Unit 8: Vocabulary

Question 1

Antecedent Boundary

Answer 1

A political border that was established before significant human settlement in the area. These often follow natural features (such as rivers, mountain ranges, or deserts).

Question 2

Balkanization

Answer 2

The process of a country breaking up into smaller, often hostile, political units. Balkanization is often a result of ethnic differences, but is also connected to other political movements (like nationalism, independence, imperialism, and anti-colonialism).

Question 3

Boundary

Answer 3

An invisible line that separates one state or political entity from another.

Question 4

Buffer state

Answer 4

A neutral (typically smaller) country situated between two larger, potentially hostile powers, acting as a barrier to prevent direct conflict between them.

Question 5

Cohesion

Answer 5

The degree to which a group of people, a region, or a nation is united and held together by shared cultural traits, values, or political interests, essentially creating a sense of unity and belonging within a defined area.

Question 6

Colonialism

Answer 6

Essentially, it’s the act of one nation taking over and dominating another for their own benefit. Often imposing their own culture/systems upon the native population, which leads to changes in the political, social, and economic landscape of the colonized area.

Question 7

Consequent Boundary

Answer 7

A political boundary that is actively created to separate existing cultural differences between populations, like language, religion, ethnicity, or economic activity, essentially dividing areas with distinct cultural landscapes from one another.

Question 8

Core area

Answer 8

A region within a country or on a global scale that holds the most economic power, characterized by high levels of wealth, innovation, advanced technology, and overall development-a central hub of economic activity/influence.

Question 9

Cracking

Answer 9

Spreading votes of a particular type among many districts in order to deny them a sufficiently large voting bloc in any particular district.

Question 10

Cultural Boundary

Answer 10

An invisible line that separates areas with distinct cultural characteristics, such as different languages, religions, ethnicities, or social practices. Not clearly defined on the ground and can be fluid.

Question 11

DMZ

Answer 11

DMZ, or ‘Demilitarized Zone’ is a geographical area where military activity is officially prohibited, often established as a buffer zone between two opposing nations to reduce tensions and prevent conflict.

Question 12

Democratization

Answer 12

The process of a fundamental shift in a nation’s political structure towards democratic principles, where citizens have greater political participation and the government is led by popularly elected officials, essentially establishing representative and accountable forms of governance.

Question 13

Devolution

Answer 13

A state stays together, but experiences serious instability, tension, and/or violence.

Question 14

East/West Divide

Answer 14

Essentially, it signifies a division based on political and economic ideologies between these two regions of the world; predominantly democratic and capitalist countries of the West (mainly Western Europe and the Americas) and the communist and socialist countries of the East (primarily Eastern Europe and parts of Asia).

Question 15

Enclave

Answer 15

A piece of land belonging to one country that is entirely surrounded by the territory of another country.

Question 16

Ethnonationalism

Answer 16

Essentially, a form of nationalism with the belief that national borders should align with the boundaries of a single ethnic group. A nation which is defined primarily by a shared ethnicity, meaning that national identity is strongly tied to a specific ethnic group (shared cultural traits like language, religion, and ancestry) and can sometimes lead to the marginalization of other ethnic groups within that territory.

Question 17

EU

Answer 17

EU, or ‘European Union’ is a political and economic alliance of 27 European countries that aims to promote peace, democracy, and stability in Europe

Question 18

Exclave

Answer 18

Essentially, a piece of a nation that is completely cut off from the rest of the country by foreign land.

Question 19

Failed State

Answer 19

A state that is unable to perform the two fundamental functions of the sovereign nation-state in the modern world system: it cannot project authority over its territory and peoples, and it cannot protect its national boundaries.

Question 20

Federal State

Answer 20

A decentralized government, where power is shared between central, regional, and local (subnational) governments.

Question 21

Frontier

Answer 21

A zone of territory where no state has governing authority.

Question 22

Gerrymandering

Answer 22

The practice of manipulating electoral district boundaries to favor a particular political party or group.

Question 23

Geometric boundary

Answer 23

A political border that is created using straight lines based on lines of latitude and longitude, essentially ignoring natural features on the landscape and often appearing as a straight line on a map.

Question 24

Geopolitics

Answer 24

The study of how geographical factors like location, topography, and natural resources influence political relationships between countries.

Question 25

Heartland theory

Answer 25

A geopolitical concept proposed by Halford Mackinder, stating that whoever controls the central region of Eurasia (considered the “Heartland,” primarily encompassing Eastern Europe) will hold significant power. Essentially, control of this area is key to global dominance.

Question 26

Imperialism

Answer 26

The policy of extending a country’s power and influence through colonization, military force, or other means.

