Unit 4 APHUG

Administrative regions

Areas like states, counties, or districts created by the government to organize services (like schools and voting) and divide political power.

Antecedent Boundaries

Lines established before an area is populated

Apartheid

A system in South Africa where laws kept Black and White people separate, giving power to the White minority.

Artic Council

A group of countries and Indigenous groups that work together to protect the Arctic environment and plan for its future.

Asymmertic Federalism

A government system where some regions have more independence than others, often to respect cultural differences.

Autonomous regions

Areas within a country that have some degree of autonomy.

Balkanization

When a country breaks apart into smaller countries, often causing conflict.

Berlin Confernce

A meeting in 1884 where European countries divided Africa without considering African cultures, causing long-term problems.

Boundary disputes

Arguments about where borders should be, often when they split groups of people who share the same culture.

Centrifugal forces

Forces within a state that destabilize or weaken it.

Centripetal force

Forces within a state that promote unity and national stability.

Chokepoint

A narrow place that’s hard to pass through, important for trade or military control.

Colonialism

When a country takes control of land far away to build an empire.

Confederation

A group of states or communities that join together for a common goal.

Consequent Boundaries

Borders drawn to match cultural differences like language or religion.

Contigous Sea Zone

A country can enforce laws up to 23 miles from its coast.

Core Region (Also "Core of the Captial)

The oldest and most developed part of a country, often where the capital and most people are.

Demilitarized Zone (DMZ)

An area where no military forces or weapons are allowed, like between North and South Korea.

Democracy

A government where people have a say by voting.

Democratization

When a country moves from a dictatorship to a democracy, giving people more rights and freedoms.

Devolution

When a central government gives some power to local governments.

Domino Theory

The idea that if one country becomes unstable, nearby countries might also fall into chaos.

East West Divide

The split between democratic countries in the West and communist countries in the East during the Cold War.

Electoral College

A system in the U.S. where electors from each state vote for president based on the state’s population.

Electoral Geography

The study of how voting areas are drawn and how election results relate to things like income or location.

Elongated State

A country that is long and narrow, making travel and communication harder.

Enclave

A piece of land that belongs to one country but is surrounded by another country.

European Union

A group of European countries that work together for trade and economic growth.

Exclusive Economic Sea Zone

A country controls resources up to 230 miles from its coast.

Failed State/Fragile State

A country where the government is too weak to control the land or help its people.

Federalism

A system where power is shared between a central government and smaller regional governments.

First Order Civil Division

The biggest subdivisions in a country, like states in the U.S. or provinces in Canada.

Forward Capital

When a country moves its capital city to help develop a different area.

Frontier

An area where borders are unclear and different cultures mix.

Geometric boundaries

Borders drawn as straight lines.

Geopolitics

The study of how geography affects politics and power.

Gerrymandering

Redrawing voting districts to help one political party win.

Human Rights

Basic rights like freedom, equality, and justice that everyone should have.

Imperialism

When powerful countries control weaker ones through culture or economics, even without official government rule.

Iron Curtain

An imaginary line that separated Western Europe from Eastern Europe during the Cold War (1946–1991).

Irredentism

When a country wants to take land from another country because the people there share the same culture or ethnicity.

Land Locked State

A country surrounded by land with no access to the ocean.

Maritime Boundary

A line in the ocean that shows where a country’s control ends, including rights to resources like fish or oil.

Microstates

States or territories that are small in both population and area

Military alliances

Groups of countries that agree to help each other if attacked.

Multi-State Nations

A cultural group that lives in more than one country.

Multinational States

A country made up of two or more cultural groups.

NAFTA (North America Free Trade Agreement)

A trade agreement between the U.S., Canada, and Mexico that allows free trade.

Nation

A group of people with shared culture, history, or identity.

Nation States

A country where most people share the same culture and identity.

Nationalism as a centrifugal force

National pride that turns negative when one group thinks it’s better than others, causing division.

Nationalism as a centripetal force

National pride that brings people together, like celebrating independence or national symbols.

NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)

A military alliance of countries in North America and Europe that agree to defend each other.

Neocolonialism

When rich countries still influence poorer countries through economics or politics, even after independence.

New World Order

The world after the Cold War, with the U.S. as the main global power and capitalism stronger than communism.

Nongovernmental Organization (NGO)

An organization that works independently from any government, often for charity or human rights.

North/South Divide

The difference between wealthy countries in the Northern Hemisphere and poorer countries in the Southern Hemisphere.

Orientalism

The idea that Western countries are better than Eastern ones, used to justify colonization.

Perforated state

A country that completely surrounds another country.

Physical boundaries

Prominent physical features such as mountain ranges or rivers

Political geography

The study of how politics and geography affect each other.

Prorupted State

A country with a main area and a long extension, often to reach resources or separate other countries.

Reapportionment

Changing the number of seats in government based on population changes.

Redistricting

Redrawing voting district lines because of population shifts.

Regional alliances

Groups of countries that work together for political, economic, or military reasons.

Regionalism

Strong loyalty to a specific region instead of the whole country.

Relic Boundaries

Old borders that no longer exist but still affect culture or geography.

Semi-autonomous region

An area that has some control over its own affairs but not full independence.

Separatism

When a group wants to break away from a country to form its own.

Shatterbelt

A region where different countries compete for control, causing conflict.

Sovereignty

The power of a country to govern itself.

State

Another word for country, with recognized borders and government.

Stateless Nation

A cultural group without its own country.

States' Rights

Powers that belong to individual states instead of the national government.

Subsequent Boundaries

Borders drawn after people settled in an area.

Superimposed boundary

A border forced by an outside power that ignores local cultures.

Supranationalism

When three or more countries join together for shared goals.

Territorial Integrity

A country’s right to protect its land from invasion.

Territorial Organization

How a country divides power among local governments.

Territorial Sea

A country controls the ocean up to 11 miles from its coast.

Territoriality

People’s strong connection to a specific place.

Terrorism

Violence against civilians to create fear and achieve political goals.

Theocracies

Governments ruled by religious leaders or laws.

Transportation as a centripetal force

Good transportation systems that help connect people and encourage unity.

UNCLOS

An international treaty that sets rules for ocean use and boundaries.

Unifying Institutions as a centripetal force

Things like schools or the military that help unite a country.

Unilateralism

When a country acts alone in global affairs without help from others.

Unitary States

A country where power is held by the central government, not shared with regions.

United Nations Law of the Seas

Rules about how countries can use oceans and their resources.