It is united with the rest of the island to form a sovereign nation-state.

It forms its own sovereign nation-state predominately made up of the Irish ethnic group.

It is a frontier that is not formally part of a state, but the United Kingdom claims the area.

It is physically separate from the rest of the United Kingdom, a multinational state.

It is a stateless nation, as the entire island of Ireland is under the control of the United Kingdom.

Catalonia is linguistically distinct compared to other regions in Spain.

Catalonia is well developed economically compared to other regions in Spain.

Catalonia's population is ethnically distinct compared to other regions in Spain.

Catalonia has a large population compared to other regions in Spain.

Catalonia has a major city, Barcelona, which has notoriety comparable to that of the Spanish capital, Madrid.

The central government of Russia exerts complete control over the autonomous republics to counteract devolutionary pressures.

The autonomous republics are able to function independently from the central government because of an abundance of natural resources.

Russia is a multistate nation characterized by contested regional boundaries.

The autonomous republics provide ethnic groups with some political control over their homelands while preserving Russia’s territorial integrity.

Russia is a unitary state characterized by many ethnic groups united within a single country.

French language and culture act as a centripetal force throughout Canada as the majority of Canadians have English as a first language and the government uses both languages in official communications.

As an expression of political power, the Canadian federal government restricts the French language and culture from media and government proceedings.

French language and culture act as centripetal forces and unify all of Canada’s people and government into a single nation.

French language and culture act as a centrifugal force in Canada because independence movements in Quebec have attempted to secede the province from Canada.

Because French Canadians are spread across the country’s provinces, the Canadian government implemented federal laws to create a common culture and language for all Canadians.

Korea and Vietnam were politically controlled by regional powers.

Korea and Vietnam kept two political adversaries geographically separated.

Korea and Vietnam fragmented into new states due to internal tensions.

Korea and Vietnam tried to control land and sea areas around their states.

Korea and Vietnam experienced conflict due to a dispute between global powers.

Functional regions

Urban regions

Physical regions

Vernacular regions

Semiautonomous regions

The state of Turkey, seeking to connect areas with a substantial Kurdish population into an independent state, might take action against neighboring states.

The Kurdish people, seeking a state of their own with a majority Kurdish population, might secede from or rebel against the states labeled on the map.

The Kurdish people would have to migrate into a single country to gain a population majority and would struggle for control of the government.

In areas with a Kurdish majority population, Kurdish people are politically active among Turks, Iranians, Iraqis, and Syrians and would be able to win an election on a national vote to secede.

The countries shown on the map will cooperate and work together to address the political situation and needs of people in areas with a substantial Kurdish population. 

federal states

autonomous republics

multistate nations

nation-states

colonial territories

The devolution of Yugoslavia occurred primarily along national lines, resulting in countries with a defined ethnic majority.

The breakup of Yugoslavia was the result of a civil war in which ethnic groups fought for control of the capital of Belgrade in Serbia.

The Balkanization of Yugoslavia resulted in the formation of new ethnic nationalities divided by differences in religion and language.

The dissolution of Yugoslavia resulted in some ethnic groups being aligned with capitalist Western Europe and others being aligned with communist Eastern Europe.

The downfall of Yugoslavia was a case of ethnic differences becoming a centripetal force in the formation of a multistate nation.

Antecedent, based on tribal cultural boundaries that existed before European colonization

Subsequent, with smaller buffer states placed between larger states to prevent political conflicts

Consequent, accounting for local differences in language and religion during European colonization

Natural, with irregular lines, accounting for regional physical features such as mountains or water bodies

Geometric, with straight lines, disregarding physical features or tribal cultural differences of the areas