AP Human Exam Vocab Unit 4

a boundary line established before an area is populated

• super imposed boundary

• geometric boundary

• boundary line
• antecedent boundary

the continuous political process by which a state may break up into smaller countries

• Secession
• balkanization

• gerrymandering

• Annexation

relatively small country sandwiched between two larger powers, the existence of this state may help to prevent dangerous conflicts between powerful countries

• shatterbelt

• buffer state

• exclave

• prorupted state

forces that tend to divide a country

• conflict

• centripetal

• centrifugal

• forces

forces that tend to unite or bind a country together

• conflict

• centripetal

• centrifugal

• forces

the expansion and perpetuation of an empire

• Colonialism
• Imperialism
• Nationalism
• Globalization

Confederacy of independent states of the former Soviet Union that have united because of their common economic and administrative needs

• Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)
• Organization of American States (OAS)
• European Union (EU)
• Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR)

form of an international organization that brings several autonomous states together for a common purpose

• Federation
• Alliance
• Confederation
• Unity

the process of establishing representative and accountable forms of government led by popularly elected officials (process used in a democracy)

• Democratization
• Oligarchy
• Anarchy
• Autocracy

the delegation of legal authority from a central government to lower levels of political organization, such as a state or county

• Devolution
• Resolution
• Evolution
• Revolution