Ap Hug Unit 4

Political Geography

a branch of human geography concerned with the spatial analysis of political systems

Political Map

A map that shows the spatial oragnization of the countries and territories on the entire globe at a given point in time

State/Country

independent political unit with a centralized authority that makes claim to legal, political, and economic jurisdiction over a region

Independent State

a state that rules itself and is not subject to the authority of another state

sovereign state

State the possesses the soel authority over the land and people within its boundaries

Nation

Community of people bound to homeland and possessing a common identity based on shared culsu

Nation-State

The ideal political geographical unit; one in which the nations geographic boundaries (a people & its culture) exactly match the states territorial boundaries (government & authority)

nation-state ideal

the idea that political authorities govern in the name of all a country's citizens, modern mass

communications link all residents, and state-based citizenship rights reinforce the idea of a national identity

Nationalism

Sene of beloning to and self-identifying with a national culture; people with a strong sense of nationalism derive a significant part of their social idenitty. Some forms of it seek to block the flow of immigrants and refugees to countries' borders

Stateless Nation

An ethnic group or nation that does not possess its own state and is not the majority in any nation-state

Multinational State

a country containing multiple national, ethnic, and religious groups within its boundaries

Autonomous Region

a subdivision or dependent territory of a country that has a degree of self-governance, or autonomy in its decision making

Semiautonomous region

a subdivision or dependent territory of a country that has some degree of, but not complete, self-government

Self Determination

A nationas ability to determine its own statehood and form its own allegiances and government; the freedom of culturally distinct groups to govern themselves in their own territories and form their own states

Core Area

A small territorial nucleus from which a country grows in area and over time

Escarpments

abrupt slopes that break up the general continuity of the terrain

effective sovereignty

The idea that a state's power to enforce its sovereignty may extend beyond its territory and varies over time and from country to country

Devolution

the movement of power from the central government to regional governments within the state

Ethnonationalism

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

Territoriality

The control and influence over a specific geographic space

Political Power

control over people, land, and resources

Neocolonialism

The use of economic, political, cultural, or other pressures in order to control or influence other countries

Shatterbelts

instability within a region that is geographically located between states with overlapping territoriality and political power

Choke Point

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

Antecedent political boundary

Borders that are established before there has been major settlement by people in a territory

Subqequent political boundary

Borders that are drawn in areas that have been settled by people, typically due to changes that have occured over time

Consequent Political Boundary

Type of subsequent boundary - takes into account the existing cultural distribution of the people living in the territory and redevelops boundary lines to more closely align with cultural boundaries.

Superimposed political boundary

A border that is drawn over existing and accepted borders by an outside force

Geometric political boundary

Borders that are established on straight lines or lines of latitude and longitude instead of physical or cultural boundaries.

Relic political boundary

Border that no longer exists, but has left some imprint on the local cultural or environmental geography.

Defined Boundary

Countries legally define and agree to where borders are located through an agreement or treaty

delimited boundary

Identifying the location of the defined boundaries on a map. Usually at the same time that boundaries are defined and done through a legal designation.

demarcated boundary

Visible marking of the landscape with objects, such as fences or signs.

administered boundary

Legal management of the border through laws, immigration regulation, documentation, and prosecution.

Buffer State

A politically and economically weak and independent state that lies between the borders of two powers