AP Human Geography Unit 4: Political Geography Vocabulary Definitions

1. Balkanization - The process by which a state breaks down through conflicts among ethnicities.

2. Balkanized - A geographic area that cannot be successfully organized into stable states due to ethnic conflicts.

3. Centrifugal Force - A force that divides people and countries (e.g., ethnic conflicts, political instability).

4. Centripetal Force - A force that unifies people and enhances support for a state (e.g., nationalism, shared culture).

5. Ethnic Cleansing - The forced removal or extermination of an ethnic group from a region.

6. Ethnicity - A group of people who share a common cultural tradition, ancestry, or homeland.

7. Genocide - The deliberate mass killing of a particular ethnic, religious, or national group.

8. Multi-Ethnic State - A state that contains multiple ethnic groups.

9. Multinational State - A state containing multiple ethnic groups with traditions of self-determination (e.g., Canada).

10. Nationalism - A strong feeling of pride and loyalty toward one's country or cultural group.

11. Nation-State - A state where the political boundaries match the distribution of a single ethnic group (e.g., Japan).

12. Race - A classification of people based on physical traits, often socially constructed.

13. Self-Determination - The right of ethnic groups to govern themselves.

14. Shatterbelt - A region caught between external political or cultural forces, often experiencing conflict.

15. Sovereignty - The authority of a state to govern itself without external control.

16. Annexation - The formal addition of territory into a state (e.g., Russia’s annexation of Crimea).

17. Antecedent Boundary - A boundary established before significant population settlement (e.g., U.S.-Canada border).

18. Autonomous - A region within a state that has a high degree of self-governance (e.g., Hong Kong).

19. Semi-Autonomous - A region that has some self-governing power but remains under the authority of a larger state.

20. DMZ (Demilitarized Zone) - A neutral area between conflicting states where military activity is forbidden (e.g., Korean DMZ).

21. Berlin Conference - A meeting (1884-85) where European powers divided Africa without considering ethnic groups.

22. UN Law of the Sea - International laws defining rights over ocean resources and territorial waters.

23. Boundary - A political or geographic line separating states or regions.

24. City-State - A sovereign state consisting of a city and its surrounding territory (e.g., Ancient Athens).

25. Colonialism - The control and exploitation of a foreign territory by a more powerful state.

26. Colony - A territory legally tied to a sovereign state rather than being independent.

27. Compact State - A state where the distance from the center to any boundary is roughly equal (e.g., Poland).

28. Democracy - A system of government in which power is vested in the people, often through elections.

29. Devolution - The transfer of power from a central government to regional governments (e.g., Scotland in the UK).

30. Elongated State - A state with a long and narrow shape (e.g., Chile).

31. Enclave - A territory completely surrounded by another state (e.g., Vatican City in Italy).

32. Exclave - A portion of a state that is geographically separated from the main part (e.g., Alaska).

33. Federal State - A state where power is shared between central and regional governments (e.g., U.S.).

34. Fragmented State - A state composed of several disconnected pieces of territory (e.g., Indonesia).

35. Frontier - A zone where no state exercises full political control.

36. Gerrymandering - The manipulation of voting district boundaries to favor a particular political party.

37. Imperialism - The domination of one country over another through political, economic, or military means.

38. Landlocked State - A state with no direct access to the ocean (e.g., Bolivia).

39. Microstate - A very small state in both population and land area (e.g., Monaco).

40. Perforated State - A state that completely surrounds another (e.g., South Africa surrounding Lesotho).

41. Prorupted State - A compact state with an extended arm of territory (e.g., Thailand).

42. Relic Boundary - A boundary that no longer functions but still influences the cultural landscape (e.g., Berlin Wall).

43. Subsequent Boundary - A boundary drawn after cultural landscape changes have occurred (e.g., India-Pakistan).

44. Superimposed Boundary - A boundary drawn by outside powers, ignoring cultural divisions (e.g., Africa’s borders after colonialism).

45. State - A political entity with a defined territory, government, and sovereignty.

46. Terrorism - The use of violence and intimidation for political purposes.

47. Unitary State - A state with a strong central government and little regional autonomy (e.g., France).

48. Supranational Organization - An organization of multiple states for collective benefit (e.g., UN, EU).

49. Territoriality - The control over a geographic area and its resources.

50. Stateless Nation - An ethnic group that does not have a sovereign state (e.g., Kurds, Palestinians).

51. Redistricting - The redrawing of political districts to reflect population changes.

52. Reapportionment - The process of reallocating seats in a legislature based on population shifts.

53. Neocolonialism - The use of economic or political pressure by developed countries to control former colonies.

54. Irredentism - A movement to reclaim and reoccupy a "lost" homeland (e.g., Russia and Crimea).

55. Geometric Boundary - A boundary drawn as a straight line, often following latitude/longitude (e.g., U.S.-Canada border).

56. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) - A maritime zone extending 200 nautical miles from a state's coast, giving it control over resources.

57. Consequent Boundary - A boundary drawn to accommodate existing cultural or ethnic differences (e.g., the border between Ireland and Northern Ireland).

58. Chokepoint - A narrow strategic passageway crucial for trade or military control (e.g., Strait of Hormuz).

59. Electoral College - A body of representatives from U.S. states that formally elects the president.

60. Economies of Scale - The cost advantages that businesses gain due to increased production size.

61. Multi-State Nation - A nation that spans multiple states (e.g., Koreans in North and South Korea).

62. Democratization - The process of transitioning to a more democratic system of government.

Here are 62 flashcards covering key concepts in political geography:

1. Balkanization: The process by which a state breaks down through conflicts among ethnicities.

2. Balkanized: An area that cannot be organized into stable states due to ethnic conflicts.

3. Centrifugal Force: A force that divides people and countries.

4. Centripetal Force: A force that unifies people and supports a state.

5. Ethnic Cleansing: The forced removal or extermination of an ethnic group.

6. Ethnicity: A group sharing common cultural traditions, ancestry, or homeland.

7. Genocide: The deliberate mass killing of a specific group.

8. Multi-Ethnic State: A state containing multiple ethnic groups.

9. Multinational State: A state with multiple ethnic groups seeking self-determination.

10. Nationalism: Loyalty and pride in one's nation or cultural group.

11. Nation-State: A state where political boundaries align with an ethnic group's distribution.

12. Race: A classification based on physical traits.

13. Self-Determination: The right of ethnic groups to govern themselves.

14. Shatterbelt: A region caught between conflicting external forces.

15. Sovereignty: The authority of a state to govern itself.

16. Annexation: The formal addition of territory into a state.

17. Antecedent Boundary: A boundary established before significant settlement.

18. Autonomous: A region with a high degree of self-governance.

19. Semi-Autonomous: A region with some self-governing power.

20. DMZ: A zone where military activity is forbidden.

21. Berlin Conference: A meeting where European powers divided Africa without considering ethnic groups.

22. UN Law of the Sea: Defines rights over ocean resources and waters.

23. Boundary: A line separating states or regions.

24. City-State: A sovereign state consisting of a city and surrounding territory.

25. Colonialism: Control and exploitation of a foreign territory.

26. Colony: A territory tied to a sovereign state.

27. Compact State: A state with roughly equal distances from the center to any boundary.

28. Democracy: A government system vested in the people.

29. Devolution: The transfer of power to regional governments.

30. Elongated State: A state with a long and narrow shape.

31. Enclave: A territory surrounded by another state.

32. Exclave: A portion of a state separated from its main part.

33. Federal State: A state dividing power between central and regional governments.

34. Fragmented State: A state composed of disconnected pieces of territory.

35. Frontier: A zone of no full political control.

36. Gerrymandering: Manipulation of voting district boundaries.

37. Imperialism: Domination of one country over another.

38. Landlocked State: A state without access to the ocean.

39. Microstate: A very small state in population and land area.

40. Perforated State: A state that surrounds another state.

41. Prorupted State: A compact state with an extended arm of territory.

42. Relic Boundary: A boundary that no longer functions yet influences the cultural landscape.

43. Subsequent Boundary: A boundary drawn after cultural changes.

44. Superimposed Boundary: A boundary drawn by outsiders ignoring cultural divisions.

45. State: A political entity with territory, government, and sovereignty.

46. Terrorism: Use of violence for political purposes.

47. Unitary State: A state with a dominant central government.

48. Supranational Organization: An organization for collective benefit of multiple states.

49. Territoriality: Control over a geographic area and its resources.

50. Stateless Nation: An ethnic group without a sovereign state.

51. Redistricting: Redrawing political districts reflective of population changes.

52. Reapportionment: Reallocating legislative seats based on population shifts.

53. Neocolonialism: Economic or political control by developed countries.

54. Irredentism: Movement to reclaim a