APHG Unit 4

What is centripetal force in the context of political geography?

A force or attitude that tends to unify people and enhance support for a state.

What are examples of centripetal forces?

Cultural homogeneity, strong commitment to building a new nation, nationalism, a shared religion, language, or a charismatic leader.

What is centrifugal force?

A force or attitude that tends to disunify people and reduce support for a state.

What are examples of centrifugal forces?

Different religious beliefs, different languages, cultural diversity, or physical boundaries.

What are supranational organizations?

Three or more states forming an organization to achieve mutual benefits like economies of scale, trade agreements, and military alliances.

What is gerrymandering?

Redrawing legislative borders to benefit the party in power.

What does the term sovereignty mean?

The political authority of a state to govern itself.

Define a city-state.

A small sovereign state consisting of a town or city and its surrounding area.

What is a state?

A political unit with a permanent population, recognized boundaries, administration of laws, collection of taxes, and provision of defense.

What is imperialism?

Control of territory already occupied and organized by an indigenous society.

What is a colony?

A territory legally tied to a sovereign state, not completely independent.

What is colonialism?

Effort by one country to establish settlements and impose political, economic, and cultural principles on a territory.

What are microstates?

Countries with tiny land areas.

Name the three largest states by area.

Russia, Canada, and the United States.

Name the three smallest states by area.

Vatican City, Monaco, and Nauru.

What is a perforated state?

A state that completely surrounds another state.

Give an example of a perforated state.

South Africa surrounding Lesotho.

What is an elongated state?

A state with a long and narrow shape.

Provide an example of an elongated state.

Chile or Italy.

What is a fragmented state?

A state made up of several discontinuous pieces of territory.

Provide an example of a fragmented state.

Indonesia.

What is a compact state?

A state where the distance from the center to any boundary does not vary greatly.

Provide examples of compact states.

Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda.

What are prorupted states?

A compact state with large projecting extensions.

Give an example of a prorupted state.

Democratic Republic of Congo.

What is a shatterbelt?

Regions suffering instability due to being located between two very different regions.

Define choke points.

Geographic locations where the flow of people and goods can be constricted in the event of conflict.

What is territoriality?

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

What does devolution refer to?

Transfer of decision-making power from a central government to a lower level.

What are the factors leading to devolution?

Physical geography, ethnic separatism, ethnic cleansing, terrorism, economic and social problems, and irredentism.

What is a unitary state?

A state that places most power within the central government.

What is a federal state?

A state that gives power to local governments within the country.

What is Balkanization?

Forces that divide states apart.

Define exclave.

A region of a country that is separated from the main body of that country.

Define enclave.

A state that is completely surrounded by another state.

What is self-determination?

The concept that ethnicities have the right to govern themselves.

What is the function of international boundaries?

To establish the limits of sovereignty and potentially be the source of disputes.

What is a DMZ?

A buffer zone created by treaties between two or more military powers.

What is the UN Convention on Law of the Sea?

It states that the territorial limit is 12 nautical miles.

Define a nation.

A group of people who see themselves as one based on a shared sense of culture and history and desire political autonomy.

What is a nation-state?

A state with a single nation.

Define multi-state nations.

Nations that live across multiple states.

What are stateless nations?

Nations that do not have their own independent state.

What are multinational states?

States that contain two or more nations.

What are autonomous regions?

Areas that govern themselves but are not independent countries.