Unit 4 Check for Understanding - Political Geography

Flashcards based on lecture notes about political geography, focusing on statehood, boundaries, governance, and related concepts.

What are the 4 requirements for statehood?

Defined boundary, permanent population, sovereignty, recognition by other states

Ethnic Group

Group of people sharing cultural traditions of a particular hearth

Nation

Share a common culture, unified beliefs, claim a homeland, desire self-determination

Nation-State

Singular nation of people fulfilling state qualifications

Multinational State

More than one nation, with one politically dominant nation

Stateless Nation

A group without a state of their own

Multi-State Nation

Nation with a state, but stretches across borders of other states

Sovereignty

Authority of a state to govern itself or another state

Self-determination

Process by which a country determines its own statehood and forms allegiances

Berlin Conference

Divided Africa for resources, disregarding tribal/cultural boundaries

Devolution

Transfer of power from central government to local administration

Balkanization

Fragmentation of a region into smaller, hostile states

Territoriality

Asserting control over a space to influence others, causing conflict

Colonialism

Acquiring political control over another country, occupying it, and exploiting it economically

Neocolonialism

Using economic, political, or cultural pressures to influence countries

Chokepoint

Geographical feature that armed forces must traverse to reach a target

Relic Boundary

Boundary that no longer exists, but evidence remains

Superimposed Boundary

Boundary drawn by outside powers

Subsequent Boundary

Boundary drawn to accommodate cultural differences due to changes

Antecedent Boundary

Boundary drawn before a large population was present

Geometric Boundary

Straight line boundary not following physical features

Consequent Boundary

Boundary coinciding with a pre-existing cultural divide

Natural Boundary

Boundary based on physical features

Cultural Boundary

Boundary based on human traits or behavior

Militarized Boundary

Heavily guarded boundary discouraging crossing

Open Boundary

Boundary where crossing is unimpeded

Defined Boundary

Established by a legal document, dividing one entity from another

Delimited Boundary

Line drawn on a map to show the limits of a space

Demarcated Boundary

Boundary identified by physical objects on the landscape

UNCLOS

United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea

Territorial Sea

Up to 12 nautical miles of sovereignty

Contiguous Zone

Limited sovereignty up to 24 nautical miles

Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)

Explore, extract minerals, and manage up to 200 nautical miles

High Seas

Water beyond the EEZ is open to all states

Voting District

Geographical area represented by a member of a legislative body

Gerrymandering

Drawing boundaries for political districts to extend advantage

Unitary Government

Strong centralized government controlling almost everything

Federal Government

Government duties shared between local and central government

Compact State

Distance from center is similar all the way around which provides efficient trade, travel and communication

Elongated State

Long country with potential isolation at the periphery

Prorupted State

Mostly compact with an extension, can make it difficult to govern

Perforated state

State completely surrounded by another state

Fragmented State

State is broken up and scattered from the core

Ethnic Cleansing

Forced removal of a minority ethnic group from a territory

Devolution's Challenge to Sovereignty

Giving some power to local governments, decreasing central control

Communication Technology's Challenge to Sovereignty

Seeing other countries and wanting what they have

Supranational Organizations

States give up some sovereignty to organization

Centripetal Forces

Forces that bring people together

Centrifugal Forces

Forces that divide a population

Impact of Centrifugal forces on a state

Can divide a country when citizens don’t trust the central government, don’t agree with the politicians, or are mistreated or underrepresented which undermines the possibility of success