AP HuGe - Chapter 8 Vocab

state

an area organized into a political unit and ruled by an established government that has control over its internal and foreign affairs

microstates

states with very small land areas

city-state

a sovereign state that comprises a town and the surrounding countryside

nation

a large group of people who are united by common cultural characteristics, such as language and ethnicity, or by shared history

nation-state

a state whose territory corresponds to that occupied by a particular nation

self-determination

the concept that nations have the right to govern themselves

to appease

to make someone happier by agreeing with them

multinational state

a state that contains more than one nation

colony

a territory that is legally tied to a sovereign state rather than being completely independent

colonialism

an effort by one country to establish settlements in a territory and to impose its political, economic, and cultural principles on that territory

balance of power

a condition of roughly equal strength between opposing alliances

democracy

a country in which citizens elect leaders and can run for office

autocracy

a country that is run according to the interests of the ruler rather than the people

anocracy

a country that is not fully democratic or fully autocratic but rather displays a mix of the two types

unitary state

most power is placed in the hands of central government officials

federal state

strong power is allocated to units of local government

weapon of mass destruction

a nuclear, biological, chemical, or other weapon that can kill and bring significant harm to a large number of humans or cause great damages to human-made structures, natural structures, or the biosphere

terrorism

the threatened or actual use of illegal force and violence by a non-state actor to attain a political, economic, religious, or social goal through fear, coercion, or intimidation

boundary

an invisible line that marks the extent of a state’s territory

frontier

a zone where no state exercises complete political control

territorial waters

up to 12 nautical miles from shore (14 miles on land), a state may set laws regulating passage by ships registered in other states

contiguous zone

between 12 and 24 nautical from shore, a state may enforce laws concerning pollution, tazation, customs, and immigration

exclusive economic zone

between 24 and 200 nautical miles. a state has a sole right to the fish and other marine life

compact state

the distance from the center to any boundary does not vary significantly

prorupted state

a compact state with a large projecting extension

perforated state

a state that is completely surrounded by another one

elongated states

have a long and narrow shape

fragmented states

has several discontinuous pieces of territory

landlocked state

lacks a direct outlet to a sea because it is completely surrounded by other countries

gerrymandering

redrawing legislative boundaries to benefit the party in power

cracking

like-minded voters are spread across several districts to prevent them from reaching a majority in any of them, thus wasting their vote

packing

like-minded voters are stacked in one district to prevent them from affecting elections in other districts

supranational organization

a group of countries that give up some sovereignty for a collective benefit

separatism

separating from a larger body by a certain group based on ethnicity, religion, or gender

devolution

the transfer or delegation of power to a lower level, especially by central government to local or regional administration

stateless nation

an ethnic or cultural group sharing a common identity that lacks its own sovereign state and political indpendence

neocolonialism

the use of economic, political, and cultural pressure by powerful nations to control or influence weaker nations

multi state nation

a nation that is in many states

autonomous

having freedom to govern itself or control it’s own affairs

semi-autonomous region

having a degree, of, but not complete, self-government

shatterbelts

groups of politically and ethnically fragmented states located between larger, more powerful states that often vie for control over smaller states

chokepoints

narrow, highly strategic, geographic passageways that restrict passage from one region to another

irredentism

a movement of a culturally unified people that are divided by borders to reunite it’s divides parts

antecedent boundaries

boundaries drawn before a territory was populated

subsequent boundaries

boundaries drawn after a territory has been settled and often reflects the development of a cultural landscape

consequent boundaries

boundaries drawn with the consideration of different cultural landscapes and they often divide people of different ethnicities, language, and religion

superimposed boundary

boundaries drawn by an outside conquering force without respect for differences in cultural landscapes

geometric boundaries

mathematical boundaries that usually follow lines of latitude or longitude and are drawn without consideration for the natural or cultural features of the territory

relic boundaries

boundaries that once existed but no longer function as boundaries