Unit 4B Vocab

African Union

A continental organization of African states that seeks to drive Africa’s growth and economic development through cooperation and integration of member states

Annexation

 Legally adding land area to a city in the United States.

Anocracy

A country that is not fully democratic or fully autocratic but rather displays a mix of the two types.

Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)

A regional intergovernmental organization comprising 10 countries in Southeast Asia to promote intergovernmental cooperation and facilitate economic growth, social progress, and cultural development in the region

Autocracy

A country that is run according to the interests of the ruler rather than the people.

Balkanization

A process by which a state breaks down through conflicts among its ethnicities.

City-state

A sovereign state comprising a city and its immediate hinterland.

Colony

A territory that is legally tied to a sovereign state rather than completely independent.

Communism

An economic and political system in which the central government holds the means of production in common for all of the citizens.

Compact state

A state in which the distance from the center to any boundary does not vary significantly.

Contact zones

 where cultures meet, clash, and grapple with each other

Constitutional Monarchy

blend between Democracy and Monarchy, King's or Queen's power is limited by a constitution, usually has a parliamentary body with a significant amount of political power

Democracy

A country in which citizens elect leaders and can run for office.

Democratization

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

Elongated state

A state with a long, narrow shape.

Enclave

A territory surrounded by a country but not ruled by it

Ethnic cleansing

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

Ethnic separatism

occurs when minority groups fight for independence.

Ethnonationalism

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

European Union

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

Federal state

An independent country that disperses significant authority among subnational units

Forward capital

a symbolically relocated capital city usually because of either economic or strategic reasons.

Fragmented state

A state that includes several discontinuous pieces of territory.

Gerrymandering

The manipulation of voting district boundaries to favor a particular political party, group, or election outcome

Green Line boundary

term that emerged in the wake of Israel's establishment in 1948. It refers to the border separating pre-1967 Israel from the Occupied Palestinian Territories, and constitutes an internationally recognised border. In Cyprus, too

Heartland Theory

Whoever controlled Eastern Europe – the Heartland - would control the world. The idea was that whoever gained control of Eastern Europe, controlled the Heartland and whoever controlled the Heartland, could easily gain control of the World Island (Africa and Eurasia).

Kurds

The largest stateless nation, with over 20 million Muslim people dispersed throughout six countries: Syria, Iraq, Turkey, Iran, Armenia, and Azerbaijan.

Microstate

A state that encompasses a very small land area.

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)

An intergovernmental military alliance among 29 North American and European countries with the purpose of guaranteeing the freedom and security of its members

Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)

An intergovernmental organization created to coordinate and unify petroleum policies among member countries

Perforated state

a slate that  completely surrounds another one.

Prorupted state

An otherwise compact state with a large projecting extension.

Reapportionment

The process by which the 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives are divided proportionately by population among the 50 states following every U.S. census

Redistricting

The process of drawing new boundaries for U.S. congressional districts to reflect the population changes since the previous U.S. census

Rimland Theory

that the Rimland, the strip of coastal land that encircles Eurasia, is more important than the central Asian zone (the so-called Heartland) for the control of the Eurasian continent.

Socialism

A political and economic system in which property and the means of production are owned in common, typically controlled by the state or 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. Political, economic, and/or cultural cooperation among states to promote shared objectives

Unitary state

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

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

United Nations Convention of the Law of the Sea

Conference organized to define territorial boundaries and rights to the sea

World Trade Organization (WTO)

An international organization that regulates trade among 184 member states, providing a framework for negotiating trade agreements and resolving trade disputes