Unit 4 Flashcards
state/country
an independent political unit with a centralized authority that makes claim to sole legal, political, and economic jurisdiction over a region with defined boundaries
sovereign state
a state that possesses the sole authority over the land and people within its boundaries
nation
a community of people bound to a homeland and possessing a common identity based on shared cultural traits such as language ethnicity and religion
nation-state
when cultural boundaries match the state’s territorial (government) boundaries
nationalism
a sense of belonging & self identifying with a national culture
stateless nation
ethnic group or nation that does not possess its own state and is not the majority population in any nation-state
multinational state
a country containing multiple national, ethnic, and religious groups within its boundaries
multi-state nation
ethnic groups territorially divided by one or more international boundaries
autonomous region
a section or territory of a country that has a degree of self-government, or autonomy, in its decision making
self-determination
refers to a nation’s ability to determine its own statehood and form its own allegiances and government
devolution
the movement of power from the central government to regional governments within the state
ethnonationalism
a form of nationalism in which the nation is defined in terms of ethnic identity
territoriality
relating to the ownership of an area of land or sea
neocolonialism
the set of economic and political strategies by which wealthy and powerful countries indirectly maintain or extend their influence over less wealthy areas
shatterbelt
regions of continuing & persistent fragmentation due to devolution
choke points
a narrow feature that restricts passage to another region
ethnic cleansing
forced removal of an ethnic group by another ethnic group to create ethnically homogeneous territores
balkanization
?? fix on notecard!!
median line principle
an approach to dividing and creating boundaries at the midpoint between two places
delimited boundary
fixed or defined to identify the limits or boundary of an area
demarcated boundary
set apart to distinguish those limits
relic boundary
no longer functions as an international border
superimposed boundary
placed on an area without regard to exiting boundaries
subsequent boundary
a political boundary that developed with the cultural landscape
antecedent boundary
boundary that was identifies before an area was settled
geometric boundary
perfectly straight lines drawn without regard for a area’s physical or cultural features
consequent boundary
drawn to accommodate existing cultural differences
demilitarized zone
area in which treaties or agreements between nations, military powers, or contending groups forbid military installations or activities
buffer state
independent but politically and economically weal countries lying between the borders of 3 powers, potentially belligerent empires or countries
satellite state
nominally independent county that is politically, militarily, and economically controlled by a more powerful state
UN Convention on the Law of the Sea
defined territorial boundaries and rights to the sea through the establishments of 4 zones: territorial sea, contiguous zone, exclusive economic zone, and high seas
exclusive economic zones
zone that extends 200 nautical miles from shoreline in which coastal states have the size right to exploit, develop, manage, and conserve all water resources lying beyond the land
voting district
a territorial division for casting votes in public elections
reapportionment
the process by which the 435 seats in the House are proportionately by population among the 50 states following every U.S. census
redistricting
the process of drawing new boundaries for U.S. congressional districts to reflect the population change since the previous U.S. census
gerrymandering
the manipulation of voting district boundaries to favor a particular political party, group, or election outcome
Unitary state
a state where laws are administered uniformly by one central governmet
federal state
a political system where power is shared between a central government and various regional governments
