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Antecedent Boundary

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A boundary that was drawn across an area prior to the area becoming substantially-populated (e.g. border between Malaysia and Indonesia)

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Balance of Power

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A condition of roughly equal strength between opposing countries or allies

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Boundary

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An invisible line that marks the extent of a state's territory

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Buffer State

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A neutral state between two warring states (e.g. Mongolia, between Russia and China)

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City-State

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A sovereign state comprising of a city and its immediate hinterland (e.g. Singapore)

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Confederate Governmental Structure

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A system of government in which nations or states agree to join together under a central government

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Colonialism

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An attempt by one country to establish settlements and to impose its political, economical, and cultural principles in another territory

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Colony

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A territory that is legally tied to a sovereign state rather than being independent (e.g. British Virgin Islands to Great Britain)

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Compact State

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A state in which the distance from the center to any boundary does not vary significantly (e.g. Poland)

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Commonwealth

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A territory that has established a mutual agreement with another state for the benefit of each (e.g. Puerto Rico)

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Cultural Political Boundaries

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Political boundaries formed by differences in culture, such as religion or language

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Domino Theory

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The theory that if one nation goes under Communist control, neighboring countries will do the same

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Elongated State

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A state with a long, narrow shape (e.g. Chile)

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Enclave

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An enclosed territory with a foreign territory around it (e.g. Lesotho)

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Ethnonationalism

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The powerful emotional attachment to one's minority nation within a larger state (e.g. Chechens)

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European Union (EU)

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A supranational organization of European countries formed after World War II to reduce trade barriers and increase cooperation among its members

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Exclave

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A part of a country that is seperated from the rest of the country and surrounded by a foreign territory

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Federal State

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An internal organization of a state that allocates most powers to units of local government (e.g. United States)

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Forward Capital

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A symbolically relocated capital city, moved for economic or strategic reasons (e.g. Brasilia)

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Fragmented State

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A state that includes several discontinuous territories (e.g. Indonesia)

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Frontier

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A zone separating two states in which neither of the states exercises political control (e.g. Antarctica)

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Geometric Political Boundaries

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Boundaries drawn with straight lines and arcs, as opposed to irregular lines and shapes (e.g. the boundaries of most African countries)

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Gerrymandering

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The redrawing of legislative boundaries entirely for electoral purposes, thereby benefiting the party in power

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Heartland Theory

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A theory that suggests that whoever owns Eastern Europe and Western Asia has the political power and capital to rule the world

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Imperialism

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The control of territory already occupied and organized by an indigenous society

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Land Empire

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An empire that involves conquest by force in which armies attack, pillage, and plunder their way through another land, taking resources by force

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Landlocked State

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A state without access to the sea (e.g. Bolivia)

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Mercantilism

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The process in which a colonizing mother country receives raw materials from its colonies

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Microstate

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A state that encompasses a very small area (e.g. Vatican City)

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Multinational State

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A state that contains two or more ethnic groups with traditions of self-determination that agree to coexist peacefully by recognizing each other as distinct nationalities (e.g. United Kingdom)

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Nation

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A group of people with common cultural characteristics and identify themselves as a cohesive group (e.g. Kurds)

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Nation-State

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A state whose territory corresponds to that which is occupied by a particular ethnicity that has been transformed into a nationality (e.g. Japan)

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Neo-Colonialism

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The continued economic dependence of new states on their former colonial masters

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North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)

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An international organization created in 1949 by the North Atlantic Treaty to provide collective security to its members

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Organic Theory

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The theory that a state needs expansive land in order to prosper

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Perforated State

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A state that completely surrounds another one (e.g. Italy)

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Political Geography

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The study of geography involving geographic states, borders, and how humans identify with them

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Physical Political Boundary

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A state's border that corresponds to a natural, real-life boundary (e.g. Rio Grande border between Mexico and the U.S.)

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Prorupted State

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An adhesive compact state with a large expansion (e.g. Thailand)

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Relic Boundary

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A boundary no longer observed but that still affects the present-day area (e.g. border between West and East Germany in Berlin)

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Rimland Theory

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A political theory that holds that control of Eurasia and Africa is achieved via control of the countries bordering the Soviet Union

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Satellite State

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A state that is formally independent but heavily influenced by another state (e.g. Bulgaria during the Soviet Union)

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Sea Empire

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Empires acquired using sea power, where settlements were set up along coasts, and excursions into the interior brought loot back to those settlements, where a ship would be waiting to take the resources home

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Self-Determination

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The concept that ethnicities have the right to govern themselves

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Settlement Empire

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An empire intended for longer residence, rather than used for immediate return with resources

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Shatterbelt Regions

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Areas that are constantly breaking up and/or fragmenting (e.g. Southeast Asia)

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Sovereignty

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The ability of a state to govern its territory from control of its internal affairs by other states

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State

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An area organized into a political unit and ruled by an established government with control over its internal and foreign affairs (e.g. France)

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Stateless Nation

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A nation lacking a territory to call its own (e.g. Hmong, Kurds)

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Subsequent Boundaries

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Drawn boundaries made with regard to ethnic differences (e.g. border between China and Vietnam)

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Superimposed Boundaries

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A boundary made through colonization without regard to prior ethnic/cultural patterns (e.g. borders of most African countries)

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Supranationalism

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The term applied to associations created by three or more states for their mutual benefit and achievement of shared objectives

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Territorial Morphology

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A phrase that states that the shape of a state influences how effectively the government can rule its territory

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Territoriality

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The creating of ownership over a defined space (e.g. the cause of World War I)

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Theocracy

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A government set up around a religious leader

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Unitary State

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An internal organization of a state that places most power in the hands of central government officials

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United Nations

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A supranational organization formed in 1945 to promote peace, security, and international cooperation

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Warsaw Pact

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The agreement between Communist states established in 1955 that opposed NATO

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