aphg unit 4

state

the largest political unit, the formal term for a country

• has a defined population

• contains a permanent population

• maintain sovereignty over its domestic and international affairs

• is recognized by other states

sovereignty

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

nation

a group of people who have certain things in common

• a common cultural heritage

• a set of beliefs and values that unify them

• a traditional claim to a particular space as their homeland

• a desire to establish their own state or express self-rule in another way

nation-state

a nation of people who fulfill the qualifications of a state

multinational state

a country that contains more than one nation

autonomous region

a defined area within a state that has a high degree of self-government and freedom from its parent state

semiautonomous region

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

stateless nation

a cultural group that has no independent political entity

multistate nation

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

nationalism

a nation’s desire to create and maintain a state of its own

centripetal force

a force that helps to unify people within a country

centrifugal force

a force that tends to divide people, break states apart, or even prevent states form forming

imperialism

a variety of ways of influencing another country or group of people by direct conquest, economic control, or cultural dominance

colonialsim

a particular type of imperialism in which people move into and settle on the land of another country

Berlin Conference

time between 1884 and 1885 which paved the way for colonization of Africa or what Europeans regarded as effective occupation” of the continent. As a result, a series of superimposed boundaries were established, initially with little knowledge of the terrain or the cultural borders.

self-determination

the right to choose their own sovereign government without external influence

decolonization

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

genocide

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

Cold War

a period of diplomatic, political, and military rivalry between the United States and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR or Soviet Union), a confederation of 15 republics, including Russia. It started at the end World War II (1945), continued through the collapse of the Berlin Wall (1989), and ended with the breakup of the Soviet Union (1991).

satellite states

or state dominated by another politically and economically

devolution

the process in which one or more regions are given increased autonomy by the central political unit

geopolitics

the study of the effects of geography on politics and relations among states

territoriality

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

neocolonialism

economic, political, or even cultural control is indirectly exerted over developing countries

choke point

a place of physical congestion between wider regions of movement and interaction

physical geographic boundaries

natural barriers between areas such as the ocean, deserts, and mountains

cultural boundaries

divide people according to some cultural divisions, such as language, religion, or ethnicity

antecedent boundaries

a boundary that preceded the development of the cultural landscape

subsequent boundaries

a boundary that is typically created while the cultural landscape is evolving and is subject to change over time

ethnographic

usually related to cultural phenomena

superimposed boundary

boundary drawn by outside powers and may have ignored existing cultural patterns

landlocked states

states without territory connected to the ocean

relic boundary

boundary that has been abandoned for political purposes, but evidence of it still exists on the landscape

geometric boundary

a straight line or arc drawn by people that does not closely follow any physical feauture

consequent boundary

a type of subsequent border that takes into account already-existing cultural or physical landscapes

cultural consequent boundary

a border that is drawn taking into account language, ethnicity, religion, or ither cultural traits

physical consequent boundary

a division that uses already-existing natural features that divide a territory such as rivers, deserts, or mountains

open boundary

unguarded and people can cross it easily, with little or no political intervention

militarized boundary

a boundary that is heavily guarded and discourages crossing

defined boundary

is established by a legal document, such as a treaty, that divides on entity from another (invisible line)

delimited boundary

is drawn on a map by a cartographer to show the limits of a space

demarcated boundary

one identified by physical objects placed on the landscape

definitional boundary dispute

occurs when two or more parties disagree over how to interpret the legal documents or maps that identify the boundary

locational (territorial) boundary disputes

occurs when two or more parties disagree over where a boundary should be, how it is delimited or demarcated

irredentism

a type of expansionism when one country seeks to annex territory where it has cultural ties to part of the population, or historical claims to the land

operational (functional) boundary dispute

occurs when two or more parties disagree over how a boundary functions

allocational (resource) boundary dispute

when a boundary separates natural resources that may be used by both countries

administered boundary

how boundaries will be maintained, how it will function, and what goods and people will be allowed to cross

controlled borders

boundaries that have chokepoints where a passport or visa are required to enter the country

exclaves

territories that are a part of a state, yet geographically separated from the main state by one or more countries

political enclaves

states, territories, or parts of a state or territory that are completely surrounded by the territory of another state

shatterbelt

a place located between two very different and contentious regions

territorial sea

this area extends up to 12 nautical miles of sovereignty where commercial vessels may pass, but noncommercial vessels may be chaleneged

contiguous zone

coastal states have limited sovereignty for up to 24 nautical miles where they can enforce laws on customs, immigration, and sanitation

exclusive economic zone (EEZ)

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

high seas

water beyond a country’s EEZ that is open to all states

internal boundaries

used at the subnational scale to divide countries into smaller units

electoral geography

using spatial thinking techniques and tools to analyze elections and voting patterns

voting districts

internal boundaries that divide a country’s electorate into subnational regions

electorate

people of a country who are eligible to vote

census

a count of the population, required by the United States Constitution, every 10 years, to ensure the national congressional districts have approximately the same number of people

reappointment

changing the number of representatives granted to each state so it reflects the state’s population

redistricting

the process by which state legislatures or state committees redraw district boundaries so that each district contains roughly the same number of people

gerrymandering

the redrawing of boundaries for political districts by the party in power to protect to increase its power

cracking

dispersing a group into several districts to prevent a majority

packing

combining like-minded voters into one district to prevent them from affecting elections in other districts

stacking

diluting a minority-populated district with majority populations

hijacking

redrawing two districts in order to force two elected representations of the same party to run against each other

kidnapping

moving an area where an elected representative has support to an area where he or she does not have support

federal state

unites separate political entities into an overarching system that allows each entity to maintain some degree of sovereignty

unitary state

most or all of the governing power is held in the national governemnt

annexation

the process of legally adding territory to a city

ethnic separatism

the advocacy of full political separation (or secession) from the larger group along cultural, ethnic, tribal, or governmental line

ethnic cleansing

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

terrorism

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

subnationalism

describes people who have a primary allegiance to a traditional group or ethnicity

balkanization

the fragmentation of a state or region into smaller, often hostile, units along ethno-linguistic lines

supranationism

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

United Nations (UN)

183 countries- goal is to promote peace, security, and human rights

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)

30 members- goal is to provide mutual defense of member states

European Union (EU)

27 countries- goal is to integrate member states political and economically

United States-Mexico-Canda Agreement (USMCA)

3 countries- goal is to stimulate free trade among members

Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)

10 countries- goal is to advance economic, growth, peace, social progress, and cultural and economic development in the region

Arctic Council

8 countries- goal is to foster cooperation, coordination, and interaction among the Arctic states with participation of Arctic indigenous communities

African Union

55 counties- goal is to advocate peace, security, and stability on the continent through greater cooperation, economic development, and global integration

World Trade Organization (WTO)

one of the largest and most influential supranational organizations. Goal is to have countries agree to a set of fair and non-discriminatory guidelines for international trade. A secondary goal is to ensure that trade flows smoothly, freely, and predictably.

Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)

focuses on the production of oil, or petroleum. its mission is to coordinate and unify its members’ petroleum policies in order to stabilize oil markets.

transnational corporations

companies that conduct business on a global scale

democratization

the transition from autocratic to more representative forms of politics

time-space-compression

the social and psychological effects of faster movement of information over space in a shorter period of time

regionalism

when loyalty to a distinct portion of a country is more important than loyalty to the entire country

ethnonationalism

support for the political interests of a particular ethnic group within a state, especially national independence or self-determination

globalization

the integration of markers, states, communication, and trade on a worldwide scale

nationalism

the strong feelings of patriotism and loyalty one feels towards one’s country