State Morphology
(aka Size and Shape of States)
state: a politically organized territory administered
by a sovereign government, having a
permanent population, and recognized by the
international community
morphology: the study of the form or structure of
something
The size and shape of a state
determines the length of it boundaries
which in turn affects the potential for
communication, trade, and conflict with
its neighbors.
First shade in the world’s ten largest
states by area on your map.
Large size is often considered an asset for a state for all
of the following reasons EXCEPT
a. it will likely produce a larger supply of food
b. guard borders from invasion more easily
c. possess a larger supply of raw materials
d. would be more difficult to invade and conquer
e. may contain a large variety of climates
Now circle the
approximate locations of
the ten smallest world
states by area. These are
the so called
“microstates”. Throughout
this course, I have often
eliminated them from our
categorillas. Why might I
have done that?
Vatican City
Set in the heart of Rome and separated by a surrounding wall, The
Vatican is the smallest state in the world. It spreads across 0.2 square
miles and has a population of only 770 people. Despite its size, The
Vatican is a state simply because it is viewed as the spiritual center of
the Catholic Church and the home of The Pope.
Vatican City
Monaco
At just 1.95 square km, Monaco is the smallest state recognized by the United
Nations (The U.N. doesn’t recognize the Vatican City). But unless you have an 8figure sum in your bank account, there is no point in going to Monaco, a nation
famous worldwide for its casinos. This tiny state is also known as a tax paradise and
many important celebrities make Monaco their residence just to evade some taxes. It
was founded as a state in the 13th century. It has a population of 32,000.
Monaco
Nauru
The Republic of Nauru is set in the Southern Pacific and is the world’s
smallest island nation, with a surface of just over 8 square miles.
Originally inhabited by Micronesian and Polynesian tribes, the island
entered Germany’s sphere of influence and was attached as a colony. It
was occupied by Japan during WWII and finally achieved independence
in 1968. Pleasure Island, as it’s called has a population of 13,000.
Nauru
Tuvalu
Halfway between Hawaii and Australia, in the middle of the Pacific
Ocean lays the Polynesian island nation of Tuvalu. It became
completely independent in 1978, and now it is the second-smallest
member of the United Nations. Tuvalu is set on 9 coral atolls, covering a
surface of only 9 square miles. It has a population of 12,000 souls.
Tuvalu
San Marino
This small nation claims to be the oldest established state in the world,
founded on September 3, 301 CE by Marinus of Rab, a Christian
stonemason. It is completely surrounded by Italy and it is set in the
Apennine Mountains. San Marino is the third smallest country in
Europe, with a population of 29,000 inhabitants and a surface of 24
square miles.
San Marino
Liechtenstein
Bordered by Austria to the west and Switzerland to the east, the tiny
nation of Lichtenstein is a remnant of the old Holy Roman Empire.
Known as the smallest German-speaking country on the planet,
Liechtenstein spreads across 62 square miles and has a population of
34,000 citizens. It is best known for its winter destination, and for being
a financial paradise.
Liechtenstein
Saint Kitts and Nevis
The Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis is made up of two
corresponding islands, the larger, Saint Kitts and the smaller Nevis. It is
located in the Leeward Islands and with a population of only 39,000 it is
the smallest country in America. It covers just 104 miles.
Saint Kitts and Nevis
The Maldives
Set in the Indian Ocean, the Republic of Maldives is an island nation
made up of twenty-six atolls featuring 1,192 islets, out of which just two
hundred and fifty six are inhabited. With only around 300,000
inhabitants, the Maldives is the smallest Asian country in terms of
population. Before the year 1965, when Maldives became an
independent country, there were only 100,000 citizens in the area, but
soon after, the number doubled and in 2007 it reached 300,000.
The Maldives
Malta
Malta is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago
situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, 80 km south of Sicily, It is
also one of the most densely populated countries worldwide. Malta is
internationally renowned as a tourist destination, with numerous
recreational areas and historical monuments, including nine UNESCO
World Heritage Sites.
Malta
Grenada
Grenada is an island country and Commonwealth realm consisting of
the island of Grenada and six smaller islands in the southeastern
Caribbean Sea. Grenada is also known as the "Island of Spice"
because of the production of nutmeg and mace crops of which Grenada
is one of the world's largest exporters.
