Nations: Borders and Power

Terms	Definitions
Political Unit	an area of land ruled by government...another name for "country"
Border	a line that indicates a boundary...could be man made or a physical border (ocean, river, mountain, plain, desert)
County Government	a level of government that can make laws on schools, owning property, license, lawyers, and doctors.
Federal Government	Print and coin money, control relations with foreign governments, and Pass laws that impact entire country...another name for federal is "national"
Sovereign Government	having supreme power within its own territory; neither subordinate nor responsible to any other authority, has final control over what happens withinn its borders. It is not subject to any higher authority on its own territory. The federal govt in the US is SOVEREIGN!!
Annexation	the act of adding or joining a territory to an existing one. The US annexed the Louisiana territory, Florida, and Mexican territory (TX, CA, AZ)
Louisiana Purchase	A territory in the west central United States purchased from France in 1803; extended from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains, and the gulf of Mexico to Canada.
Mexican Cession	land that Mexico gave to the United States after the Mexican War through the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo; included in what is now California, Nevada, and Utah; most of Arizona and New Mexico and parts of Colorado, Texdas, and Wyoming
Israel	Jewish republic in southwestern Asia at eastern end of Mediterranean
Balance of Power	the distribution of power among nations so that no single nation can dominate or interfere with another
United States	North American republic containing 50 states - 48 conterminous states in North America plus Alaska in northwest North America and the Hawaiian Islands in the Pacific Ocean
China	In the classical and postclassical era, people in this country invented the compass, the rudder, and gun powder, among other things.
Russia	largest country in the world
Japan	an archipelago made up over 3,000 islands. It is mostly mountainous and volcanic. It is the 2nd largest world economy
United Nations	International organization founded in 1945 to promote world peace and cooperation. It replaced the League of Nations.
UN Security Council	a body of 5 great powers (which can veto resolutions) and 10 rotating member states, which makes decisions about international peace and security including the dispatch of UN peacekeeping forces
European Union	an organization whose goal is to unite Europe so that goods, services, and workers can move freely among member countries
NAFTA	North American Free Trade Agreement. Allows Canada, United States, and Mexico to trade freely without taxing imports/exports.