Political Geography A branch of human geography concerned with the spatial analysis of political systems. p. 309

Explain the Peace of Westphalia. 

Political Map A map that shows the spatial organization of the countries and territories on the entire globe at a given point in time. p. 309

Figure 25.1 Which two continents shown on this world political map are home to the fewest modern states?

State or Country An independent political unit with a centralized authority that makes claim to sole legal, political, and economic jurisdiction over a region with defined boundaries. p. 309

Figure 25.1 What two global events led to the dramatic increase in the number of independent states in the twentieth century?

Independent State A state that rules itself and is not subject to the authority of another state. p. 312

List three Independent States. List any country.  

Sovereign State A state that possesses the sole authority over the land and people within its boundaries. p. 312

Use the term “Sovereignty”  in a sentence correctly. 

Nation A community of people bound to a homeland and possessing a common identity based on shared cultural traits such as language, ethnicity, and religion. p. 312

Give specific examples of Nations

Nation-State The ideal political geographical unit; one in which the nation’s geographic boundaries (a people and its culture) exactly match the state’s territorial boundaries (governance and authority) p. 312

Japan 

Table 25.1 Name five Nation States.

Nation-State Ideal The idea that political authorities govern in the name of all a country’s citizens, modern mass communications link all residents, and state based citizenship rights reinforce the idea of a national identity. p. 313

What country do you think comes closest to this idea? Why?

Nationalism: Sense of belonging to and self identifying with a national culture; people with a strong sense of nationalism derive a significant part of their social identity from a sense of belonging to a nation. p. 313

What is the difference between Nationalism and Patriotism? 

Stateless Nation An ethnic group or nation that does not possess its own state and is not the majority population in any nation-state. p. 314

Hmong 

Figure 25.4 Why do you think it is so difficult for the Kurdish people to win independence?  Of the countries shown here with a Kurdish population, which one has the smallest amount of landmass with a Kurdish population? 

Multinational State A country containing multiple national, ethnic, and religious groups within its boundaries. p. 314

United States 

Figure 25.5 Which language is dominant over the largest landmass in South Africa? Afrikaans Do you think the multitude of languages makes it difficult to rule South Africa as one country? Explain. 

Multistate Nations Ethnic groups territorially divided by one or more international boundaries. p. 314

Kurds

Name two groups that fit this example.

Autonomous Region A subdivision or dependent territory of a country that has a degree of self-government, or autonomy, in its decision making. p. 315

Name four Autonomous Regions in the U.S. 

Semiautonomous Region A subdivision or dependent territory of a country that has come degree of, but not complete, self-government. p. 315

List four Semiautonomous Regions. 

Political Processes

Self-Determination A nation’s ability to determine its own statehood and form its own allegiances and government; the freedom of culturally distinct groups to govern themselves in their own territories and from their own states. p. 319

Where does the term Self-Determination originate? 

Core Area A small territorial nucleus from which a country grows in area and over time. p. 319

Figure 26.1 Why do you think the expansion of Russian territory continued for 600 years? Point to Russia’s core area on the map. Was the expansion predominantly eastward or predominantly westward? What factors may have limited westward expansion?

Escarpments Abrupt slopes that break up the general continuity of the terrain. p. 321

Figure 26.2 Why would outward-facing escarpments protect the Paris Basin? They prevent opposing armies from easy attacks on the French capital region. The idea of escarpments is a case of physical geography affecting human geography. Physical geography and the impact of climates, terrain, and so on have profound impacts on human activities and even on the political landscape.

Effective Sovereignty The idea that a state’s power to enforce its sovereignty may extend beyond its territory and varies over time and from country to country. p. 322

How is Guantanamo Bay, Cuba an example of Effective Sovereignty? 

Devolution The movement of power from the central government to regional governments within the state p. 327

What three internal divisions can cause Devolution? 

Ethnonationalism A form of nationalism in which the nation is defined in terms of ethnic identity. p. 327

List two examples of former countries that broke apart due to Ethnonationalism? 

