Geopolitical and Economic Terms

stateless nation

• A big group of people who have common cultural characteristics, but not an independent state.

• A nation with a defined territory and government.

• A group of people who share a common language but not culture.

• A political entity with sovereignty over a geographic area.

redistricting

• Process of creating new electoral districts based on population growth.

• Process of redrawing the boundaries of electoral districts.

• Process of eliminating electoral districts that are underpopulated.

• Process of merging two or more electoral districts into one.

gerrymandering

• The practice of dividing or arranging a territorial unit into election districts in a way that gives one political party an unfair advantage in elections.

• A method of voting that allows citizens to directly participate in decision-making.

• The process of redrawing district lines to ensure equal representation for all voters.

• A strategy used by political parties to increase voter turnout in elections.

Contiguous zone

• Maritime zone that extends from 0 to 12 nautical miles from a state's coastline and gives a state authority to enforce laws related to pollution, taxation, customs, and immigration.

• Maritime zone that extends from 12 to 24 nautical miles from a state's coastline and gives a state authority to enforce laws related to pollution, taxation, customs, and immigration.

• Maritime zone that extends from 24 to 36 nautical miles from a state's coastline and gives a state authority to enforce laws related to pollution, taxation, customs, and immigration.

• Maritime zone that extends from 12 to 24 nautical miles from a state's coastline and gives a state authority to enforce laws related to fishing only.

self-determination

• Where a group of people have the right to determine their own government without external influence.

• A process where individuals are guided by external authorities in decision-making.

• A method of governance where decisions are made by a central authority without local input.

• A political system where all decisions are made by a single leader.

Territorial sea

• A maritime zone that extends to 12 nautical miles from a state's coastline, where the state has sovereignty.

• A zone that allows free passage for all ships regardless of nationality.

• A region where international law prohibits any state from claiming sovereignty.

• A maritime area that extends 24 nautical miles from the coastline, governed by international treaties.

Prorupted state

• A state that is compact, but has an extension that connects it to a resource.

• A state that is completely surrounded by another state.

• A state that has no access to the ocean.

• A state that is elongated and stretches over a large area.

Federal state

• A state that has a division of power between different levels of government so some decisions can be made locally.

• A state that is governed by a single central authority without any regional divisions.

• A state that allows complete autonomy to its local governments without any federal oversight.

• A state that has a monarchy as its form of government.

Unitary state

• A form of government where power is divided between central and regional authorities.

• A form of government where most of the power is concentrated in the hands of central government officials.

• A system where local governments have more power than the central government.

• A type of government that operates without any central authority.

Compact state

• A type of state where the distance from the center to any boundary does not vary significantly.

• A state characterized by long and narrow shape.

• A state that is fragmented into several pieces.

• A state with a large population density.