| A | B |
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| democracy | Any political system where a country’s citizens have direct, or, indirect control in deciding government policies by voting on them, or by electing representatives to do so for them. |
| communism | An economic and political system where all property including land, factories, companies, resources – everything – is held and controlled by the government. All decisions affecting the country are made by the government. |
| socialism | Economic and political system in which a governemnt owns, or controls, specific economic sectors in order to more closely regulate production. |
| authoritarian | A description of any political system where all government policies are made completely by a single person (or a single group of people), without any input from other citizens, or elected officials. |
| oligarchy | A political system where a small group of wealthy individuals have a high degree of influence/control over the government; the government is effectively a puppet. |
| parliament | A legislative body consisting of two chambers; typically an upper, and a lower chamber. |
| province | A political division or unit within a country; similar to a state within the United States of America. Canada, for example, is a country subdivided into provinces |
| nationalism | Strong feelings of national pride that citizens express for their country; Extreme patriotism. |
| autonomous | Independent, free, self-sufficient. |
| natural boundaries | An area (or region), whose boundaries are defined by physical features in the natural landscape (e.g. – rivers, mountains, large bodies of water). |
| cultural boundaries | An area (or region), whose boundaries are clearly defined by cultural characeristics (e.g. – ethnicity, language, religion, political or economic systems) |
| geometric boundaries | An area (or region), whose boundaries are defined by a straight line, circle, arc or other geometric feature. Geometric boundaries are artificially created by people when other types of boundaries (e.g. – natural or cultural), cannot be determined or agreed upon |
| annex | The act of one geographic area bringing a separate, neighboring area within its own boundaries. |
| nation-building | The process of creating a country with a stable government, economy, and social structure; Creating a country with a strong national identity. |
| theocracy | Any country that is ruled by a group of religious leaders, and use their religious beliefs as the basis for all laws. |
| separatism | Groups of people who secede or advocate separation from a larger group or political unit; typically based upon cultural, ethnic, or religious differences with the established majority in a society. |
| failed-state | A country whose government has lost effective control of its borders as well as the society (i.e. – anarchy). |
| shatter belt | An area (or region), where several different, competing, groups of people are involved in frequent conflicts sparked by ethnic, religious, political, or economic differences. |
| non-governmental organizations | Privately run organizations whose mission is to provide a public service of some type. The Red Cross is an example of an NGO. |
| alliance | A formal agreement between two, or more, countries to provide economic or military assistance to one another. |
| international law | A collection of treaties, agreements, and traditions agreed upon by a majority of the international community that provide guidance and direction for how countries are expected to treat one another, as well as what is acceptable behavior toward their own citizens (i.e. – human rights). |
| International Court of Justice | Located in the Hague, Netherlands, the ICJ is the organ of the United Nations where countries settle legal disputes with each other. It is also where individuals who commit war crimes (e.g. – genocide), as well as other human rights violations, are placed on trial. |
| landlocked | Countries or regions that are completely surrounded by other countries/regions resulting in being cut off from global bodies of water (i.e. – oceans). |
