AP Human Geography - Unit 4 Political Patterns & Processes

Vocab Flashcards

Political geography

A branch of human geography concerned with the spatial analysis of political systems

Political map

A map that shows the spatial organization of the countries and territories on the entire globe at a given point in time

State / country

An independent political unit with a centralized authority that makes claim to sole legal, political, and economic jurisdiction over a region with defined boundaries

Independent state

A state that rules itself and is not subject to the authority of another state

Sovereign state

A state that possesses the sole authority over the land and people within its boundaries

Nation

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

Nation-state

The ideal political geographical unit

Nation-state ideal

The idea that political authorities govern in the name of all a country’s citizens, modern mass communications link all residents, and state-based citizenship rights reinforce the idea of a national identity

Nationalism

Sense of belonging to and self-identifying with a national culture

Stateless nation

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

Multinational state

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

Multistate nations

Ethnic groups territorially divided by one or more international boundaries

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 a country that has some degree of, but not complete, self-government

Self-determination

A nation’s ability to determine its own statehood and form its own allegiances and government

Core area

A small territorial nucleus from which a country grows in area and over time

Escarpments

Abrupt slopes that break up the general continuity of the terrain

Effective sovereignty

The idea that a state’s power to enforce its sovereignty may extend beyond its territory and varies over time and from country to country

Devolution

The movement of power from the central to regional governments within the state

Ethnonationalism

A form of nationalism in which the nation is defined in terms of ethnic identity

Neocolonialism

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

Peripheral states

States that have relatively little industrial development, simple production systems focused mostly on agriculture and raw materials, and low levels of consumption of manufactured goods

Core states

States that have the most advanced industrial and military technologies, complex manufacturing systems, external political power, and the highest levels of wealth and mass consumption

Shatterbelt

Region of continuing and persistent fragmentation

Choke point

A narrow passage that restricts traffic to another region

Strait

A narrow body of water connecting two larger bodies of water

Boundary

A clearly demarcated line that marks both the limits of a territory and divisions between territory

Median line principle

An approach to dividing and creating boundaries at the midpoint between two places

Borderland

A region straddling both sides of an inter-national boundary where national cultures overlap and blend to varying degrees

Frontier

A region at the margins of state control and settlement

Enclave

A territory surrounded by a country but not ruled by it

Exclave

Part of a national territory separated from the main body of the country to which it belongs

Delimited

Boundaries are fixed or defined to identify their limits

Demarcated

Boundaries are set apart to distinguish their limits

Relic boundary

A boundary that no longer functions as an international border

Superimposed boundary

A boundary that is placed on an area without regard to existing boundaries

Subsequent boundary

A political boundary that developed with the cultural landscape

Antecedent boundary

A boundary that was identified before an area was settled

Geometric boundary

A boundary that has regular, often perfectly straight, lines drawn without regard for an area’s physical or cultural features

Consequent boundary

A boundary that is drawn to accommodate existing cultural differences

Demilitarized zone (DMZ)

An area in which treaties or agreements between nations, military powers, or contending groups forbid military installations, activities, or personnel

Buffer state

A politically and economically weak independent country that lies between the borders of two powers

Satellite state

A nominally independent country that is politically, militarily, and economically controlled by a more powerful state

United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)

Conference organized to define territorial boundaries and rights to the sea

Exclusive economic zone (EEZ)

Zone that extends 200 nautical miles from shoreline

Electoral geography

A subfield of political geography that analyzes the geography of political preferences and how geography can shape voting outcomes

Voting district

A territorial division for casting votes in public elections; generally, only those who live in the voting district are permitted to cast their votes there

Electoral College

A body of 538 electors in the U.S

Reapportionment

The seats in the House of Representatives are divided proportionately by population among the 50 states

Redistricting

Drawing new boundaries for U.S. congressional districts

Gerrymandering

The manipulation of voting district

Packing

Gerrymandering a voting district by concentrating all of the opposition party into one district

Cracking

Gerrymandering a voting district by dividing opposition votes into many districts

Subnational unit

The smaller areas into which a larger state is divided (for example, states in the United States, provinces in Canada)

Unitary state

An independent state that concentrates power in the central government and grants little or no authority to its subnational units

Federal state

An independent country that disperses significant authority among subnational units

Irredentism

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

Democratization

Occurs when a sovereign state moves from a non-democracy to a democracy

Terrorism

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

Supranationalism

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

Supranational organization

International political body that nation-states establish in cooperation with their neighbors for mutual political, military, economic, or cultural gain

United Nations (UN)

International organization that is responsible for maintaining international peace and security, developing friendly relations among nations, achieving international cooperation, and harmonizing the actions of nations

European Union (EU)

A political, economic, and social union of 28 independent European countries that promotes the free movement of people, goods, services, and capital among its members

African Union (AU)

A continental organization of African states

Regional trading bloc

A multi-country agreement that reduces or eliminates taxes to promote the free flow of goods and services across international borders

Economies of scale

Cost advantages that can come with a larger scale of operations

Failed state

A state whose political or economic system has become so weak that the government is no longer in control

Uneven development

Occurs when core states have advanced economies and a high standard of living while peripheral states have relatively little industrial development, simple production systems based mostly on raw materials, and low levels of consumption of manufactured goods

Iconography

A set of traditional symbols or symbolic forms associated with the country and its citizens