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Unit 04 Vocab Summer
Definitions for Topics 4.1-4.10
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| autonomous region | an area of a country that has a degree of autonomy, or has freedom from an external authority |
| state | An area organized into a political unit and ruled by an established government with control over its internal and foreign affairs. A country |
| multi-national state | State that contains two or more ethnic groups with traditions of self-determination that agree to coexist peacefully by recognizing each other as distinct nationalities. |
| sovereignty | Ability of a state to govern its territory free from control of its internal affairs by other states. |
| devolution | The process whereby regions within a state demand and gain political strength and growing autonomy at the expense of the central government. |
| political boundaries | lines that define the border of a country or state |
| territoriality | the defense of a bounded physical space against encroachment by other individuals |
| shatterbelt | an area of instability between regions with opposing political and cultural values |
| chokepoint | a strategic, narrow waterway between two larger bodies of water |
| relic boundary | a former boundary line that is still discernible and marked by some cultural landscape features |
| International boundary | delineates the space between sovereign space |
| Demarcated boundary | a boundary identified by physical objects placed on the landscape; can be a sign, fence, wall, etc. |
| Militarized boundary | a boundary that is heavily guarded and discourages crossing and movement |
| UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) | Governs how waters will be divided; includes Territorial Seas, Contiguous Zones, Exclusive Economic Zones, and High Seas |
| Redistricting | redrawing of district boudnaries so that each district contains roughly the same number of people; based on the Census |
| Federal state | authority shared between the central government and provincial, state, and local governments; multiple levels of power |
| Unitary state | authority held primarily by central government with very little power given to local governments |
| Ethnic cleansing | forced removal of ethnic, religious, racial, or cultural groups from an area, usually in an effort to make that area more ethnically homogenous |
| Terrorism | organized violence aimed at government and civilian targets that is intended to create fear in the furtherance of political aims |
| North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) | organization created as a defensive alliance to help the United States in the Cold War; includes states such as United States, Canada, Iceland, Western and Central European states, Turkey |