Unit 5: Political Geography

spatial perspective on political systems and processes at many scales

population with a common culture, history, ethnicity

defined territory under the control of a sovereign government

when a state has independence, territory, one government, and international recognition

legal identity of a person based on the state where he or she was born or naturalized as an immigrant

identifiable land area

area where a nation and state coincide; defined territory under a sovereign government with a single, unified cultural group or national identity; an ethnicity has been transformed into a nationality

state that contains more than one ethnicity

cultural group without a sovereign government or recognized territory; where a culture group is not included or allowed to share in the political process

a nation/cultural group that transcends the borders of two or more states

sovereign state made up of a city and its immediately surrounding countryside

zone separating two states in which neither state exercises political control

internal organization of a state that allocates most powers to units of local government

internal organization of state that places most power in the hands of central government officials

study of states' shapes and their effects

state with a long, narrow shape

otherwise compact state with a large projecting extension

state that posses a roughly circular shape from which the geometric center is relatively equal in all directions; state in which the distance from the center to any boundary does not vary significantly

state that encompasses a very small land area

state that does not have a direct outlet to the sea

state that completely surrounds another one

state that includes several discontinuous pieces of territory

an attitude that tends to unify people and enhance support for a state

a force that divides people and countries

movement intended to reclaim or reoccupy lost or unredeemed land, usually based on real or imagined national/historic/ethnic connections

tendency for an ethnic group to see itself as a distinct nation with a right to autonomy or independence

geographic area where conflict erupts because of cultural boundaries

piece of territory completely surrounded by another territory of which it is not a part

outlier, or piece of a territory, that is completely enclosed within the borders of another country

transfer of some important powers from central governments to smaller-scale governments (example: power transferred from Texas government to City of McAllen)

love of country and willingness to sacrifice for it

striving to become separate from a larger group

use of military threat, cultural domination, and econmic sanctions to gain control of a country and its resources

territory legally tied to a sovereign state rather than completely independent

attempt by one country to establish settlements and to impose its political, economic, and cultural principles in another territory

process by which former colonies gain their independence from their former colonizer/mother country

idea that ethnicities have the right to govern themselves

a process when a country breaks down into smaller pieces because of ethnic differences

systematic use of violence by a group in order to intimidate a population or coerce a government into granting its demands

action of making something democratic

country in which citizens elect leaders and can run for office

country that is run according to the interests of the ruler rather than the people

country that is not fully democratic or fully autocratic, but rather displays a mix of the two types

effort to control pieces of the earth's surface for personal, political, or social ends

invisible line that marks the extent of a state's territory

boundary forced on a territory after existing boundaries are already in place

boundary placed before the cultural landscape was developed

boundary drawn after a cultural landscape is already in place

old boundary between countries that is no longer used

type of subsequent boundary drawn to accomodate existing linguistic, cultural, or religious boundaries

dispute over management of a boundary

dispute over where a boundary is placed

dispute over who owns resources

dispute over language issues

condition of roughly equal strength between opposing countries or alliances of countries

methods used in a country for selecting leaders

process of redrawing legislative boundaries for the purpose of benefiting the party in power

concept of two or more sovereign states aligned together for a common purpose; United Nations, World Health Organization, UNICEF, European Union

increase in efficiency of production as the number of goods being produced increases (ex. Henry Ford's assembly line and mass production of Ford cars)

involving more than one country

alliance of independent states

production of goods and seervices is determined by a central government

by examining Britain's global empire, Mackinder concluded that a land-based, not sea-based, power would rule the world. Eurasia is the area of the earth where there are human and natural resources necessary for world domination

(Halford Mackinder) early 20th c. theory that claimed whichever state controlled the resource-rich "heartland" of Eastern Europe could eventually dominate the world. It would suggest that not the United Kingdom (an ocean-based empire), but Russia (which was becoming communist) would be in a position to achieve this dominance. "Who rules East Europe commands the Heartland; who rules the Heartland commands the World-Island (Europe, Asia & Africa); who rules the World-Island controls the world."

(Nicholas Spykman) mid 20th c. theory that the domination of the coastal fringes of Eurasia (the "rimland") would provide the base for world conquest (not the "heartland"). Capital city: principle city in a state or country. The best place to locate a capital is at the center of a country, so it is a somewhat equal distance from all parts of the country.

theory prevalent during the Cold War Era that once a country became communist, its neighbors were likely to soon become communist also

capital city located away from the core region for economic or political reasons in a symbolic gesture

area (usually 370 km) from the shore in which a state has rights to explore, exploit, and manage natural resources in the seas

a city that is at least twice as large as the next largest city and more than twice as significant (not just the largest city in a country)

rule proposed by Zipf that states that if all cities in a country are placed in order from the largest to the smallest, the second largest city would have about 1/2 the population of the largest city, the third largest city would have about 1/3 of the population of the largest city, the fourth largest city about 1/4 the population of the largest city, etc.

production of goods and services is determined by the demand of customers