Unit 4 Vocab

Centripetal Force

A force that acts to unify people and enhance the stability of a state.

Federal State

A political system in which power is divided between a central authority and constituent units.

Gerrymandering

The manipulation of electoral district boundaries to favor one party over another.

Nation-State

A sovereign state whose citizens or subjects share a common nationality.

State

A politically organized body of people occupying a definite territory.

Centrifugal Force

A force that tends to divide or disintegrate a state by pushing people apart.

Devolution

The transfer of power from a central government to subnational levels of government.

Nation

A group of people who share common cultural characteristics.

Unitary State

A state governed as a single entity where the central government is supreme.

Antecedent Border

A boundary that was established before the area was populated.

Compact State

A state whose territory is relatively small and circular in shape.

Fragmented State

A state that is composed of disjointed pieces of territory.

Frontier

A zone where no state exercises complete control.

Geometric Boundary

A boundary drawn using straight lines, often following lines of latitude and longitude.

Heartland Theory

A geopolitical hypothesis that suggests control of the central area of Eurasia is key to global domination.

Landlocked State

A state that does not have direct access to an ocean or sea.

Microstate

A very small country or state.

Perforated State

A state that completely surrounds another state.

Prorupted State

A state that has a large extension of land protruding from the main territory.

Relic Boundary

A boundary that no longer exists but has left a lasting mark on the cultural or physical landscape.

Sovereignty

The authority of a state to govern itself or another state.

Subsequent Border

A boundary that was established after the area was populated.

Superimposed Border

A boundary that is imposed on the cultural landscape which ignores pre-existing cultural patterns.

Balkanization

The process of dividing a region into smaller, often hostile units.

Confederate State

A union of sovereign states, often with a weak central authority.

Elongated State

A state with a long and narrow shape.

Enclave

A territory entirely surrounded by the territory of another state.

European Union

A political and economic union of member states located primarily in Europe.

Exclave

A portion of territory that is separated from the main territory and surrounded by foreign territory.

Forward Capital

A capital city that has been intentionally relocated to a more geographically advantageous position.

Nationalism

A strong identification with and pride in one's nation.

Neo-Colonialism

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

Reapportionment

The process of reallocating seats in a legislative body.

Rimland Theory

A theory that suggests that the coastal fringes of Eurasia are the key to global power.

Stateless Nation

A group of people without a sovereign state of their own.

Territoriality

The connection of people, their culture, and their economic systems to the land.

Buffer State

A country separating two hostile nations.

Domino Theory

The theory that a political event in one country will cause similar events in neighboring countries.

Geopolitics

The study of the effects of geography on international politics and relations.

Imperialism

The policy of extending a country's power and influence through colonization or military force.

Multinational State

A state that contains two or more ethnic groups with traditions of self-determination.

Physical-Political Boundary

A boundary determined by physical features of the landscape.

Political Geography

The study of the spatial distribution of political processes and how they are affected by geographic structures.

Supranationalism

A philosophy where a group of nations come together for a common goal, often leading to a loss of some individual sovereignty.

Self-Determination

The right of a people to determine their own political status.

Theocracy

A system of government in which priests rule in the name of God or a god.

United Nations

An international organization founded in 1945 to promote peace, security, and cooperation among countries.

Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)

An international treaty that establishes guidelines for the delimitation of the world's oceans.

Colonialism

The practice of acquiring full or partial political control over another country or territory.