AP Human Geography - Vocab

Key vocabulary terms

Political Geography

The study of the human political organization of the earth.

Supranational

Organizations that transcend national boundaries (e.g., NATO, EU).

National

A country (e.g., USA, India, France).

Subnational

States/local (e.g., California, Ohio).

Nation

A group of people united by culture and history (e.g., Kurds).

Nation-State

A nation with defined borders (e.g., Japan).

Stateless Nation

A group without its own country (e.g., Palestinians).

Multinational State

A country with multiple nations (e.g., Canada).

Semi Autonomous Region

A self-governing area within a country (e.g., American Indian reservations).

Autonomous Region (Hong Kong example)

Operates under its own laws within China.

Independent States

Examples: Multi State Nation: Koreans split into North and South Korea

State

Defined territory with borders, permanent population, government, and sovereignty.

Sovereignty

The right of a government to control and defend its territory and determine what happens within its borders - politically and economically.

Independent State

Is the primary building block of the world political map.

Nation

A group of people unified by culture/history usually attached to a homeland

Nation-State

A group of people with shared characteristics that is also a country.

Nation-State

A state typically composed of only one nation.

State (Country)

Group of people with a sovereign government with boundaries recognized internationally.

Stateless Nation

An ethnic group or nation that does not possess its own state and is not the majority population in any nation state.

Multinational State

A country with various ethnicities and cultures within its borders.

Autonomous or Semi Autonomous Region

A location within a state that is given authority to govern independently from the national government.

Autonomous Region

A state that is recognized internationally as being its own unit with defined boundaries that has its own control and government.

Sovereign State (Country)

An area of a sovereign state with a high degree of self-governance, often due to cultural, historical, or ethnic distinctiveness.

Semi -Autonomous Region

An area of a sovereign state with limited self-governance, typically less than that of an autonomous region.

Autonomous

Region A state that is recognized internationally as being its own unit with defined boundaries that has its own control and government

Semi -Autonomous Region

An area of a sovereign state with limited self-governance, typically less than that of an autonomous region.

Devolution

Power is shifted from the central government or administration to regional authorities.

Colonialism

The policy or practice of acquiring full or partial political control over another country, occupying it with settlers.

Imperialism

A policy of extending a country's power and influence through diplomacy or military force.

Neocolonialism

The use of economic, political, or other pressures to control or influence other countries.

Core

Higher levels of education, salaries, and more technology. Generates a lot of wealth. Sell finished goods

Semi-periphery

Places where core and periphery processes take place. Countries exploited by the core.

Periphery

Lower education, low salaries, and less technology. Marginal position in world economy. Natural Resources Extracted.

Domino Theory

Theory during the Cold War that stated if one country in a region came under the influence of communism, then the surrounding countries would follow in a “domino effect”.

Containment

Is a geopolitical strategy to stop the expansion of an enemy.

Sovereignty

A state’s authority to control its territory and govern itself, recognized by other countries

Nation - State

The territory occupied by a particular nation of people is the same as the recognized political boundary of that state.

Self-Determination

The right of all people to govern themselves.

Devolution

Due to centrifugal forces, power is shifted from the central government or administration to regional authorities which are usually reflective of nations.

Territoriality

The control and influence over a specific geographic space. It is the connection of people, their culture, and their economic systems to the land/space.

Neocolonialism

The use of economic, political, cultural or other pressures in order to control or influence other countries.

Shatterbelts

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

Choke Points

A strategic strait or canal which is narrow, hard to pass through and has competition for use.

Demarcated Boundaries

Boundaries are identified by physical objects, like walls, signs, and fences.

DEMARCATION

Are identified by physical objects, like walls, signs, and fences.

Median Line Principle

Drawing a boundary that is midway between two or more states’ coasts to settle a question of sea resource access (when there’s an EEZ conflict)

Median-line principle

A line that is drawn in the water equidistant from each competing party.

Census

Done every 10 years, mandated by the Constitution. Official population count but also includes demographic data: age, race, sex.

Re-apportionment

Process in which U.S. House of Representative seats are re-allocated to different states, based off of population change.

Voting District

A geographic term used by state and local governments to organize elections.

Gerrymandering

Redistricting for a political advantage, when the political party that controls a majority of seats in the state legislature draws political district boundaries to maintain or extend their political power. Stacking the deck to win elections

Packing

Clustering like-minded voters in a single district, thereby allowing the other party to win the remaining districts.

Cracking

Dispersing like-minded voters among multiple districts in order to minimize their impact and prevent them from gaining a majority.

Federal

A style of government in which power is shared between central, regional, and local governments.

Unitary

A style of government in which the power is located centrally and the purpose of regional or local units is to carry out policy.

Irredentism

A majority ethnic group wants to claim territory from a neighboring state due to a shared culture with the people residing across the border. Not the same as imperialism.

