Unit 5 Flashcards
Territoriality
A groups control of, desire to control, possession of, or attachment to a piece of land
Sovereignty
The ability of a state (country) to control its economy and govern itself without interference from outside countries
Autonomy
Is a wide ranging term meaning the ability for a country, group, or individual to make its own decisions w/o coercion from the outside
Time period #1: start of human history to formation of city states
- no states (countries)
- no clear, mutually agreed upon boundaries
Time period #2: formation of city-states
City state: a city with its surrounding territory forms an independent state
- still no clearly defined boundaries
Time period #3: time between city states and Treaty of Westphalia
- no states (countries)
- no clear, mutually agreed upon boundaries
- large borderless empires, kingdoms
Time period #4: 1648 treaty or peace of Westphalia
- European leaders formalized boundaries and the concept of state sovereignty
Nationalism
Strong loyalty and devotion to a particular nationality; typically associated with the belief/loyalty/in/to an ethnic identity
Self-determination
The concept that ethnicities have the right to govern themselves in their own nation-state
Nation-state
Like people (nations) wanted to create their own countries (states) and rule themselves
Colonialism
Is the physical settlement in a new territory of people from a colonizing state
Imperialism
Is the control (not physical settlement) of territory already occupied and organized by an indigenous society
Mercantilism
Mother country obtains raw materials from colonies then sells finished goods to same colonies thus increasing economic growth
Long term economic consequences of colonialism
- The status of many semi periphery and periphery countries can be traces to colonialism
- Some countries that were former colonies still have poorly developed economies as a result of mercantilism
- Many former colonies still have economies based on the collection and export of raw materials
Long term political consequences of colonialism
- European colonizers ran the government, and when they left, there was a lack of qualified leaders
- Sometimes military leaders were in position to take control, this lead some countries to be ruled by dictators
- Some ethnic groups that gained power and took advantage of their power at the expense of other ethnic groups
Long term social consequences of colonialism
- Countries that were colonized usually have very few rich and a large number of poor (Wealth inequality is a centrifugal force)
- Repression, slavery, and exploitation of groups has hindered cultural groups independent development
- Similarly, other exploited groups such as indigenous that were not favored by colonizers struggle
Decolonization and the creation of Independent Countries
Wave 1 (1800’s): Latin American countries gain independence as Spain and Portugal lose their status as global powers
Wave 2 (post WW1 & WW2): After WW2, European countries don’t have the resources to control colonies
- Colonies in Africa and Asia gain independence at this time
Neocolonialism
Neocolonialism is the set of economic strategies by which wealthy and powerful countries indirectly maintain or extend their influence over less wealthy areas
State
An organized political unit with an established government: a political concept
Nation
A group of people that has a common ancestry regardless of it controlling a territory; an ethnic concept
Exclaves
Political areas of one country separated from the main body by another country
Enclave
A cluster of a minority ethnic group different from the major ethnic group in an area
Nation-State
Political entity (country) where group of people (nation) within/controlling a country are ethnically homogenous (the same)
Stateless Nation
A culture group (nation) that has no state they control
Multinational/multiethnic state
Contains 2 (or more) ethnic groups that agree to co-exist peacefully by recognizing each other as distinct nationalities
Multi State Nation
When a nation stretches across neighboring borders and states
Autonomous/Semi-Autonomous Region
- Regions in countries that have a varying degree of freedom from a central government
-Commonly geographically distinct regions with a minority group
Compact states (centripetal)
Countries with relatively rounded shapes
Elongated states (centrifugal)
A country that is stretched thin and long
- possibly centrifugal because of distance decay
Perforated States (centrifugal)
Countries that are completely surrounded by another state
Microstates
Tiny states of just a few miles
Landlocked states
are completely surrounded by other countries, usually hurt by limited trade
Defined boundary
A boundary that is defined (created) within a legal document
- The boundary can be landmarks or lat/long
Delimited boundary
Means cartographers create or draw or delimit the actual boundary agreed upon by all sides on a map
Demarcated Boundary
A boundary that is visually marked on the ground by sone visible means such as walls, posts, signs, fences
Natural/Physical-Political Boundary
Boundaries that follow a natural feature in a landscape
Antecedent boundary
A boundary drawn across an area before it is well populated and before there is any significant cultural landscape
Subsequent Boundary
Boundaries that are established AFTER an area has been settled
Consequent boundary
Boundaries drawn along cultural lines such as language, religion, ethnicities, etc
Superimposed Boundary
Boundaries forcibly drawn by conquering or colonizing power WITHOUT reference to pre-existing cultural patterns
Relic Boundary
A boundary line that no longer functions as a boundary but shows on the cultural landscape
