AP Human Geography Colonialism/Imperialism

Ethnicity and Nationality

• Ethnicity involves shared traits such as ancestors, history, territory, and language; often refers to minorities within a larger population.
• Nationality refers to a legal connection to a country, exemplified by groups like 'Husker Nation'.

Ghetto and Ethnic Enclave

• A ghetto is an area where ethnic minorities are forced to live due to economic, legal, or governmental pressures.
• An ethnic enclave is a community concentrated with a specific ethnic group in an urban area, often chosen, such as barrios.

Ethnic Islands and Race

• Ethnic islands indicate rural areas where specific ethnic groups maintain strong cultural cohesion, e.g., Amish communities.
• Race is defined by physical characteristics like skin color and is biologically determined rather than socially chosen.

Social Distance and Ethnocentrism

• Social distance measures how distant different ethnicities are perceived to be, influencing marginalization and discrimination, illustrated by the historical treatment of Jews in the 1930s.
• Ethnocentrism is the belief that one’s own culture is superior to others, which can lead to judgment based on cultural identity.

Balkans and Yugoslavia

• The Balkans is a historically rich region in Eastern Europe, previously under Soviet control from 1945 to 1992.
• Yugoslavia fragmented into five countries—Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, and Montenegro—following the fall of communism in 1989.

Balkanization and Ethnic Cleansing

• Balkanization is the breakdown of states due to ethnic conflicts, exemplified by the violence in Yugoslavia post-communism.
• Ethnic cleansing involves expelling a group from a territory, as seen with Slobodan Milosevic's actions against Muslims in Bosnia.

Genocide and Political Geography

• Genocide refers to the targeted killing of an ethnic group by another, highlighted by Milosevic's actions against Albanians in Kosovo.
• Political geography studies the human political organization of the earth across supranational, state, and local levels.

Territoriality and Jurisdiction

• Territoriality connects people and their cultural and economic systems to a defined space, often evoking emotional responses.
• Jurisdiction denotes the territory over which authority is exercised.

Sovereignty and Self-Determinism

• Sovereignty is the capacity of a state to govern its own affairs, with 195 sovereign states recognized globally, some facing disputed sovereignty.
• Self-determinism emphasizes the right of ethnicities to govern themselves, historically significant for the Serbs before WWI.

Regionalism and State Definition

• Regionalism refers to loyalty to a specific region's interests, as seen in Quebec's preservation of French heritage.
• A state is an organized political unit with defined boundaries, a permanent population, control over its affairs, and recognition by other states.

Nation and Nationalism

• A nation comprises people with a common cultural heritage, often sharing language, religion, beliefs, and history; internal differences can exist.
• Nationalism is loyalty and devotion to one’s nation, fostering allegiance to states while potentially leading to emotional extremism.

Nation-State and Multinational-State

• A nation-state exists when a state’s territory is aligned with a single ethnicity, such as Japan, where 99% of the population is Japanese.
• A multinational state contains multiple nations that peacefully coexist, with Russia being an example of a country with over 120 recognized nationalities.

Multi-State Nation

• A multi-state nation transcends national borders, highlighting the complexities of ethnic identities across different geopolitical frameworks.