APHG Unit 4 (Political Geography) - Presser

Sovereignty

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

Nation

group of people who share a common culture, a traditional claim to a particular space as their homeland, and a desire to establish their own state or express self-rule in some other way (Examples: Kurds, French, Cherokee, Roma)

Nation-state

A state whose territory corresponds to that occupied by a particular ethnicity that has been transformed into a nationality (Examples: Japan, Czech Republic and Slovakia after their division)

Multinational state

A state with more than one nation within its borders; includes most countries today (Example: United States, Canada, Switzerland, Nigeria)

Autonomous region

A political unit with limited self-government or limited freedom from external control (Examples: Hong Kong, Catalonia, Palestinian territories of the West Bank and Gaza Strip)

Stateless nation

A group of people with a common political identity who do not have a territorially defined, sovereign country of their own (Examples: Navajo, Palestinians, Basques, Scots)

Multistate nation

A nation that has a state of its own but stretches across borders of other states (Example: Koreans, Arabs)

State

An area organized into a political unit and ruled by an established government with control over its internal and foreign affairs.

Berlin Conference

A meeting from 1884-1885 at which representatives of European nations agreed on rules for colonizing Africa. The colonial boundaries they established showed little regard to the existing ethno-linguistic, cultural, and political boundaries

Self-determination

Concept that ethnicities have the right to govern themselves

Decolonization

the undoing of colonization, in which indigenous people reclaim sovereignty over their territory; The 1960s marked a period of decolonization in Africa

Devolution

The transfer of powers and responsibilities from a central government to regions or subnational units

Nationalism

A strong feeling of pride in and devotion to one's nation of people (often used synonymously with patriotism in nation-states)

Territoriality

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

Neocolonialism

Also called economic imperialism, this is the domination of newly independent countries by foreign business interests that causes colonial-style economies to continue, which, in agricultural economies often causes monoculture (a country only producing one main export like sugar, oil, etc.).

Choke point

A strategic, narrow waterway between two larger bodies of water (Examples: Strait of Hormuz, Suez Canal, Panama Canal, Strait of Malacca)

Antecedent boundary

A boundary line established before the area in question is well populated; usually based on physical features

Subsequent boundary

A boundary line established after the settlement in that area occurred

Ethnographic (consequent) boundary

A type of subsequent boundary drawn to accommodate ethnic, religious, or economic differences between groups

Landlocked State

A state without territory connected to an ocean; creates a geographic and political disadvantage--more expensive to import and export goods, creates dependency on neighboring countries; includes several least developed countries (Examples: Botswana, Rwanda)

Geometric boundary

Political boundaries that are defined and delimited by straight lines (usually based on lines of latitude and longitude); they do not closely follow any physical feature (Example: the 49th parallel--the boundary between the United States and Canada, the 38th parallel--the boundary between the North and South Korea )

Relic(t) boundary

A former boundary line that is still discernible and marked by some cultural landscape features, but that is no longer formally observed (Example: The Great Wall of China, the former division between East and West Berlin)

Defined Boundary

A boundary established by a legal document, such as a treaty

Delimited boundary

A boundary DRAWN on a map

Demarcated boundary

The actual placing of a political boundary on the physical landscape by means of fences, barriers, signs, etc.

Territorial (locational) boundary dispute

Stems from a fundamental question of who possess the land or who should possess the land; often related to irredentist claims

Functional (operational) boundary dispute

A disagreement between neighboring states over policies to be applied to their common border; often induced by differing customs regulations, movement of nomadic groups, or illegal immigration or emigration

Positional (definitional) boundary dispute

Disagreement about the actual location of a boundary (Example: When oil was discovered in the Andes mountains, a dispute arose between Argentina and Chile in over the precise boundary)

Resource (allocational) boundary dispute

A disagreement over the control or use of shared resources, such as boundary formed by a river or lake, jointly claimed fishing grounds, etc. (Example: Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990 because it claimed that Kuwait was extracting oil on Iraq's side of the border)

Enclave (political)

A state, or part of a state, that is completely surrounded by another state (Example: Vatican City, Lesotho)

Exclave

A part of a country that is separated from the rest of the country and surrounded by foreign territory. (Example: Alaska, West Berlin during the Cold War)

Shatterbelt

An area of instability between regions with opposing political and cultural values (Example: Eastern Europe has historically been caught between Russia and Western Europe)

UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea)

A code of maritime law approved by the United Nations in 1982 that authorizes, among other provisions, territorial waters extending 12 nautical miles (22km) from shore and 200-nautical-mile-wide (370-km-wide) exclusive economic zones.

EEZ (Exclusive Economic Zone)

A zone of exploitation extending 200 nautical miles (370km) seaward from a coastal state that has exclusive mineral and fishing rights over it.

South China Sea Conflict

A territorial dispute between the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, Taiwan, Vietnam, and China who each claim sovereignty over the Spratly islands for economic reasons (it's a rich fishing ground, an important trade route, and a source of potential natural gas and oil reserves).

Redistricting

The redrawing of congressional and other legislative district lines following the census, to accommodate population shifts and keep districts as equal as possible in population.

Reapportionment

the process of reassigning Congressional representation (based on population), after every census

Gerrymandering

Process of redrawing legislative boundaries for the purpose of benefiting the party in power.

Electoral geography

The study of how the spatial configuration of electoral districts and voting patterns reflect and influence social and political affairs

Unitary state

An internal organization of a state that places most power in the hands of one central government; all local governments are subject to the authority of the national or central government; can be easier and quicker to implement laws, but policies often overlook minority or local and regional issues (Examples: France, Japan, Kenya)

Federal system

A type of government in which power is shared between the national government and smaller regional governments within the nation; better represents the needs of local or regional areas, but often slower and more difficult to gain consensus (Examples: U.S., Germany, Nigeria)

Annexation

The formal act of acquiring something (especially territory) by conquest or occupation (Examples: The U.S. annexed Hawaii, Russia annexed Crimea)

Ethnic separatism

Desired regional autonomy expressed by a culturally distinctive group within a larger, politically dominant culture (Examples: Catalans in Spain, Quebecois in Canada)

Ethnic cleansing

Process in which more powerful ethnic group forcibly removes a less powerful one in order to create an ethnically homogeneous region (Examples: Serbs and Croats in the former Yugoslavia)

Irredentism

The policy of a state wishing to incorporate within itself territory inhabited by people who have ethnic or linguistic links with the country but that lies within a neighboring state (Examples: Hitler's claim for annexing Austria and part of Czechoslovakia; Vladimir Putin's claim for annexing Crimea)

Subnationalism (ethnonationalism)

Describes people who have a primary allegiance to a traditional group or ethnicity rather than the state

Balkanization

Process by which a state breaks down through conflicts among its ethnicities (Examples: Breakup for Yugoslavia, the division of Sudan)

Supranationalism

Three or more countries agree to give up a degree of autonomy in order to pursue common goals. (Ex. European Union, United States, OPEC, ASEAN)

Transnational Corporation (TNC)

A firm that conducts business in at least two separate countries; also known as multinational corporations.

ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations)

A supranational organization linking together the 10 most important countries of Southeast Asia for economic benefit

OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries)

A supranational organization that coordinates and unifies its members' petroleum policies in order to ensure steady income for its members.

NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)

A supranational military alliance created in 1949 made up of 12 non-communist countries including the United States that support each other if attacked.

European Union

An international organization of European countries formed after World War II to reduce trade barriers and increase cooperation among its members.