Political Power and Territoriality

Neocolonialism The set of economic and political strategies by which wealthy and powerful countries indirectly maintain or extend their influences over less wealthy areas. p. 333

What continent is Neocolonialism practiced the most? 

Peripheral States  States that have relatively little industrial development, simple production systems focused mostly on agriculture and raw materials, and low levels of consumption of manufactured goods. p. 333

Figure 27.1 List 5 Peripheral States. What continent are most in? 

Core State States that have the most advanced industrial and military technologies, complex manufacturing systems, external political power, and the highest levels of wealth and mass consumption. p. 333

List five Core States. 

Shatterbelt Region of continuing and persistent fragmentation due to devolution and centrifugal forces. p. 336

Figure 27.5 What is the importance of shatterbelt regions? 

Choke Point A narrow passage that restricts traffic to another region. p. 338

Figure 27.6 Which Choke Points do you think are the safest for maritime transit today? 

Strait A narrow body of water connecting two larger bodies of water. p. 338

Figure 27.7 How would blocking access to the Strait of Hormuz impact Persian Gulf countries? 

Boundary A clearly demarcated line that marks both the limits of a territory and divisions between territories; often called a border at the global scale. p. 341

Name the ways Boundaries can be marked visibly. Demarcated-They can be lined with cleared strips of land, barriers, forts, anti-tank obstacles, and other obvious military installations. Boundary pillars, cairns, custom houses, and guardhouses at crossing points.

Median Line Principle An approach to dividing and creating boundaries at the midpoint between two places. p. 342

What physical feature is often divided in half using the Median Line Principle? 

Borderland A region straddling both sides of an international boundary where national cultures overlap and blend to varying degrees. p. 342

What does “Tex-Mex” mean? 

Frontier A region at the margins of state control and settlement. p. 342

Name two nations that have a Frontier. 

Enclave A territory surrounded by a country but not ruled by it. p. 343

en- in

Name three Enclaves. 

Exclave Part of a national territory separated from the main body of the country to which it belongs. p. 343

ex-out

What U.S. state is considered an Exclave? 

Types and Functions of Political Boundaries

Delimited Describing how boundaries are fixed or defined to identify their limits. p. 347

What state's western boundary was Delimited by a survey in 1789?

Demarcated Describing how boundaries are set apart to distinguish their limits. p. 347

Name the river that Demarcated the boundary between New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

Relic Boundary A boundary that no longer functions as an international border. p. 348

Hadrian's Wall and Great Wall of China, Berlin Wall are examples

Figure 28.1 Why did the Romans build the wall a few miles south of the international border between Scotland and England? 

Superimposed Boundary A boundary that is placed on an area without regard to existing boundaries. p. 349

Boundary between Rwanda and Burundi. The DMZ

Figure 28.3 Why is the alignment of this superimposed boundary uneven between the two countries? 

Subsequent Boundary A political boundary that developed with the cultural landscape. p. 349

Border between China and Vietnam. Boundary between the U.S. and Canada

Figure 28.4 Why would China be interested in the territory of Vietnam? 

Antecedent Boundary A boundary that was identified before an area was settled. p. 351

Land between Malaysia and Indonesia. Again, the border between the U.S. and Canada. 49th parallel

Figure 28.6 What is the importance of the boundary between the two countries? 

Geometric Boundary A boundary that has regular, often perfectly straight, lines drawn without regard for an area’s physical or cultural features. p. 351

What continent has the most Geometric Boundaries? 

Consequent Boundary A boundary that is drawn to accommodate existing cultural differences. p. 352

Ireland (Catholic) and Northern Ireland (Protestant)

Figure 28.7 What country imposed the boundary between Irlenad and Northern Ireland? What does the delimiting of the boundary signify? 

Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) An area in which treaties or agreements between nations, military powers, or contending groups forbid military installations, activities, or personnel; usually lies along an established frontier or boundary between two or more military powers or alliances. p. 358

Figure 28.9 Why does the demarcation on the map show the DMZ extending up the coast of North Korea? 