Boundary Administration
The enforcement and maintains of a boundary by a government
Boundary disputes
Tension.conflict that can arise between states as to show how borders are administered between them
Definitional Boundary Disputes
the legal language of the boundary is disputed
Location boundary disputes
The demarcation or delimitation is disputed
Operational Boundary Disputes
Disagreement on how a border should function or be administered
Allocational Boundary Disputes
Conflicts related to the location of boundaries with regard to the extraction of natural resources
Demilitarized Zones
a buffer area between two countries inside which no military personnel is allowed
Supranationalism
Cooperation between countries to achieve goals for mutual gain
Economic Organizations (goal & strategy)
Goal: Make more money via increased trade
Strategy: Reduce trade tariffs, create common currencies, encourage regional specialization
Military Organizations (goal & strategy)
Goal: Military protection
Strategy: Multiple countries agree they will aid each other in the face of conflict
Environmental Organizations (Goal & Strategy)
Goal: Protect environment
Strategy: Establish laws and regulations to protect the environment
UNCLOS
An international treaty established by the United Nation that creates rules and laws for the world’s oceans and seas regarding country boundaries and uses of the oceans and resources
Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)
A zone that extends 200 miles of a country’s coast in which they have alone have mineral and fishing rights
BUT…. Other countries ships/planes may travel through this zone without permission
12 mile territorial sea
The first 12 miles off a country’s coast in which a country has total economic control & no other country’s ships or planes may ravel through the 12 mile territorial sea without permission
Devolution
Is the ceding of a power from a central/national government
Physical Geography
Can impact the state is unified to fragmented by the types of physical features or barriers
Social factors
Conflict between ethnic groups, religious groups can lead to the created of developed sub-national political territories
Ethnonationalism
The belief that by one nation/ethnic group that the government should protect and promote their culture language and religion over others
Ethnic separatism
When a minority ethnic group/nation within a state desires separation and independence from that state
Ethnic Cleansing
The forced and often violent of removal one ethnic group by another ethnic group to creat an ethnically consistent territory
Terrorism
The calculated use of violent acts against civilians and symbolic targets to publicize a cause, intimidate or coerce a civilian population or affect the conduct
Irredentism
The idea that a land should be annexed because an ethnicity had prior historical possession of land
Containment policy
The US policy of containing communism from spreading to the rest of the world
Domino Theory
If one country fell into communist control, it would influence the surrounding countries
Satellite State
is a state is formally “independent” but heavily influence by another state
Shatterbelt
Regions or counties at risk of fragmentation due to devolutionary forces within the region or country and external competing forces
Buffer State
A politically and economically weak but independent country that lies between the border of two stronger powers
Bipolar/multipolar/non-polar
Bipolar: two superpowers
Multipolar: multiple world powers
Non-polars: no superpowers
Proxy War
A conflict where large powers fight each other indirectly through smaller countries or groups
Geopolitics
The study of how international relations are influence by geographical factors
The Ratzel Organic Theory
States are living organisms and become powerful by growing and obtaining new territory
Heartland Theory
Hanford Mckinder’s geopolitical theory that they key to world domination is the controlling the Eurasian
Rimland Theory
Nicholas Spykman’s theory that the domination of the coastal fringes of Eurasia would provide the base for world conquest
Confederation
Substates have more power than the central government
Federal System
Power is shared between the central government and sub-states; each can act independently
Unitary System
A strong central government makes the most decisions and delegates to substates; substates follow orders
Primate Cities
- A city at least twice as populated as the next largest city in te country
- A city that is the economic, political, cultural heart of a country
- Often associated with unitary states or former colonies
Forward Capitals
Sometimes a country will move its capital to a different city in order redistribute population and influence
Electoral Geography
Study of how demographic change influences geographic voting districts, political behavior, and electoral outcomes
Census
The official count of how many people live in the United States; happens every 10 years
Reapportionment
- using census data, the population change of each states is calculated
- the amount of representatives each state received is determined by the population change within the past 10 years
Redistricting
The process of redrawing the representative districts within a state to reflect the amount of representatives that has has been apportioned
Gerrymandering
The practice of drawing the boundaries of voting districts (restricting) in a way that favors one political parties over another
Cracking
Dividing the population like-minded voters across several dipsticks to dilute voting power
Packing
Grouping the population of like-minded voters into a smaller number of districts to dilute voting power
