Political Boundaries
WWII
USA
Roman
Empire
Four Types of Boundary Formation
Antecedent boundary –
existed before human
settlement of the area.
Ohio R.
4 Types of Boundary Formation
Consequent(Subsequent)
boundary – develop
along with the
development of the
cultural landscape. As
the cultural landscape
develops, the border was
drawn to accommodate
religious, cultural, and
economic differences.
– Northern Ireland &
the Republic of Ireland
– USA & Canada
Superimposed (subsequent)
boundary –
is a political
boundary that ignores the
existing cultural organization
on the landscape. It is usually
placed by a higher authority,
such as a superpower or a
delegation of superpowers, to
satisfy that authority’s needs
rather than the needs of the
area.
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–
–
–
–
N.Korea and S. Korea by U.N.
Division of Ireland by British
Partition of India by British
Creation of Israel by U.N.
MOST OF AFRICA
Relic boundary – this is a boundary that no
longer exists, but its impact is still felt and seen
on the landscape.
– East Germany and West Germany
– Great Wall of China
– NORTH vs. SOUTH
The creation of boundaries
There are four steps in the
growth of boundaries into
final form
Definition is the phase in
which the exact location of a
boundary is legally
described and negotiated.
Delimitation is the step when
the boundary’s definition is
drawn on a map
The creation of boundaries
Demarcation is the visible marking of a boundary
on the landscape with a fence, line, sign, wall,
etc.
– Great Wall of China (relic boundary)
– Berlin Wall (relic boundary)
The creation of boundaries
Administration is the enforcement by a
government or people of the boundary that has
been created.
USA & CANADA
North Korea and South Korea
demilitarized zone along the 38th parallel
Type of boundary?
Physical boundaries – natural features
such as lakes, rivers, mountains, deserts,
peninsulas, etc.
– US & Canada –Great Lakes
– US & Mexico – Rio Grande
– Chile and Argentina &
Ecuador and Brazil – Andes
Type of boundary?
Geometric boundaries - latitude and
longitude features or straight lines
Most of the US and Canada boundary – 49th parallel
-Longest border in
the world
-Un-militarized
5,525 miles long
(1,538 mi.-Alaska)
Type of boundary?
Cultural boundaries
(can follow geometric of physical lines)
– language, religion, ethnicity
– India and Pakistan
North
and
South
Korea
Four types of boundary disputes
Definitional (territorial)
boundary disputes – arise
from the legal language of
the treaty’s definition of the
boundary.
• One of the countries
involved will usually sue
another country in the
International Court of Justice
(World Court) which will try
to determine what was
intended when the
boundaries were initially
described.
Four types of boundary disputes
Locational (positional)
boundary disputes –
arise when the definition
of the border is not
questioned but the
interpretation of the
border is.
• In these cases, the
border has shifted, and
the original intention of
the boundary is called
into question.
Four types of boundary disputes
Operational (functional)
boundary disputes – occur
when two countries next to
each other disagree on the
major issue involving the
administration of the border.
• US and Mexico disagree over
the issue of illegal immigration
into the United States. Both
sides agree where the border
is but cannot agree on how to
handle border crossing.
Four types of boundary disputes
Allocation (resource)
boundary disputes – do not
question the boundary itself
but rather the use of it. They
usually involve some type of
natural resources, often in the
open ocean and/or under the
ground.
• For example, when an aquifer
extends across a boundary,
who has dominant rights to
the water? Or who has the
right to drill for oil out at sea?
Boundary???