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Unit 5 AP Human Geo
Political Geography
Words | Definitions |
---|---|
Antecedent boundaries | a boundary line established before an area is populated |
centrifugal forces | forces that tend to divide a country |
centripetal forces | forces that tend to unite or bin a country together |
commonwealth of independent states | confederacy of independent states of the former Soviet Union that have united because of their common economic and administrative needs |
compact stat | a state that possesses a roughly circular, oval, or rectangle territory in which the distance from the geometric center is relatively equal in all directions |
domino theory | the idea that political destabilization in one country can lead to collapse of political stability in neighboring countries, starting a chain reaction of collapse |
east/west divide | geographic separation between the largely democratic and free-market countries of Western Europe and the Americas from the communist and socialist countries of Eastern Europe and Asia |
electoral college | a certain number of electors from each state proportional to the seemingly representative of that state's population. Each elector chooses a candidate believing they are representing their constituency's choice. The candidate who has a the most vote wins |
electoral vote | the decision of a particular state elector that represents the dominant views of that elector's state |
elongated state | a state whose territory is long and narrow shape |
European Union | international organization comprised of Western European countries to promote free trade among members |
Exclave | a bounded territory that is part of a particular state but is separated from it by the territory of a different state |
federalism | a system of government in which power is disturbed among certain geographical territories rather than concentrated within a central government |
fragmented state | a state that is not a contiguous whole but rather separated parts |
frontier | a area where borders are shifting and weak and where peoples of different cultures or nationalities meet and lay claim to the land |
geometric boundary | political boundaries that are defined and delimited by straight lines |
geopolitics | the study of the interplay between political relations and the territorial context in which they occur |
Gerrymandering | the designation of voting districts so as to favor a particular political party or candidate |
Hearthland theory | hypothesis proposed by Halford Mackinder that held that any political power based in the hearth of Eurasia could gain enough strength to eventually dominate the world |
imperialism | the perpetuation of a colonial empire even after it is no longer politically sovereign |
international organization | an alliance of two or more countries seeking cooperation with each other with out giving up either's autonomy or self-determination |
landlocked state | a state that is completely surrounded by the land of other states, which gives it a a disadvantage in terms of accessibility to and from international trade routes |
law of the sea | law establishing states' rights and responsibilities concerning the ownership and land use of the earth's seas and oceans and their resources |
lebensraum | Hitler's expansionist theory based on a drive to acquire "living space" for the German people |
Microstate | a state or territory that is small in both population and area |
nation | tightly knit group of individuals sharing a common language, ethnicity, religion, and other cultural attributes |
nationalism | a sense of national pride to such an extent of exalting one nation above all others |
Nation-state | a country whose population possesses a substantial degree of cultural homogeneity and unity |
North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) | agreement signed January 1, 1994, that allows the opening of borders between the United States, Mexico, and Canada |
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) | an international organization that has joined together together for military purposes |
north/south divide | the economic division between wealthy countries of Europe and North America, Japan, and Australia and generally poorer countries of Asia, Africa, and Latin American |
organic theory | the view that states resemble biological organisms with life cycles that include stages of youth, maturity, and old age |
Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) | an international economic organization whose member countries all produce and export oil |
perforated state | a state whose territory completely surrounds that of another state |
physical boundary | political boundaries that correspond with prominent physical features such as mountains ranges or rivers |
political geography | the spatial analysis of political phenomena and processes |
popular vote | the tally of each individual's vote within a given geographic area |
prorupte state | a state that exhibits a narrow elongated land extension leading away from the main territory |
reapportionment | the process of a reallocation of electoral states defined territories |
rectangular state | a state whose territory is rectangular in shape |
redistricting | the drawing of a new electoral district boundary lines in response to population changes |
Rimland theory | Nicholas Spykman's theory that the domination of the costal fringes of Eurasia would provide the base for the world conquest |
self-determination | the right of a nation to govern itself autonomously |
State | a politically organized territory that is administered by a sovereign government and is recognized by the international community |
States' rights | rights and powers believed to be in the authority of the state rather than the federal government |
subsequent boundaries | boundary line established after and area has been settled that considers the social and cultural characteristics of the area |
supranational organization | organization of three more states to promote shared objectives |
territorial dispute | any dispute over land ownerships |
territorial organization | political organization that distributes political power in more easily governed units of land |
theocracy | a state whose government is either believed to be divinely guided or a state under the control of a group religious leaders |
United Nations (UN) | a global supranational organization established at the end of World War II to foster international security and cooperation |