Buffer State A politically and economically weak independent country that lies between the borders of two powers. p. 355

Figure 28.11 In what part of Southeast Asia was the possibility of conflict between the French and British Empires likely the greatest? 

Satellite State A nominally independent country that is politically, militarily, and economically controlled by a more powerful state. p. 356

Figure 28.12 What is the strategic importance of the location of the Eastern Bloc countries to the Soviet Union? 

United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) Conference organized to define territorial boundaries and rights to the sea. p. 357

List the four zones. 

Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) Zone that extends 200 nautical miles from shoreline in which coastal states have the sole right to exploit, develop, manage, and conserve all water resources lying beyond the land. p. 357

Figure 28.13 Why does the United States have rights to waters in the Pacific Ocean? 

Arctic Circle Area defined by the 66 degrees, 34 minutes north latitude line. p. 359

Figure 28.14 Can you identify the choke points on this map? What is the importance of the Arctic region to the United States? 

Internal Political Boundaries

Electoral Geography  A subfield of political geography that analyzes the geography of political preferences and how geography can shape voting outcomes. p. 364

A free vote of all adults and citizens can provide a clear expression of regional differences in what three norms? 

Voting District A territorial division for casting votes in public elections; generally, only those who live in the voting district are permitted to cast their votes there. 

p. 364

Voting Districts can also be called what? 

Electoral College A body of 538 electors in the United States; a majority of 270 electoral votes is required to elect the president; a state’s number of electors equals the number of members in its congressional delegation (one for each member in the House of Representatives plus two for its senators) p. 365

Figure 29.1 Why does New Jersey currently have 14 delegates while Wisconsin, a much larger state, has only 10 delegates? 

Reapportionment The process by which the 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives are divided proportionally by population among the 50 states following every U.S. census. p. 366

Figure 29.2 Which two states gained the most seats in the House as a result of the 2010 census? How do the results of the 2010 census point to the growing political clout of the Sunbelt states? 

Redistricting The process of drawing new boundaries for U.S. congressional districts to reflect the population changes since the previous U.S. census. p. 366

What technology is used to assist geographers and representatives in Redistricting? 

Gerrymandering The manipulation of voting district boundaries to favor a particular political party, group, or election outcome. p. 367

Figure 29.3 Why would either political party defend the shape of Marylands’ third district? 

Packing Gerrymandering a voting district by concentrating all of the opposition party into one district, thereby creating a large majority of the party in the district while ensuring that it cannot win any election. p. 367

Figure 29.5 What accounts for the difference in the district plans of 2008 and 2010?

Figure 29.6 Does this map show the true political affiliations of the U.S. population?

Figure 29.7 How does this map differ from the map in Figure 29.6? 

Cracking Gerrymandering a voting district by dividing opposition votes into many districts, thus diluting the opposition’s vote to ensure it does not form a majority in any district. p. 367

Figure 29.8 What differences do you see in the state of California between this map and the map in Figure 29.6?

Figure 29.9 Which part of the country still appears to lean toward Republican candidates? 

Forms of Governance

Subnational Units The smaller areas into which a larger state is divided (for example, states in the United States, provinces in Canada)p. 375

Figure 30.1 What form of government is found in most states in South America? 

Unitary State An independent state that concentrates power in the central government and grants little or no authority to its subnational units. p. 375

What kind of country works best for the Unitary System? Why? 

Federal State An independent country that disperses significant authority among subnational units. p. 375

Figure 30.5 Why would it be difficult to rule Belgium as a unitary state? 

Challenges to State Sovereignty: Devolution and Supranationalism

Irredentism The political claim to territory in another country based on ethnic affiliations and historic borders. p. 385

What peninsula did the Russians take over in 2014? What country did it belong to? 

Terrorism The calculated use of violent acts against civilians and symbolic targets to publicize a cause, intimidate or coerce a civilian population, or affect the conduct of the government. p. 386

List the four scales Terrorism can occur in.

 1-International-

2-Domestic-

3-State-

4-Subnational- 

International Terrorism Terrorism that transcends national boundaries and is intended to intimidate people in other countries. p. 386

Give one example of International Terrorism. 

