AP human unit 4 part 2

Political Geography

The spatial analysis of political phenomena and processes

Administered Boundary

enforcement of a boundary by government or people (final phase of boundary creation)

Antecedent Boundary

 A boundary line established before an area is populated

Choke Point

A geographical land feature such as a valley or water way which can greatly decrease combat for an armed force trying to reach its objective

Consequent Boundary

A boundary line that coincides with some cultural divide, such as religion or language

Demilitarized Zone

an area in which treaties or agreements between nations, military powers or contending groups forbid military installations, activities, or personnel

Failed State

a state within which the government has lost the ability to provide the most basic of public services.

Maritime boundaries

a conceptual means of division of the water surface of the planet into maritime areas that are defined through surrounding physical geography or by human geography

Relic boundary

a boundary that has ceased to function but can still be detected on the cultural landscape.

Subsequent boundary

Boundary line established after an area has been settled that considers the social and cultural characteristics of an area

Superimposed Boundaries

 boundary line drawn in an area ignoring the existing cultural patterns

East/West Divide

Geographic separation between the largely Democratic and Free-market countries of Western Europe and the Americas from the Communist and Socialist countries of Eastern Europe and Asia; Largely defunct, but old issues are preventing the East from catching up to the West

North/South Divide

The economic division between the wealthy countries of Europe, North America and Japan and the generally poorer countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America

African Union

An organization of African States aiming to encourage economic development and political stability through increased cooperation between its members

Arctic Council

An organization consisting of 8 Arctic Sates that addresses issues faced by the Arctic governments and the indigenous people of the Arctic.

Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)

political and economic union of 10 member states in Southeast Asia with the purpose of accelerating the economic growth, social progress, and cultural development in the region

Shatterbelt

an area of instability between regions with opposing political and/or cultural values

Confederation

a form of an international organization that brings several autonomous states together for a common purpose

International Organization

An alliance of two or more countries seeking cooperation with each other without giving up either’s autonomy or self-determination

Irredentism

he doctrine that a region should be controlled by the country to which they are ethnically or historically related

Supranational Organization

voluntary association of three or more states to promote shared goals

Commonwealth of Independent States

Confederacy of independent states of the former Soviet Union that have united because of their common economic and administrative needs

European Union

International organization comprised of European countries promoting free trade amongst its members; recent (and controversial) members include Turkey, Former Soviet states

North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)

Agreement between the USA, Canada and Mexico, promoting the goals of free trade amongst the member countries (Now known as the USMCA-United States Mexico Canada Agreement)

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)

International organization created to form a military alliance between the western, democratic countries during the Cold War, Includes USA and Western Europe

Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)

an international economic organization whose members all produce and export oil

United Nations

A Global Supranational Organization established at the end of World War II to foster international security and cooperation

Democratization

trending toward democracy

Domino Theory

the idea that political destabilization in one country can lead to collapse of political stability in neighboring countries, starting a chain reaction of collapse (mostly used in reference to Communism spreading from the USSR in the 1950s – 1980s)

Enclave

A country that is entirely surrounded by the territory of another country

Exclave

A bounded territory that is part of a particular state, but is separated from it by the territory of a different state

Exclusive Economic Zones

an area of coastal water and seabed within a certain distance of a country's coastline, to which the country claims exclusive rights for fishing, drilling, and other economic activities

Geopolitics

The study of the interplay between political relations and the territorial context in which they occur

Law of The Sea

Laws establishing states’ rights and responsibilities concerning the ownership and use of the earth’s seas, oceans and their resources

Lebenstraum

Hitler’s expansionist theory, the desire to acquire “living space” for the Germans in WWII

Military Alliances

international agreement concerning national security in which the contracting parties agree to mutual protection and support in case of a crisis that has not been identified in advance

Territoriality

an attempt to affect, influence, or control actions, interactions, or access by asserting/attempting to enforce control over a specific geographic area

Territorial Dispute

Any dispute over land ownership

Territorial Organization

Political organization that distributes political power in more easily governed units of land

Electoral College

A certain number of electors from each state proportional to and seemingly representative of that state’s population

Electoral Vote

the decision of a particular state elector that represents the dominant views of that elector’s state

Popular Vote

the tally of each individual’s vote within a given geographic area

Reapportionment

the process of reallocation of electoral seats to defined territories

Redistricting

The drawing of new electoral district boundary lines in response to population changes

Voting Districts

a geographical area which is represented by a seat or numerous seats in a legislative body such as a parliament or congress