HGAP Unit 4 Vocabulary

Nation

a group of people with a common culture living in a territory and having a strong sense of unity

nation-state

A state whose territory corresponds to that occupied by a particular ethnicity that has been transformed into a nationality

multinational state

State that contains two or more ethnic groups with traditions of self-determination that agree to coexist peacefully by recognizing each other as distinct nationalities.

Self-determination

Concept that ethnicities have the right to govern themselves

Colonialism

the policy or practice of acquiring full or partial political control over another country, occupying it with settlers, and exploiting it economically.

Neocolonialism

A new form of global power relationships that involves not direct political control but economic exploitation by multinational corporations, fueled by globalization

Sovereignty

Ability of a state to govern its territory free from control of its internal affairs by other states.

Territoriality

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

stateless nation

nation that does not have a state (Kurds)

political boundaries

lines that define the border of a country or state

Fronteir

A zone separating two states in which neither state exercises political control.

irrendentism

regain control over a territory that was once yours

delimination boundary process

The phase in which the exact location of a boundary is legally described and negotiated

Demarcated Boundary

identified by physical

objects place on the landscape, such as a sign,

wall, or fence.

antecedent boundary

a boundary that existed before the cultural landscape emerged and stayed in place while people moved in to occupy the surrounding area...

subsequent boundary

a boundary that developed with the evolution of the cultural landscape and is adjusted as the cultural landscape changes...

consequent boundary

a boundary line that coincides with some cultural divide, such as religion or language

relict boundaries

A boundary that has ceased to function, but whose imprints are still evident in the cultural

landscape

superimposed boundary

a boundary line placed over and ignoring an existing cultural pattern

geometric boundary

Political boundaries that are defined and delimited by straight lines.

physical boundary

Political boundaries that correspond with prominent physical features such as mountain ranges or rivers.

choke point

a strategic, narrow waterway between two larger bodies of water

Berlin Wall

A wall separating East and West Berlin built by East Germany in 1961 to keep citizens from escaping to the West

Law of the Sea

Law establishing states rights and responsibilities concerning the ownership and use of the earth's seas and oceans and their resources.

EEZ (Exclusive Economic Zone)

The 200 nautical miles from a nation's shoreline of protected resources and economic activity

Contiguous Zone

Between 12 and 24 nautical miles from shore, a state may enforce laws concerning pollution, taxation, customs, and immigration

Territorial Sea

states' navigational and economic sovereign territory extending 12 nautical miles (1 nautical mile \= 1.15 statute miles) from the coast (since 1982); foreign ships (both military and civilian) are allowed innocent passage through it; sovereignty also extends to the airspace over and seabed below.

Gerrtmandering

practice of redistricting to benefit a particular party

Redistricting

The redrawing of congressional and other legislative district lines following the census, to accommodate population shifts and keep districts as equal as possible in population.

voting districts

generic term adopted by the Bureau of the Census to include the wide variety of small polling areas, such as election districts, precincts, or wards, that State and local governments create for the purpose of administering elections

Supranationalism

term applied to associations created by three or more states for their mutual benefit and achievement of shared objectives

European Union

an association of European nations formed in 1993 for the purpose of achieving political and economic integration.

African Union

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

NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)

A 1949 defense alliance initiated by the US, Canada, and 10 Western European nations

United Nations

An international organization formed after WWII to promote international peace, security, and cooperation.

NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement)

Allows open trade between the US, Mexico, and Canada.

ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations)

An international organization linking together the 10 most important countries of Southeast Asia

UN Security Council

A body of five great powers (which can veto resolutions) and ten rotating member states, which makes decisions about international peace and security including the dispatch of UN peacekeeping forces.

Federal State

allocates strong power to units of local government within the country

Unitary State

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

centrifugal force

a force that divides people and countries

centripetal force

An attitude that tends to unify people and enhance support for a state

Ethnonationalism

the tendency for an ethnic group to see itself as a distinct nation with a right to autonomy or independence. A fundamental centrifugal force.

Devolution

the transfer of powers and responsibilities from the federal government to the states

ethnic cleansing

Process in which more powerful ethnic group forcibly removes a less powerful one in order to create an ethnically homogeneous region

Genocide

Deliberate extermination of a racial or cultural group

Shatterbelt

a region caught between stronger colliding external cultural-political forces, under persistent stress, and often fragmented by aggressive rivals (e.g., Israel or Kashmir today; Eastern Europe during the Cold War,...).

Balkanization

Process by which a state breaks down through conflicts among its ethnicities

Terrorism

Acts of violence designed to promote a specific ideology or agenda by creating panic among an enemy population