APHG: Unit 4: Political Geography

Autonomous

having the power or right to govern oneself

Choke point

strategic narrow passages or areas that can be easily controlled and are vital for transportation or communication

Consequent boundary

coincides with differences in ethnicities, language or religion

defined boundaries

boundaries that have been legally established and agreed upon their treaties and other official documents

delimited

the translation of written terms or a boundary treats (the definition) into an official cartographic representation (putting it on a map)

demarcated

the actual placing of a political boundary on the landscape by means of barriers, fences, walls, or other markers

devolution

the transfer of power or authority from a central government to regional or local governments within a state

ethnic cleansing

the systematic and forced removal of an ethnic or religious group from a given territory

federal state

a form of government in which power is divided between a central authority and regional or local authorities

unitary state

a form of government where the central government holds the majority of political power, and local governments have limited autonomy

irredentism

a political or popular movement intended to reclaim and reoccupy a lost homeland or territories perceived as belonging to one’s nation

nation

-no formalized boundaries

-group of people with shared culture and history

state

-has sovereignty

-a geographic area organized into one political unit (controlled by a government)

nation-state

a sovereign state with subjects who are relatively homogeneous

-Ex: Iceland, Japan

stateless-nation

nations that do no have a state of their own, kurds have a history of self-determination but do not have a recognized state

multi-national state

a state with two or more nations inside that live together as one state while remaining cultural distinct

EX: Russia, with over 185 ethnic groups

neocolonialism

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

relic boundary

a non functioning boundary that can still be detected, EX: Berlin Wall

shatterbelts

a geographically unstable area caught between competing powers, often leading to local conflicts and external intervention

sovereignty

the power to make decisions

-a state that is “sovereign” rules over themselves

supranational

3 or more states involving formal political, economic, cultural and shared objectives

EX: UN, European Union, League of Nations, trade groups

territoriality

the connection of people, their connection and they economic systems to the land

cultural homogenization

the process of reduction in cultural diversity through the diffusion of popular culture

malware

hostile or intrusive software designed to cause intentional harm

folk culture

culture traditionally practice by a small, homogeneous, rural group living in relative isolation from other groups EX: Amish, tries not to expand

popular culture

culture found in a large, heterogeneous society that shares certain habits despite differences in other personal characteristics Ex: the widespread consumption of McDonalds, Starbucks, and KFC