Human Geo Unit 4

State

the largest political unit, the formal term for a country

Sovereignty

the power of a political unit, or government, to rule over its own affairs

Nation

a group of people who have certain things in common

Nation-state

a nation of people who fulfill the qualifications of a state

Multinational state

a country that contains more than one nation

Semiautonomous region

a state that has a degree of, but not complete self-rule

Stateless nation

a cultural group that has no political entity

Multistate nation

what is formed when a nation has a state of its own but stretches across borders of other states

Centripetal force

a force that helps unify people within a country

Centrifugal Force

a force that tends to divide people, break states apart, or even prevent states from forming

Imperialism

a concept that includes a variety of ways of influencing another country or group of people by direct conquest, economic control, or cultural dominance

Colonialism

a particular type of imperialism in which people move into and settle on the land of another country

Berlin conference

a conference in 1884 and 1885 where representatives from the major empires of Europe met in the Germany capital of Berlin to lay out claims made on the continent of Africa

Self-determination

the right of people to choose their own sovereign government without external influence

Decolonization

the undoing of colonization, in which indigenous people reclaim sovereignty over their territory

Genocide

organized mass killing, in which people are targeted because of their race, religion, ethnicity, or nationality

Cold War

a period of diplomatic, political, and military rivalry between the United States and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), a confederation of 15 republics, including Russia

Satellite states

a state dominated by another politically and economically

Devolution

the process in which one or more regions are given increased autonomy by the central political unit

Geopolitics

the study of the effects of geography on politics and relations among states

Territoriality

a willingness by a person or a group of people to defend space they claim

Neocolonialism

a system where economic, political, or even cultural control was indirectly exerted over developing countries

Choke point

a place of physical congestion between wider regions of movement and interaction

Physical geographic boundaries

natural barriers between areas such as oceans, deserts, and mountains

Cultural boundaries

boundaries which divide people according to some cultural division, such as language, religion, or ethnicity

Antecedent boundaries

the type of boundary preceded the development of the cultural landscape

Subsequent boundary

a boundary typically created while the cultural landscape is evolving and is subject to change over time

Ethnographic

usually related to cultural phenomena

Superimposed boundary

a type of boundary which is drawn by outside powers and may have ignored existing cultural patterns

Landlocked states

states without territory connected to an ocean

Relic boundary

a boundary that has been abandoned for political purposes, but evidence of it still exists on the landscape

Geometric boundary

a straight line or arc drawn by people that does not closely follow any physical feature

Consequent boundary

a type of subsequent border that takes into account already-existing cultural or physical landscapes

Cultural consequent boundary

a border that is drawn taking into account language, ethnicity, religion, or other cultural traits

Physical consequent boundary

a division that uses already-existing natural features that divide a territory such as rivers, deserts, or mountains

Open boundary

a boundary that is unguarded and can easily be crossed by people, with little or no political intervention

Militarized boundary

a boundary that is heavily guarded and discourages crossing

Defined boundary

a boundary established by a legal document, such as a treaty, that divides one entity from another (invisible line)

Delimited boundary

a boundary drawn on a map by a cartographer to show the limits of a space

Demarcated boundary

a boundary identified by physical objects placed on the landscape

Definitional boundary dispute

boundary dispute which occurs when two or more parties disagree over how to interpret the legal documents or maps that identify the boundary

Locational boundary disputes

disputes which center on where a boundary should be, how it is delimited (mapped) or demarcated

Irredentism

a type of expansionism when one country seeks to annex (add) territory where it has cultural ties to part of the population or historical claims to the land

Operational boundary dispute

a dispute which centers not on where a boundary is, but how it functions

Allocational boundary dispute

when a boundary separates natural resources that may be used by both countries

Administered boundary

how a boundary will be maintained, how it will function, and what goods people will be allowed to cross are aspects of these

Controlled borders

boundaries that have checkpoints where a passport or visa are required for entry

Exclaves

territories that are part of a state, yet geographically separated from the main state by one or more countries

Political enclaves

states, territories, or parts of a state or territory that are completely surrounded by the territory of another state

Shatterbelt

a place located between two very different and contentious regions

United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)

a law signed between 1973 and 1982, where it defined four zones

Territorial sea

Sea area which extends up to 12 nautical miles of sovereignty where commercial vessels may pass, but noncommercial vessels may be challenged.

