to govern its territory free from control of its internal affairs by other states.

State

An area organized into a political unit and ruled by an established government with control over its internal and foreign affairs.

subnational political-territorial units

Lower levels of gov't - below the national gov't (Ex: Illinois, Will County, Indian Prairie School District)

Supranationalism

when three or more countries agree to give up a degree of autonomy in order to pursue common goals (ex. European Union, United Nations)

supranational organization

An organization with three or more countries that agree to give up a degree of autonomy in order to pursue common goals (ex. African Union, OSCE, OAS)

Territoriality

Defense of a state's territory against encroachment by other states.

Terrorism

the use of violence and intimidation in the pursuit of political aims

voting districts

an administrative subdivision of a larger state created to provide its population with representation in the larger state's legislative body (each voting district votes for a representative in Congress etc.) - redrawn every 10 years with new population data from the Census

Mahan "The influence of sea power" (1840)

Alfred Thayer Mahan studied the rise and fall of naval powers. He concluded that supremacy at sea was essential for a nation's political and commercial success.

Servesky "Control of the Skies" (1950)

A.P de Seversky saw that the development of air power made land battles obsolete. Thus, he concluded that whoever controls the skies would be the world power. The U.S. & the USSR were the 2 major world powers at the time - the North Pole was equidistant between both, so he thought this would be an important area of control.

Ratzel "Organic Theory" (1897)

The Organic Theory states that nations must continually seek nourishment in the form of gaining land to survive in the same way that a living organism seeks nourishment from food to survive.

Mackinder "The Heartland Theory" (1904)

The heartland, also called the "Pivot Area," is a landlocked region of central Eurasia whose control was posited by Sir Halford J. Mackinder in the early 20th century as the key to world domination in an era of declining importance for traditionally invincible sea power.

Haushofer "Pan Regions" (1920s/1930s)

Hauschofer divided the world into three pan regions which were blocs of power based on complementarity between the North and South. The Northern core region was connected to a Southern periphery.

Three pan regions =

1. Anglo America and its periphery Latin America

2. Europe (controlled by Germany) and its periphery Africa & India

3. Japan and its periphery Southeast Asia

Spykman "Rimland Theory" (1942)

In 1942, Nichols Spyman created a theory which countered Mackinder's Heartland theory. Spyman stated that Eurasia's "Rimland" (the coastal areas), is the key to controlling the World Island. Explanation - The Rimland contains the Heartland.

Saul Cohen "Shatterbelt Theory" (1950s)

A "Shatterbelt" is a region caught between stronger colliding forces, under persistent stress, and often fragmented by aggressive rivals. Cohen's theory predicted that armed conflicts after 1950 would likely occur in these areas caught between major world powers (known as Shatterbelts), in the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, and the Far East.

Parag Khanna "Connectography" (2016)

Khanna believes that in order to have power in our globalized modern world CONNECTIVITY is key. Countries must participate in/control: global supply chains, energy markets, industrial production, flows of finance, technology, knowledge, talent. Provinces and cities will be where power is centered - these will fuse together to make commonwealths of shared resources.

Wallerstein's World Systems Theory

1. The world economy has one market and a global division of labor.

2. Although the world has multiple states, almost everything takes place within the context of the world economy.

3. The world economy has a three-tier structure. (Peripheral, Semi-peripheral, Core)

- These dynamics have been set up by history (colonialism & imperialism) and because of this, it is very difficult for periphery countries to progress, or change their status in this three-tier structure.