political geography

State

fundamental unit of political space

Nation state

state with shared ethnicity; also shared cultural and historical identity

multi-national state

state with more than one nation within its borders (ex: United States)

stateless nation

nations without their own territory; desire to become their own state

centrifugal forces

divide a state

centripetal forces

are unifying a state

shapes of states

can contribute to unity or divisiveness

compact states

ideally circular in shape; a centrifugal force

fragmented states

ares is discontinuous ; usually consist of a number of islands

supranational Organization

an political/military, economic or cultural alliance between three or more states

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)

military alliances developed to counter threat of former Soviet Union. (European countries, U.S, and Canada)

Warsaw Pact

Soviet Union and satellite states

Terrorism

intimidation by violence to further political aims

Boundaries

invisible,, vertical planes separating states

geometric boundaries

straight lines; may coincide with line of latitude (parallel) or longitude (meridian)

ethnic boundaries

encompass particular ethnic groups

Gerrymandering

process of redrawing the boundaries of legislative districts; benefits the party in power