States, Nations & Political Change
Name 3 of the 5 characteristics of a state
Defined territory, permanent population, government, sovereignty, and recognition from other states.
What is political power?
Control over people, land, and resources.
What is an antecedent boundary?
A boundary established before major settlement takes place.
What does EEZ stand for?
Exclusive Economic Zone.
How often is the U.S. Census conducted?
Every 10 years
What is the difference between a nation and a state?
A nation is a group of people who share a common identity or culture. A state is an independent political territory with borders and a government.
What is a choke point? Give one example.
A narrow, strategically important waterway that ships must pass through. Examples include the Strait of Hormuz, Strait of Malacca, and Suez Canal.
What type of boundary is created to reflect the cultural characteristics of people living in an area?
Consequent boundary.
How far does a country's territorial sea extend from its coastline?
2 nautical miles.
What is reapportionment?
Reallocating seats in the U.S. House of Representatives among states based on population changes.
What is a stateless nation?
A group of people who share a national identity but do not have their own fully sovereign, internationally recognized state.
What is neocolonialism?
When a powerful country uses economic, political, or cultural pressure to influence another country without directly colonizing it.
European countries divide African territory without considering the ethnic groups already living there. What type of boundary is this?
Superimposed boundary.
How far can an Exclusive Economic Zone extend from a country's coastline, and what rights does it provide?
Up to 200 nautical miles. It gives a country special rights to explore and use marine resources.
What is the difference between reapportionment and redistricting?
Reapportionment determines how many House seats each state receives. Redistricting redraws voting district boundaries within a state.
What was the purpose of the Berlin Conference, and how did it affect Africa?
European countries divided Africa into colonial territories for their own benefit, often ignoring existing ethnic and cultural groups. This contributed to future conflict.
A region is located between two powerful countries that both want political influence and control over its territory. What is this region called?
A shatterbelt.
What is the difference between a geometric boundary and a relic boundary?
A geometric boundary follows straight lines, often using latitude and longitude. A relic boundary no longer exists officially but has left lasting effects on an area.
What are the four steps involved in establishing and managing political boundaries?
Defined, delimited, demarcated, and administered.
A political party groups most opposing voters into one district so its own candidates can win more surrounding districts. What strategy is being used?
Packing.
How did the fall of the Soviet Union demonstrate the relationship between nationalism, self-determination, and independence?
Different groups wanted more control over their political futures. Their demands for self-determination contributed to the breakup of the Soviet Union into 15 independent countries.
Why might a relatively small country have significant political power if it controls an important choke point?
It can influence major international shipping routes and the movement of important goods, giving it power over global trade.
A boundary is created using straight lines by an outside power that ignores the cultural groups already living there. What TWO types of boundaries could describe it? Explain.
Geometric and superimposed. It is geometric because it uses straight lines and superimposed because an outside power imposed it without considering existing cultural groups.
Two countries have coastlines less than 400 nautical miles apart. Both claim the ocean between them because their EEZs overlap. What principle can help determine the boundary?
The median line principle, which draws a maritime boundary halfway between the coastlines.
A political party spreads opposing voters across several districts so they cannot form a majority in any of them. What strategy is being used, and why might a party do this?
Cracking. A party uses this strategy to weaken the opposing group's voting power and increase its own chances of winning elections.