AP hg unit 4

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,and a permanent population (a country)

sovereignty

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

nations

a cultural entity made up of people who have forged a common identity through a shared language,religon,heritage or ethnicity (often all 4)

nation-state

a politically organized and recognized territory composed of a group of people who consider themselves to be a nation

multistate nation

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

irredentism

attempts by a state to acquire territories in neighboring states inhabited by people of the same nation

multinational state

a country with various ethnicities and cultures living inside its borders

autonomous

having the authority to govern territories independently of the national government ( having a separate currency)

semi-autonomous

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

stateless nations

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

self-determination

different ethnicities (nations) have the right to control (sovereignty) their own affairs within their own states

Multiethnic state

states that populations reflect many different ethnic groups,these groups reflect immigration and no long standing tie to a territory

colonialism

the practice of claiming and dominating overseas territories

neocolonialism

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

territoriality

influencing/controlling people and events by establishing and declaring control over a geographic area

choke point

a narrow passageway to another place and difficult to pass

shatterbelt

region of states forming and breaking up because of violent conflicts among parties because of being caught between the interest of powerful outside states

imperialism

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

the Berlin conference

divide Africa among European nations disregarding existing boundaries between them

devolution

the transfer of power from the central government to a local authority

define(border)

legal documentation of where boundaries are located

delimit

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

demarcate

placing physical objects to indicate where a boundary exists

administer

managing borders and maintaining them and how people get across them

antecedent boundaries

a border established before an area is heavily settled

subsequent boundaries

border drawn in an area thats been settled and where cultural landscapes exist or in process of being established

consequent boundary

type of subsequent boundary that takes into account differences in a cultural landscape and separates distinct/ethnic groups

superimposed

a border drawn over existing borders by an outside/conquering force

geometric boundary

mathematically drawn boundary following lines of longitude and latitude (straight line between 2 points)

relic

a former boundary that no longer has a function