Colonization, boundaries, and
territorial morphology
Conference of Berlin – Scramble for Africa
 Superimposed
borders
that
divide
ethnicities or
put groups
together that
don’t belong
BOUNDARIES
 Boundary – invisible line marking state’s territory
– ARTIFICIAL
 Can be based on….
 Natural/physical features (mountains, river) Rivers are
bad because they move..in a drought who gets the
water? If an oil spill who cleans it up?
 Meridian Line Principle: boundary right down middle
of river
Boundaries - contd
 Cultural features (language, religion)
 Geometric: follow straight line that has nothing to do
with nature or culture (US/Canada – line of latitude)
Boundary origins
 Subsequent Boundaries: established after population
has established itself and follows existing
social/cultural/ethnic lines
 Antecedent Boundaries: boundary given to region
before the population has established itself (Western
boundary between US and Canada – established by
treaty in 1846 when few people lived there)
Boundary Origins
 Superimposed Boundaries: drawn after a population
has been settled but ignores social, cultural, ethnic
lines (i.e. colonialism in Africa)
 Relict: boundaries that no longer exist but you can still
see effects (i.e. east and west Germany/Berlin)
FRONTIERS
 Historically frontiers, not boundaries, separate
states.
 Frontiers = zone where no state exercises complete
political control. Frontier was a buffer zone of
safety…boundaries are thin lines that bring people
right up to each other & increases chances of
dispute
 Highly contested frontier today…oceans – claim sea
& its resources
OCEANS
 Law of the Sea established in 1983
 restrict territorial seas to 12 nautical miles from
shoreline, in which ships of other countries have right of
passage
 EEZ – Exclusive Economic Zone – state has economic
rights to 200 nautical miles from shore. In this zone
each state has the right to explore and exploit natural
resources in water, seabed, and soil
Shapes of States – territorial
morphology
 a term that describes the shape, size,
and relative location of states
Compact State
 relatively round i.e. easy communication (Poland)
Prorupted State
 compact state w/ one large projecting
extension..often to get water access (Namibia)
Elongated State
 long and narrow…
isolation of extremes,
communication diff
(Chile, Italy, Vietnam)
Fragmented States
 territory broken up into several discontinuous pieces
Indonesia, Philippines)
Perforated States:
 state that completely
surrounds another
(S. Africa surrounds
Lesotho)
States
 Landlocked States: no outlet to sea…BAD situation –
makes you dependent on other state for sea
access/shipping/trade
 Most landlocked states in Africa – 14
 Exclaves: small, detached holdings that are completely
separate from country and lie within boundaries of another
state (ex: W. Berlin to W. Germany; embassies)
Centrifugal V. Centripetal Forces
 Centrifugal forces pull apart and lead to
dissolution
 ex. Tribes, ethnic strife, regionalism, language or religious
differences……Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, China-Taiwan,
USSR, Basques in Spain, French in Canada, etc.
 Centripetal Forces unify, create common identity –
 national institutions, pledge, anthem, common
language/religion, even external threats (9/11, Pearl
Harbor