Grenada
There are some extremely small states in the
world that have all but which of the following
characteristics?
A) Many of the island nations are former
European colonies.
B) Most are in the southern hemisphere.
C) Many are islands.
D) All are smaller than 1,000 square
kilometers.
E) They are called microstates.
In addition to size, geographers classify
states by shape. These classifications are:
Compact
Elongated
Prorupted
Perforated
Fragmented
Landlocked (not really a shape)
Compact State:
 A state in which
the distance from
the center to any
boundary does not
vary significantly.
 Ideal compact
state = circle.
The capitals of
compacts states
are most often
located in the
center of the
state. Why might
this be?
If a capital is
moved to the
center of the
state, this is
called a forward
thrust capital.
forward thrust capital: A capital that
has been moved from its from its
original location in order to
encourage the movement of the
people or economic development.
Brasilia, Brazil
(capital moved from Rio de
Janeiro in 1960)
Islamabad,
Pakistan
(capital moved
from Karachi in
1960)
Abuja, Nigeria
(capital moved from
Lagos in 1991)
Canberra, Australia
(capital moved from
Melbourne in 1927)
New Delhi
(capital moved Calcutta in 1947)
Elongated State
 Long, narrow shape
 Capital usually
located at midpoint
Prorupted States
• An otherwise
compact state with a
large projecting
extension
• Sometimes created
to provide access to
a resource such as
water
• Sometimes created
to separate another
state into two parts
Perforated State
• A state that
complete
surrounds another
state
• The state
surrounded is
called an enclave
Fragmented State
 A state with several
discontinuous (not
touching) pieces of
territory.
 Technically includes any
state with an offshore
island.
 One subtype: separation
by water
• Other subtype: separation
by an intervening state
enclave: a small and relatively
homogeneous group or region surrounded
by a larger and different region (e.g.,
Nagorno-Karabagh (part of Armenia
surrounded by Azerbaijan), West Berlin
during the Cold War, Lesotho (surrounded
by S. Africa)
Note: This is not the same as an ethnic
enclave, which is just an ethnic urban
neighborhood like Little Italy, Chinatown, etc.
• When a country is fragmented by an intervening
state (another country) the broken off piece is
known as an exclave. Can you spot the exclave
here?
exclave: a bounded territory that is
part of a state but is separated by
the territory of another state (e.g.,
Alaska, Kaliningrad (part of Russia)
Two
Exclaves
Landlocked State
 A country with no
access to the sea
 Most common in Africa
(14 of 54 African states
are landlocked)
Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Permission required for reproduction or display.
Landlocked States
Figure 12.9
12-7
There are two states that are
“double landlocked” (not only are
they themselves landlocked but all
of the countries surrounding them
are also landlocked. Can you name
them?
Yep, Liechtenstein & Uzbekistan
Practice Analysis of Shape
• What US state is closest to a perfect
compact state?
• What US state is elongated?
• Is there a prorupted US state?
• What US state is fragmented BUT doesn’t
have an exclave?
• What US state is fragmented AND has an
exclave?
• What US state is a protruded state?
Now, with partners and a world atlas, find at
least two examples of each of the types of
states defined above and label them on your
map with the first three letters of each shape.
Then brainstorm with your group any
advantages or disadvantages for each shape.
Think in terms of these three areas:
1) political administration of the state
2) economic activity within or between states
3) cultural/ethnic unity or conflict
Other Compact States
Other elongated states
Aside from being an elongated state, what other
kind of state does Gambia (almost) represent?
What kind of state was Panama before the US
gave back the Panama Canal in 2000?
Other Prorupted States
Can you
spot the two
prorupted
states in
Southern
Africa?
Other perforated states
Italy: A doubly
perforated state
(It’s “holey”!)
Other fragmented states
(Any state with island territories is
technically a fragmented state.)
Aceh
Moluccas
West Papua
East Timor
Separatist Flashpoints in Indonesia
(East Timor gained independence in 2002)
devolution: the process by which
regions within a state demand and
gain political strength and
autonomy at the expense of the
central government.