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Multinational

State

A political entity with multiple distinct cultural or ethnic groups under one government.

Stateless Nation

A cultural group without a recognized sovereign territory.

Sovereignty

The authority of a governing body to rule over a territory without external interference

Multi-State Nation

A cultural group that spans across multiple sovereign territories.

Autonomous Region

A largely self-governing area within a larger political entity.

State

A politically organized area with a defined territory, government, and recognized

sovereignty

Nation-State

A territory where the population shares a common culture and identity under one

government

Centripetal

Forces

Factors that unify people and strengthen state cohesion.

Centrifugal

Forces

Factors that divide people and weaken state stability.

Nationalism

A strong loyalty to one's cultural group or nation, often promoting self-governance.

Self-Determination

The right of people to choose their own political status and governance.

Devolution

The transfer of power from a central authority to regional or local levels.

Colonialism

The practice of establishing control over foreign territories for economic and

political gain

Neocolonialism

Indirect control over developing regions through economic, political, or cultural

pressures.

Chokepoints

Narrow geographic passages crucial for transportation and trade routes.

Territoriality

The attempt to control and influence space through ownership and boundaries

Antecedent

Boundary

A division established before significant human settlement.

Subsequent

Boundary

A division imposed by external powers, disregarding existing cultural patterns.

Consequent

Boundary

A border whose location is shaped by existing cultural, linguistic, or physical

patterns in the landscape.

Relic Boundary

A former border that no longer functions but still leaves visible cultural or spatial

traces on the landscape

Defined Boundary

A division established through legal documentation or agreements.

Delimited Boundary

A division drawn on a map to show spatial limits

Demarcated

Boundary

A division marked physically on the landscape by signs or barriers.

Militarized

Boundary

A heavily fortified division with significant military presence.

Berlin Conference

An 1884-1885 meeting where European powers divided Africa without regard for

local cultures.

Landlocked

A territory surrounded entirely by land, lacking direct access to the sea

Definitional

Boundary

Dispute

A disagreement over the interpretation of boundary documents.

Territorial Boundary Dispute

A conflict over ownership of a specific area.

Resource Dispute

A conflict over natural assets located on or near boundaries.

Functional Dispute

A disagreement over boundary policies or administration.

Political Enclave

A territory completely surrounded by another state.

Exclave

A portion of a state geographically separated from the main part.

Shatterbelt

A region persistently caught between stronger external powers, leading to chronic

instability and conflict

U.N. Convention

on the Law of the

Sea (UNCLOS)

International regulations governing maritime rights and boundaries.

Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ

A sea zone where a state controls resources up to 200 nautical miles from its coast

(i.e. mining and fishing rights)

Irredentism

The political movement to reclaim and reunite culturally or historically related

territories currently under the control of another state

Gerrymandering

Process of redrawing legislative boundaries for the purpose of benefiting the party

in power.

Packing

Combining like-minded voters into a single district to reduce their influence else where in other districts.

Cracking

Dispersing a group into several districts to preveny a majortiy.

Reapportionment

Redistributing seats in a legislative body based on population changes.

Redistricting

Redrawing electoral district boundaries to reflect population shifts.

Census

An official count of a population conducted periodically, typically every 10 years.

Federal State

A political system where power is shared between a central government and

regional governments.

Unitary State

A political system where the central government holds most or all of the power.

Annexation

The formal addition of territory to an existing state or city.

Electoral Geography

The study of the location of people and the drawing of voting districts affect election results and political power

Stacking

Diluting a minority-populated district with majority populations

Superimposed Boundary

Drawn by outside power without regard for the existing cultural landscape