aphg vocab

political geography

Apartheid

A system of institutionalized racial segregation and discrimination that was once enforced in South Africa, involving policies that separated different racial and ethnic groups, particularly favoring the white population.

African Union

a continental organization with 55 members used to maintain peace and build on the countries in the region.

Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)

a regional organization of 10 nations used to maintain peace and trade in the Southeast region of Asia.

Autonomous Regions

Geographical areas within a country that have a degree of self-governance and often have a level of legislative power and cultural autonomy.

Definitional boundary disputes

Disputes that arise from different interpretations of how a boundary was agreed upon.

Locational boundary disputes

Disputes arising from the delimitation and demarcation of a boundary.

Operational boundary disputes

Disputes concerning the administration of a boundary, including issues of movement and control across it.

Allocational boundary disputes

Disputes arising from the allocation of resources along or near a boundary.

Antecedent Boundary

A boundary that existed before the cultural landscape emerged.

Consequent Boundary

A boundary that aligns with cultural, ethnic, or linguistic divisions.

Geometric Boundary

A boundary drawn using straight lines or arcs regardless of physical or cultural features.

Subsequent Boundary

A boundary created after the cultural landscape has developed.

Superimposed Boundary

A boundary forcibly placed over existing cultural landscapes.

Relic Boundary

A boundary that no longer functions as a boundary but still holds some cultural significance.

Boundary Process Definition

The stage at which the exact location and nature of a boundary are agreed upon.

Delimitation

The mapping of a boundary's rough outline.

Demarcation

The actual placing of markers or boundaries on the ground to show where a boundary exists.

Buffer State

A country lying between two rival or potentially hostile greater powers, which serves to prevent conflict between them.

Centrifugal Force

Factors that divide and disrupt a state, potentially leading to its breakup or disunity, such as ethnic, linguistic, or religious differences.

Centripetal Force

Factors that unify and bring a country together, promoting national cohesion and stability, such as a shared language, culture, or strong national identity.

City-state

An independent city and its surrounding territory functioning as an autonomous political unit.

Choke Points

Narrow passages or strategic points in a region that can be easily controlled or blocked, often having significant geopolitical importance.

Colonialism

The policy or practice of acquiring full or partial political control over another country, occupying it with settlers, and exploiting its resources for the benefit of the controlling power.

Conference of Berlin (1884)

A meeting held in Berlin to discuss the partitioning of Africa among European powers without the presence of African leaders, leading to the scramble for Africa and the colonization of the continent.

Decolonization

The process by which colonies gain independence from their colonizing states and establish themselves as sovereign states.

Demilitarized Zone (DMZ)

An area where military forces, equipment, or activities are restricted or prohibited, often established to reduce tension between conflicting nations.

Devolution

The transfer of certain powers or responsibilities from a central government to regional governments within a state.

Domino Theory

The idea that the fall of one country to communism would lead to the fall of its neighboring countries, popular during the Cold War era.

EEZ (Exclusive Economic Zone)

A sea zone prescribed by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, allowing a coastal state to claim exclusive rights to exploit marine resources within 200 nautical miles from its shoreline.

Enclave

A portion of territory within or surrounded by a larger territory whose inhabitants are culturally or ethnically distinct.

Exclave

A part of a country geographically separated from the main part and surrounded by foreign territory.

Ethnic Separatism

The advocacy or movement toward the separation or independence of an ethnic or cultural group from a larger political unit.

Ethnic Cleansing (Genocide)

The systematic and violent removal or extermination of an ethnic, racial, or religious group from a specific geographic area.

European Union (EU)

A political and economic union of European countries that seek to promote economic cooperation, peace, and shared values among its member states.

Failed State

A failed state is a political entity that cannot provide basic functions such as security, law enforcement, and public services, often resulting in widespread disorder and instability.

Federal State

A political entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing states or regions under a central federal government.

Forward Capital

A capital city deliberately positioned in a disputed or strategically important area to signal a country's intentions or to advance development in that region.

Frontier

A border or boundary marking the geographical limit of a country or area of settled land.

Geopolitics

The study of the effects of geography (human and physical) on politics and international relations.

Gerrymander

The manipulation of electoral district boundaries to favor a specific political party or group.

Heartland Theory

Theories associated with geopolitical strategist Halford Mackinder, which suggest that control of the Eurasian "heartland" (central area) leads to global dominance.

Iron Curtain

The symbolic division between the Communist Eastern Bloc (dominated by the Soviet Union) and the non-Communist Western Bloc after World War II.

Irredentism

A political or nationalist movement advocating the recovery of territories culturally or historically related to one's nation but currently under another state's control.

Imperialism

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

Landlocked

A country or region completely surrounded by land with no direct access to the ocean.

Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)

International agreements and conventions governing rights and responsibilities related to the world's oceans and their resources.

Median-line Principle

A method used to divide and allocate resources in bodies of water between two countries, where the boundary is drawn equidistant from each shoreline.

Microstate

A very small sovereign state or territory, often both in terms of size and population.

Multistate Nations

Nations or ethnic groups dispersed across multiple countries.

Multinational States

Countries with populations consisting of multiple ethnic or national groups.

Neocolonialism

The indirect and continued economic, social, or cultural influence exerted by former colonial powers or developed countries over less developed countries.

NAFTA/USMCA

Agreements made in 1994 and revised in 2020 that were made to improve trade in the North American Region between the US, Canada, and Mexico

Nation

A group of people who share a common culture, language, history, and/or identity.

Nation-State

A state that coincides with a single nation, where the population shares a common identity.

NATO

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization is a group of 31 nations with trade and military ties in the North Atlantic Region, including North America and most of Europe.

Redistricting

The process of redrawing electoral district boundaries to reflect changes in population or political power.

Reapportionment

The redistribution of representation in a legislative body based on changes in population or electoral districts.

Regionalism

Feelings of loyalty or attachment to a particular region, often expressed through culture, language, or economic interests.

Reunification

The process of reuniting or bringing together parts of a country that were previously separated.

Rimland Theory

A theory that control of the "Rimland" or "peripheral", also known as the coastal areas of Eurasia will lead to global dominance

Satellite State

A country that is formally independent but under heavy political, economic, and military influence or control by another country.

Self-determination

The right of people to determine their political status, form their own government, and pursue their economic, social, and cultural development freely.

Semiautonomous Regions

Areas within a state that have a degree of self-governance but are not fully independent.

Shatterbelt (Balkanization)

A region that experiences ongoing conflicts and fragmentation due to competing political, cultural, and ethnic tensions.

Sovereignty

The authority of a state to govern itself and make decisions within its territorial boundaries without external interference.

State

A politically organized territory with a permanent population, defined boundaries, a government, and the capacity to enter into relations with other states.

Stateless Nation

A cultural or ethnic group without its own independent state.

Suffrage

The right to vote in political elections.

Supranationalism

A form of international cooperation in which countries voluntarily give up some degree of sovereignty to achieve common goals or solve shared problems.

Territoriality

The behavior or attitude by which people assert, defend, and attempt to control rights over a particular geographic area.

Terrorism

the use of violence or threats to create fear, often for political, ideological, or religious purposes.

Transnational

Involving or operating in multiple countries or involving cooperation between two or more nations.

Theocracy

A form of government in which religious leaders hold political power or influence the government's decision-making process.

Unitary State

A state governed as a single entity, with most political power concentrated at the national level.

United Nations

an international organization founded in 1945, aimed at promoting peace, security, and cooperation amongst member states.

Voting District

An administrative division for the purpose of voting and elections.

Women's Enfranchisement

The granting of voting rights to women.