Political Entities and Boundaries
A people with no independent state, like the Basques.
What is a stateless nation?
When power shifts from a central government to regional governments.
What is devolution?
What is Supranationalism?
Regions caught between stronger, colliding external powers whose competition produces instability, fragmentation, and frequent conflict.
What are shatterbelts?
Forces that pull a state together and unify people.
What are centripetal forces?
Nigeria is an example of this type of state due to ethnic diversity.
What is a multinational state?
Religious differences divided Sudan and led to this country's independence in 2011.
What is South Sudan?
U.S. census population data is used every 10 years for this process.
What is reapportionment/redistricting for the House of Representatives?
A heavily militarized border divides a single nation into North and South states here.
What is the Korean Peninsula/DMZ?
Forces that divide a state and may lead to breakup.
What are centrifugal forces?
The straight-line border between the U.S. and Canada is this type of boundary.
What is a geometric boundary?
European states splitting after 1955 demonstrates this process.
What is devolution into smaller states?
A state governed from one strong central capital is described as this.
What is a unitary state?
Maritime passageways, which are narrow, strategic transportation corridors whose control confers leverage over the movement of goods and resources.
What are chokepoints?
Cell phones weakening corrupt governments show how tech triggers this force.
What is a centrifugal force?
Boundaries drawn by outsiders, like many in the Middle East after European control.
What are superimposed borders?
Quebec separatism + NAFTA illustrate forces that challenge this state attribute.
What is sovereignty?
A state where local governments hold major constitutional power.
What is a federal state?
Iran and the UAE influence oil exports because of this narrow passageway.
What is the Strait of Hormuz?
In the Philippines, the Muslim population is largely concentrated on Mindanao, creating potential for this political outcome.
What is ethnic separatism?
Type of boundary formed before significant settlement, opposite of a subsequent border.
What is an antecedent boundary?
Eastern European economic growth after joining the EU is linked to this concept.
What is supranationalism?
Redrawing voting boundaries to favor a political party.
What is gerrymandering?
What is neocolonialism?
Local disputes over language in Belgium are an example of this concept involving control over space.
What is territoriality?