Chapter 8 Vocab Flashcards
Boundary
An invisible line that marks the extent of a state’s territory
City-state
A sovereign state compromising a city and its immediately surrounding countryside
Colonialism
An attempt by one country to establish settlements and to impose its political, economic, and cultural principles in another territory
Colony
A territory that is legally tied to a sovereign state rather than completely independant
Compact state
A state in which the distance from the center to any boundary doesn’t vary significantly
Democracy
A country in which citizens elect leaders that run for office
Devolution
The transfer or delegation of power to a lower level
Elongated State
A state with a long, narrow shape
Fragmented State
A state that includes several discontinuous pieces of territory
Federal state
An internal organization of a state that allocates most powers to units of local government
Frontier
A zone separating 2 states in which neither state exercises political control
Gerrymandering
The process of redrawing legislative boundaries for the purpose of benefiting the party in power
Irredentism
The nationalist belief that a territory belonging to another country should be annexed for ethnic or historical reasons
Landlocked State
A state that does not have a direct outlet to the sea
Nation-State
A state whose territory corresponds to that occupied by a particular culture or ethnicity that has been transformed into a nationality
Microstate
A state that encompasses a very small land area
Multiethnic State
A state that is comprised of more than one ethinicty
Multinational State
A state that contains two or more ethnic groups with traditions of self-determination that agree to coexist peacefully by recognizing each other as distinct nationalities
Autocracy
A country that is run according to the interests of the ruler rather than the people
Prorupted State
An otherwise compact state with a large projecting extension
Self-Determination
The concept that ethnicities have the right to govern themselves
Sovereignty
The ability of a state to govern its territory free from control of its territory free from control of its internal affairs by other states
State
An area organized into a political unit ruled by an established government that has control over its internal and foreign affairs.
Stateless nation
A group of people with a shared culture/nationality without its own territory
Supranationalism
Having power or influence that transcends national boundaries or governments
Terrorism
The systematic use of violence by a group in order to intimidate a population or coerce a government into granting its demands
Unitary State
An internal organization of a state that places the most power in the hands of central government officials
