A state is separated from its neighbors by a boundary, an invisible line that marks the extent of a state’s territory. Boundaries completely surround an individual state to mark the outer limits of its territorial control and to give it a distinctive shape. Boundaries interest geographers because the process of selecting their location is frequently difficult.
Key Issue 4: Why Do States Have Distinctive Geographic Structure?
A boundary is an invisible line that marks the extent of a state’s territory. Boundaries completely surround an individual state to mark the outer limits of its territorial control and to give it a distinctive shape. Historically, frontiers rather than boundaries separated states.
Cultural Boundaries A frontier is a zone where no state exercises complete political control. Frontiers between states have been replaced by boundaries.
Three Types of Boundaries Boundaries may be classified into three categories. Cultural boundaries follow the distribution of cultural features. Geometric boundaries are based on human constructs, such as straight lines and lines of latitude. Physical boundaries coincide with significant features of the natural landscape. Boundary locations may be the source of conflict, both within a country and with its neighbors.
Cultural Boundary: Religion in Ireland Boundaries have been established when possible to separate speakers of different languages, followers of different religions, or members of different ethnicities. Religious differences often coincide with boundaries between states, but in only a few instances have they been used as the basis of forming boundaries. India was partitioned into two states based on religion with Pakistan allocated to the Muslims and India to the Hindus. Ireland is divided by a boundary based on the separation between two major religions: Roman Catholicism in the Republic of Ireland, and Protestantism in Northern Ireland. Language may also play a role in drawing boundaries, as is evident in the formation of Italy and Germany over common languages in the nineteenth century.
Ethnic Boundary: Cyprus Two ethnicities inhabit the island of Cyprus: Greek and Turkish. Despite its proximity to Turkey, only 24 percent of the island’s occupants are of Turkish descent, while 63 percent are Greek. Following independence from Britain in 1960, the Turkish minority was guaranteed a substantial share of elected offices and control over its own education, religion, and culture. Cyprus has yet to peacefully integrate both ethnicities. The northern part of the island is occupied by ethnic Turks, and the southern area inhabited by Greeks. In 1983 the northern part of the island declared itself the Independent Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. The only country recognizing its independence is Turkey. A wall and buffer zone separate the two parts of the island and the two ethnicities, sometimes under force, migrated to their respective part of the island. The European Union admitted the entire island of Cyprus in 2004.
Physical Boundaries Physical features of the landscape can serve as boundaries because they are easily seen, both on a map and on the ground. Deserts, mountains, and water are the three types of physical elements serve as physical boundaries.
Desert Boundaries A desert can act as an effective boundary, as desert terrain is generally hard to traverse and sparsely populated. Desert boundaries are common in North Africa and Asia. The Sahara acts as both a physical and geometric boundary, separating Algeria, Libya, and Egypt on the north from Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Chad, and the Sudan on the south.
Mountain Boundaries Mountains can similarly be effective boundaries, especially if they are hard to cross. Mountain boundaries are also frequently sparsely inhabited. Contact between nationalities living on opposite sides may be limited or totally impossible especially during the winter when mountain passes may be closed. Mountain boundaries can sometime be hard to define as the precise location of a mountain crest dividing two countries may be difficult to define as is the case between Argentina and Chile.
Water Boundaries Rivers, lakes, and oceans are the most common water features used as physical boundaries. Water boundaries are particularly common in East Africa. For instance, the boundary separating Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda runs through Lake Victoria. While water boundaries may seem to be permanent, the precise position of water may change over time. Rivers can slowly change their course, as can be seen in the Rio Grande boundary separating the United States and Mexico.
The Law of the Sea The Law of the Sea signed by 164 states (not including the United States) identifies three types of water boundaries:
Territorial waters. Up to 12 nautical miles from shore, a state may set laws regulating passage by ships registered in other states.
Contiguous zone. Between 12 and 24 nautical miles from shore, a state may enforce laws concerning pollution, taxation, customs, and immigration.
Exclusive economic zone. Between 24 and 200 nautical miles, a state has the sole right to the fish and other marine life.
Disputes that may arise as a result of the Law of the Sea may be settled at the International Court of Justice.
Geometric Boundaries North America and North Africa are two regions where geometric boundaries are prominent parts of the political landscape.
Geometric Boundaries: North America Part of the northern U.S. boundary with Canada is a 1,300-mile straight line along 49° north latitude. A geometric boundary between the United States and Canada is also present along Québec’s boundary with New York and Vermont, and between Alaska and the Yukon Territory.
Geometric Boundary: North Africa Boundaries between Algeria, Libya, and Egypt on the north and Mali, Niger, Chad, and Sudan on the south are generally geometric. These boundaries can largely be attributed to the colonial legacy of Africa.
