Political Organization of Space - Human Geography

These flashcards cover key vocabulary and concepts related to political organization and human geography.

State

A political entity with definite territory, population, government, and sovereignty.

Sovereignty

The full right and power of a governing body over itself without interference from outside sources.

Self-Determination

The concept that ethnicities have the right to govern themselves.

Nation State

A state whose territory corresponds to that occupied by a particular ethnicity.

Multiethnic State

A state that contains more than one ethnicity.

Multinational State

A state that contains two or more ethnic groups with traditions of self-determination that coexist peacefully.

Stateless Nation

An ethnic group or nation that does not possess its own state, such as the Kurds in the Middle East.

Federal State

A political entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a central federal government.

Unitary State

A state governed as a single power in which the central government is ultimately supreme.

Autocracy

A system of government in which power is held by a single leader.

Oligarchy

A system of government in which power is held by a few individuals.

Democracy

A system of government in which power is held by the people.

Supranational Organization

An international group or union where member states share in decision-making and vote on collective issues.

Terrorism

The systematic use of violence by a group to create fear and coerce a government.

Territorial Divisions

The boundaries between countries and territories.

Prorupted State

A state that has an extension that protrudes from the main territory.

Perforated State

A state that completely surrounds another state.

Elongated State

A state with a long, narrow extended territory.

Fragmented State

A state that is divided or separated by a barrier.

Landlocked State

A state whose territorial boundaries do not touch an ocean, gulf, or bay.