| A | B |
|---|
| Balance of power | Condition of roughly equal strength between opposing countries or alliances of countries |
| Boundary | Invisible line that marks the extent of a state's territory |
| City State | A sovereign state that comprises a town and surrounding countryside |
| Colonialism | Attempt by one country to establish settlements and to impose its political, economic and cultural principles in another territory |
| Colony | A territory that is legally tied to a sovereign state rather than completely independent |
| Compact State | A state in which the distance from the center to any boundary does not vary significantly |
| Elongated State | A state with a long, narrow shape |
| Federal State | An internal organization of a state that allocates most powers to units of local government |
| Fragmented State | A state that includes several discontinuous pieces of territory |
| Frontier | A zone separating two states in which neither state excercises political control |
| Imperialism | Control of territory already occupied by an indigenous society |
| Landlocked State | A state that does not have a direct outlet to the sea |
| Microstate | A state that encompasses a very small land area |
| Preforated State | A state that completely surrounds another one |
| Prorupted State | An otherwise compact state with a large projecting extension |
| Sovereignty | Ability of a state to govern its territory free from control of its internal affairs by other states |
| State | An area organized into a political unit and ruled by an established government with control over its internal and foreign affairs |
| Unitary State | An internal organization of a state that places most power in the hands of central government officials |
