Chapter 8: political geography Flashcards
what is a state
an area organized into a political unit and ruled by an established government that has control over affairs
what does sovereignty mean
ability of a state to govern its territory free from control of its international affairs by other states
what is a micro state
state that is on a very small land area
what is the law of the sea
countries have rights to water 12 nautical miles (22km) away from shore
the idea of splitting into states is ______
relatively new
what is a city-state
sovereign state comprising of a city and its immediate surrounding countryside
what is a nation
large group who are united by common cultural characteristics such as language, ethnicity, or shared history
what is a nation-state
state whose territory corresponds to that occupied by a nation
what is self-determination
concept that ethnicities have the right to govern themselves
what is a multinational state
state that contains two or more cultural groups with traditions of self-determination that agree to coexist peacefully by recognizing each other as distinct nationalities
what is a colony
territory legally tied to a sovereign state rather than completely independent
what is colonialism
attempt by one country to establish settlements and to impose its political, economic, and cultural principles in another territory
why did europeans colonize
- promote Christianity
- extract resources
- gain numbers
what is a boundary
invisible line that marks the extent of a state’s territory.
can be physical, cultural, of geometric
what is a frontier
zone separating 2 states where neither exercises political power
what are the 5 different shapes of states
- compact states: distance from centre to any boundary does not vary significantly. good communication
- perforated state: completely surrounds another state
- prorputed state: otherwise compact state with a large projecting extension.
- elongated state: long, narrow shape
- fragmented state: includes severed discontinuous pieces of territory
what is a landlocked state
no direct outlet to sea
what are the 2 levels of government
national and local
what are the two types of local government? describe them
- unitary: internal organization of a state that places most power in the hands of central government officials
- federal: internal organization of a state that allocates most powers to units of local government
what are the 3 types of a national state
- democracy: citizens elect leaders and can run for office
- autocracy: ten according to the interests of the ruler rather than the people
- anocracy: not fully democracy or autocracy
what is the balance of power
condition of roughly equal strength between opposing countries of alliances of countries
what is terrorism
systemic use of violence by a group to create an atmosphere of fear and alarm to coerce government into actions it would not otherwise make