Contiguous zone

Coastal states have limited sovereignty for up to 24 nautical miles where they can enforce laws on customs, immigration, and sanitation.

Exclusive economic zone (EEZ)

Coastal states can explore, extract minerals, and manage natural resources up to 200 nautical miles.

High seas

Water beyond any country's EEZ that is open to all states.

Small island developing state (SIDS)

A distinct group of low-lying coastal countries recognized by the UN as facing unique social, economic, and environmental vulnerabilities.

Internal boundaries

Boundaries used at the subnational scale to divide countries into smaller units.

Electoral geography

Using spatial thinking techniques and tools to analyze elections and voting patterns.

Voting districts

Internal boundaries that divide a country's electorate into subnational regions.

Electorate

People of a country who are eligible to vote.

Census

A count of the population.

Reapportionment

Changing the number of representatives granted to each state so it reflects the state's population.

Redistricting

The process of state legislatures or state committees redrawing district boundaries so that each district contains roughly the same amount of people.

Gerrymandering

The drawing of boundaries for political districts by the party in power to protect or increase its power.

Cracking

Dispersing a group into several districts to prevent a majority.

Packing

Combining like-minded voters into one district to prevent them from affecting elections in other districts.

Stacking

Diluting a minority-populated district with majority populations.

Hijacking

Redrawing two districts in order to force two elected representatives of the same party to run against each other.

Kidnapping

Moving an area where an elected representative has support to an area where he or she does not have support.

Federal state

A state which unites separate political entities into an overarching system that allows each entity to maintain some degree of sovereignty.

Unitary state

A state where most or all of the governing power is held by the national government.

Annexation

The process of legally adding territory to a city.

Ethnic separatism

The advocacy of full political (separation) or secession from the larger group along cultural, ethnic, tribal, or government lines.

Ethnic cleansing

A purposeful policy designed by one ethnic or religious group to remove by violent or terror-inspiring means the civilian population of another ethnic or religious group from certain geographic areas.

Terrorism

Organized violence aimed at government and civilian targets to create fear for the advancement of political goals.

Autonomous regions

Regions with their own local and legislative bodies to govern themselves and a population that is an ethnic minority within the entire country.

Subnationalism

People who have primary allegiance to a traditional group or ethnicity.

Balkanization

The fragmentation of a state or region into smaller, often hostile units along ethno-linguistic lines.

Globalization

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

Supranationalism

The practice of multiple countries forming an organization for the benefit of all members.

United Nations (UN)

Created 1945, 193 member states, created to promote peace, security, and human rights, based in New York City.

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)

Created 1949, 30 member states, created to provide mutual defense of member states, based in Brussels, Belgium.

European Union (EU)

Created 1993, 27 member states, created to integrate member states politically and economically, based in Brussels, Belgium.

United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA)

Created 2020, 3 member states, created to stimulate free trade among members, based in Washington DC, Mexico City, and Ottawa, Canada.

Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)

Created 1967, 10 member states, created to advance economic growth, peace, social progress, and cultural and economic development in the region, based in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Arctic Council

Created in 1996, 8 member states, created to foster cooperation, coordination, and interaction among the Arctic states with participation of Arctic indigenous communities, based in Tromso, Norway.

African Union

Created in 2002, 55 member states, created to advocate peace, security, and stability on the continent through greater cooperation, economic development, and global integration, based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and Johannesburg, South Africa.

World Trade Organization (WTO)

One of the largest and most influential supranational organizations, aimed to have countries agree to a set of fair and non-discriminatory guidelines for international trade.

Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)

Organization which focuses on the production of oil, or petroleum. Its mission is to coordinate and unify its members' petroleum policies in order to stabilize oil markets.

Transnational corporations

Companies that conduct business on a global scale.

Democratization

The transition from autocratic (absolute power) to more representative forms of politics.

Time-space compression

The social and psychological effects of faster movement of information over space in a shorter period of time.

Regionalism

When loyalty to a distinct portion of a country is more important than loyalty to the entire country.

Ethnonationalism

Support for the political interests of a particular ethnic group within a state, especially its national independence or self-determination.

Nationalism

The strong feelings of patriotism and loyalty one feels towards one's country.