Defined Boundaries: A defined boundary, according to the AMSCO textbook, is "established by a legal document, such as a treaty, that divides one entity from another (invisible line). The entity could range from a country—in which points of latitude and longitude are specified—to a single plot of real estate—in which points in the landscape are described. " El Salvador has defined boundaries with Honduras, Guatemala, and the Pacific Ocean.
"Sovereignty Limits" states, "After a brief border-focused conflict in 1969, known as the Football War, Honduras and El Salvador committed to the delineation and demarcation of their boundary, which was made official in a 1980 Peace Treaty. The International Court of Justice resolved several areas of dispute in 1992, and the boundary continued to be a point of negotiation between El Salvador and Honduras until its complete demarcation in 2006" (El Salvador-Honduras).
Demarcated Boundaries: A demarcated boundary, according to the AMSCO textbook, is "A demarcated boundary is one identified by physical objects placed on the landscape. The demarcation may be as simple as a sign or as complex as a set of fences and walls" (4.5).
El Salvador has a demarcated boundary with Honduras and Guatemala. The image on the top is of a sign reading "Bienvenidos A El Salvador" (Welcome to El Salvador) and it's a sign you'll see as you leave Guatemala and enter El Salvador.
The image on the bottom is of a sign reading "Feliz Viaje Les Desea La Republica De El Salvador" and it's a sign that can be seen as one is entering El Salvador from Honduras.
Delimited Boundary: The AMSCO book states "A delimited boundary is drawn on a map by a cartographer to show the limits of a space" (4.5).
El Salvador has lots of delimited boundaries. They are all displayed on the map.
Informal Boundaries: The AMSCO book states, "Informal boundaries also exist at the local level, such as those dividing the neighborhoods controlled by various street gangs" (4.5). There are many local gangs in El Salvador controlling neighborhoods and even towns.
Stateless Nations and Multistate Nations: The Mayans of El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, United States, Belize, and Honduras make up stateless nations within these countries. The Mayans have their own independent city-states within these countries, they self-govern and have their own language and flag. El Salvador is a multistate nation.
The image on the right displays Mayan ruins in El Salvador.
Boundary Disputes: The AMSCO textbook states, "An operational boundary dispute, or functional dispute, centers not on where a boundary is but how it functions. Disagreements can arise related to trade, transportation, or migration" (4.5).
El Salvador and Honduras had a territorial boundary dispute in 1969. This particular dispute was caused by migration disagreements. It occurred because there were so many Salvadorians populating Honduras that the president of Honduras was pressured to enact a law protecting the land of the wealthy. So they enacted the "land reform law" which created lots of problems for Salvadorians living in Honduras, which lead to military conflict and tension. "USIP" states, "The most serious interstate conflicts involving Latin American or Caribbean countries in the last third of the twentieth century were directly related to territorial or boundary disputes. War broke out over territorial issues in 1969 between El Salvador and Honduras (although this war was also strongly motivated by a migration dispute)..." (Boundary Disputes in Latin America). Wikipedia states, "The roots were issues over land reform in Honduras and immigration and demographic problems in El Salvador" (Football War).