Unit 4

Nation-state

A political entity characterized by a single culture under a single government.

Sovereignty

The independence of a state from outside control, involving both territory and international recognition.

Multi-national states

States that consist of multiple nations or cultural groups.

Nationalism

A political ideology that derives from culture or political state, used to support the state and oppose foreign influences.

Stateless nations

Cultural groups that lack a political state or process.

Federal states & confederations

Political structures that provide protection, diplomacy, and trade regulation through shared responsibilities among governments.

Unitary system

A political system where power is centralized in a single, national government.

Microstates

Very small sovereign states.

Autonomous regions

Areas that have freedom from central authority.

Semi-autonomous regions

Regions with less freedom compared to fully autonomous regions.

Supranationalism

The alignment of states for a common purpose.

Supranational organizations

Alliances for trade, military, or diplomatic purposes, such as the European Union (EU).

EU purposes

Trade, open borders, monetary union, and legislative cooperation.

Territoriality

Political control over a specific geographic space.

Citizenship

Legal identity conferred by the state, which retains status outside its borders.

Political boundaries

Defined, clear expressions of control between different political entities.

Enclave

A minority culture located within a larger cultural majority.

Exclave

A fragmented territory that is separated from the main body of the state.

UNCLOS

The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which establishes oceanic boundaries.

Territorial sea

A sea zone up to 12 nautical miles from the baseline, where full sovereignty is applied.

Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)

A sea zone up to 200 nautical miles from the baseline where a state has special rights regarding the exploration and use of marine resources.

Admiralty law

Legal procedures governing activities on the high seas.

Boundary origins

Types of boundaries classified as antecedent, relic, subsequent, or superimposed.

Delimitation

The process of marking borders on maps.

Demarcation

The act of physically marking borders on the ground.

Border disputes

Conflicts that arise over the interpretation and enforcement of political boundaries.

Frontier

An open, undefined territory without strict legal boundaries.

Tyranny of the Map

The imposition of European-set boundaries in Africa that do not match local cultures.

Territorial Morphology

How the shape of a state affects its social, political, and economic relations.

Decolonization

The process of nations gaining independence from colonial powers.

Annexation

The process of adding territory to an existing state.

Capital city

The city where a government is based.

Gerrymandering

The manipulation of electoral district boundaries for political advantage.

Geopolitics

The study of global state relationships and strategic geographical factors.

Centripetal forces

Factors that help to unify a state.

Centrifugal forces

Factors that lead to the fragmentation or division of a state.

Balkanization

The process where a larger state divides into smaller, often hostile, states.

Irredentism

The political or popular movement seeking the recovery of lost territory.

Neocolonialism

The practice of using economic power to influence or control other countries.