| Question |
Answer |
| State |
An area organized into a political unit and ruled by an established government with control over its internal and foreign affairs. |
| Sovereignty |
Ability of a state to govern its territory free from control of its internal affairs by other states. |
| City-state |
A sovereign state comprising a city and its immediate hinterland. |
| Colony |
A territory that is legally tied to a sovereign state rather than completely independent. |
| Colonialism |
Attempt by one country to establish permanent settlements and to impose its political, economic, and cultural principles in another territory. |
| Imperialism |
Control of territory already occupied and organized by an indigenous society. |
| Boundary |
Invisible line that marks the extent of a state's territory. |
| Frontier |
A zone separating two states in which neither state exercises political control. |
| Gerrymandering |
A form of redistribution in which electoral district or constituency boundaries are deliberately modified for electoral advantage. |
| Balance of power |
Condition of roughly equal strength between opposing countries or alliances of countries. |
| Unitary state |
An internal organization of a state that places most power in the hands of central government officials. |
| Federal state |
An internal organization of a state that allocates most powers to the units of local government. |
| Microstate |
A state that encompasses a very small land area. |
Peter Barfield
on 2009-05-10
Spanish 3
