Iceland
State? Nation? Nation-State?
Nation-State!
Canada
State? Nation? Nation-State?
State!
(Multinational)
Belgium
State? Nation? Nation-State?
State!
(Multinational)
Stateless Nations
Palestine?
A NATION, but
NO State
Palestinian National
Authority: interim
government according
to 1994 agreement with
Israel. Negotiations for
a permanent settlement
stalled and PalestinianIsraeli conflict continues.
Geographic Characteristics of
States:
Boundaries & Borders
A. Boundaries & Borders
1. Shapes of states
– five basic shapes
– landlocked states
2. Types of boundaries
– physical
– cultural
boundary: lines that establish the limits of a
state’s authority
Boundaries are vertical planes…
Controversies Over Airspace
1. Territorial airspace:
12 nautical miles
• 1983 - Korean Airlines
Flight 007 strayed into
Soviet airspace - shot
down by Soviet military
jets - all 269 passengers
did.
Controversies Over Subsoil
Resources
San Diego, USA - Tijuana, Mexico Border
San Diego, USA - Tijuana, Mexico Border
San Diego, USA - Tijuana, Mexico Border
B. Types of Boundaries
1. geometric boundaries: grid systems
2. physical boundaries: natural features
– mountain ranges, rivers, lakes, deserts
3. anthropographic: cultural boundaries
– ethnicity, language, religion
Mountain
Boundaries
1. Mountains can be effective
boundaries if they are difficult
to cross
• Argentina and Chile agreed to be
divided by the crest of the Andes
Mountains but could not decide on the
precise location of the crest.
Water Boundaries
1. Rivers, lakes, and oceans
are the physical features
most commonly used as
boundaries.
• Boundaries are typically in the
middle of the water, although the
boundary between Malawi and
Tanzania follows the north shore of
Lake Malawi (Lake Nyasa).
Cultural Boundaries
• The boundaries between some states coincide with
differences in ethnicity.
Language Boundaries
1. Language is an important
cultural characteristic for
drawing boundaries,
especially in Europe.
• The movement to identify
nationalities on the basis of
language spread
throughout Europe in the
twentieth century.
C. Size & Location
1. Large size: access to natural resources &
population, but can be difficult to administer
2. Small size: can be a disadvantage (W. Africa
vs. Singapore)
3. Relative location can be a blessing or a
curse
– benefit if close to resources
– landlocked countries face challenges
Landlocked States in Africa
1. Lesotho is unique in being
completely surrounded by
only one state and is…
landlocked!
• The prevalence of landlocked states
in Africa is a remnant of the colonial
era, when Britain and France
controlled extensive regions.
D. Shapes
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
compact
elongated
fragmented
perforated
prorupt
Afghanistan
prorupt state: odd
shaped extension
Myanmar
Elongated States: Potential Isolation
• Best example:
Chile
• Elongated states
may suffer from
poor internal
communications
Fragmented
States:
Problematic
Defending
fragmented state:
includes several
discontinuous pieces of
territory
India: The Tin Bigha Corridor
The Tin Bigha corridor fragmented two sections of the country of Bangladesh.
When it was leased to Bangladesh, a section of India was fragmented.
South Africa
perforated states:
a state that
completely
surrounds another
• South Africa
completely
surrounds the state
of Lesotho
E. Additional Types of Boundaries
antecedent boundary: drawn before population
established itself
subsequent boundary: drawn after population
established itself (respects existing cultural patterns)
superimposed boundary: drawn after population
established itself (DOES NOT respect existing
cultural patterns)
relict boundary: boundary that has ceased to exist
but imprint remains on cultural landscape
Antecedent, Subsequent, or Superimposed?
• Part of U.S.-Canada
is a 1,300- mile
straight line along the
49° parallel
(established in 1846
by a treaty between
the United States and
Great Britain)
The Aozou Strip:
a superimposed geometric boundary
The straight boundary between Libya and Chad was drawn by European powers, and the
strip is the subject of controversy between the two countries.
Ethnic Groups in Southwest Asia
Antecedent, Subsequent, or Superimposed?
Ethnic boundaries DO NOT match country boundaries, especially in Iraq, Iran,
Afghanistan, and Pakistan.
Treaty of Versailles
Antecedent, Subsequent, or Superimposed?
Division of Cyprus
Antecedent, Subsequent, or Superimposed?
Ethnicities: S.W. Asia
Africa After Berlin Conference of 1884-85
Antecedent, Subsequent, or Superimposed?
F. Frontier Regions
frontier: zone where no country exercises
complete political control
– Antarctica & Saudi Arabian borders
Space - The Last Frontier?
Enclaves & Exclaves
exclave: “outlier” territory attached to another
territory
enclave: an area within a state that belongs to
another state
The complicated border between Belgium
and the Netherlands in the village of
Baarle-Nassau/Baarle-Hertog
G. Primate Cities & Forward Capitals
primate city: a country’s
leading city that is
disproportionately larger
& functionally complex
than any other
• Metropolitan Seoul
contains over 40% of
the total population of
South Korea
• Luanda has
almost 2/3 of
Angola’s urban
population
• a heritage of the
colonial past
Not all
primate
cities are in
the lessdeveloped
world…
Paris
forward “thrust” capital: a capital moved to a
more central location for political or economic
goals; usually a “planned” city
• In 1959, Pakistan moved its
capital from Karachi to
Islamabad to focus attention
on its historic interior
Abuja, Brasilia, & Canberra—
the classic examples
of forward capitals
Brasilia
Abuja
Canberra
Countries with
Two Capitals