the policy or practice of acquiring full or partial political control over another country, occupying it with settlers, and exploiting it economically.

the formal act of acquiring something (especially territory) by conquest or occupation

a small neutral state between two rival powers

a state that possesses a roughly circular, oval, or rectangular territory in which the distance from the geometric center is relatively equal in all directions

boundaries that mark breaks in the human landscape based on differences in ethnicity

the action of changing from colonial to independent status

in which the exact location of a boundary is legally described and negotiated

Phase in which the boundary is visibly marked on the landscape by a fence, line, sign, wall or other means

the political theory that if one nation comes under Communist control then neighboring nations will also come under Communist control

A state whose territory is long and narrow in shape.

an international organization of European countries formed after World War II to reduce trade barriers and increase cooperation among its members

A state that is not contiguous whole but rather separated parts.

A zone separating two states in which neither state exercises political control.

a political barrier that isolated the peoples of Eatern Europe after WWII, restricting their ability to travel outside the region

surrounded entirely or almost entirely by land

A state or territory that is small in both size and population.

a study of the national icon such as paintings or even stereotypes that characterize a country or nationality. Ex. hammer and sickle for Russia, Apple pie of America.

A state whose territory completely surrounds that of another state.

loyalty to the interests of a particular region

they no longer exist as international boundaries.

Nicholas Spykman's theory that the domination of the coastal fringes of Eurasia would provided the base for world conquest.

A political term that refers to a country which is formally independent, but under heavy influence or control by another country.

the ability of a government to determine their own course of their own free will

a region caught between stronger colliding external cultural-political forces, under persistent stress, and often fragmented by aggressive rivals (e.g., Israel or Kashmir today; Eastern Europe during the Cold War,...).

ethnic groups that share certain cultural, political, and/or historic qualities, such as religion, location, or art, but do not share enough qualities to be recognized as a nationality/nation and have no state (homeland) that is politically recognized as belonging to them.

An internal organization of a state that places most power in the hands of central government officials

A politically organized territory that is administered by a sovereign government is recognized by the international community.

A principle of international relations that holds that final authority over social, economic, and political matters should rest with the legitimate rulers of independent states

A state whose territory corresponds to that occupied by a particular ethnicity that has been transformed into a nationality

nation that does not have a state

a political-territorial system wherein a central government represents the various entities within a nation-state where they have common interest- defense, foreign affairs, and the like- yet allows these various entities to retain their own identities and to have their own laws, policies, and customs in certain spheres.

The process whereby regions within a state demand and gain political strength and growing autonomy at the expense of the central government.

Process of redrawing legislative boundaries for the purpose of benefiting the party in power.

Political boundaries that are defined and delimited by straight lines.

A geopolitical hypothesis, proposed by British geographer Halford Mackinder during the first two decades of the twentieth century, that any political power based in the heart of Eurasia could gain sufficient strength to eventually dominate the world. Mackinder further proposed that since Eastern Europe controlled access to the Eurasian interior, its ruler would command the vast "heartland" to the east

A state that exhibits a narrow, elongated land extension, leading away from the main territory

A state whose government is either believed to be divinely guided or a state under the control of group of religious leaders

a distinct region or community enclosed within a larger territory

The policy of a state wishing to incorporate within itself territory inhabited by people who have ethnic or linguistic links with the country but that lies within a neighboring state.

The collapse of colonial empires. Between 1947 and 1962, practically all former colonies in Asia and Africa gained independence.