Political Geography Terms

Geography

The study of places and the relationships between people and theirenvironments. It explores both the physical properties of the Earth's surface and the humansocieties spread across it.

Politics

is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups,or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status.

Political geography

examines how the physical properties of the Earth's surface, as well as the human societies that inhabit it, influence and are influenced by the distribution of power, resources, and decision-making within and among groups.

This discipline explores how geography shapes political structures and actions and how political processes in turn shape the geographical landscape.

nation state

is a political unit of people living in a defined territory, with government authority on their economy, political organisation and external security.

nation

refers only to a socio-cultural entity, a union of people sharing who can identify cultural and linguistically. This concept does not necessarily consider formal political unions.

state

refers to a legal/political entity that is comprised of the following:

a) a permanent population

b) a defined territory

c) a government

d) the capacity to enter intorelations with other states.

nationalism

defined as a person's sense of identity and belonging to a nation

sovereignty

is the supreme authority within a territory, implying that the state has the power to govern itself without any external interference.

democracy

a political system that allows for each individual to participate

republic

a political system in which the government remains mostly subject to those governed

monarchy

where a ruler is not usually chosen by the voice of the people or their representatives. Often a monarch is the head of state until he or she abdicates or until death. In many cases, a monarch is the final word in government

communism

based on the ideology as taught by Marx and/or Lenin. Communist states are often dominated by a single party, or a group of people.

dictatorship

authoritarian form of government. Normally, a dictator is the main individual ruling the country.