AP HG Unit 8 Vocab

State

A political area with defined borders, a government, and sovereignty.

Nation

A group of people with shared culture, history, and identity.

Nation-State

A state where one nation dominates (e.g., Japan).

Stateless Nation

A group without their own state (e.g., Kurds).

Multi-National State

A state with multiple nations (e.g., Russia).

Multi-State Nation

A nation spread across multiple states (e.g., Koreans).

Autonomous Region

A self-governing area within a state (e.g., Hong Kong).

Semi-Autonomous Region

A partly self-governing region (e.g., U.S. reservations).

Sovereignty

A state’s ability to govern itself.

Colonialism

Controlling other areas for resources or power.

Berlin Conference

A meeting where Europe divided Africa into colonies.

Democratization

The process of becoming a democracy.

Authoritarian Government

A government with one person or group holding power.

Democracy

A government where people elect leaders.

Republic

A democracy where people elect representatives.

Theocracy

A government based on religion (e.g., Iran).

Neocolonialism

Controlling countries through economic or political pressure.

Shatterbelt

A region stuck between conflicting powers (e.g., Eastern Europe).

Irredentism

A country trying to reclaim “lost” territory.

Antecedent Boundary

A boundary set before people lived there.

Consequent Boundary

A boundary drawn based on cultural differences.

Subsequent Boundary

A boundary made after people settled.

Superimposed Boundary

A boundary forced by outsiders, ignoring cultures.

Relict Boundary

An old boundary no longer in use but still visible.

Geometric Boundary

A straight-line boundary, ignoring geography.

Physical Boundary

A boundary based on natural features (e.g., rivers).

UNCLOS

A treaty about ocean rights and zones for countries.

Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)

Ocean area where a country controls resources.

Median-Line Principle

Splitting ocean zones equally between nearby countries.

Reapportionment

Changing legislative seats based on population.

Gerrymandering

Drawing voting districts to favor a group.

Unitary State

A government where the national level holds most power.

Federal State

A government sharing power between national and local levels.

Devolution

Giving local areas more government power.

Supranationalism

Countries working together in groups (e.g., EU).