NatGeo Ch 9 - The Contemporary Political Map

political geography

the study of the ways in which the world is organized as a reflection of the power different groups hold over territory

state

a politically organized independent territory with a government, defined borders & a permanent population (a country)

sovereignty

the right of a government to control & defend its territory and determine what happens within its borders

nation

made up of individuals who have forged a common identity through a shared language, religion, ethnicity or heritage

nation-state

when the territory occupied by a group who view themselves as a nation is the same as the politically recognized boundaries of the state they call their own

multistate nation

people who share a cultural or ethnic background but live in more than one country

irredentism

attempting to acquire territories in neighboring states (often inhabited by people of the same nation)

multinational state

a country with various ethnicities & cultures living inside its borders

autonomous region

having the authority to govern territories independently of the national government (for example, by having a separate currency)

semiautonomous region

describing a region that is given partial authority to govern its territories independently from the national government

stateless nation

a people united by culture, language, history & tradition but not possessing a state

territoriality

the attempt to influence or control people & events by delimiting and asserting control over a geographic area; the connection of people, their culture & their economic systems to their land

colonialism

the practice of claiming & dominating overseas territories

neocolonialism

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

choke point

a narrow, strategic passageway to another place through which it is difficult to pass

shatterbelt

a region where states form, join and break up because of ongoing, sometimes violent, conflicts among parties & because they are caught between the interests of more powerful outside states

self-determination

the right of all people to choose their own political status

imperialism

the push to create an empire by exercising force or influence to control other nations or peoples

devolution

the process that occurs when the central power in a state is broken up among regional authorities within its borders

defining (boundaries)

to explicitly state in legally binding documentation (eg a treaty) where boundaries are located, using reference points such as natural features or long/lat

delimit

to draw boundaries on a map, in accordance with a legal agreement

demarcated

to place physical objects such as stones, pillars, walls, or fences to indicate where a boundary exists

administer

to manage the way borders are maintained and how goods & people cross them