Political Geography Flashcards
Autonomous region,
an area of a country that has a degree of autonomy, or has freedom from an external authority
Centripetal forces
Forces that tend to unite or bind a country together.
Centrifugal forces
forces that divide a state - internal religious, political, economic, linguistic, or ethnic differences
Imperialism
A policy of extending a country’s power and influence through diplomacy or military force.
Colonialism
the policy or practice of acquiring full or partial political control over another country, occupying it with settlers, and exploiting it economically.
Decolonization
The acquisition, by colonized peoples, of control over their own territory.
Neocolonialism
Economic dominance of a weaker country by a more powerful one, while maintaining the legal independence of the weaker state. In the late nineteenth century, this new form of economic imperialism characterized the relations between the Latin American republics.
Cold War
A conflict that was between the US and the Soviet Union. The nations never directly confronted each other on the battlefield but deadly threats went on for years.
Boundary
vertical plane between states that cuts through the rocks below, and the airspace above the surface
Cultural Boundary
boundaries that mark breaks in the human landscape based on differences in ethnicity
Physical Boundary
Political boundaries that correspond with prominent physical features such as mountain ranges or rivers.
Compact State
A state in which the distance from the center to any boundary does not vary significantly.
Devolution
The process whereby regions within a state demand and gain political strength and growing autonomy at the expense of the central government.
Elongated State
A state whose territory is long and narrow in shape.
Federal State
An internal organization of a state that allocates strong power to different units of national, regional and local government
Fragmented State
A state that is not contiguous whole but rather separated parts.
Geopolitics
study of government and its policies as affected by physical geography
Gerrymandering
Process of redrawing legislative boundaries for the purpose of benefiting the party in power.
Irredentism
a policy of cultural extension and potential political expansion by a country aimed at a group of its nationals living in a neighboring country
Microstate
A state that encompasses a very small land area.
NAFTA
North American Free Trade Agreement; allows open trade with US, Mexico, and Canada.
Perforated State
a state that completely surrounds another one
Prorupted State
an otherwise compact state with a large projecting extension
Shatterbelt
an area of instability between regions with opposing political and cultural values
Sovereignty
Ability of a state to govern its territory free from control of its internal affairs by other states.
Supranationalism
a venture involving 3 or more national states political economic or cultural cooperation to promote shared objectives
Unitary State
An internal organization of a state that places most power in the hands of central government officials
UNCLOS
United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea: a code of maritime law approved by the UN in 1982 that authorizes, among other provisions, territorial waters extending 12 nautical miles from shore and 200 nautical mile wide exclusive economic zones.
Demarcated boundary
A boundary demarcated (marked) by some visible means on the ground. Ex. wall posts, fences, etc.
Delimited boundary
A boundary DRAWN and agreed upon; drawing of a boundary
Defined boundary
boundary is created in agreement between two parties in a treaty or other legal document
Organic theory
The theory that a state needs expansive land in order to prosper
Heartland Theory
Hypothesis proposed by Halford MacKinder that held that any political power based in the heart of Eurasia could gain enough strength to eventually dominate the world.
Rimland Theory
Nicholas Spykman’s theory that the domination of the coastal fringes of Eurasia would provided the base for world conquest.
Autonomous region,
an area of a country that has a degree of autonomy, or has freedom from an external authority
