THE NATURE OF POLITICAL BOUNDARIES

    The nature and significance of political boundary activity will serve as an introductory lesson for a unit dealing with political geography. This lesson introduces students to the extreme differences in living conditions between the United States and Mexico with respect to 15 statistical categories. Students will grasp the concept and the ramifications that an imaginary line on Earth's surface separates two countries.  This activity will help students understand the nature and significance of political boundaries.

    Answer the following questions to the best of your ability on a separate sheet of paper.  Every answer must be paraphrased into your own words.  You may not plagiarize or work with another individual to answer these questions.  The Honor Code must be written out and signed before you turn this in.

Author:
Dan Snyder; adapted from Rick Gindele Smoky Hill High School Cherry Creek School District Aurora, Colorado

Key Terms and Definitions:
Boundary - something that indicates bounds or limits.
Boundary Delimitation - political boundaries on Earth's surface are determined by the use of man-made structures such as fences and walls, i.e., United States/Mexico.
Boundary Demarcation - there are no physical signs on Earth's surface to show that a boundary exists, i.e., Saudi Arabia/Omen.
Boundary Dispute - when two or more states disagree about the demarcation of a political boundary.
Compact State - the distance from the geographic center of the area to any point on the boundary does not vary greatly, i.e., Hungary.
Elongated State - state that is geographically long and narrow, i.e., Chile.
Enclave - portion of a state that is totally surrounded by another state, i.e., Armenian Nagorno-Karabagh
Exclave -small portion of land that is separated from the main state, i.e., Kaliningrad/Russia.
Fragmented State - state split into many pieces, i.e., Philippines and Indonesia.
Landlocked State - state not having direct access to an ocean, i.e., Bolivia.
Perforated State - state that totally surrounds another state, i.e., Lesotho/South Africa.
Prorupt State - state having a portion of territory that is elongated, i.e., Thailand.
Microstate - state that is extremely small, i.e., San Marine.
Nation-State - political unit comprising a clearly delineated territory where the population shares a common history and culture, i.e., Japan.
Subsoil - below the surface of Earth. Boundaries are vertical planes, not merely lines on a map.
Frontier - zone where no state exercises political control, i.e., Antarctica and portions of Saudi Arabia.
Physical Boundary - major physical features such as deserts, mountain ranges, and/or water bodies that serve as a means of separation, i.e., Great Lakes, Pureness Mountains, and Sahara Desert.
Geometric Boundary - straight lines that serve as political boundaries that are unrelated to physical and /or cultural differences, i.e., United States/Canadian border.
Cultural Political Boundary - political boundary that separates different cultures, i.e., former Yugoslavia.
Religious Boundary - boundary that separates different religions, i.e., Northern Ireland/Ireland.
Language Boundary - boundary that separates different language speakers, i.e., traditionally many countries in Europe such as England, France, Spain, and Portugal.
Genetic Boundary - how boundaries evolve over time.
Antecedent Boundary - boundary that was created before the present day cultural landscape developed, i.e., Malaysia/Indonesia on the island of Borneo.
Subsequent Boundary - boundaries that are created as a result of long-term processes, i.e., Vietnam/China.
Super Imposed Boundary - boundary that has been forced upon the inhabitants of an area to solve a problem and/or conflict, i.e., Indonesia/Papua New Guinea.
Relict Boundary - boundary that ceases to exist, however the imprint of the boundary still remains on the cultural landscape, i.e., North/South Vietnam.
Fortified Boundary - when a state constructs physical barriers along a boundary to either keep people in or out of its territory, i.e., Great Wall of China, Berlin Wall, earth berms along the Morocco/Spanish Sahara border.
Nation - geographic area that is dominated by a large population that shares a common history and culture, i.e., Kurds and Palestinians.
State - political entity that maintains status as an independent country.

Objectives:
Students will be able to:

  1. Identify different types of political boundaries.
  2. Understand reasons why different types of political boundaries exist.
  3. Recognize potential conflicts due to different political boundaries.
  4. Explain how different shapes of states can have positive and negative impacts.
  5. Examine in depth a current and/or recent boundary dispute.
  6. Understand the concept of nation and state.

Activities:
The boundary between the United States and Mexico represents one of the greatest divisions of wealth on Earth. Other possibilities could include North Korea/South Korea, South Africa/Botswana, or data between two political entities with extreme differences in wealth within the United States.

