AP Hug Unit 4 Vocab

Vocabulary flashcards for AP Human Geography Unit 4: Political Patterns and Processes.

Nation

A large body of people united by common descent, history, culture, or language, inhabiting a particular country or territory.

Sovereignty

Supreme power or authority; the authority of a state to govern itself or another state.

Nation-state

A sovereign state whose citizens or subjects are relatively homogeneous in factors such as language or common descent.

Stateless nation

A nation that does not have a state.

Multinational state

A state with more than one nation inside its borders.

Multi-state nation

A nation that transcends the borders of two or more states.

Autonomous region

An area within a state that has a high degree of autonomy.

Semi-autonomous region

An area within a state that has some degree of autonomy.

Self-determination

The process by which a country determines its own statehood and forms its own allegiances and government.

Escarpment

A long, steep slope, especially one at the edge of a plateau or separating areas of land at different heights.

Ethnonational

A form of nationalism wherein the nation is defined in terms of ethnicity.

Devolution

The transfer of powers and responsibilities from the federal government to the states.

Balkanization

The fragmentation or division of a region or state into smaller regions or states that are often hostile or uncooperative with one another.

Voting district

A geographic area within which a specific number of voters are assigned to a polling place.

Redistricting

The redrawing of electoral district boundaries to ensure equal representation of the population.

Gerrymandering

The process of drawing electoral district boundaries to favor one political party or group over another.

Electoral College

A body of people representing the states of the US, who formally cast votes for the election of the president and vice president.

Unitary state

A state governed as a single power in which the central government is ultimately supreme and any administrative divisions exercise only powers that the central government chooses to delegate.

Federal state

A political entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing states or regions under a central (federal) government.

Ethnic cleansing

The systematic forced removal of ethnic or religious groups from a given territory by a more powerful ethnic group, often with the intent of making it ethnically homogeneous.

Terrorism

The unlawful use of violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, in the pursuit of political aims.

Irredentism

A political or popular movement that seeks to claim or reclaim and occupy territory considered to be a 'lost' territory from a nation's past.

Supranationalism

A venture involving three or more states political integration in the form of common economic policies.

Democratization

The transition to a more democratic political regime.

Economies of scale

The cost advantages that enterprises obtain due to their scale of operation, with cost per unit of output decreasing with increasing scale.

Supranational organizations

International group or union in which the power and influence of member states transcend national boundaries or interests to share in decision making and vote on issues concerning the collective body.

United Nations (UN)

An international organization founded in 1945 after the Second World War by 51 countries committed to maintaining international peace and security, developing friendly relations among nations and promoting social progress, better living standards and human rights.

Neocolonialism

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

Shatterbelt

A region caught between stronger colliding external cultural-political forces, under persistent stress, and often fragmented by aggressive rivals.

Choke point

A strategic narrow route providing passage through or to another region.

Decolonization

The action of changing from colonial to independent status.

Relic boundary

A boundary that no longer exists but still impacts the cultural landscape.

Superimposed boundary

A boundary line placed over and ignoring an existing cultural pattern.

Subsequent boundary

A boundary line that is established after the area in question has been settled and that considers the cultural characteristics of the bounded area.

Antecedent boundary

A boundary line that was established before the area in question was populated.

Geometric boundary

Political boundaries that are defined and delimited by straight lines or arcs.

Consequent boundary

A boundary line that coincides with some cultural divide, such as religion, language, or ethnicity.

Delimited boundary

A boundary line drawn on a map.

Demarcated boundary

A boundary line that is visibly marked on the landscape.

Demilitarized zone

An area in which treaties or agreements between nations, military powers or contending groups forbid military installations, activities or personnel.

Berlin Conference

A meeting from 1884-1885 at which representatives of European nations agreed upon rules for the European colonization of Africa.

United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea

A comprehensive constitution for the ocean, addressing such issues as navigational rights, territorial sea limits, economic jurisdiction, conservation/management of living marine resources, and marine pollution.

Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)

A sea zone prescribed by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea over which a state has special rights regarding the exploration and use of marine resources, including the production of energy from water and wind.

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)

A military alliance of European and North American democracies founded after World War II to strengthen international ties between member states—especially the United States and Europe—and to serve as a counter-balance to the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact.

European Union (EU)

A political and economic alliance of many European countries.

Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)

A political and economic organization of ten Southeast Asian countries that promotes intergovernmental cooperation and facilitates economic, political, security, military, educational, and sociocultural integration among its members and other countries in Asia.

Arctic Council

A high-level intergovernmental forum that addresses issues faced by the Arctic governments and the indigenous people of the Arctic.

African Union (AU)

A continental union consisting of 55 member states located on the continent of Africa.

Failed state

A state whose political or economic system has become so weak that the government is no longer in control.

Cultural Cohesion

The capacity of different national and ethnic groups to make a mutual commitment to live together as citizens of the same state