THE NATURE OF POLITICAL BOUNDARIES
Political Boundaries
1. What is the definition of a "political boundary"?
​Political boundaries​ are the dividing lines between countries, states, provinces, counties, and
cities.
2. What purpose do political boundaries serve?
​ hese lines, more often called borders, are created by people to separate areas governed by
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different groups. Most countries have some form of border control to regulate or limit the
movement of people, animals, and goods into and out of the country.
3. Do geometric political boundaries effectively separate people? Why or why not?
Geometric political boundaries effectively separate 2+ pieces of land/territory, but not the
people. Take Africa for example. Since Africa's borders were arbitrarily drawn by the British,
they didn't take the hundreds of tribes in Africa into consideration. Plenty of Africans were in the
same tribe but they were living, and being separated by, the borders.
4. What impact could/does a border such as the one dividing the United States with Mexico
have on the lives of people on either side of the boundary?
The long border between the two countries means that peace and security in that region are
important to the U.S.'s national security and international trade. The U.S. is Mexico's biggest
trading partner and Mexico is the U.S.'s third-largest trading partner.
Shapes of States (Provide 3 examples for each)
5. ​Compact:
Belgium
The Flemings
Wallonia
6.​ Prorupted:
Myanmar
Thailand
DR Congo
7. ​Elongated:
Chile
Vietnam
Norway
8. ​Fragmented:
Indonesia
Fiji
Philippines
9.​ Perforated:
South Africa
Italy
Geometric & Physical Boundaries (Provide 3 examples for each)
10. ​Relatively Straight borders running north/south:
Libya
Egypt
11. ​Relatively Straight borders running east/west:
US
Canada
Mexico
12.​ Mountain ranges as borders:
Chile
France
Spain
13. ​Bodies of Water as borders:
Rio Grande R.
Mississippi River
Nile River
14. ​Countries separated by an exclave:
Lithuania
Vatican City
San Marino
15. ​Man-made boundaries (relic or functional):
Great Wall of China