Political Geography

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Political Geography

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The study of the ways in which the world is organized as a reflection of the power different groups hold over territory.

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State

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A politically organized independent territory with a government, defined borders, and a permanent population (a country).

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Sovereignty

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The right of a government to control and defend its territory and determine what happens within its borders.

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Nations

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A cultural entity made up of people who have forged a common identity through a shared language, religion, heritage, or ethnicity—often all four of these.

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Nation-state

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The territory occupied by a group who view themselves as a nation is the same as the politically recognized boundaries of the state they call their own.

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Multistate nation

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Consists of people who share a cultural or ethnic background but live in more than one country.

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Annexation

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The adding of a region to the territory of an existing political unit.

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Irredentism

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Attempting to acquire territories in neighboring states inhabited by people of the same nation.

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Multinational state

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A country with various ethnicities and cultures living inside its borders.

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Autonomous / semiautonomous region

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Regions that are given some authority to govern their own territories independently from the national government.