Unit 4
Independent states are theprimary building blocks of the world political map.
State~ A geographic area with a permanent population defined borders, sovereign government and is recognized by other states 
Defined territory with borders 
Permanent population 
Government
Sovereignty~The Authority of a state to govern itself including domestic and international affairs
Recognition from other states
Nation~ a group of people with a shared culture, language,history,homeland and self-determination
Nation-state~ is when the borders of the nation match the borders of the state- a state with (ideally) only one nation within it.
Stateless nations~are nations of people without a state to occupy.
 multi state nation~ consists of a nation of people that live in more than one state.
 Multinational state~is a country with various ethnicities and cultures within its borders.
Autonomous or semi autonomous~region is a location within a state that is given authority to given authority to govern independently from the national government.
Nation-State~ A sovereign state with a relatively homogeneous population that has a shared language, culture and history.
Multinational state~ A state that has more than one nation within it borders
Multi State Nation~ A nation that spreads across multiple sovereign states
Stateless nation~A nation that has history of self-determination but does not have a recognized state
Autonomous regions~  A geographic area that is located within a state and has a high degree of autonomy from the state
Semi-autonomous regions~ A geographic area that is controlled by another state but only has a moderate degree of self governance
Stateless Nation Lack
Control over their political boundaries 
A government with sovereign authority
Control over internal and external affairs
Recognition from other states 
Colonialism~ The practice of acquiring territories and settling there to exert political, economic and social control over the area
Imperialism~ The idea of growing a state or empire by exerting force over other nations to gain economic and political power without establishing settlements 
Decolonization~ The process by which a colony becomes independent of the colonizing country
Devolution ~ The transfer of power from a national government to regional governments
Territoriality~How people use space to communicate ownership territory that connects to their culture,economic system or political interests 
Political Power~ defined as control over people, land and resources.
Neocolonialism~The use of political, cultural or economic power to influence or control other countries  
Shatterbelts~ Areas where countries or people are subjected to political,cultural and economic pressure from, external power that are in conflict with each other
Demilitarized Zone~ An area between two states which cannot be occupied or used for military purposes
Choke points ~A strategic narrow route providing passage through or to another region
Defining Boundaries 
Defined~ A boundary is agreed upon fixed and set
Demarcated~ The process of marking a boundary 
Antecedent~ Borders that are established before there has been major settlement by people in a territory.
Subsequent boundary- Borders that develop along with the development of the cultural landscape
Consequent: Type of subsequent boundary- A boundary that was established to settle conflict between opposing cultural ethnic or political groups 
Geometric Boundary- Borders that follows lines of latitude and longitude 
Superimposed Boundary~ a boundary that was created by a foreign state or group
Relic- Border that no longer exists, but has left some imprint on the local cultural or environmental geography.
Frontier ~ A geographic area where no state has direct power or control over
____________________________________________________________________________
Boundaries~are defined, delimited, demarcated and administered. On land and in the water. An expression of political power and territoriality. Used to establish sovereignty. Subject to change and conflict. Sometimes correspond with cultural or economic divisions.
International Boundaries~ Boundaries that separate one sovereign state from another and are established through treaties and agreements between neighboring states
Definitional Boundary Dispute ~ A boundary dispute that takes place over the interpretations of the original documents that defined the boundary 
Locational Boundary Dispute~ A boundary dispute over the location of the boundary and the ownership of the land
Operational boundary Dispute~ A boundary dispute on how to manage the boundary and handle Diferent issues/ situations that occur on the boundary
Voting Districts ~ A geographical area organized together for the purpose of administering elections 
Redistricting~ The process for redrawing districts after the census has occurred
Gerrymandering~ The process of redistricting a voting district to favor one political party over another 
(IMPACTS OF GERRYMANDERING)
Representatives do not reflect the beliefs of the people 
Decreasing the competition in political races 
Weakens the democratic process 
Creates safe districts 
Cracking~The process of spreading like minded voters out across multiple districts
packing ~ The process of stacking like minded voters into just a few districts to reduce the impact of their vote in other districts
Unitary State~ Power is located in the central or national government 
Federal State~ power is shared between the central/National government and regional governments 
Devolution ~ The transfer of power from a national government to regional governments 
Devolutionary Factors
Physical geography of a state
Divisions between different cultural groups 
Political instability 
Economic and social divisions 
Governments abusing their power 
Irredentism
Self-determination~ The right or desire for a nation or group of people to govern themselves 
 Ethnic Separatism~ when a person or group starts to identify more as their own ethnic group than as a citizen of the state 
Ethnic cleansing~ When a government organization or group of people attack an ethnic group in a state with the goal of pushing the group of people out of the state
Irredentism~ A movement by a nation to unite other parts of its nation that are located in another state
Disintegrate~ When a state breaks up into smaller parts
Democratization~ A process through which a political regime becomes more democratic 
Supranational Organization~ An alliance which consists of multiple countries traditionally three or more that work together to achieve a common goal or address specific issues/ challenges that impact the states.
Supranational Organization
Member countries agree to abide by the rules and regulation set by the organization 
Member countries surrendered some of their autonomy and sovereignty 
____________________________________________________________________________
Centripetal forces~ Aspects of a society that unite people and bring them together
Centrifugal Forces~Aspects of a society that divide a group of people and push them apart 
Failed State~ A state that no longer has a functioning government 
Ethnic Nationalist Movement~ When a cultural group wants to separate or wants to control themselves based on a specific ethnicity or nationality 
Maritime Boundaries
Why do they matter? 
Trade & shipping routes
Fishing rights
Oil reserves
Defense 
Landlocked countries are at significant disadvantage!
Highly disputed, just like land boundaries
Updated 178d ago