Political Geography Vocab

Front 1

politically organized territory administered by a sovereign government, with a permanent population, and recognized by the international community (other states)

Back 1

state

Front 2

the attempt by an individual or group to affect, influence, or control people, phenomena, and relationships, by asserting control over a geographic area

Back 2

territoriality

Front 3

supreme authority of a state over its own affairs and freedom from control by outside forces

Back 3

sovereignty

Front 4

marks the beginning of the modern state system, ended the 30 years war; recognized rulers of defined territories

Back 4

Peace of Westphalia

Front 5

marks the beginning of the modern state system, ended the 30 years war; recognized rulers of defined territories

Back 5

Peace of Westphalia

Front 6

tightly knit group of people sharing a common language, ethnicity, religion, and other cultural attributes not necessarily within a set of politically defined borders

Back 6

nation

Front 7

marks the beginning of the modern state system, ended the 30 years war; recognized rulers of defined territories

Back 7

Peace of Westphalia

Front 8

tightly knit group of people sharing a common language, ethnicity, religion, and other cultural attributes not necessarily within a set of politically defined borders

Back 8

nation

Front 9

area where the boundaries of a nation coincide with the boundaries of the state and the people share a sense of political unity

Back 9

nation-state

Front 10

a state with more than one nation inside its borders

Back 10

multinational state

Front 11

nation that transcends the borders of two or more states

Back 11

multistate nation

Front 12

nation without a state

Back 12

stateless nation

Front 13

the attempt by a country to establish settlements and impose political and economic control and principles on another state or area

Back 13

colonialism

Front 14

the attempt by a country to establish settlements and impose political and economic control and principles on another state or area

Back 14

colonialism

Front 15

theory that views the world as much more than the sum total of the world’s states; three tier structure

Back 15

world systems theory

Front 16

the attempt by a country to establish settlements and impose political and economic control and principles on another state or area

Back 16

colonialism

Front 17

theory that views the world as much more than the sum total of the world’s states; three tier structure

Back 17

world systems theory

Front 18

the process of placing a price on a good, service, or idea and then buying, selling, and trading that item

Back 18

commodification

Front 19

more developed country; higher levels of education, higher salaries, and more technologies; generate more wealth in the world economy

Back 19

core

Front 20

more developed country; higher levels of education, higher salaries, and more technologies; generate more wealth in the world economy

Back 20

core

Front 21

lesser developed country; lower levels of education, lower salaries, and less technology; generate less wealth in the world economy, relies on the core

Back 21

periphery

Front 22

more developed country; higher levels of education, higher salaries, and more technologies; generate more wealth in the world economy

Back 22

core

Front 23

lesser developed country; lower levels of education, lower salaries, and less technology; generate less wealth in the world economy, relies on the core

Back 23

periphery

Front 24

places where core and periphery processes are both occurring; exploited by the core but then exploited by the periphery; serves as a buffer between core and periphery

Back 24

semi-periphery

Front 25

forces within a state that unify people such as a national culture, shared ideological objectives, common faith, holidays

Back 25

centripetal forces

Front 26

forces within a state that unify people such as a national culture, shared ideological objectives, common faith, holidays

Back 26

centripetal forces

Front 27

forces within a state that divide people such as internal religious, political, economic, linguistic, or ethnic differences

Back 27

centrifugal forces

Front 28

process whereby regions within a state demand and gain political strength and growing autonomy at the expense of the central government

Back 28

devolution

Front 29

the process by which districts are moved according to population shifts, so that each district encompasses approximately the same number of people

Back 29

reapportionment

Front 30

the process of manipulating voting district boundaries to give an advantage to a particular political party or group

Back 30

gerrymandering

Front 31

based on grid systems, mainly latitude and longitude lines; usually a straight line or an arc

Back 31

geometric boundary

Front 32

based on grid systems, mainly latitude and longitude lines; usually a straight line or an arc

Back 32

geometric boundary

Front 33

follows an agreed upon feature in the physical geographic landscape; rivers, mountain ranges, lakes, etc.

Back 33

physical-political boundaries

Front 34

the waters that are enclosed by the boundaries of a coastal state and that are considered part of the territory of that state; a state has navigational and economic sovereign territory extending 12 nautical miles from the coast

Back 34

territorial sea

Front 35

the waters that are enclosed by the boundaries of a coastal state and that are considered part of the territory of that state; a state has navigational and economic sovereign territory extending 12 nautical miles from the coast

Back 35

territorial sea

Front 36

a sea zone over which a state has special rights over the exploration and use of marine resources stretching 200 nautical miles from the coast

Back 36

exclusive economic zone (eez)

Front 37

state of territory that is small in both population and area

Back 37

microstate

Front 38

state of territory that is small in both population and area

Back 38

microstate

Front 39

a small and relatively homogeneous group or region surrounded by a larger and different group or region

Back 39

enclave

Front 40

state of territory that is small in both population and area

Back 40

microstate

Front 41

a small and relatively homogeneous group or region surrounded by a larger and different group or region

Back 41

enclave

Front 42

territory that is separated from the state to which it belongs by the intervening territory of another state

Back 42

exclave

Front 43

the study that analyzes geography, history and social science with reference to international politics

Back 43

geopolitics

Front 44

theory that says whoever dominates the heartland would be able to defeat any sea power

Back 44

heartland theory

Front 45

theory that says whoever dominates the heartland would be able to defeat any sea power

Back 45

heartland theory

Front 46

process by which geopoliticians study and try to explain how political actions and policy choices of states around the world affect how people process their own notions of places and politics

Back 46

critical geopolitics

Front 47

theory that says whoever dominates the heartland would be able to defeat any sea power

Back 47

heartland theory

Front 48

process by which geopoliticians study and try to explain how political actions and policy choices of states around the world affect how people process their own notions of places and politics

Back 48

critical geopolitics

Front 49

one country in position of dominance, with other countries following its lead

Back 49

unilateralism

Front 50

a separate entity of three or more states that forge an association and form an administrative structure for mutual benefit in pursuit of economic, military, cultural, or political goals

Back 50

supranational organization