the power of a political unit, or government, to rule over its own affairs

a group of people who have certain things in common; cultural heritage, a set of beliefs and values that unify them, a traditional claim to a particular space as their homeland, and a desire to establish their own state or express self-rule in another way.

a nation of people who fulfill the qualifications of a state.

a country that contains more than one nation

a defined area within a state that has a high degree of self-government and freedom from its parent state.

a state that has a degree of, but not complete self-rule

a cultural group that has no independent political entity

occurs when a nation has a state of its own but stretches across borders of other states.

a nation’s desire to create and maintain a state of its own

a force that helps unify people within a country

a force that tends to divide people, break states apart, or even prevent states from forming

a broader concept that includes a variety of ways of influencing another country or group of people by direct conquest, economic control, or cultural dominance

a particular type of imperialism in which people move into or settle on the land of another country

used claims to form state boundaries in Africa. These boundaries showed little regard to the existing ethno-linguistic, cultural, ans political boundaries

the right to choose their own sovereign government without external influence.  

the process in which one or more regions are given increased autonomy by the central political unit

the study of the effects of geography on politics and relations among states

a willingness by a person or a group of people to defend space they claim

a system in which economic, political, or even cultural control was indirectly exerted over developing countries

a place of physical congestion between wider regions of movement and interaction.

natural barriers between areas such as oceans deserts, and mountains. 

boundaries that divide people according to some cultural division such as language, religion, or ethnicity

the type of boundary that precedes the development of the cultural landscape. 

the type of boundary that is typically created while the cultural landscape is evolving and is subject to change over time

characters in nature that are usually related to cultural phenomena

the type of boundary that is drawn by outside powers and may have ignored existing cultural patterns

states without a territory connected to an ocean

a boundary that has been abandoned for political purposes, but evidence of it still exists on the landscape

a straight line or arc drawn by people that does not closely follow any physical feature

a type of subsequent border that takes into account already-existing cultural or physical landscapes

a border that is drawn taking into account language, ethnicity, religion, or other cultural traits

a boundary that is drawn on a map by a cartographer to show the limits of a space

a boundary that is identified by physical objects placed on the landscape. 

a boundary that occurs when two or more parties disagree over how to interpret the legal documents or maps that identify the boundary

boundary disputes that center on where a boundary should be, how it is delimited, or democratic

are boundary disputes that centers not on where a boundary is but how it functions

is a boundary dispute when a boundary separates natural resources that may be used by both countries

is how a boundary will be maintained, how it will function, and what goods and people will be allowed to cross

is where boundaries have checkpoints where a passport or visa are required to enter the country

are territories that are part of a state, yet geographically separated from the main state by one or more countries

are states, territories or parts of a state or territory that are completely surrounded by the territory of another state

is a place located between two very different and contentious regions

was signed between 1973 and 1982 by more than 150 countries that defined four zones (territorial sea, contiguous zone, exclusive economic zone (EEZ), and high seas) for addressing  water boundaries systematically

is the area that extends up to 12 nautical miles of sovereignty where commercial vehicles may pass , but noncommercial vehicles may be challenged (a nautical mile is equal to 1.15 land-measured miles)

is the zone where coastal states have limited sovereignty for up to 24 nautical miles where they can enforce laws on customs, immigration, and sanitation

is the zone where coastal states can explore, extract minerals, and manage natural resources up to 200 nautical miles

is the water beyond any country’s EEZ that is open to all states

is a count of the population, every 10 years, to ensure the national congressional districts have approximately the same number of people

is the changing in the number of representatives granted to each state so it reflects the state’s population

is the process in which state legislatures or state committees redraw district boundaries so that each district contains roughly the same number of people

is the drawing of boundaries for political districts by the party in power to protect or increase its power

dispersing a group into several districts to prevent a majority

combining like-minded voters into one district to prevent them from affecting elections in other districts

diluting a minority-populated district with majority populations 

redrawing two districts in order to force two elected representatives of the same party to run against each other

moving an area where an elected representative has support to an area where he or she does not have support

a state that unites separate political entities into an overarching system that allows each entity to maintain some degree of sovereignty

a state where most or all of the governing power is held by the national government

the process of transferring some political power from the central government to subnational levels of government

the advocacy of full political separation (or secession) from the larger group along cultural, ethnic, tribal, or governmental lines

a purposeful policy designed by one ethnic or religious group to remove by violent or terror - inspiring means the civilian population of another ethnic or religious group from certain geographic areas.

an organized violence aimed at government and civilian target to create fear for the advancement of political goals

is a movement to unite people who share a language or other cultural elements but are divided by a national boundary

are regions that have their own local and legislative bodies to govern a region with a population that is an ethnic minority within the entire country

are companies that conduct business on a global scale

is the transition from autocratic to more representative forms of politics - by helping reform movements to communicate in China, Iran, Egypt, and other countries

is the social and physiological effects of faster movement of information over space in a shorter period of time

is when loyalty to a distinct portion of a country is more important than loyalty to the entire country

is one that helps to unify people within a country

is a force that tends to divide people, break states apart, or even prevent states from forming

is support for the political interest of a particular ethnic group within a state, especially its national independence or self-determination

is the strong feelings of patriotism and loyalty one feels towards one’s country, promotes a sense of belonging, even if a country’s population is an ethnically diverse one