Political Geography Basics
Political entity with defined boundaries, permanent population, international recognition, sovereignty
What is a state?
Boundaries that no longer function, but evidence of them still exists on the landscape
What are relic boundaries?
The creation of legal divisions between political entities (states, etc.) by treaty or other legal document
What is defining boundaries?
Boundaries that divide a population into regions to elect representatives
What are voting districts?
Transfer of political power from central authority to regional/local levels
What is devolution?
Primary allegiance to a cultural/ethnic group within a larger state
What is subnationalism?
A group of people with a common language, ethnicity, religion, or beliefs
What is a nation?
Meeting where European powers drew colonial boundaries in Africa, ignoring local cultural patterns.
What is the Berlin Conference?
Walls and signs are examples of this step in the formation of boundaries
What is demarcating boundaries?
Drawing voting districts to reduce the political power of one party/group
What is gerrymandering?
Attempt by one ethnic group to eliminate another
What is ethnic cleansing?
Fragmentation of a state/region into smaller units along ethnic lines
What is balkanization?
The power to independently carry out actions/policies within a territory
What is sovereignty?
This treaty ended the Thirty Years War and established the concept of the modern state (boundaries, sovereignty)
What is the Peace of Westphalia?
Cartographers drawing China's Nine-Dash is an example of which step of boundary formation?
What is delimiting boundaries?
The process of changing the number of electoral votes per state every 10 years (based on census)
What is reapportionment?
Organized violence against government/civilians to achieve political goals
What is terrorism?
Multiple countries forming an organization (such as the UN, EU) for the benefit it all members
What is supranationalism?
Political entities that exist within their own state and across the borders of other states
What are multistate nations?
Boundaries drawn to accommodate changes in the cultural landscape—not preexisting conditions
What are subsequent boundaries?
This type of boundary dispute results from disagreements over the interpretation of legal documents that identify boundaries
What are definitional boundary disputes?
Rules and norms of politics in a country, regarding freedom, equality, power, etc.
What is a regime?
Organized effort by an ethnic group to separate from the state
What is ethnic separatism?
This supranational organization includes 193 member states and focuses on maintaining international peace and security, promoting social progress, and human rights
What is the United Nations?
The Kurdish and Palestinian peoples are both examples of this type of political entity.
What is a stateless nation?
The border between Chile and Argentina, drawn along the Andes Mountains before the area was inhabited, is an example of which boundary type?
What are antecedent boundaries?
Disagreements between the US/Mexico over the use of their shared border represents this type of boundary dispute
What are operational boundary disputes?
System of government commonly used in smaller and/or culturally homogenous countries
What is a unitary state?
The Quebec Independence movement was driven by a language divide within the Canadian province, which represents this devolutionary factor
What are social issues?
This military alliance was formed by 30 states in North America and Europe to guarantee the freedom and security of its members
What is the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)?
Hong Kong, Scotland, and Wales are all examples of this type of political entity.
What is a semiautonomous region?
The boundary between India and Pakistan, drawn in consideration of pre-existing religious settlement patterns, is an example of which boundary type?
What are consequent boundaries?
Russia has tried to justify its invasion of Ukraine by making historical claims to Ukrainian land, which is an example of this term related to boundary disputes
What is irredentism?
System of government commonly used in large culturally diverse countries
What is a federal state?
The Scottish Independence movement was motivated by a dispute over the distribution of revenue between Scotland and the rest of the UK created by oil wells in Scottish territory, which is an example of this devolutionary factor
What is economics?
Coordinate and unify petroleum policies; ensure stabilization of oil markets to provide an efficient and regular supply of petroleum to consumers, a steady income to producers, and fair return for those investing in the petroleum industry
What is the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)?