Question 27

Irredentism

Answer 27

Essentially, it’s a political movement to “unredeemed” land based on national, ethnic, or historical grounds, often leading to territorial disputes and conflict.

Question 28

Multinational State

Answer 28

A sovereign state that is home to multiple nations, often facing unique challenges as they try to balance equality for all nations.

Question 29

Multistate Nation

Answer 29

A nation that spans multiple states or state borders.

Question 30

Nation

Answer 30

A group of people with a common identity through shared cultural traits such as language, religion, ethnicity, and heritage.

Question 31

Nation-State

Answer 31

A state with sovereignty but its citizens have the same characteristics as a nation because they all have similar cultures (language, descent, or history)

Question 32

NAFTA

Answer 32

“North American Free Trade Agreement,” a trilateral trade agreement between Canada, Mexico, and the United States that aims to eliminate trade barriers and promote economic integration between the three countries by removing tariffs on most goods produced within the region.

Question 33

NATO

Answer 33

“North Atlantic Treaty Organization,” a military alliance established in 1949 between countries primarily from North America and Europe with the primary goal of collective defense against potential threats.

Question 34

North/South Divide

Answer 34

The socio-economic and political disparities between the wealthier, industrialized countries located primarily in the Northern Hemisphere (“Global North”) and the less developed countries situated mostly in the Southern Hemisphere (“Global South”).

Question 35

OPEC

Answer 35

“Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries,” which is an intergovernmental organization composed of major oil-producing nations that collaborate to manage global oil production and influence oil prices, essentially acting as a cartel to stabilize the market and secure fair prices for its members.

Question 36

Packing

Answer 36

Concententrating many voters of one type into a single electoral district to reduce their influence in other districts.

Question 37

Physical Boundary

Answer 37

A naturally occurring geographic feature, like a river, mountain range, ocean, or desert, that acts as a border between two political entities, effectively separating them due to its inherent physical barrier qualities.

Question 38

Political Geography

Answer 38

The study of how political power is distributed across geographic space, essentially, it examines how the world is divided and organized politically based on territorial boundaries and sovereignty.

Question 39

Public Lands

Answer 39

Parcels of land that are owned by the government (federal, state, or local) and not privately owned.

Question 40

Reapportionment

Answer 40

Determining the amount of representative seats, connected to the Census/amount of population change.

Question 41

Redistricting

Answer 41

Redrawing district lines.

Question 42

Relic boundary

Answer 42

A border that no longer exists, but still has significance.

Question 43

Rimland Theory

Answer 43

Developed by Nicholas Spykman, states that the coastal regions of Eurasia, known as the “Rimland,” are strategically more important than the central Eurasian landmass (Heartland) and that controlling this peripheral zone provides greater power to influence the continent.

Question 44

Self-determination

Answer 44

The principle where a similar group of people have the right to decide their own political status, and form their own government.

Question 45

Semiautonomous region

Answer 45

An area that has partial control over the region, but doesn’t have full sovereignty yet. Allows only partial control of a region.

Question 46

Shatterbelt

Answer 46

The areas where cultural or political divisions collide and cause conflict.

Question 47

Sovereignty

Answer 47

The right of a government to control and defend its territory and determine what happens within its borders.

Question 48

State/Country

Answer 48

Has a defined territory with boundaries, permanent population, government, and recognition from other states.

Question 49

Stateless Nation

Answer 49

A nation of people lacking a sovereign state, or a state that considers it home. Can occur due to historical factors (colonization, political boundaries not considering ethnic groups).

Question 50

Subsequent Boundary

Answer 50

Borders drawn in areas that have already been settled by people, typically due to political change.

Question 51

Terrorism

Answer 51

Organized violence aimed at government and civilian targets to create fear in order to accomplish political aims. Most common with non-government groups with no army, (ethnic separatists) in order to achieve

Question 52

Unitary State

Answer 52

Strong centralized government, with regional/local’s purpose is to carry out policy, not make their own.

Question 53

Supranationalism

Answer 53

The process of nation states organizing politically and economically into one organization or alliance

Question 54

UN

Answer 54

“United Nations”, an international organization established after World War II, aimed at promoting global peace, security, and cooperation between member states.

Question 55

UNCLOS

Answer 55

“United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea,” which is an international treaty that defines maritime boundaries, including territorial seas, exclusive economic zones, and the continental shelf.

Question 56

USSR

Answer 56

“Union of Soviet Socialist Republics,” referring to a large socialist state that existed from 1922 to 1991, encompassing much of Eastern Europe and northern Asia, and is often studied as an example of a multinational state due to its diverse ethnic populations within its borders.