AP Human Geography Chapter 4

state

the largest political unit, formal term for country, must have a defined boundary, contain a permanent population, maintain sovereignty, recognized by other states

sovereignty

the power of a political unit, or government, to rule over its own affairs

nation

a group of people who have certain things in common

nation-state

a nation of people who fulfill the qualifications of a state

multinational state

a country that contains more than one nation

autonomous region

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

semiautonomous region

a state that has a degree of, but not complete self-rule

stateless nation

a cultural group that has no independent political entity, such as the Navajowhe

multistate nation

when a nation has a state of its own but stretches across borders of other states

nationalism

a strong feeling of pride and loyalty to one’s nation or ethnic group

centripetal force

a force that helps unify people, such as, a shared religion, external threats, and a common language

centrifugal force

a force that tends to divide people, break states apart, or even prevent states from forming

imperialism

a broader concept that includes a variety of ways of influencing another country or group of people by direct conquest, economic control, or cultural dominance

colonialism

the practice of acquiring full or partial political control over another country and exploiting it economically

Berlin Conference

aka Congo Conference, used colonialism to form state boundaries in Africa, 1884-1885

self-determination

the right to choose your own sovereign government without external influence

decolonization

the undoing of colonization, in which indigenous people reclaim sovereignty over their territory

genocide

an organized mass killing, in which people are targeted because of their race, religion, ethnicity, or nationality

Cold War

a period of diplomatic, political, and military rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union. From 1945 to 1991

satellite state

a state dominated by another politically and economically

devolution

the process in which one or more regions are given increased autonomy by the central political unit

geopolitics

the study of effects of geography on politics and relations among states

territoriality

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

neocolonialism

a new system of colonailism

choke point

a place of physical congestion between wider regions of movement and interaction

Physical geographic boundaries

natural barriers between areas such as oceans, deserts, and mountains

Cultural boundaries

divide people according to some cultural division, such as language, religion, or ethnicity

antecedent boundary

preceded the development of the cultural landscape

subsequent boundary

created while the cultural landscape is evolving and is subject to change over time

ethnographic

usually related to cultural phenomena

superimposed boundary

drawn by outside powers and may have ignored existing cultural patterns

relic boundary

has been abandoned for political purposes, but evidence of it still exists on the landscape

geometric boundary

a straight line or arc drawn by people that does not closely follow an physical feature

consequent boundary

takes into account already-existing cultural or physical landscapes

irredentism

a type of expansionism when one country seeks to annex territory where it has cultural ties to part of the population or historical claims to land