AP Hug Unit 4: Political Geography

geopolitics

the study of the interplay between international political relations and the territories in which they occur

state

an area organized into a political unit and ruled by an established government that has control over its internal and foreign affairs

sovereignty

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

microstate

a state that encompasses a very small area

city state

a small sovereign state that is made up of a town or city and the surrounding area

multiethnic state

a state that contains more than one ethnicity

multinational state

a 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

nation state

a state in which the cultural borders of a nation correspond with the state borders of a country

self-determination

the concept that ethnicities have the right to govern themselves

stateless nation

a nation of people without a state that it considers home

colony

a territory that is legally tied to a sovereign state rather than completely independent

colonialism

an attempt by one country to establish settlements and to impose its political economic and cultural principles in another territory

imperialism

a policy extending a country’s power and influence through diplomacy or military force

boundary

an invisible line that marks the extent of a states territory

relic boundary

a former boundary that is no longer in use but still visible as a relic on the ground

superimposed boundary

political barriers drawn in an area with complete disregard for the cultural, religious and ethnic divisions within the people there

compact state

a state in which the distance from the center to any boundary does not vary significantly

elongated state

a state with a long, narrow shape

devolution

the movement of power from the central government to regional governments within the state or break up of a large state (balkanization) into several independent ones

shatterbelt

a geographical region that is endangered by local conflicts within the states or between countries in the region as well as the involvement of the opposing great powers outside the region

autocracy

a country that is run according to the interests of the ruler rather than the people

anocracy

a country that is not fully democratic or fully autocratic but rather displays a mix of the two types

perforated state

a state that completely surrounds another one

fragmented state

a state that includes several discontinuous pieces of territory

landlocked state

a state that does not have a direct outlet to the sea

physical boundary

a boundary based on the geographic features on the earths surface

cultural boundary

the geographic term for the border between two different ethnic, linguist and religious groups

frontier

a zone separating two states in which neither states exercise political control

unitary state

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

federal state

an internal organization of a state that allocates most powers to units of local government

redistricting

the redrawing of legislative district lines

UN convention of the law of the sea

an international agreement that establishes a legal framework for all marine and maritime activities

warsaw pact

a collective defense treaty signed in Warsaw Poland between the Soviet Union and 7 other eastern bloc socialist republics of central and eastern Europe in may 1955 during the cold war

gerrymandering

the process of redrawing legislative boundaries for the purpose of benefiting the party in power

balance of power

a condition of roughly equal strength between opposing countries or alliances of countries

United Nations

an international organization formed in 1945 to increase political and economic cooperation among member countries

NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)

to unify and strengthen the allies response to a possible invasion of western Europe by the USSR and Warsaw pact allies

African Union

an organization of African states established in 2002

European Union

Economic alliance of major western European nations that coordinate trade, immigration and labor policies