Political Geography Flashcards
State
Any area with a defined territory that exercises its sovereign control over areas both inside and outside it’s borders.
Nation
A group of people with common cultural characteristics such as language or religion.
Nation State
Occurs when a state’s boundaries coincide with the cultural boundaries of a particular group.
A Commonwealth
A territory that has established a mutual agreement with another state for the benefit of both parties.
Sovereignty
The power of states to regulate their own internal and external affairs.
Coup d’état
When a particular group leads a revolt against the current ruling power.
Terrorism
Violence against a particular society to achieve political goals.
Determining factors of Boundaries
- Geometric boundaries: latitude and longitude features,
- Physical Boundaries: natural features,
- Cultural boundaries: language, religion, ethnicity,
Antecedent Boundary
A boundary that existed prior to human settlement of the area, settlement followed the boundary.
Boundary Origins
- Antecedent boundaries,
- Superimposed boundaries,
- Subsequent boundaries,
- Relic boundaries,
Antecedent Boundaries
Boundaries that exist before the human settlement of an area.
Subsequent Boundaries
Boundaries that develop along with the development of the cultural landscape.
Superimposed Boundaries
A superimposed boundary is a political boundary that ignores the existing cultural organization of the landscape that is usually placed by a higher authority.
Conference of Berlin
In 1884, 14 European countries decided to divide the continent of Africa into countries while ignoring the cultural landscape.
Relic boundary
The boundary does not exist any longer, but it’s impact is still felt and seen on the landscape.
Boundary Evolution
The technical wording of a treaty that legally defines where a boundary should be located.
Delimitation
The transition or translation of the boundary evolution.
Demarcation
The process of physically representing a boundary on a landscape.
Balkanization
The breakup of an area into smaller independent units that usually involves some degree of hostility.
Annexation
The addition of territory to an already existing state.
Four types of boundary disputes
Definitional,
Locational,
Operational,
Allocational
Definitional boundary disputes
Arises from the legal language of the treaty’s definition of the boundary
Locational boundary dispute
Arise when the interpretation of the border is questioned.
Operational boundary disputes
The two countries next to each other disagree on a major issue involving the border.
Allocation boundary disputes
Questions the use of the boundary.
Exclusive economic zones
Countries have the right to drill for resources up to 200 miles offshore
Global Commons
Areas where countries do not have the right to search for natural resources.
Colonialism
The practice of establishing political dominance over a people for economic, social, and political gain.
Imperialism
Establishing control over an area that is already politically organized.
Organic theory
Political geographer Ratzel based this theory on the growth of states, which argued that the state was like a living entity that constantly needed to grow to thrive.
Self-determination
The power of people to establish their own government the way they see fit.
Democratization
The transition of an authoritarian regime to a more representative form of government.
Five shapes of countries
Compact, Elongated, Fragmented, Perforated, Prorupted
Shatterbelt regions
Regions caught up in a conflict between two superpowers.
Irredentism
The attempt by one country to provoke coups or separatists movements in another country.
Centrifugal forces
Forces that tend to break up a state.
Centripetal forces
Forces that tend to unite a state.
Devolution
The giving up of power by the central government to the different regions of the country.
Regionalism
The breaking up of an area into autonomous regions.
Supranationalism
A method of extending state borders through the assistance of other organizations to further political and economic cooperation.
Immigrant state
State composed primarily of immigrants and their descendants.
Confederation
A loose grouping of states with a common purpose.
Frontier
An area that is not yet under control of the state but which people within the state are migrating to.
Globalization
The movement toward a common culture across the world.
Geopolitics
The study of human systems, which are constantly spatially organized to fit the needs of humans.
