AP Human Geography Terms: Unit 4 PDF

 **African Union**: A continental organization consisting of 55 member states in Africa, aimed at promoting unity, peace, and development across the continent.  **Antecedent Boundary**: A boundary that was established before the cultural landscape developed, often based on physical features like...

 **African Union**: A continental organization consisting of 55 member states in Africa, aimed at promoting unity, peace, and development across the continent.  **Antecedent Boundary**: A boundary that was established before the cultural landscape developed, often based on physical features like rivers or mountains.  **Arctic Council**: A forum of Arctic states for promoting cooperation and coordination on issues related to the Arctic region, particularly environmental protection and sustainable development.  **Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)**: A regional intergovernmental organization comprising ten countries in Southeast Asia, aimed at fostering political, economic, and security cooperation.  **Autonomous Region**: A region within a country that has a degree of independence, usually in cultural, linguistic, or administrative matters, while still remaining under the sovereignty of the state.  **Berlin Conference**: A meeting in 1884-1885 where European powers divided Africa into colonies without regard to indigenous cultures or historical boundaries.  **Centrifugal Force**: Forces that divide or fragment a country, such as ethnic, religious, or political tensions that threaten unity.  **Centripetal Force**: Forces that unify a country, such as shared culture, religion, language, or national identity, which promote stability and integration.  **Choke Point**: A narrow passage, such as a strait or canal, through which a large amount of international trade passes, and which can be strategically important or vulnerable.  **Colonialism**: The practice of acquiring and maintaining control over foreign territories, often by establishing settlements and exploiting resources.  **Consequent Boundary**: A boundary that is drawn after the cultural landscape has developed, often to accommodate ethnic, religious, or linguistic differences.  **Cultural Cohesion**: The sense of unity and shared identity among a population based on common cultural traits like language, religion, or history.  **Defined Boundary**: A boundary that is established by legal documents or treaties, outlining the specific location of the boundary.  **Delimited Boundary**: A boundary that is drawn on a map, indicating the general area or location of the boundary.  **Demarcated Boundary**: A boundary that is physically marked on the ground with fences, signs, or other markers.  **Demilitarized Zone**: An area where military forces are not allowed, often established to reduce tensions between conflicting parties.  **Democratization**: The process of transitioning from an authoritarian or non-democratic system to a more democratic political system, often involving free elections and greater civil liberties.  **Devolution**: The process by which power and responsibilities are transferred from central government to local or regional authorities.  **Economies of Scale**: The cost advantages that enterprises experience when production becomes more efficient as the scale of production increases.  **Ethnic Cleansing**: The deliberate removal or extermination of an ethnic or religious group from a particular territory, often through violence or forced migration.  **Ethnic Nationalist Movement**: A movement advocating for the creation of a state or the protection of political power based on ethnic identity.  **Ethnic Separatism**: A desire by an ethnic group to break away from a larger political entity and form an independent state or region.  **Ethnonationalism**: A form of nationalism that seeks to unite people based on shared ethnicity, culture, and language, often leading to calls for political autonomy or independence.  **European Union (EU)**: A political and economic union of 27 European countries, promoting economic integration, political cooperation, and shared values.  **Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)**: A sea zone extending up to 200 nautical miles from a country\'s coast, where it has special rights to explore and exploit marine resources.  **Failed State**: A country whose government is unable to maintain control or provide basic services, often characterized by internal conflict, corruption, and instability.  **Federal State**: A state where power is divided between a central government and regional or local governments, each with constitutionally defined powers.  **Geometric Boundary**: A boundary that is drawn using straight lines, often based on latitude and longitude, rather than following natural features.  **Gerrymandering**: The manipulation of electoral district boundaries to favor a particular political party or group.  **Imperialism**: The policy or ideology of extending a country\'s power and dominance over other nations, often through colonization, military force, or economic pressure.  **Independence Movement**: A movement aimed at gaining independence from a larger political entity or colonial power, often through political, military, or diplomatic means.  **Infrastructure Development**: The construction and improvement of basic physical and organizational structures necessary for economic development, such as roads, bridges, water supply, and energy systems.  **International Waters**: Areas of the ocean that are not under the jurisdiction of any single country, beyond the territorial seas of individual states.  **Irredentism**: A political movement that seeks to reclaim or reunite territories considered to be part of a nation\'s historic or ethnic homeland.  **Land Boundary**: A boundary that separates countries, states, or territories on land, often marked by natural features like rivers, mountains, or artificial markers.  **Maritime Boundary**: A boundary that separates waters or seas under the jurisdiction of different countries, including territorial seas and exclusive economic zones.  **Military Alliances**: Agreements between countries to provide mutual defense and support in case of military conflict, such as NATO or the Warsaw Pact.  **Multinational State**: A state that is home to multiple ethnic or national groups, each with its own culture, language, or identity.  **Multistate Nation**: A nation that spans multiple states or countries, where people of the same ethnic or cultural group live in more than one sovereign state.  **Nation**: A group of people who share a common identity, often based on ethnicity, culture, history, or language, and who may seek political independence.  **Nation-State**: A political unit where the boundaries of the state align with the distribution of a particular nation, creating a sovereign state with a common identity.  **Neocolonialism**: A form of economic or political control by powerful countries over weaker countries, often through indirect means such as economic dependency or cultural influence.  **North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)**: A military alliance of 31 member countries, primarily in Europe and North America, focused on mutual defense and security.  **Redistricting**: The process of redrawing electoral district boundaries, often after a census, to reflect changes in population.  **Relic Boundary**: A boundary that no longer functions but still exists as a historical remnant, often with little relevance to current political or cultural landscapes.  **Self-Determination**: The right of a people or nation to determine their own political status and form of government, often through independence or autonomy.  **Semiautonomous Region**: A region with some degree of self-governance, but still under the sovereignty of a central government.  **Shatterbelt**: A region that is highly fragmented, often due to political or ethnic conflict, and is susceptible to outside interference or manipulation.  **Sovereignty**: The authority of a state to govern itself without interference from outside powers, including control over its territory and population.  **State**: A political entity with defined boundaries, a permanent population, a government, and sovereignty.  **Stateless Nation**: A group of people who share a common cultural identity but do not have their own sovereign state.  **Subsequent Boundary**: A boundary that is established after the cultural landscape has developed, often as a result of historical events or negotiations.  **Superimposed Boundary**: A boundary that is imposed on a region without regard to cultural or ethnic divisions, often by colonial powers.  **Supranationalism**: The idea or practice of multiple countries working together in cooperation, where they give up some degree of sovereignty to achieve common goals.  **Supranational Organizations**: Organizations made up of multiple states or nations that work together on issues of common concern, such as the EU or UN.  **Territoriality**: The expression of control over a specific area or territory, often linked to the idea of sovereignty and the defense of borders.  **Territorial Sea**: The sea area extending up to 12 nautical miles from a country\'s coastline, under the jurisdiction of that country for purposes of law enforcement, resource use, and defense.  **Terrorism**: The use of violence or the threat of violence to create fear and achieve political, religious, or ideological objectives.  **Trade Agreements**: Agreements between countries that regulate trade policies, tariffs, and other economic activities to promote mutual benefits.  **Unitary State**: A state where power is concentrated in the central government, with little to no autonomy granted to regional or local authorities.  **United Nations (UN)**: An international organization founded in 1945, aimed at promoting peace, security, human rights, and development globally.  **United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)**: An international treaty that governs the rights and responsibilities of nations regarding the use of the world\'s oceans, including territorial seas and exclusive economic zones.  **Voting District**: A geographical area in which voters elect representatives to a legislative body. It is often defined by political boundaries for elections.