Chapter 8 Flashcards
Balance of power
Condition of roughly equal strength between opposing countries or alliances of countries
Boundary
An invisible line that marks the extent of a state’s territory
City-state
A sovereign state comprising a city and its immediate hinterland
Colonialism
Attempt by a country to establish settlements and impose its political, economic, and cultural principles in another territory
Colony
a territory legally tied to a sovereign state
Compact state
A state in which the distance from the center to any boundary does not vary significantly
Elongated state
A state with a long and narrow shape.
Federal state
An internal organization of a state that allocates most powers to units of local government
Fragmented state
A state that includes several discontinuous pieces of territory
Frontier
A zone separating two states in which neither state exercises political control
Gerrymandering
Process of redrawing the legislative boundaries for the purpose of benefiting the party in power.
Imperialism
Control of a territory already occupied by an indigenous group
Landlocked state
A state that does not have a direct outlet to the sea
Microstate
A state that encompasses a very small land area
Perforated state
A state that completely surrounds another one.
Prorupted state
An otherwise compact state with a large projecting extension.
Sovereignty
Ability of a state to govern its territory free from control of its internal affairs by other states.
State
An area organized into a political unit and ruled by an established government with control over its internal and foreign affairs
Unitary state
An internal organization of a state that places most power in the hands of central government officials
