Self-determination
The right of all people to govern themselves. Usually a nation, ethnicity, or former colony wants to govern themselves and establish sovereignty over their own state.
Devolution
Due to centrifugal forces, power is shifted from the central government or administration to regional authorities which are usually reflective of nations
Sovereignty
The right of a government to control and defend it’s territory and determine what happens within its borders
Autonomous/ Semi autonomous region
A location within a state that is given authority to govern independently from the national government
Multinational State
A state with various ethnicities and cultures within its borders
Multistate Nation
Consist of a nation of people that live in more than one state
Nation-State
When the borders of the nation match the borders of the state- a state with (ideally) only one nation within it
Nation
A group of people with a common identity through shared cultural traits such as languages, religion, ethnicity and heritage
State
An entity with a defined territory with borders, a permanent population, a government, sovereignty, and recognition from other states
Stateless Nation
Nation of people without a state to occupy
Territoriality
Is the control and influence over a specific geographic region
Neocolonialism
The use of economic, political, cultural, or other pressures in order to control or influence other countries
Subsequent Boundaries
Borders that are drawn in areas that have been settled by people, typically due to changes that have occurred overtime
Consequent Boundaries
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
Borders that is drawn over existing and accepted borders by an outside force
Relic Boundaries
Border no longer exist but has left some imprint on the local cultural or environmental geography
Defined Boundaries
Countries legally define and agree to where borders are located through an agreement or treaty
Delimited Boundaries
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
Antecedent Boundaries
Borders that are established before there has been major settlements by people in a territory
Geometric Boundaries
Borders that are established on strait lines of latitude and longitude instead of physical or cultural boundaries
Demarcated Boundaries
Visible markers of the landscape with objects, such as fences or signs
Administered Boundaries
Legal management of the border through laws, immigration regulation documentation and prosecution
Independent State
States that exercise self-government and usually hold sovereignty
Irredentism
When you have a major ethnic group that wants to claim territory from a neighboring state due to a shared culture
Legitimacy
Whether the government has the right to rule a states people and territory, diplomacy