Borders and Boundaries
Borders that attempt to reflect the cultural differences of the people living in a particular area.
What are ethnic borders?
A state that is extremely small
Microstate
What is a nation?
A group of people with a common identity through shared cultural traits such as language, religion, ethnicity, and heritage.
Composed of 435 U.S representatives, 100 senators, and 3 D.C representatives.
Who makes up the electoral college?
Which of the following types of political boundaries best describe the border between the United States and Canada?
A.) Relict
B.) Militarized
C.) Geometric
D.) Open
E.) Gerrymandered
C.) Geometric
Borders that are established on straight lines of latitude and longitude instead of physical or cultural boundaries.
What is a geometric border/boundary?
A state that is completely inland with no direct access to the ocean
Landlocked state
What are two defining factors of a state?
Possible answers:
1.) Defined territory / borders
2.) Permanent population
3.) Government
4.) Sovereignty
5.) Recognition from other states
State’s internal political boundaries that determine voting districts for the US House of Representatives and the state legislature. Redrawn to accurately reflect the new census data.
What is redistricting?
The geopolitical setting of which of the following countries can be explained by its membership in the Warsaw Pact during the Cold War and its location along the European shatterbelt?
A). France
B.) Bulgaria
C.) Italy
D.) Switzerland
E.) Belgium
B.) Bulgaria
Borders that are established before there has been major settlement by people in a territory.
What is an antecedent border/boundary?
States that are divided from their other parts by either land or other states
Fragmented state
Define a nation-state and provide an example of one
When the borders of the nation match the borders of the state - a state with (ideally) only one nation within it. --> Essentially is home to a homogenous group of people who all share the same cultural traits.
Possible examples: Japan, Iceland, Denmark
Redistricting for a political advantage, when the political party that controls a majority of seats in the state legislature draws political district boundaries to maintain or extend their political power.
What is gerrymandering?
Which of the following describes a unitary state?
A.) An ethnically homogeneous state where all citizens identify as members of the same nation
B.) A state in which government decisions are made at the national level and applied uniformly across the state
C.) A state in which one leader and one party have complete political, economic, and social control
D.) A state in which subunits are granted independent constitutional authority
E.) A state that is geographically contiguous with no fragmented land areas separated from the rest of the state
B.) A state in which government decisions are made at the national level and applied uniformly across the state
Borders that are drawn in areas that have been settled by people, typically due to changes that have occured over time.
What is a subsequent border/boundary?
State that is geographically long and relatively narrow
Elongated state
What is a multinational state and what are two examples of them?
A country with various ethnicities and cultures within its borders.
Examples: U.S, Russia, former Yugoslavia, Iraq, Afghanistan, Nigeria
What is one requirement necessary when creating voting districts?
Possible answers:
1.) Similar population size
2.) Contiguous (single, unbroken shape)
3.) Compact (smooth boundaries that cluster around a central core rather than dispersing outwards)
Which of the following is a best example of centrifugal forces operating at the local scale compared to the national or international scale?
A.) A failed state
B.) Increased cultural cohesion
C.) Increased social equity
D.) A stateless nation
E.) Uneven development
E.) Uneven development
A type of boundary that takes into account the existing cultural distribution of the people living in the territory and redevelops boundary lines to more closely align with cultural boundaries.
What is a consequent boundary?
The distance from the geographic center of the state to any of the borders does not vary greatly
Compact state
What is the main difference between an autonomous and semi-autonomous region?
The degree of self-governance and the permanence of their power.
(Autonomous is predominantly independent, self-governed regions under a limited central government, while semi-autonomous has a central government that holds more absolute power)
What is the main difference between packed and cracked voting districts?
Packed districts cluster like-minded voters, while cracked disperses like-minded voters.
Which of the following technological examples is best used to compare the effects of local-scale and global-scale political challenges to state sovereignty?
A.) Laptop computers used by aid agencies in nation-building
B.) Social media websites supporting supranational organizations
C.) Internet filters restricting the spread of globalization
D.) Cell phone use weakening corrupt governments
E.) Satellite image analysis contributing to devolution
D.) Cell phone use weakening corrupt governments