U4 Political Geography Vocabulary

Political Geography

The study of the ways in which the world is organized as a reflection of the power that different groups hold over territories.

Political boundaries can be defined by legal documents which contain a description of the boundary. They can be delimited by drawing boundaries on a map in accordance with a legal agreement. They can be demarcated using physical objects. The formation of boundaries represents changes in the use of space from one political entity to another.

Types of boundaries are:

• Antecedent - boundaries established prior to settlement in an area,

• Subsequent - boundaries drawn in areas that are already settled and where cultural landscapes already exist,

• Consequent - a subtype of subsequent boundaries that accommodates for existing differences in cultural landscapes, such as language, religion, and ethnicity,

• Superimposed - Boundaries drawn over existing borders by an outside power,

• Geometric - boundaries that follow latitude and longitude,

• Relic - former boundaries that once existed but no longer serve an official function.

State

Defined territory with borders, a permanent population, a government, sovereignty, and recognition from other states.

Microstate

A state that is small in both population and size.

Nation

A community of people bound to a homeland and possessing a common identity based on shared cultural traits.

Nationalism

A nation’s desire to create and maintain a state of its own.

Nation-State

The ideal political geography unit in which the nation’s geographic boundaries exactly match the state’s territorial boundaries.

Nation-states are relatively homogeneous in cultural traits and descent. Typically 85% made from a single ethnic group.

E.g. Japan and Iceland.

Stateless Nation

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

E.g. The Basque region of Spain.

Multinational State

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

E.g. Nigeria has over 250 ethnic groups within its borders.

Multistate Nation

A nation that is territorially divided by one or more international boundaries.

E.g. Russia, Kurds, Koreans

People may feel a stronger affinity for neighboring states, leading to irridentism.

Autonomous Region

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

Semi Autonomous Region

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

Sovereignty

The right of a government to control and defend its own territory and determine what happens within its borders without external interference.

Self-Determination

A nation’s 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.

Colonialism

The act of forcefully controlling a foreign territory usually in a less powerful country for economic and political gain.

Decolonization

The action or process of a state withdrawing from a former colony, leading to its independence.

E.g. Certain areas of Africa, U.S.A

Imperialism

The dominance of one country over another through diplomacy or force.

Devolution

The movement of power from the central government to regional governments within the state, usually with the goal of local factors being better represented in decision making.

Neocolonialism

The set of economic and political strategies by which wealthy and powerful countries indirectly maintain or extend their influence over less wealthy countries.

Shatterbelt

Region of consistent fragmentation and instability due to its position between states with overlapping territoriality and political power.

Chokepoint

A narrow passage, usually along water, that restricts traffic to another region.

Chokepoints use and restriction shows political power and territoriality.

Territoriality

The control and influence over a specific geographic space, its people and its resources.

Demilitarized Zone

An area, usually along an established frontier or boundary between two or more military alliances, in which treaties or agreements between nations, military alliances, or contending groups forbid military installations, activities, or personnel.

Maritime Boundary

The low-water line along the coast that allows countries to access offshore resources.

Countries with sea boundaries are typically more economically developed than land locked countries due to easier access to ports to conduct trade.

United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea

Conference which established maritime boundaries and rules for determining boundaries.

The territorial sea is 12 nautical miles out from the coast; the contagious sea is 24 nautical miles out; the exclusive zone is 200 nautical miles out as well as maritime boundaries with adjacent countries.

Exclusive Economic Zone

Zone that extends 200 nautical miles from shoreline in which costal states have the sole right to exploit, develop, manage, and conserve all water resources lying beyond the land.

Voting District

Territorial districts for casting votes in public elections.

Redistricting

The redrawing of a state’s internal political boundaries to determine voting districts to reflect the population changes since the previous census.

Gerrymandering

The manipulation of voting districts to favor a particular political party, group, or election outcome.

Forms of Gerrymandering include:

• Packing - making districts full of opposing party voters.

• Cracking - Spreading out opposition party voters throughout many districts.

• Majority-Minority Districts - minorities are the majority voters in a district.

Federal States

States that divide significant amounts of power to regional units such that regional units have more authority to meet the needs of local groups.

Federal States tend to be much larger spatially than Unitary States.

Advantages include:

• The decentralization of power reduces conflict between regions,

• Federal states allow for diversity of opinions,

• Federal states allow more attention to be put on local issues.

Disadvantages include:

• Cost and benefits are often distributed unevenly among governments,

• Federal States allow for regional intervention which allows regional governments to have a say in issues that might affect the whole population.

Unitary States

States that concentrate power in the central government and grant little to no authority to regional units.

Unitary Sates tend to be smaller than Federal States.

Advantages include:

• Fewer government agencies,

• Less corruption at local levels,

• Increased efficiency: laws are implemented more quickly, evenly, and fairly than Federal States.

Disadvantages include:

• Disconnection from local needs,

• Fewer politically or culturally dominant groups,

• Slower to tend to local issues,

• May fail to equitably distribute goods and services to rural or isolated areas.

Ethnic Separatism

When ethnic groups move toward greater autonomy due to dissatisfaction with the social, economic, or political conditions within a state.

Genocide

The systematic killing of members of a specific ethnic group.

Genocide is a subtype of ethnic cleansing.

Ethnic Cleansing

The forced removal of an ethnic group by another to create an ethnically consistent territory.

While genocide is considered illegal, ethnic cleansing is considered not illegal due to lack of specification by the United Nations.

Terrorism

The calculated use of violent acts against civilizations and symbolic targets to publicize a cause, intimidate or coerce s civilian population, or affect the conduct of the government.

Irredentism

The political claim to territory in another country based on ethnic affiliations and historic borders.

E.g. Russia and Ukraine

Supranationalism

When a collection of states and their citizens relinquish some sovereign rights to a larger-scale body that exercises authority over its member states.

E.g. United Nations, MERCOSUR, NATO, USMCA.

Centripetal Force

A force that unites a neighborhood, society, or country by providing stability.

Centrifugal Force

A force that creates violence, instability, and conflict within a neighborhood, society, or country.