OVERVIEW OF GEOGRAPHY TERMS – POLITICAL
Antecedent boundary
boundary that was created before the present day
cultural landscape developed.
geometric boundary
lines drawn on a map without much interest in
whatever natural or cultural features are present.
Berlin Conference
colonial powers used arbitrary reference points and
drew straight lines to establish the boundaries of much
of Africa.
geopolitical region
regions that are formed by spatial continuity and by
political, military, cultural, and economic interactions
between them.
capitalism
the buying and selling of various goods in order to
create profit.
gerrymandering
manipulation that concentrates the support of one
party or one group of people in one district and dilutes
their support throughout a number of other districts.
carrying capacity
the maximum population that an area will support
without undergoing deterioration.
colonialism
the exercise of control over domains and organized for
maximum economic exploitation.
compact state
a state in which the distance from the center to any
boundary does not vary significantly.
cultural boundary
a geographical boundary between two identifiable
ethnic or ethno-linguistic cultures
elongated state
a state with a long, narrow shape.
heartland theory
Mackinder’s theory of geopolitics that.
imperialism
the policy, practice, or advocacy of extending the power
and dominion of a nation especially by direct territorial
acquisitions or by gaining indirect control over the
political or economic life of other areas.
exclave
when a part of state’s territory is geographically
separated by another country.
landlocked state
a state that does not have a direct outlet to the sea.
Exclusive economic zone (EEZ)
the area of sea and seabed extending from the shore of
a country claiming exclusive rights to it.
long lot system
distinct regional approach to land surveying foundi n
the Canadian Maritimes, parts of Quebec, Louisiana,
and Texas whereby land is divided into narrow parcels
stretching back from rivers, roads, or canals.
federal state
state in which each of the subunits is granted an
independent constitutional authority, which defines its
level of power, with the central state retaining greater
sovereignty.
metes and bounds system
a system of land surveying east of the Appalachian
Mountains. It is a system that relies on descriptions of
land ownership and natural features such as streams or
trees.
fragmented state
a state that includes several discontinuous pieces of
territory.
nation
a group of people who think of themselves as one based
on shared culture and history, and who seek some
degree of political-territorial autonomy.
Minnesota Alliance for Geographic Education ▪ Macalester College ▪ 1600 Grand Avenue, St. Paul, Minnesota 55105
Phone: 651.696.6731 Fax: 651.696.6116 Email: mage@macalester.edu Website: http://lt.umn.edu/mage/
nationalism
the ideology that maintains that members of a nation
should be allowed to form their own sovereign state.
nation-state
a politically organized area in which nation and state
occupy the same space.
nautical mile
any of various units of distance used for sea and air
navigation based on the length of a minute of arc of a
great circle of the earth and differing because the earth
is not a perfect sphere.
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
an international organization composed of the US,
Canada, Britain, and a number of European countries.
Established by the North Atlantic Treaty (1949) for
purposes of collective security.
perforated state
a state that completely surrounds another one.
physical boundary
boundaries that follow an agreed-upon feature in the
physical geographic landscape.
prorupted state
an otherwise compact state with a large projecting
extension.
reapportionment
the process by which districts are moved according to
population shifts, so that each district encompasses
approximately the same number of people.
redistrict
to revise the legislative districts of an area.
religious boundary
boundary that separates different religions.
sovereignty
having control over a territory, politically and
militarily.
state
a politically organized territory with a permanent
population, a defined territory, and a government.
supranational organization
an entity composed of three or more states that forge
an association and form an administrative structure for
mutual benefit and in pursuit of shared goals.
territory
an area in which a government has some measure of
sovereignty.
township and range system
a rectangular land division scheme designed by
Thomas Jefferson to disperse settlers evenly across
farmlands of the United States interior.
unitary state
a state in which nearly all of the sovereignty and power
reside with the central government.
United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea
(UNCLOS)
an international conference that resulted in the United
Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, an
international agreement which defines the rights and
responsibilities of nations in their use of the world's
oceans.
SUPPLEMENTAL TERMS
Note: The following terms are recommended to improve
Geoliteracy.
communism
a doctrine based on revolutionary Marxian socialism
and Marxism-Leninism that was the official ideology of
the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics; a system in
which goods are owned in common and are available to
all as needed.
democracy
system of organization or government where the
people decide policies or elect representatives to do so.
devolution
transfer of power from a central authority or more
local authorities.
electoral regions
the different voting districts that make up local, state,
and national regions.
Minnesota Alliance for Geographic Education ▪ Macalester College ▪ 1600 Grand Avenue, St. Paul, Minnesota 55105
Phone: 651.696.6731 Fax: 651.696.6116 Email: mage@macalester.edu Website: http://lt.umn.edu/mage/
enclave
a small and relatively homogeneous group or region
surrounded by a larger and different group or region.
subsequent boundary
developed contemporaneously with the evolution of
the cultural landscape.
European Union
association of European nations promoting free trade,
ease of transportation, and cultural and political links.
superimposed boundaries
placed by powerful outsiders on a developed
landscape, usually ignores pre-existing cultural-spatial
patterns.
geopolitics
the study of the impact of geographic factors on a
country's politics and foreign policy.
median-line principle
the system of drawing a political boundary midway
between two states' coastlines when the territorial seas
or EEZ are narrower than twice the standard or
adopted limit.
microstate
very small independent nation. Also called a ministate.
theocracy
a state whose government is either believed to be
divinely guided or a state under the control of a group
of religious leaders.
totalitarian
of or relating to centralized control by an autocratic
leader or hierarchy.
United Nations
international organization that works for peace,
security and cooperation.
organic theory
states can be viewed as living organisms that need to
consume other territories to survive.
political geography
study of the spatial relationships that influence
government policies.
relict boundary
a boundary that has ceased to function, but its imprint
can still be detected on the cultural landscape.
rimland theory
mid 20th c. theory that the domination of the coastal
fringes of Eurasia (the “rimland”) would provide the
base for world conquest.
shatterbelt
a region caught between stronger colliding external
cultural-political forces, under persistent stress, and
often fragmented by aggressive rivals.
socialism
system of organization or government where all
property, industry, and capital is owned by the
community, not individuals.
Stateless nation
Minnesota Alliance for Geographic Education ▪ Macalester College ▪ 1600 Grand Avenue, St. Paul, Minnesota 55105
Phone: 651.696.6731 Fax: 651.696.6116 Email: mage@macalester.edu Website: http://lt.umn.edu/mage/