Unit 4 Gradesavers

state

(country) a politically bound area by an established by an established government that has authority over its internal affairs and foreign policy

nation

a group of people with common cultural characteristics

nation - state

a nation of people who fulfill the qualifications of a state (a community of citizens who identify themselves as a nation) (The territory occupied by a particular nation of people is the same as the recognized political boundary of that state. )

stateless - nation

a cultural group that has no independent political entity

multinational state

a country that contains more than one nation

multi - state nation

when a nation has a state of its own but stretches across borders of other states

autonomous region

a defined area within a state government and freedom from its parent state (completely self ruled)

semi - autonomous region

a state that has a degree of, but not complete self rule (somewhat)

sovereignty

the power of a political unit or government to rule over its own affairs

self - determination

people’s right to choose their own sovereign government without any influence

decolonization

the undoing of colonization, in which people reclaim sovereign over their territory

genocide

organized mass killing, in which people are targeted because of their race, religion, ethnicity, or nationality

devolution

due to centrifugal forces, process in which one or more regions are given increased autonomy by the central political unit (central gov transfers powers to local gov)

neocolonialism

the control of less developed countries by developed countries through indirect means (The use of economic, political, cultural or other pressures in order to control or influence other countries. )

shatterbelt

a place that suffers instability because it is located between two very different and contentious regions

chokepoint

a place of physical congestion between wider regions of a movement and interaction ( strait or canal which is narrow, hard to pass through and has competition for use.)

territoriality

a willingness by a person or group of people to defend space they claim

relic boundary

Border that no longer exists, but has left some imprint on the local cultural or environmental geography.  

superimposed boundary

drawn by outside powers and may have ignored existing cultural patterns (drawn over existing and accepted borders by an outside force.)

subsequent boundary

Borders that are drawn in areas that have been settled by people, typically due to changes that have occured over time. 

antecedent boundary

Borders that are established before there has been major settlement by people in a territory. 

geometric boundary

a straight line drawn by people that does not closely follow any physical feature (not physical or cultural)

consequent boundary

a type of subsequent border that takes into account already existing cultural or physical landscapes and redevelops boundary lines to more closely align with cultural boundaries.

defined boundary

established by legal document that divides one entity from another

delimited boundary

drawn on a map by a cartographer to show the limits of a space (location of defined boundaries on a map)

demarcated boundary

one identified by physical objects placed on the landscape

demilitarized zone

an area from which weapons and military forces have been removed

Berlin Conference

meeting at which the major European powers negotiated and formalized claims to territory in Africa 1884 - 1885

maritime boundary

a conceptual division of the Earth’s water surface areas using physiographic or geopolitical criteria

UNCLOS (United Nations Convention On The Law Of The Sea)

signed by more than 150 countries it defines four zones (territorial sea, contiguous zone, exclusive economic zone, and high seas) to address water boundaries systematically

international waters

areas of the sea that are not under the jurisdiction of any country

territorial sea

area extends up to 11 miles of sovereignty where commercial vessels may pass, but non commercial vessels may be challenged

EEZ (Exclusive economic zones)

coastal states can explore, extract minerals, and manage natural resources up to 200 nautical miles

voting district

internal boundaries that divide a country’s electoral vote into subnational regions (state and local governments organize elections)

redistricting

state legislatures/state committees redraw district boundaries so that each district contains roughly the same number of people (State’s internal political boundaries that determine voting districts for the US House of Representatives and the state legislature. Redrawn to accurately reflect the new census data.  )

gerrymandering

Redistricting for a political advantage, when the political party that controls a majority of seats in the state legislature draws political district boundaries to maintain or extend their political power. 

unitary state

most or all of the governments power is held by the national government (power is located centrally and the purpose of regional or local units is to carry out policy)

federal state

unites separate political entities into an overarching system that allows each entity to maintain some degree of sovereignty ( power is shared between central, regional, and local governments. )

ethnic seperatism

the advocacy of full political separation from the larger group along cultural, ethnic, tribal, or governmental lines

ethnic cleansing

a purposeful policy designed by one ethnic or religious group to remove by violent or inspiring means the civilian population of another ethnic or religious group from certain geographic areas

terrorism

organized violence aimed at government and civilian targets to create fear for the advancement of political goals

irredentism

a movement to unite people who share a language or other cultural elements but are divided by a national boundary

supranationalism

the practice of multiple countries forming an organization for the benefit of all members

democratization

the transition from autocratic to more representative forms of government

economies of scale

the reduction in the per unit cost of production as the volume of production increases (Increased trade and bargaining power in order to make more money for the member nations.)

trade agreements

any contractural arrangement between states concerning their trade relationships

military alliances

formal agreement between nations concerning their national security

supranational organizations

the practice of multiple countries forming an organization for the benefit of all members

United Nations (UN)

international organization founded in 1945 after the Second World War by 51 countries committed to maintaining international peace and security, developing friendly relations among nations and promoting social progress, better living standards and human rights

North Atlantic Treaty Organization

a security alliance of 30 countries from North America and Europe. Used for military cooperation through mutual defense alliances.

European Union

a political/economic union of 27 democratic european states that has a single market free tradezone and movement toward standardized system of laws

Association Of Southeast Asian Nations

seek mutual beneficial trade agreements which faster economic growth and peace

arctic council

leading intergovernmental forum promoting cooperation, coordination, and interaction among arctic states

African Union

continental body consisting of 55 member states making up countries of African continent

failed state

a state/country that has failed at providing the basic conditions for the country

ethnic nationalist movement

collective ideas/actions if an ethnic nation designed to promote identity/rights of an ethnicity in cultural, economic, and political spheres

centripetal force

unite a country’s population

ethnonationalism

When the people of a country identify as having one common ethnicity, language, and religion which creates a sense of pride and ties them to the territory. 

infrastructure development

improvement of quality of various components of infrastructure

cultural cohesion

trusting network of relationships and shared values and norms of residents in a neighborhood