1.  Study the data provided:

Category United States Mexico
Per Capita GNP 24,700 8,200
Unemployment Rate 0.07 14 to 17 percent
Arable Land 0.2 0.12
Forest and Woodland 0.29 0.24
Agricultural Employment NA (2 percent?) 0.28
Literacy 0.96 0.9
Major Language English Spanish
Major Religion(s) Protestant 89 percent Roman Catholic
Fertility Rate/women 2.05 3.25
Birth Rate 15/1,000 28/1,000
Natural Increase 0.007 0.022
Percent Urban 0.75 0.71
Pop Density/Sq.Mile 72 124
Births/1,000 15 27
Deaths/1,000 8 5
Televisions/person 1:1.2 1:6.7
Telephones/person 1:1.3 1:7.6
Radios/person 1:0.5 1:5.5
Physicians/person 1:391 1:885
Infant Mortality Rate 8/1,000 26/1,000
Hospital Beds/person 1:218 1:1,367
Percent GNP/Defense 0.055 0.005
Life Expectancy - Female 80 77
Life Expectancy - Male 73 70


Source: The World Almanac and Book of Facts, 1996, Funk & Wagnalls Corporation, Mahwah, New Jersey.

2.  Sample Questions:

  1. What is the definition of "political boundary"?
  2. What purpose do political boundaries serve?
  3. Do geometric political boundaries effectively separate people?
  4. What impact does the United States/Mexican border have on the lives of people on either side of the boundary?

3.  Use an atlas to find two examples for each type of political boundary listed below:

Geometric Boundaries:
  1. Straight borders running north/south 
  2. Straight borders running east/west 
  3. Straight borders not running east/west or north/south 
  4. Borders drawn to avoid dividing islands 
  5. Borders that divide lakes 
  6. Detours to include settlements 

Physical Boundaries:
    a.    Mountain ranges as borders

    b.    Mountain states with borders on foothills 

    c.    Borders to contain river sources 

    d.    Rivers as borders 

    e.    Shipping lanes as borders

    f.    Sea limits extended by claiming off-shore islands 

    g.    Borders marked by corridor access to the sea or river 

    h.    List three states that claim a 200-mile off-shore boundary. 

Evaluation:

Multiple Choice Questions:
  1. Which one of the following borders is an example of a geometric boundary that runs east/west?
    1. France/Spain
    2. Egypt/Sudan
    3. England/Scotland
    4. North Korea/South Korea
    5. Costa Rica/Panama
  2. All of the following are examples of nations except?
    1. Kurds
    2. Palestinian Arabs
    3. Israel
    4. England
    5. Canada
  3. What type/s of political boundaries between states are most prevalent in Africa?
    1. Geometric-Political Boundaries
    2. Cultural-Political Boundaries
    3. Physical-Political Boundaries
    4. Religious Boundaries
    5. Language Boundaries
  4. Which one of the following is the best example of a nation-state?
    1. Germany
    2. Italy
    3. Vietnam
    4. Japan
    5. England
  5. How has the end of the "Cold War" influenced boundary disputes?
    1. Boundary disputes are not as important today.
    2. There has been a proliferation in the number of boundary disputes throughout the world.
    3. The United States has maintained a consistent policy with regard to trying to solve boundary disputes.
    4. NATO has taken the leadership role in the world for settling conflicts.
    5. The United Nations peacekeeping force is becoming more powerful than the United States military.
 

Short Answer Questions:  Choose two [2] of the following and answer completely.

  1. Agree or disagree: Physical features make for the most logical and long-lasting type of political boundary. (i.e. mountain ranges, rivers, lakes)

    Give examples of how the physical features listed in the parentheses have stabilized the border between two states, or give examples of how these physical features help create conflict.

  2. Explain why many African states will suffer for generations with the decisions that were made at the Berlin conference in 1885.

    Made unity and cooperation more difficult
    Slowed economic development
    Increased conflict

    Support the above with specific examples and incorporate various types of political boundaries.

  3. Discuss the differences between the formation of states in South America and South Asia. Give a historical/geographic perspective on how these two areas of the world developed states differently. Use geographic concepts and cite specific geographic models and theories.

 

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Some information adapted from Human Geography: Culture, Society, and Space Student Companion; H.J. de Blij and Alexander Murphy; John Wiley and Sons, Inc.; New York, 1999