geopolitics: the state's power to control space or territory and shape the foreign policy of individual states and international political relations.

territory: the delimited area over which a state, an individual, or a group exercises control and which is recognized by other states, individuals, or groups.

nation: a group of people often sharing common elements of culture such as religion or language, or a history or political identity.

states: independent political units with territorial boundaries that are internationally recognized by other states. - A political organization in control of territory.

nation-state: an ideal form consisting of a homogeneous group of people governed by their own state.

nationalism: the feeling of belonging to a nation as well as the belief that a nation has a natural right to determine its own affairs.

centrifugal forces: forces that divide or tend to pull the state apart.

centripetal forces: forces that strengthen and unify the state.

territorial organization: a system of government formally structured by area, not by social groups.

self-determination: the right of a group with a distinctive politico-territorial identity to determine its own destiny, at least in part, through the control of its own territory.

sovereignty: the exercise of state power over people and territory, recognized by other states and codified by international law.

What is nationalism in the former Yugoslavia based upon? What was the root cause of the war in Bosnia?

(from http://www.lib.utexas.edu/Libs/PCL/Map_collection/bosnia/Ethnic_majoities_Bosnia.jpg)

resources:

Nation or State?
Matt Rosenberg - The Mining Company Geography

E Pluribus Unum?
"out of many, one"

Independent States of the World - U.S. State Department list

Ethnologue Database - Nations of the World Listed by Language and Country

International and Supranational Organizations 1 - 2