1.
antecedent boundries: a boundary line established before an area is populated
2.
balance of power: condition of roughly equal strength between opposing countries or alliances or countries
3.
boundary: invisible line that marks the extent of a state's territory
4.
centrifugal forces: forces that lend to divide a country
5.
centripetal forces: forces that bond a country together
6.
colonialism: attempt by one country to establish settlements and to impose its political econimic and cultural principles in another territory
7.
colony: a territory that is legally tied to a sovereign state rather that completely independent
8.
commonwealth of independent states: confederacy of indepentent states of independent states of the former soviet union that have united because of their common economic and administrative needs
9.
compact state: state in which the distance from the center to any boundary does not vary significantly
10.
compact state: a state that posses a roughly circular shape from which the geometric center is relatively equal in all directions
11.
confederation: a form of an international organization that brings several autonomous states together for a common purpose
12.
domino theory: the idea tha political destabilization in one country can lead to collapse of political stability in neighboring countries setting off a chain reaction of collapse
13.
east/west divide: geographic separation between the largely democratic and free market countries of western europe and the americas from the communists and socialists countries of eastern europe and asia
14.
electoral college: a certain number of electores from each state proportional to and seemingly representative of that states population , each elector chooses a candidate beliving they are representing their constituency's choice. the candidate who recieves all the electoral votes for that state
15.
electoral vote: the decision of a particular state elector that represents the dominant views on that elector's state
16.
elongated state: state with a long, narrow shape
17.
elongated state: a state whose territory is long and narrow in shape
18.
european union: international organization comprised of western european countries to promote free trade among members
19.
exclave: a bounded territory that is part of a particular state but is separated from it by the territory of a different state
20.
federal state: internal organization of a state that allocates most powers to units of local government
21.
federalism: a system of government in which power is distributed among certain geographical territories rather than concentrated within a central government
22.
fragmented state: state that includes several dicontinous pieces of territory
23.
fragmented state: a state that is not contiguous wholw but rather seprated parts
24.
frontier: zone separating two states in which neither state exercises political control
25.
frontier: an area where borders are shiting and weak and where peoples of different cultures or nationalities meet and lay claim to the land
26.
geometric boundary: political boundaries that are defined and delimited by straight lines
27.
geopolitics: the study of interplay between political relations and the territorial context in which thy occur
28.
gerrymandering: process of redrawing legislative boundaries for the prupoose of benefiting the party in power
29.
gerrymandering: the designation of voting districts so as to favor a political party or candidate
30.
heartland theory: hypothesis proposed by halford mackinder that held tha any political power based in the heart of eurasia cdould gain enough strength to enertually dominate the world
31.
imperialism: control of territory already occupied and organized by an indigenous society
32.
imperialism: the perpetuation of a colonial empire even after it is no longer politically sovereign
33.
international organization: an alliance of two or more countries seeking cooperation with each other without giving up either's autonomy or self determination
34.
landlocked state: a state that is completely surrounded by the land of other states, which is bad for accessibility and trade
35.
landlocked state: state tha tdoes not have a direct outlet to the sea
36.
law of the sea: law establishing states rights and responsibilities concerning ownership and use of the earth's seas and oceans adn their resources
37.
lebensraum: hitler's expansionist theory based on a drive to aquire living space for german people
38.
microstate: state that encompasses a very small land area.
39.
microstate: a state or territory that is small in both size adn population
40.
NAFTA: north american free trade agreement- agreement signed on Jan 1 1994, that allows the opening of borders between the united states, mexico and canada
41.
nation: tightly knit group of people sharing the same language, ethnicity, religion, and other cultural attributes
42.
nation-state: a country whose poplulation possesses a substantial degree fo cultural homogenity and unity
43.
nationalism: a sense of national pride to such extent as to exalt one nation above all others
44.
NATO: North Atlantic Treaty Organization- and international organization that has joined together for military purposes
45.
North/South divide: the economic division between the wealthy countries of Europe and North America, Australia, and Japan and the generally poorer countries of asia , africa and latin america
46.
OPEC: Organization of Petroleum exporting countries- and internal economic organization whose member countries produce and export oil
47.
Organic theory: the view that states resemble biological organisms with life cycles that include all stages of life
48.
pectangular state: a state whose territory is rectangular in shape
49.
Perforated State: a state whose territory completely surrounds that of another state
50.
perforated state: state that completely surrounds another one
51.
Physical Boundary: Political boundaries that correspond witn physical features such as mountains or rivers
52.
Political Geography: the spatial analysis of political phenomena and processes
53.
popular vote: the tally of each individuals vote withina specific geographic area
54.
prorupted state: an otherwise compact state with a large projecting extension
55.
prorupted state: a state that exhibits a narrow, elongated land extension, leading away from the main territory
56.
reapportionment: the relocation of electoral seats to defined territories
57.
redistricting: the drawing of a new electoral district boundary lines in response to population changes
58.
rimland theory: nicholas Spyman's theory that the domination of coastal fringes of eurasia would provided the bade for world conquest
59.
self-determination: the right of a nation to govern itself autonomously
60.
sovereignty: ability of a state to govern its territory free from control of its intenal affairs by other states
61.
state: area organized into a political unit and ruled by an established government with control over its internal and foreign affairs
62.
state: a politically organized territory that is administered by a sovereign government and is reconized by the international community
63.
states' rights: rights and powers belived to be the authority of the state rather than the federal government
64.
subsequent boundaries: boundary line established after an area has been populated that considered the social and cultural characteristics of the area
65.
superimposed boundaries: boundary line drawn in an area ignoring the existing cultural pattern
66.
supranational organization: organization of 3 or more states to promote shared activities
67.
territorial dispute: any dispute over land ownership
68.
territorial organization: political organization that distributes political power in more easily governed units of land
69.
theocracy: A state whose government is either belived to be divinely guided or a state under the control of religious leaders
70.
unitary state: internal organization of a state that places most power in the hands of central government
71.
United nations: a global supranational organization established at hte end of WW2 to foster international security and cooperation
