Human Geography Ch5

Front 1

antecedent boundaries

Back 1

a boundary line est before an area is populated

Front 2

centrifugal forces

Back 2

forces that tend to divide a country

Front 3

centripetal forces

Back 3

forces that tend to unite or bind a country together

Front 4

colonialism

Back 4

the expansion and perpetuation of an empire

Front 5

commonwealth of independent states

Back 5

confederacy of independent states of the former soviet union that have united because of their common economic and administrative needs

Front 6

compact state

Back 6

a state that possesses a roughly circular, oval, or rectangular territory in which the distance from the geometric center is relatively equal in all directions

Front 7

confederation

Back 7

a form of an international organization that brings several autonomous states together for a common purpose

Front 8

domino theory

Back 8

the idea that political destabilization in one country can lead to collapse of political stability in neighboring countries, starting a chain reaction of collapse

Front 9

east/west divide

Back 9

geographic separation b/w the largely democratic and free-market countries of western europe and the americas from the communist and socialist countries of eastern europe and asia

Front 10

electoral college

Back 10

a certain number of electors from each state proportional to and seemingly representative of that state's population. each elector chooses a candidate believing they are representing their constituency's choice. the candidate who receives a higher proportion of electoral votes in a state receives all the electoral votes for that state

Front 11

electoral vote

Back 11

the decision of a particular state elector that represents the dominant views of that elector's state

Front 12

elongated state

Back 12

a state whose territory is long and narrow in shape

Front 13

european union

Back 13

international organization comprised of western european countries to promote free trade among members

Front 14

exclave

Back 14

a bounded territory that is part of a particular state but is separated from it by the territory of a different state

Front 15

federalism

Back 15

a system of gov't in which power is distributed among certain geographical territories rather than concentrated within a central government

Front 16

gragmented state

Back 16

a state that is not a contiguous whole but rather separated parts

Front 17

frontier

Back 17

an area where borders are shifting and weak and where peoples of different cultures of nationalities meet and lay claim to the land

Front 18

geometric boundary

Back 18

political boundaries that are defined and deliminated by straight lines

Front 19

geopolitics

Back 19

the study of the interplay b/w political relations and the territorial context in which they occur

Front 20

gerrymandering

Back 20

the designation of voting districts as to favor a particular political party or candidate

Front 21

heartland theory

Back 21

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

Front 22

imperialism

Back 22

the perpetuation of a colonial empire even after it is no longer politically sovereign

Front 23

international organization

Back 23

an alliance of two or more countries seeking cooperation with each other w/o giving up either's autonomy or self-determination

Front 24

landlocked state

Back 24

a state that is completely surrounded by the land of other states, which gives it a disadvantage in terms of accessibility to and from international trade routes

Front 25

law of the sea

Back 25

law establishing states' right and responsibilities concerning the ownership and use of the earth's seas and oceans and their resources

Front 26

lebensraum

Back 26

hitler's exapansionist theory based on a drive to acquire "living space" for the german people

Front 27

microstate

Back 27

a state or territory that is small in both population and area

Front 28

nation

Back 28

tightly knit group of individuals sharing a common language, ethnicity, religion, and other cultural attributes

Front 29

nationalism

Back 29

a sense of nat'l pride to such an extent of exalting one nation above all others

Front 30

nation-state

Back 30

a country whose population possess a substantial degree of cultural homogeneity and unity

Front 31

north american free trade agreement

Back 31

agreement signed on january 1, 1994, that allows the opening of borders b/w the US, mexico, and canada

Front 32

north atlantic treaty organization

Back 32

an internat'l org that has joined together for military purposes

Front 33

north/south divide

Back 33

the economic division b/w the wealthy countries of europe and north america, japan, and australia and the generally pooer countries of asia, africa, and latin america

Front 34

organic theory

Back 34

the view that states resemble biological organisms with life cycles that include stages of youth, maturity, and old age

Front 35

organization of petroleum exporting countries

Back 35

an internat'l economic org whose member countries all produce and export oil

Front 36

perforated state

Back 36

a state whose territory completely surrounds that of another state

Front 37

physical boundary

Back 37

political boundaries that correspond with prominent physical features such as mountain ranges or rivers

Front 38

political geography

Back 38

the spatial analysis or political phenomena and processes

Front 39

popular vote

Back 39

the tally of each individual's vote within a geographic area

Front 40

prorupted state

Back 40

a state that exhibits a narrow, elongated land extension leading away from the main territory

Front 41

reapportionment

Back 41

the process of a reallocation of electoral seats to defined territories

Front 42

rectangular state

Back 42

a state whose territory is rectangular in state

Front 43

redistricting

Back 43

the drawing of new electoral district boundary lines in response to population changes

Front 44

rimland theory

Back 44

Nicholas Spykman's theory that the domination of the coastal fringes of eurasia would provide the base for world conquest

Front 45

self-determination

Back 45

the right of a nation to govern itself autonomously

Front 46

state

Back 46

a politically org territory that is administered by a sovereign gov't and is recognized by the internat'l community

Front 47

states' rights

Back 47

rights and powers believed to be in the authority of the state rather than the federal gov't

Front 48

subsequent boundaries

Back 48

boundary line est after an area has been settled that considers the social and cultural characteristics of the area

Front 49

superimposed boundaries

Back 49

boundary line drawn in an area ignoring the existing cultural pattern

Front 50

supranational organization

Back 50

org of 3 or more states to promote shared objectives

Front 51

territorial dispute

Back 51

any dispute over land ownership

Front 52

territorial organization

Back 52

political org that distributes political power in more easily governed units of land

Front 53

theocracy

Back 53

a state whose gov't is either believed to be divinely guided or a state under the control of a group of religious leaders

Front 54

united nations

Back 54

a global supranat'l org est at the end of WWII to foster internat'l security and cooperation