Unit 4 vocab flash

Annexation

Incorporation of a territory into another geo-political entity.

Antarctica

Southernmost continent in the world; it has no permanent residents and doesn't belong to any country.

Apartheid

Afrikaans for apartness; a system of racial segregation in South Africa from 1948 to 1994 that maintained white minority control.

Balkanization

Fragmentation or breakup of a region or country into smaller regions or countries, often as a result of conflict.

Border Landscape

Types of borders that can be exclusionary, meant to keep people out, or inclusionary, meant to facilitate trade and movement.

Boundary disputes

Conflicts over the location, size, and extent of borders between nations.

Boundary origin

Boundaries often originated from old tribal lands and lands won in war, initially meant to establish claims to land.

Boundary process

The process of creating boundaries.

Boundary type

Categories of boundaries such as natural boundaries formed by geography or political boundaries formed by treaties.

Buffer state

A country lying between two more powerful countries that are hostile to each other, e.g., Mongolia between Russia and China.

Capital

The principal city in a state or country, typically located at the center for equal distance from all parts.

Centrifugal

Factors that cause disunity in a state, including conflict and economic issues.

Centripetal

An attitude that unifies people and enhances support for the state.

City-state

A region controlled by a city that has sovereignty, common in the Middle Ages and Renaissance.

Colonialism

The establishment of settlements and political/economic control by one country over another, especially during the 17th to 20th centuries.

Confederation

Association of sovereign states established by treaty to deal with issues like defense and trade.

Conference of Berlin

Regulated trade and colonization in Africa, formalizing boundaries for each country's colonies.

Core/periphery

Core countries are highly developed with significant trade, while periphery countries are less developed and poorer.

Decolonization

The movement of American/European colonies gaining independence, sometimes through peaceful means and other times violently.

Devolution

Decentralization of a government or fracturing of a government, akin to Balkanization.

Domino theory

The belief that the influence of Communism in one country would lead to its spread to neighboring countries.

Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)

A sea zone where a state has special rights for exploration and use of marine resources.

Electoral regions

Voting districts that make up local, state, and national regions.

Enclave/exclave

An enclave is surrounded by another country's territory; an exclave is geographically separated from its main part.

Ethnic conflict

Conflict between ethnic groups often due to nationalism or competition for resources.

European Union

A political and economic union of 27 European states, covering various public policy areas.

Federal

A political system where governance is divided between national and state governments.

Forward capital

A relocated capital city intended to integrate remote areas, often for economic or strategic reasons.

Frontier

Zone with no complete political control by any state, usually uninhabited or sparsely inhabited.

Geopolitics

The study of the effects of geography on international politics and relations.

Gerrymander

The manipulation of electoral district boundaries to favor one political party.

Global commons

Resources that are not owned by any one person or state, vital for life and potential advancement.

Heartland/rimland

Heartland refers to a critical central region of a country; rimland refers to its maritime fringe.

Immigrant state

A country that receives many immigrants, popular for economic and political opportunities, like the USA.