question

Balance of Power

answer

distribution of military and economic power that prevents any one nation from becoming too strong

question

Balkanization

answer

process by which a state breaks down through conflicts among its ethnicities

question

Bi-national and Multinational State

answer

state with more than one nation within its borders

question

Boundary

answer

vertical plane between states that cuts through the rocks below, and the airspace above the surface

question

Centripetal Force

answer

forces that tend to unify a country- such as widespread commitment to a national culture, shared ideological objectives, and a common faith

question

Centrifugal Force

answer

forces that tend divide a country- such as internal religious, linguistic, ethnic, or ideological differences

question

City-State

answer

a city and its surrounding lands functioning as an independent political unit

question

Cold War

answer

the ideological struggle between communism (Soviet Union) and capitalism (United States) for world influence. The Soviet Union and the United States came to the brink of actual war during the Cuban missile crisis but never attacked one another

question

Colonies/ Colonialism

answer

lands that are controlled by another nation/ rule by an autonomous power over a subordinate and alien people and place. Although often established and maintained through political structures, colonialism also creates unequal cultural and economic relations. Because of the magnitude and impact of the European colonial project of the last few centuries, the term is generally understood to refer to that particular colonial endeavor

question

Command Economy

answer

economic system in which a central authority is in command of the economy; a centrally planned economy

question

Compact States

answer

in this state, the distance from the center to any boundary is about the same, giving it a shape similar to a circle

question

Confederal System

answer

a system consisting of a league of independent states, each having essentially sovereign powers. The central government created by such a league has only limited powers over the states

question

Consequent Boundaries

answer

the boundaries between states are set by ethical differences, especially those based on language and/or religion. also called cultural boundaries

question

Core Area

answer

in geography, a term with several connotations. Core refers to the center, heart, or focus. The core area of a nation-state is constituted by the national heartland - the largest population cluster, the most productive region, the area with greatest centrality and accessibility, probably containing the capital city as well

question

Core-periphery

answer

core countries have high levels of development, a capacity at innovation and a convergence of trade flows. Periphery countries usually have less development and are poorer countries

question

Cultural Boundary

answer

a boundary that is delineated based on the pattern of settlements of different cultural groups

question

Democratization

answer

the process of creating a government elected by the people

question

Devolution

answer

the process whereby regions within a state demand and gain political strength and growing autonomy at the expense of the central government

question

Positional Disputes

answer

conflict over location, usually associated with physical boundaries

question

Territorial Disputes

answer

a disagreement over the possession/control of land between two or more states, or over the possession or control of land

question

Resource Disputes

answer

in political geography, disagreement over the control or use of shared resources, such as boundary rivers or jointly claimed fishing grounds

question

Functional Disputes

answer

a disagreement between neighboring states over policies to be applied to their common border; often induced by differing customs regulations, movement of nomadic groups, or illegal immigration or emigration

question

Economic Force

answer

a force that can divide and destabilize a state due to economic inequalities and differences

question

Electoral Geography

answer

the study of the interactions among space, place, and region and the conduct and results of elections

question

Elongated States

answer

these states have a long and narrow shape, sometimes because of physical geography and other times for political or economic reasons

question

Enclaves

answer

countries surrounded or almost surrounded by another country

question

Exclaves

answer

a bounded (nonisland) piece of territory that is part of a particular state but lies separated from it by the territory of another state

question

Ethnic Force

answer

process in which more powerful ethnic group forcibly removes a less powerful one in order to create an ethnically homogeneous region

question

Ethno nationalization

answer

a form of nationalism wherein the "nation" is defined in terms of ethnicity

question

European Constitution

answer

European Union document not yet ratified, which incorporates a charter of fundamental rights; merges the judicial, economic, and defense aspects of the EU; establishes the European Council; and raises the number of seats in Parliament, among other things

question

European Monetary Union

answer

the agreement among the participating member states of the European Union to adopt a single hard currency and monetary system

question

European Union

answer

international organization comprised of Western European countries to promote free trade among members

question

Federal System

answer

a government that divides the powers of government between the national government and state or provincial governments

question

Forward Capital

answer

capital city positioned in actually or potentially contested territory usually near an international border, it confirms the states determination to maintain its presence in the region in contention

question

Fragmentation

answer

the process or state of breaking or being broken into small or separate parts

question

Fragmented States

answer

states that have several discontinuous pieces of territory

question

Frontiers

answer

a geographic zone where no state exercises power

question

Geometric Boundary

answer

political boundaries that are defined and delimited by straight lines or arcs

question

Gerrymandering

answer

redistricting for advantage, or the practice of dividing areas into electoral districts to give one political party an electoral majority in a large number of districts while concentrating the voting strength of the opposition in as few districts as possible

question

Geopolitics

answer

the study of the effects of economic geography on the powers of the state

question

Globalization

answer

the expansion of economic, political, and cultural processes to the point that they become global in scale and impact

question

Government

answer

the institution through which the state maintains social order, provides public services, and enforces binding decisions on citizens

question

Heartland Theory

answer

a geopolitical hypothesis proposed by British geographer Harold Mackinder that states that any political power based in the heart of Eurasia could gain strength to eventually dominate the world

AP Human Geography Ch 8 Vocab – Flashcards

Unlock all answers in this set

Haven't found what you were looking for?

Search for samples, answers to your questions and flashcards