| Term | Definition |
|---|
| balance of power | Condition of roughly equal strength between opposing countries or allies of countries. |
| Berlin Conference | The meeting of European powers in 1884-85 resulting in the Berlin Treaty and the partition of Africa into colonies of the attending nations. |
| boundary | Invisible line that marks the extent of a state’s territory. |
| city-state | A sovereign state comprising a city and its immediate hinterland. |
| civil divisions | Divisions that divide citizens. |
| colonialism | Attempt by one country to establish settlements and to impose its political, economic, and cultural principles in another territory. |
| colony | A territory that is legally tied to a sovereign state rather than completely independent. |
| compact state | A state in which the distance from the center to any boundary does not vary significantly. |
| devolution | Transfer of powers from a state to separate locations. |
| elongated state | A state with a long, narrow shape. |
| exclave | Outlying portions of territories. |
| EEZ (Exclusive Economic Zones) | An area (usually 370 km) from the shore in which a state has rights to explore, exploit, and manage natural resources in the seas. |
| fragmented state | A state that includes several discontinuous pieces of territory. |
| federal state | An internal organization of a state that allocates most powers to units of local government. |
| frontier | A zone separating two states in which neither state exercises political control. |
| high seas | Areas of seas considered beyond territorial waters. |
| gerrymandering | Process of redrawing legislative boundaries for the purpose of benefiting the party in power. |
| imperialism | Control of territory already occupied and organized by an indigenous society. |
| irredentism | The homeland of a nationality “spilling over” to another state. |
| landlocked state | A state that does not have a direct outlet to the sea. |
| microstate | A state that encompasses a very small land area. |
| multinational state | State that contains two or more groups with traditions of self-determination that agree to coexist peacefully by recognizing each other as distinct nationalities. |
| perforated state | A state that completely surround another one. |
| prorupted state | An otherwise compact state with a large projecting extension. |
| sovereignty | Ability of a state to govern its territory free from control of its internal affairs by other states. |
| state | An area organized into a political unit and is ruled by an established government with control over its internal and foreign affairs. |
| stateless nation | A nationality that is not represented by a state. |
| territorial waters | The area of sea around a country’s coast recognized as being under that country's jurisdiction |
| unitary state | An internal organization of a state that places most power in the hands of central government officials. |
| supranationalism | Association of three or more states. |
| United Nations | An organization of nations that was formed in 1945 to promote peace, security, and international cooperation. |
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