Unit 4: Political Boundaries and Entities

A group of people who feel that they are part of a common community, usually based on a shared language, ethnicity, or other cultural traits.

• A state

• A nation

• A political entity

• An ethnic neighborhood

Answer explanation

Not all nations have their own state. People such as the Kurds or the Palestinians are what we call stateless nations.

The most common political entity in the world today is:

• City-states

• Empires

• Kingdoms

• Nation-states

Answer explanation

Nation-states began to replace empires in the 1800s, when ethnic groups across Europe started to demand self-determination. After World War I and World War II, colonized countries in Africa and Asia began to make the same demands.

Based on this map, the former Soviet Union had over 185 different ethnic groups in the state. This could have been characterized as a:

• City-state

• Unitary state

• Multinational state

• Nation-state

Answer explanation

Many large states such as the former Soviet Union, China, and the United States contain many nationalities. There are also some nations who are divided between different states, such as the Korean nation which is divided between North Korea and South Korea.

A state must have all of the following EXCEPT:

• An established government and boundaries

• A permanent population

• Control over internal and foreign affairs

• Its own currency

Answer explanation

Many states within Europe use the Euro as their currency.

The Rio Grande River formed a natural boundary between the US and Mexico even before those areas were settled. This is an example of what type of boundary?

• Antecedent

• Subsequent

• Consequent

• Relic

Answer explanation

Most natural boundaries such as rivers, mountains, and deserts can be considered antecedent boundaries because they existed before human settlement. However, they do not formally become boundaries between states until they are defined, delimited, demarcated and administered by governments.

The boundaries that Europeans imposed on Africa at the Berlin Conference are examples of

• Superimposed geometric boundaries

• Relic cultural boundaries

• Geometric natural boundaries

• Antecedent geometric boundaries

Answer explanation

The boundaries drawn by Europeans have led to many civil wars and ethnic conflict after African nations won their independence.

The boundary between India and Pakistan is a result of civil war between Hindus and Muslims. This boundary is known as a...

• A geometric boundary

• A subsequent/consequent boundary

• A natural boundary

• An antecedent boundary

Answer explanation

India was partitioned in 1947 to give Muslims their own state. This is a subsequent boundary because it was established after settlement along cultural lines. Bangladesh would later break away from Pakistan to form a third country for similar reasons.

In this class, a state is the same as a ________________

• Country

• Nation

• Territory

• Province

Theoretically, a modern state possessing formal sovereignty and occupied by a people who see themselves as a single, homogenous nation.

• multi-state nation

• multinational state

• nation-state

• Nation

A principle of international relations that holds that a country has the right to choose how to run their social, economic, and political matters should rest with the legitimate rulers of independent states. It's synonym is freedom.

• Supranationalism

• Empire

• Sovereignty

• Shatterbelt Regions

Answer explanation