Devolution

Power is shifted from the central government or administration to regional authorities, often due to centrifugal forces.

Supranational Organizations

An alliance of three or more states that work together in pursuit of common goals.

CENTRIPETAL FORCES

Characteristics that unify a country and provide stability.

CENTRIFUGAL FORCES

Characteristics that divide a country and create instability, conflict and violence.

Devolution

Power is shifted from the central government or administration to regional authorities.

Defined Boundary

Countries legally define and agree to where borders are located through an agreement or treaty.

Delimited Boundary

Identifying the location of the defined boundaries on a map. Usually at the same time that boundaries are defined and done through a legal designation.

Demarcated Boundary

Visible marking of the landscape with objects, such as fences or signs.

Administered Boundaries

Legal management of the border through laws, immigration regulation, documentation, and prosecution.

UNCLOS

The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea

Territorial Sea

A state has complete sovereignty over the water and airspace. Permission of “innocent passage” of foreign ships

Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)

has special rights over the exploration and use of marine resources such as fishing, whaling, as well as natural resources like natural gas, oil, energy.

High Sea

Not part of any country's territorial waters or exclusive economic zone (EEZ) international waters where no single state has jurisdiction.

The 9-dash Line

The basis of China’s claim to sovereignty over South China Sea. China claims 90% of the South China Sea, and this claim is based on the U-shaped nine-dash line etched on map in the 1940s by a Chinese geographer.

Median Line Principle

Drawing a boundary that is midway between two or more states’ coasts to settle a question of sea resource access (when there’s an EEZ conflict)

Antecedent Boundaries

A Boundary that is established before there were major settlement by people in a territory.

Subsequent Boundary

A divided space resulting from human interaction and negotiation after major settlement.

Consequent Boundary

Drawn with the purpose of separating groups based on identifiable cultural traits. All consequent boundaries are subsequent.

Superimposed Boundary

Border that is drawn over existing and accepted borders by an outside force.

Relic Boundaries

Border that no longer exists politically, but has left some imprint on the local cultural or environmental geography.

Geometric Boundaries

For the most part, established on straight lines of latitude and longitude instead of physical or cultural boundaries .

Physical Boundaries

boundaries between countries or states from along physical boundaries.

Physical Boundary

A physical boundary is a natural barrier between two areas.

LANDLOCKED STATE

A country that does not have direct access to the sea due to being surrounded by neighboring states

EXCLAVE

A portion of a state that is geographically separated from the mainland by another country or countries

ENCLAVE

A territory, or a part of a territory, that is entirely surrounded by the territory of one other state.

FEDERALISM

A system of government in which power is distributed among certain geographical territories rather than concentrated within a central government; dispersed power centers States, Estados, Provinces

CONFEDERATION

Loose connection of states shared powers confederate states

MILITARY DICTATORSHIP

Form of government where in the political power resides with the military military dictatorship are formed afterthought a coup d'état less common since the 1990s.

ABSOLUTE MONARCHY

Monarch exercises ultimate governing authority as head of state and head of government His or her powers are not limited by a constitution or by the law .Swaziland is an example of absolute monarchy left on Earth.

LIMITED or CONSTITUTIONAL MONARCHY

Monarch acts as head of state within the parameters of a constitution under most modern constitutional monarchies there is also a prime minister who is the head of government and exercises effective political power

OLIGARCHY

Form of power structure in which power effectively rests with an elite class distinguished by royalty, wealth, family ties, commercial, and/or military legitimacy

REPRESENTATIVE DEMOCRACY (REPUBLIC)

Form of government founded on the principle of elected people representing a group of people

DIRECT DEMOCRACY

Form of government in which people vote on policy initiatives directly.

ANARCHY

Refers to a society which lacks publicly recognized government or violently enforced political authority Anarchy

COMPACT STATES

The distance from the center to any boundary does not vary significantly EFFICIENT good communication to all regions, Compact.

PRORUPTED STATES

Otherwise compact with large projecting extension provide a state with access to natural resources Separate two states that would share a boundary, Protupted.

ELONGATED STATES

Long, narrow shape Variation of landscapes and resources through your state, elongated.

FRAGMENTED STATES

Several discontinuous pieces of territory can be separated by water or intervening state Variation of landscape

PERFORATED STATES

State that completely surrounds another one Can control smaller state (if good relations),can be hostility.

Physical Geography

Regions that are separated from the central state environmental fragmented, elongated, distance decay.

Ethnic Separatism

In a multinational state, people of a particular ethnicity identify more strongly with their ethnic group.

Ethnic Cleansing

The state govts attack an ethnic group in an attempt to try to eliminate them through expulsion, imprisonment or mass murder

Terrorism

Civilian targets intended to create fear in order to accomplish political aims