AP Human Geography Political Unit Vocab

consequent boundary

Subsequent boundaries that take cultural and ethnic differences into consideration when being created.

superimposed

Boundaries drawn over existing accepted borders

concurrent

shared

reapportionment

A process in which seats in the house of representatives are reallocated to different states.

gerrymandering

The practice of manipulating electoral district boundaries to favor one party over another.

majority-minority districts

Electoral districts where the majority of the constituents belong to a racial or ethnic minority, designed to enhance representation.

supranational organization

An alliance of three or more states that work together to address an issue the countries share.

ethnic separation

When people of a particular ethnicity in a multinational state identify more as part of their ethnicity than country.

ethnic cleansing

When a state government attacks the ethnic group, trying to eliminate them.

geometric boundaries

Boundaries that are mathematical and usually follow lines of latitude and longtitude.

relics

Former boundaries that once existed but no longer have an official function.

federal state

When power is held by regional units.

unitary state

A form of government that follows a top-to-bottom approach.

antecedent boundaries

Boundaries established before many people settle in an area.

subsequent boundaries

Boundaries drawn in areas that have been settled by people where cultural landscapes exist.

demarcated

Boundaries made with physical objects.

administer

Manage the way a state is maintained and how goods and people will cross them.

defining

When countries explicitly state (in legally binding documents) where the borders are.

delimit

Drawing boundaries on a map in accordance with a legal agreement.

imperialism

The push to create an empire by exercising force to control other nations.

devolution

When the central power in a state is broken up among regional authorities inside the border.

shatterbelts

Instability in regions caused by territoriality and the quest for political power.

self-determination

The right of all people to choose their own political status.

neocolonialism

The use of economic, cultural, political, or other pressures to control or influence other countries.

choke point

A narrow, strategic, passageway to another place through which difficult to pass.