Unit 4 AP Human Geography

Flashcards for Unit 4 AP Human Geography

Nation

A people who share a common heritage, are unified by shared values and heritage, and typically claim a specific location as their homeland based on tradition.

State

Synonymous with country.

Nation-State

A singular nation of people who fulfill the qualifications of a state.

Multinational State

A country that contains more than one nation.

Stateless Nation

Cultural groups that have no independent political entity.

Multistate Nations

A nation that has a state of its own but stretches across borders of other states.

Autonomous Region

A defined area within a state that has a high degree of self-government and freedom from its parent state.

Heartland Theory

Mackinder's theory that land-based power was essential to world domination.

Organic Theory

Ratzel's theory that states are living organisms, and they need living space and growth to not only survive but remain strong.

Rimland Theory

Spykman's theory that controlling key maritime areas of the world leads to world domination, as it provides varied resources, including the sea.

Antecedent Boundary

A boundary created before an area is known or populated.

Geometric Boundary

The 49th parallel is a good example of this.

Militarized Boundary

The Berlin Wall is an example of this.

Unitary State

States with this kind of government allow little to no power/sovereignty for their sub-units; most states of this kind are located in Europe.

Territorial Sea

A state has sovereignty up to 12 miles off their coast; commercial vessels pass, non-commercial can be challenged.

Territoriality

A willingness by one person or a group of people to defend space they claim.

Federal State

States with this kind of government allow powers/sovereignty for their sub-units; examples would include Canada and the United States.

EEZ

The 200-mile radius off the coast where a country has exclusive rights to harvest resources.

Frontier

An area at the edge of any type of effective political control or at the edge of a settlement.

Subsequent Boundary

A boundary created after settlement, usually meant to separate existing cultural groups.

Natural Boundary

The Sadra River is an example of this.

Devolution

The process in which power moves from the central government to subnational units.

Balkanization

An explosion of conflict between ethnic groups in a region or country.

Subnationalist

People who have a primary allegiance to a traditional group or ethnicity, rather than their central state.

Centrifugal Forces

Armed conflicts, uneven economic development, stateless nations, ethnic movements.

Centripetal Forces

National identity; equitable infrastructure development; linguistic, cultural, ethnic homogeneity.

Nationalism

A strong feeling of pride in and devotion to one's country.

Colonialism

Attempt by one country to establish settlements and to impose its political, economic, and cultural principles in another territory.

Geopolitics

Study of government and its policies as affected by physical geography.

Sovereignty

Ability of a state to govern its territory free from control of its internal affairs by other states.

State Morphology

Study of states' shapes and their effects.

Municipality

A city, town, etc. having its own incorporated government for local affairs.

Supranationalism

Three or more countries agree to give up a degree of autonomy in order to pursue common goals. (ex. European Union)

Irredentism

A policy of cultural extension and potential political expansion by a country aimed at a group of its nationals living in a neighboring country.

Democratization

The process of creating a government elected by the people.

Ethnic Exclaves

An area populated by an ethnic group separated from the main territory occupied by the same ethnic group.

Ethnic Enclaves

Neighborhoods where people from similar cultures live together and assert cultural distinction from the dominant group.

Ethnic Separatism

Desired regional autonomy expressed by a culturally distinctive group within a larger, politically dominant culture.

Terrorism

The use of violence and intimidation in the pursuit of political aims.

Gerrymandering

Process of redrawing legislative boundaries for the purpose of benefiting the party in power.

Redistricting

The redrawing of congressional and other legislative district lines following the census, to accommodate population shifts and keep districts as equal as possible in population.

Ethnographic Border

A cultural boundary that runs along differences in ethnicity, such as language and religion.

Superimposed Border

A political boundary/border placed by powerful outsiders on a developed human landscape.

Relic Boundary/Border

A boundary no longer observed but that still affects the present-day area (e.g. border between West and East Germany in Berlin)

Imperialism

A policy of extending a country's power and influence through diplomacy or military force.

Political Map

A map showing units such as countries, states, provinces, districts, etc. Each is normally a different color

Delimited Boundary

A line drawn on a map to show the limits of a space