APHG Unit 4

Antecedent Boundaries

A boundary line established before an area is populated

Balkanization

The contentious political process by which a state may break up into smaller countries.

centrifugal forces

Forces that tend to divide a country.

centripetal forces

Forces that tend to unite or bind a country together.

Colonialism

The expansion and perpetuation of an empire.

Commonwealth of Independent States

Confederacy of independent states of the former Soviet Union that have united because of their common economic and administrative needs.

compact state

a state that possesses a roughly circular, oval, or rectangular territory in which the distance from the geometric center is relatively equal in all directions

Confederation

A form of an international organization that brings several autonomous states together for a common purpose.

Democratization

The process of establishing representative and accountable forms of government led by popularly elected officials.

Devolution

The delegation of legal authority from a central government to lower levels of political organization, such as a state or country.

Domino Theory

the idea that political destabilization in one country can lead to collapse of political stability in neighboring countries, starting a chain reaction of collapse

East/West Divide

geographic separation between the largely democratic and free-market countries of Western Europe and the Americas from the communist and socialist countries of Eastern Europe and Asia

Electoral College

A certain number of electors from each state proportional to and seemingly representative of that state's population. each elector chooses a candidate believing they are representing their constituency's choice. The candidate who receives a higher proportion of electoral votes within a state receives all the electoral votes for that state.

electoral vote

The decision of a particular state elector that represents the dominant views of that elector's state.

Elongated State

A state whose territory is long and narrow in shape.

Enclaves

Any small and relatively homogenous group or region surrounded by another larger and different group or region

European Union

International organization comprised of Western European countries to promote free trade among members.

Exclave

A bounded territory that is part of a particular state but is separated from it by the territory of a different state.

Federalism

a system of government in which power is distributed among certain geographical territories rather than concentrated within a central government

fragmented state

A state that is not contiguous whole but rather separated parts.

frontier

An area where borders are shifting and weak and where peoples of different cultures or nationalities meet and lay claim to the land.

geometric boundary

Political boundaries that are defined and delimited by straight lines.

Geopolitics

The study of the interplay between political relations and the territorial context in which they occur.

Gerrymandering

The designation of voting districts so as to favor a particular political party or candidate.

Heartland Theory

Hypothesis proposed by Halford MacKinder that held that any political power based in the heart of Eurasia could gain enough strength to eventually dominate the world.

Imperialism

the perpetuation of a colonial empire even after it is no longer political sovereign

International Organization

An alliance of two or more countries seeking cooperation with each other without giving up either's autonomy or self-determination.

Landlocked State

A state that is completely surrounded by the land of other states, which gives it a disadvantage in terms of accessibility to and from international trade routes

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.

Lebensraum

Hitler's expansionist theory based on a drive to acquire "living space" for the German people

Microstate

A state or territory that is small in both population and area

Nation

tightly knit group of individuals sharing a common language, ethnicity, religion, and other cultural attributes

Nationalism

A sense of national pride to such an extent of exalting one nation above all others

nation-state

a country whose population possesses a substantial degree of cultural homogeneity and unity

North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)

Agreement signed on January 1, 1994, that allows the opening of borders between the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

North/South Divide

the economic division between wealthy countries of Europe and North America, Japan, and Australia and the generally poorer countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America

Organic Theory

The view that states resemble biological organisms with life cycles that include stages of youth, maturity, and old age.

Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)

an international economic organization whose member countries all produce and export oil

Perforated State

A state whose territory completely surrounds that of another state.

physical boundary

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

Political Geography

The spatial analysis of political phenomena and processes.

popular vote

the tally of each individual's vote within a given geographic area

Prorupted State

A state that exhibits a narrow, elongated land extension leading away from the main territory.

Reapportionment

the process of a reallocation of electoral seats to defined territories

Rectangular State

a state whose territory is rectangular in shape

Redistricting

The drawing of new electoral district boundary lines in response to population changes.

Relic Boundaries

Old political boundaries that no longer exist as international borders, but that have left an enduring mark on the local cultural or environmental geography.

Rimland Theory

Nicholas Spykman's theory that the domination of the coastal fringes of Eurasia would provided the base for world conquest.

Self-determination

the right of a nation to govern itself autonomously

Sovereignty

Supreme or independent political power.

State

A politically organized territory that is administered by a sovereign government and is recognized by the international community.

stateless nation

a group of people with a common political identity who do not have a territorially defined, sovereign country of their own

states' rights

rights and powers believed to be in the authority of the state rather than the federal government

subsequent boundary

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

superimposed boundary

Boundary line drawn in an area ignoring the existing cultural pattern.

supranational organization

Organization of three or more states to promote shared objectives.

territorial dispute

Any dispute over land ownership

Territorial Organization

Political organization that distributes political power in more easily governed units of land.

Theocracy

a state whose government is either believed to be divinely guided or a state under the control of a group of religious leaders

Unitary State

A state governed constitutionally as a unit, without internal divisions or a federalist delegation of powers.

United Nations

A global supranational organization established at the end of World War II to foster international security and cooperation