Domestic Terrorism Acts by individuals or groups against the citizens or government of their own country. p. 386

Give one example of Domestic Terrorism. 

State Terrorism Terroirsm committed by government agents whose leaders have ordered them to murder, imprison, or force into exile perceived enemies of the state. p. 386

IRAN

Give one example of State Terrorism. 

Subnational Terrorism Terrorism committed by non government groups that feel wronged by their government. p. 386

Give one example of Subnational Terrorism. 

ETA Basqu separatist organization in Spain that used terrorism in its campaign for an independent Basque state. p. 386

Did the Basque separatist movement achieve their goals? 

Democratization Occurs when a sovereign state moves from a non-democracy to a democracy. p. 390

What forms of technology have helped accelerate Democratization efforts? 

Supranationalism Occurs when a collection of nation states and their citizens relinquish some sovereign rights to a larger-scale body that exercises authority over its member states. p. 392

What has led independent countries to voluntarily relinquish territorial sovereignty? 

Supranational Organization International political body that nation-states establish in cooperation with their neighbors for mutual political, military, economic, or cultural gain. p. 392

List three Supranational Organizations. 

United Nations (UN) International organization that is responsible for maintaining international peace and security, developing friendly relations among nations, achieving international cooperation, and harmonizing the action of nations. p. 392

193 Members

How many members (Countries) make up the UN Security Council and what is its function? 

European Union (EU) A political, economic, and social union of 28 independent European countries that promotes the free movement of people, goods, services, and capital among its members. p. 393

27 Independent European Countries. Book says 28 because the United Kingdom belonged up to January 31, 2020.   

BREXIT

What are the two stated goals of the EU? 

African Union (AU) A continental organization of African states that seeks to drive Africa’s growth and economic development through cooperation and integration of member states. p. 394

How many members make up the AU? 

Arctic Council An international governmental forum that promotes interaction among the Arctic states and indigenous communities on common Arctic issues, particularly sustainable development and environmental projection. p. 395

Figure 31.12 Why is the United States a member of this supranational organization? 

Regional Trading Bloc A multi-country agreement that reduces or eliminates taxes to promote the free flow of goods and services across international borders. p. 396

What is thought to promote peaceful relations among nations? 

Economies of Scale Cost advantages that can come with a larger scale of operations. p. 396

What happens to cost per unit as more output is produced? 

North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA-USMCA) A 1994 trade agreement between Canada, the United States, and MExico; revised as the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) in 2020. p. 396

What upgrades does the new USMCA include? 

Association of Southeast Asian nations (ASEAN) A regional intergovernmental organization comprising 10 countries in Southeast Asia to promote intergovernmental cooperation and facilitate economic growth, social progress, and cultural development in the region. p. 396

10 countries in Southeast Asia

Figure 31.13 What is the prime importance of location for the members of ASEAN? 

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) An intergovernmental military alliance among 29 North American and European countries with the purpose of guaranteeing the freedom and security of its members. p. 397

Figure 31.14 Why are the member countries located only in North America and Europe? 

Consequences of Centrifugal and Centripetal Forces

Failed State A state whose political or economic system has become so weak that the government is no longer in control. p. 401

Table 32.1 List the reasons for fragility. 

Uneven Development Occurs when core states have advanced economies and a high standard of living while peripheral states have relatively little industrial development, simple production systems based mostly on raw materials, and low levels of consumption of manufactured goods. p. 402

Uneven Development is the result of what? 

Allegiance  Loyalty or commitment to a country. p. 405

What do you pledge Allegiance to every morning at school? 

Equitable Infrastructure The construction and improvement of foundational services such as access to energy resources throughout the country. p. 405

Figure 32.6 What was the primary purpose of the road network built by the Romans? 

Cultural Cohesion Cultural unity; occurs when the members of a society are culturally united. p. 406

What kind of force is Cultural Cohesion? 

Iconography A set of traditional symbols or symbolic forms associated with the country and its citizens. p. 406

Give two examples of Iconography.