AP Human Geo: Unit 4 vocab

Study

State

The largest political unit; the formal term for a country

Sovereignty

The power of a political unit, or government, to rule over its own affairs

Nation

A group of people who have certain things in common

Nation-state

A nation of people who fulfill the qualifications of a state

Multinational state

A country that contains more than one nation

Autonomous region

A defined area within a state that has a high degree of self-government and freedom from its parent state

Semiautonomous region

A state that has a degree of, but not complete self-rule

Stateless nation

A cultural group that has no independent political entity

Multistate nation

Occurs when a nation has a state of its own but stretches across borders of other sides

Nationalism

A nations desire to create and maintain a state of its own

Centripetal forces

Forces that tend to unite or bind a country together.

Centrifugal forces

Forces that tend to divide a country.

Imperialism

a broader concept that includes a variety of ways of influencing another country or group of people by direct conquest, economic control, or cultural dominance

Colonialism

A particular type of imperialism in which people move into and settle into the land of another country

Berlin Conference

A meeting from 1884-1885 at which representatives of European nations agreed on rules colonization of Africa (AKA the Congo Conference)

Self-determination

The right to choose their own sovereign government without external influence

Decolonization

The undoing of colonization, in which indigenous people reclaim sovereignty over their territory

Genocide

Organized mass killing

Cold War

A conflict that was between the US and the Soviet Union. The nations never directly confronted each other on the battlefield but deadly threats went on for years.

Satellite states

a state that is economically and politically dependent on another state

Devolution

The process whereby regions within a state demand and gain political strength and growing autonomy at the expense of the central government.

Geopolitics

study of government and its policies as affected by physical geography

Territoriality

the defense of a bounded physical space against encroachment by other individuals

Neocolonialism

Also called economic imperialism, this is the domination of newly independent countries by foreign business interests that causes colonial-style economies to continue, which often caused monoculture (a country only producing one main export like sugar, oil, etc).

Choke point

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

Physical geographic boundaries

natural barriers between areas

Cultural boundaries

borders based on culture traits, like language and religion

Antecedent boundaries

A boundary line established before an area is populated

Subsequent boundaries

Boundary line established after an area has been settled that considers the social and cultural characteristics of the area

Ethnographic

relating to studies in which researchers actively engage with participants

Superimposed boundary

a boundary line placed over and ignoring an existing cultural pattern

Landlocked states

state surrounded by other land with no direct outlet to the sea

Relic boundary

a former boundary line that is still discernible and marked by some cultural landscape features

Geometric boundary

Political boundaries that are defined and delimited by straight lines.

Consequent boundary

A type of subsequent boundary that is drawn to accommodate existing linguistic, cultural, or religious boundaries

Cultural consequent boundary

a boundary set by ethnic differences, such as language or religion

Physical consequent boundary

a division that uses already-existing natural features that divide a territory such as rivers, deserts, or mountains

Open boundary

a boundary where crossing is unimpeded

Militarized boundary

a boundary that is heavily guarded and discourages movement; N & S Korea

Defined boundary

one established by a legal

document, such as a treaty.

Delimited boundary

A boundary DRAWN and agreed upon; drawing of a boundary

Demarcated boundary

A boundary demarcated (marked) by some visible means on the ground. Ex. wall posts, fences, etc.

Definitional boundary dispute

Conflict over the language of the border agreement in a treaty or boundary contract

locational boundary disputes (territorial disputes)

Center on where a boundary should be, how it is delimited(mapped) or demarcated

Irredentism

a policy of cultural extension and potential political expansion by a country aimed at a group of its nationals living in a neighboring country

Operational boundary dispute (functional dispute)

Conflict over the way a boundary should operate or function, such as the conflict over allowing migration across the border

Allocational dispute (resource dispute)

a dispute over a boundary that separates natural resources that may be used by both countries

Administered boundary

a border that is actively managed, protected, and administered by a sovereign government

Controlled borders

Border controls are measures taken by a country to monitor or regulate its borders.

Exclaves

A segment of land that is apart from the mainland of its country (Hawaii and Alaska)

Political enclaves

states, territories, or parts of a state or territory that are completely surrounded by the territory of another state

Shatterbelt

an area of instability between regions with opposing political and cultural values

United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)

Signed by more than 150 countries; defined by 4 zones

Territorial sea

a belt of coastal waters extending at most 12 nautical miles from the baseline of a coastal state

Contiguous zone

Coastal states have limited sovereignty for up to 24 nautical miles, where they can enforce laws on customs, immigration, and sanitation

Exclusive economic zone (EEZ)

zone of water adjacent to Contiguous Zone (200 miles) in which a state has the right to explore, exploit, conserve, and manage resources

High seas

water beyond the EEZ is open to all states

Small island developing state (SIDS)

Control nearly 30% of all oceans and seas and their EEZs are much larger than their landmass

Internal boundaries

physical, cultural, or geometric boundaries within a country (such as provinces or states)

Electoral geography

the study of how the spatial configuration of electoral districts and voting patterns reflect and influence social and political affairs

Voting districts

Internal boundaries that divide a country's electorate into subnational regions

Electorate

the citizens eligible to vote

Census

population count

Reapportionment

the process of reassigning representation based on population, after every census

Redstricting

The redrawing boundaries by a legislative body to adjust for changes in a population for election purposes.

Gerrymandering

the drawing of legislative district boundaries to benefit a party, group, or incumbent

Cracking

dispersing a group into several districts to prevent a majority

Packing

combining like-minded voters into one district to prevent them from affecting elections in other districts

Stacking

diluting a minority populated district with majority populations

Hijacking

redrawing two districts in order to force two elected representatives of the same party to run against each other

Kidnapping

Moving an area where an elected representative has support to an area where he or she does not have support

Federal state

An internal organization of a state that allocates most powers to units of local government.

Unitary state

An internal organization of a state that places most power in the hands of central government officials

Annexation

The adding of a region to the territory of an existing political unit.

Ethnic separatism

when an ethnic group desires to separate from the larger group

Ethnic cleansing

the mass expulsion or killing of members of an unwanted ethnic or religious group in a society.

Terrorism

The systematic use of violence by a group in order to intimidate a population or coerce a government into granting its demands.

Subnationalism

Identification with small ethnic and regional groups within a nation.

Balkanization

the process of breaking up a region into small, mutually hostile units

Globalization

growth to a global or worldwide scale

Supranationalism

three or more countries agree to give up a degree of autonomy in order to pursue common goals. (ex. European Union)

United Nations (UN)

an organization of independent states formed in 1945 to promote international peace and security

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)

a group of 28 countries that has agreed to protect each other in case of attack; founded in 1949

European Union (EU)

Following WW2, European leaders hoped to create stronger economic and cultural ties that would bring peace to a region ravaged by war for centuries

United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA)

A free-trade agreement that replaced the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in 2020

Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)

organization for economic, political, social, and cultural cooperation among Southeast Asian nations

Arctic council

provide a means for promoting cooperation, coordination and interaction among the Arctic States

African Union

organization formed in 2002 to promote unity among African states and to foster development and end poverty

World Trade Organization (WTO)

a trade organization that replaced the old General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT)

Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)

Focuses on the production of oil

Transnational corporations

A company that conducts research, operates factories, and sells products in many countries, not just where its headquarters or shareholders are located.

Democratization

the process of creating a government elected by the people

Time-space compression

the rapid innovation of communication and transportation technologies associated with globalization that transforms the way people think about space and time

Regionalism

loyalty to the interests of a particular region

Ethnonationalism

a form of nationalism in which the "nation" is defined in terms of ethnicity