Geometric Boundary: South Pole The South Pole contains the only large landmass on Earth’s surface that is not part of a state. Seven states claim portions of the South Pole: Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, New Zealand, Norway, and the United Kingdom. Chile and the United Kingdom have conflicting and overlapping claims. The United States, Russia, and other countries do not recognize the claims of any countries in Antarctica. States may establish research stations there for scientific investigations, but no military activities are permitted.
Shape of States States may take on one of five basic shapes: compact, elongated, prorupted, fragmented, or perforated. Each shape has distinctive characteristics and challenges. The shape of a state can be a centripetal force as it is part of the state’s identity. The shape of a state can be a centrifugal force as a state’s boundaries can affect conflict with its neighbors. A state’s shape can also lead to administrative difficulties and increase conflict among people living in different regions of the country.
Compact States: Efficient In a compact state, the distance from the center to any boundary does not vary significantly. The ideal theoretical compact state would be shaped like a circle, with the capital at the center and with the shortest possible boundary to defend. A compact state has efficient communication and transportation.
Prorupted States: Access or Disruption An otherwise compact state with a large projecting extension is a prorupted state. Proruptions can provide a state with access to a resource, such as water. Proruptions can also serve as a buffer zone that separate two states that would otherwise share a boundary.
Perforated States: South Africa A state that completely surrounds another one is a perforated state. In this situation, the state that is surrounded may face problems of dependence on, or interference from, the surrounding state. South Africa completely surrounds the state of Lesotho posing difficulties for the import and export of goods.
Elongated States: Potential Isolation An elongated state has a long and narrow shape. Elongated states may suffer from poor internal communications. A region located at an extreme end of the elongation might be isolated from the capital, which is usually placed near the center.
Fragmented States: Problematic A fragmented state includes several discontinuous pieces of territory. Fragmented states separated by water can face problems and costs associated with communications and maintaining national unity. Fragmented states separated by an intervening state sometimes have problems dealing with the states in between the fragments.
Landlocked States Landlocked states have difficulty engaging in international trade because they lack direct access to the ocean. A landlocked state is completely surrounded by other countries. Landlocked states are most common in Africa, where 15 of the continent’s 55 states have no direct access to the ocean. The prevalence of landlocked states in Africa is a remnant of the colonial era. Landlocked states must cooperate with neighboring states that have seaports to ship their goods overseas.
Electoral Geography The boundaries separating the 435 legislative districts within the United States are redrawn periodically to ensure that each district has approximately the same population. Boundaries must be redrawn because migration inevitably results in some districts gaining population and others losing population.
Gerrymandering The process of redrawing legislative boundaries for the purpose of benefiting the party in power is called gerrymandering. Gerrymandering takes two forms: cracking and packing. In cracking likeminded voters are spread across several districts to prevent them from reaching a majority in any of the districts. In packing like-minded voters are stacked in one district to prevent them from to prevent them affected elections in other districts. Packing has been used to concentrate voters of a specific ethnicity in one district.
Redrawing Boundaries In Europe the job of redrawing boundaries is left to an independent commission. In contrast, in the United States only 6 of the 43 states with more than one district use nonpartisan commissions to draw the electoral boundaries. In most states the job of redrawing boundaries falls to the state legislature. The political party holding the majority in the state legislature draws favors boundaries to favor the success of their candidates. GIS has been used as a tool for creating gerrymandered districts.
8.4
Boundary A border that separates administrative units such as countries or provinces
Centrifugal forces A cultural trait that divides people within a country
Centripetal force A cultural trait that adds to the unity of a country
Choke point A strategic narrow route providing passage through or to another region
Compact state A state in which the distance from the center to any boundary does not vary significantly.
Consequent boundary A type of subsequent boundary that tries to divide the existing groups of people between two countries
Electoral college The system used in American presidential elections that assigns a number of votes to states by population. It encourages candidates to not only focus on populated areas
Elongated state A state with a long, narrow shape.
Fragmented state A state that includes several discontinuous pieces of territory.
Frontier A zone (instead of a traditional line) that separates two states with neither state having control
Geometric boundary A border that is a straight line and drawn without taking into account the physical and cultural features of the land
Gerrymandering Redrawing voting district boundaries to give
Ghetto A neighborhood where an ethic minority is forced to live by law or circumstances
Maritime boundary The extensions of a country's territory that extend into the oceans around them
Perforated state A state that completely surrounds another one.
Prorupted state An otherwise compact state with a large projecting extension.
Redistricting In the United States, after each census redrawing voting districts due to population changes
Relic boundary A former border between countries that can still be detected on the cultural landscape
Shatterbelt A region caught between stronger colliding external forces, under persistent stress, often fragmented by aggressive rivals
Stateless nation A nationality that does not have a country and isn't the majority in any country which implies that they "should" have a country of their own
Subsequent boundary A border drawn after an area is settled
Superimposed boundary A boundary that is imposed on the cultural landscape which ignores pre-existing cultural patterns