9.1: The Complex World Political Map

Stateless Nation

a people united by culture, language, history, and tradition but not possessing a state.

Irredentism

Attempting to acquire territories in neighboring states inhabited by people of the same nation.

Autonomous/semiautonomous

When a region within a country is given some authority to govern their own territories independent from the national government.

Multinational State

A country with various ethnicities and cultures living inside its borders.

Political Geography

the study of the ways that the world is organized as a reflection of the power that different groups hold over territory.

independent territory

State: a politically organized, ________ with a government, defined borders, an a permanent population.

Political Geography

the study of the ways that the world is organised as a reflection of the power that different groups hold over territory

State

a politically organized, independent territory with a government, defined borders, an a permanent population

Sovereignty

The right of a government to control and defend its territory and determine what occurs within its borders without interference from other countries.

Nations

a cultural entity of individuals with a shared language religion, ethnicity, or heritage (often all of these traits are shared) who share a vision of the future

Nation-State

when the territory covered by a state is the same as the territory occupied by a group of people who view themselves as a nation

Multistate Nation

a nation that consists of people who share a a cultural or ethnic background but live in sizable amounts in more than one country

Irredentism

Attempting to acquire territories in neighboring states inhabited by people of the same nation

Multinational State

A country with various ethnicities and cultures living inside its borders

Autonomous/ semiautonomous

When a region within a country is given some authority to govern their own territories independent from the national government

Stateless Nation

a people united by culture, language, history, and tradition but not possessing a state

Defining Boundaries

to explicitly state in a legally binding document where boundaries are located, referencing things such as natural features or lines of latitude and longitude

Delimiting Boundaries

to draw boundaries on a map, in accordance with a legal agreement

Demarcated Boundaries

to place physical objects such as stones, pillars, walls, or fences to indicate where a boundary exists

Administering Boundaries

to manage the way borders are maintained and how goods and people cross them

Antecedent Boundary

a border established before an area becomes heavily settled

Subsequent Boundary

a border drawn in an area that has been settled and where cultural landscapes exist or are in the process of being established

Consequent Boundary

a type of subsequent boundary that takes into account the differences that exist within a cultural landscape, separating groups that have distinct languages, religions, ethnicities, or other traits

Superimposed Boundary

A border drawn over existing accepted borders by an outside or conquering force

Geometric Boundary

a mathematically drawn boundary that typically follows lines of latitude and longitude or is a straight-line arc between two points

Relic Boundary

a former boundary that no longer has an official function

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

the international agreement that established the structure of maritime boundaries

**exclusive economic zone (EEZ)**

an area that extends 200 nautical miles from a state's coast; a state has sole access to resources found within the waters or beneath the sea floor of its EEZ

Internal Waters

Bodies of water within the baseline of a country

Territorial waters

First 12 nautical miles from shore

Contiguous zone

next 12 nautical miles after territorial waters

Centripetal Force

A force that brings people together, often when education and mass media promote a shared culture and language within a state

Federation

a group of states with a central government but some independence in internal affairs

Confederation

A group of sovereign states that have banded together in which the autonomy of each member state takes precedence over the common government

Centrifugal force

A force that divides groups of people

Separatists

People who want complete succession or greater autonomy or recognition as a national minority

Failed State

When centrifugal forces are strong enough to threaten a state’s sovereignty and the government can no longer provide the services essential to governing

Ethnonationalism/ethnic nationalism

the process by which the people of a country identify as having one common ethnicity, religious belief, and language, creating a sense of pride and identity that is tied to the territory; also called ethnic nationalism

Centripetal forces examples

Fair and just legal system, strong infastructure, economic equity, religious acceptance

Examples of centrifugal forces

Dictatorial leadership, rampant economic inequality, ethnic conflict, weak infrastructure

Impacts of centripetal forces

Cultural cohesion, unity, federations

Impacts of centrifugal forces

Uneven development and separatist movements

Territoriality

the attempt to influence or control people and events by delimiting and asserting control over a geographic area

Choke Point

A narrow, strategic passageway to another place through which it is difficult to pass

Shatterbelt

a region where states form, join, and break up because of ongoing, sometimes violent, conflicts among parties and because they are caught between the interests of more powerful outside states

Colonialism

A type of imperialism consisting of the practice of claiming and dominating overseas territories and putting settlements there

Colonialism Impacts

Diffusion of European Culture;

Contemporary political boundaries are in many cases the result of colonial boundaries;

Divided the world into LDC’s and MDC’s

Neocolonialism

A type of imperialism consisting of the use of economic, political, cultural, or other pressures to control or influence other countries, especially former dependencies

Neocolonialism Impacts

Continued dependence of LDC’s on MDC’s;

Diffusion of popular/global culture

Decolonization

The process by which a colony gains independence

Decolonization Impacts

Independence and Self-Determination of formerly colonized people - many state boundaries were the same as or similar to colonial borders;

Conflicts within countries due to political boundaries not aligning with cultural/ethnic ones.

Devolution

The process that occurs when the central power in a state which is divided up among regional authorities within its borders.

Unitary Government

An organization of a state in which power is concentrated in a central government

Advantages of a Unitary Government

Fewer government agencies; Efficient

Disadvantages of a unitary government

Can be disconnected from local areas

Tend to favor the political and culturally dominant

• one sided policies

• Ignore minority groups and local cultures

Federal Government

A form of government where the country’s power is more broadly shared between federal and regional units

Federal Government Advantages

Reduction of conflict between regions that differ on issues;

Allows room for diversity;

Boosts political participation

Federal Government Disadvantages

Many disadvantages are the downsides of the advantages

• regional/local governments can prevent progress of issues

• Can give undue power to localized special interests

Costs and benefits of federal policy and aid are often unevenly distributed

Ethnic Separatism

When people of an ethnic group identify more strongly as that group instead of as citizens of the state

ethnic cleansing

the process by which a state attacks an ethnic group and tries to eliminate it through expulsion, imprisonment, or killing

supranationalism

When three or more countries join together to collectively achieve greater benefits for all members.

Supranationalism causes

A desire to promote free trade, ensure security/peace, and/or address a global challenge

Supranationaism Impacts

Member states have to give up a degree of sovereignty and have to go along with decisions of other countries; Can enable a cooperative effort to solve global problems.

Economies of Scale

cost reductions that occur when production rises

United Nations (UN)

An international orginization with member states across the world, that’s goal is to promote peace and security, along with economic and social development.

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)

A military alliance with member states in Europe and North America, and partners across the globe. Its goal is to safeguard the freedom and security of member states by political and military means.

European Union (EU)

A European orginization with 27 member states governing common economic, social, and security issues

Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)

An international orginization with 10 member states whose goal is to accelerate economic growth and maintain peace and security in SE Asia

Arab League

An orginization with member states in the middle east and Africa. Its goal is to strengthen and coordinate the political, cultural, economic, and social programs of its members and to mediate disputes among them or between them and third parties

Arctic Council

High-level Intergovernmental orginization with 8 member states. Its goal is to address issues related to the Arctic, such as sustainable development

African Union (AU)

Intergovernmental organization with 55 African member states to promote unity and solidarity in Africa and spur economic development

Census

An official count and survey of a population

Reapportionment

The redistribution of representative seats among states based on shifts in population

Redistricting

The redrawing of internal territorial and political boundaries

Gerrymandering

The dividing of legislative boundaries to give a political party an advantage in elections