Boundaries
The political boundary that is defined and delimited by straight lines (often latitude and longitude).
The expansion and perpetuation of an empire.
Colonialism
A system of government in which power is distributed among certain geographical territories rather than concentrated within a central government.
Federalism
A state that possesses a roughly circular, oval, or rectangular territory in which the distance from the geometric center is relatively equal in all directions.
Compact
International organization comprised of Western European countries to promote free trade among members.
European Union (EU)
A boundary that corresponds with prominent features of the landscape, such as mountain ranges or rivers.
Physical
The study of the interplay between political relations and the territorial context in which they occur.
Geopolitics
The designation of voting districts so as to favor a particular political party or candidate.
Gerrymandering
A state whose territory is long and narrow in shape.
Elongated
Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)
Old political boundaries that no longer exist as international border, but that have left an enduring mark on the local cultural and environmental geography.
Relic
A relatively small country sandwiched between two larger powers, used to prevent dangerous conflicts between powerful countries.
Buffer State
A state governed constitutionally as a unit, without internal divisions or a federalist delegation of powers.
Unitary State
A state that exhibits a narrow, elongated land extension leading away from the main territory.
Prorupted
A regional economic organization in which Mexico, the United States, and Canada relax trade restrictions between their borders.
North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)
A boundary line drawn in an area that ignores the existing cultural pattern.
Superimposed
The right of a nation to govern itself autonomously.
Self-determination
A state whose government is either believed to be divinely guided or a state under the control of a group of religious leaders.
Theocracy
A state that is not a contiguous whole but rather separated parts.
Fragmented
A global supranational organization established at the end of World War II to foster international security and cooperation.
United Nations (UN)
A boundary line that is established before an area is populated.
Antecedent
Hitler's expansionist theory based on a drive to acquire "living space" for the German people.
Lebensraum
Forces that tend to divide a country
Centrifugal Forces
A bounded territory that is part of a particular state but is separated from it by the territory of a different state.
Exclave
Regional economic organization in which member African nations set terms for trade on the continent.
African Union (AU)