Political geog

• state


  A politically organized territory that has sovereignty and is recognized by the international community
• nation


  When compared to the concept of "state," a particular ethnic group.
• nation-state


  A state whose territory corresponds to that occupied by a particular ethnicity

  Examples: No true example today but closest are Japan and Denmark.
• stateless nation


  An ethnic group without a formal country.
• multinational state


  state with more than one nation (ethnic group) within its borders
• multistate nation


  a nation (ethnic group) stretches across borders and across states
• autonomous region


  An area within a state (country) that essentially governs themselves.
• semiautonomous region


  An area within a state (country) that has some limited power to govern themselves but must also follow some rules of the state.
• sovereignty


  the right to rule
• self-determination


  the right of people (often by ethnic group) to choose their own form of government
• colonialism


  the policy or practice of acquiring full or partial political control over another country, occupying it with settlers, and exploiting it economically.
• Imperialism


  A policy in which a strong nation seeks to dominate other countries politically, socially, and economically.
• independence


  self-reliance and freedom from outside control
• devolution


  The transfer or delegation of power to a lower level, especially by central government to local or regional administration.
• territoriality


  In political geography, a country's or more local community's sense of property and attachment toward its territory, as expressed by its determination to keep it inviolable and strongly defended.
• political power


  power used to determine who will hold government office and how the government will behave
• neocolonialism


  Also called economic imperialism, this is the domination of newly independent countries by foreign business interests that causes colonial-style economies to continue.
• shatterbelt


  an area of instability between regions with opposing political and cultural values
• choke point


  narrowing of an international waterway causing marine traffic congestion
• balance of power


  distribution of military and economic power that prevents any one nation from becoming too strong
• political boundaries


  lines that define the border of a country or state
• relic boundary


  a former boundary line that is still discernible and marked by some cultural landscape features
• superimposed boundary


  a boundary line placed over and ignoring an existing cultural pattern by an outside group
• subsequent boundary


  a boundary line that is established after the area in question has been settled and that considers the cultural characteristics of the bounded area
• antecedent boundary


  a boundary line established before the area in question is well populated
• geometric boundary


  a boundary that follows a geometric pattern (usually a straight line)
• consequent boundary


  a boundary line that coincides with some cultural divide, such as religion or language
• defined boundary


  a boundary established by a legal

  document, such as a treaty.
• delimited boundary


  the drawing of boundaries, particularly of electoral precincts, states, counties or other municipalities
• demarcated boundary


  A boundary demarcated (marked) by some visible means on the ground. Ex. wall posts, fences, etc.
• administered boundary


  a border that is actively managed, protected, and administered by a sovereign government
• demilitarized zone


  A region where no military forces or weapons are permitted.
• maritime boundaries


  boundaries in the world's oceans.
• exclusive economic zone


  A zone that extends 200 miles off a country's coast in which they alone have mineral and fishing rights; Other county's ships and airplanes may travel through this zone without permission.
• international waters


  areas of seas and oceans considered beyond territorial waters
• territorial seas


  extend 12 miles from the coast and were established by the Law of the Sea Treaty.
• international boundaries


  a boundary between two states (countries)
• internal boundaries


  boundaries that divide the interiors of a country into sections (states, provinces, cities, etc.)
• voting districts


  generic term adopted by the Bureau of the Census to include the wide variety of small polling areas, such as election districts, precincts, or wards, that State and local governments create for the purpose of administering elections
• gerrymandering


  drawing the boundaries of legislative districts in unusual shapes to favor one political party.