HGAP - Political Processes

I'm so cooked

Antecedent boundary

A political boundary that existed before settlement and remained in place as people moved in

Apartheid

Legal racial segregation in South Africa enforced by the white government from the 1940s–1990s

Autonomous region

An area within a country that has a degree of self-rule

Balkanization

The breakdown of a state due to ethnic or cultural conflict

Berlin Conference

1884–1885 meeting where European powers divided Africa

Borderland

A region on both sides of a boundary where cultures overlap

Buffer state

A weak country located between two stronger rival powers

Centrifugal forces

Forces that divide a country and push it apart

Centripetal forces

Forces that unite a country and strengthen it

Choke points

Narrow strategic passages vulnerable to military control

City-state

A city with political and economic control over surrounding territory

Cold War

Political and military rivalry between the US and USSR (1945–1991)

Colonialism

Control and settlement of one territory by another country

Consequent boundary

A boundary drawn to accommodate existing cultural differences

Cultural boundary

A boundary based on human traits such as religion or language

Decolonization

The process by which colonies gain independence

Defined boundary

A boundary established by a legal document or treaty

Delimited boundary

A boundary drawn on a map

Demarcated boundary

A boundary marked by physical features or objects

Demilitarized zone

An area where military forces are prohibited

Devolution

Transfer of power from central government to regional governments

Enclave

A country or region surrounded by another country

Ethnic cleansing

The forced removal or killing of an ethnic group

Ethnic separatism

Desire of an ethnic group for regional autonomy

Ethnonationalism

Nationalism based on shared ethnicity

European Union

A supranational organization promoting cooperation in Europe

Exclave

A portion of a country separated from the main territory

Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)

Area extending 200 nautical miles from a coast where a country controls resources

Federal state

A state where power is shared between national and regional governments

Geometric boundary

A straight-line boundary not based on physical features

Geopolitics

The study of politics in relation to geography

Gerrymandering

Redrawing voting districts to benefit a political party

Heartland Theory

Theory that control of Eurasia leads to global dominance

Imperialism

Policy where a strong nation dominates weaker ones

Irredentism

When a country seeks to reclaim land with shared culture or ethnicity

Landlocked

A country with no direct access to the ocean

Median-line principle

Boundary drawn at the midpoint between two places

Multinational state

A state containing more than one nation

Multistate nation

A nation spread across multiple states

Nation

A group of people with shared culture, history, and homeland

Nation-state

A state with one dominant cultural group

Natural boundary

A boundary based on physical features like rivers or mountains

Neocolonialism

Economic control of a weaker country by a stronger one

Open boundary

A boundary that allows free movement across it

Relic boundary

A former boundary that no longer exists but still affects culture

Rimland Theory

Theory that control of Eurasia’s coastal areas leads to world power

Self-determinism

The right of a people to govern themselves

Semi-autonomous region

A region with limited self-rule but not full independence

Shatter belts

Regions of ongoing ethnic or cultural conflict

Sovereignty

A state’s ability to govern itself without outside interference