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:
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:
|
2. Sample Questions:
3. Use an atlas to find two examples for each type of political boundary listed below:
Geometric Boundaries: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 islandsg. Borders marked by corridor access to the sea or river
h. List three states that claim a 200-mile off-shore boundary.
Evaluation:Short Answer Questions: Choose two [2] of the
following and answer completely.
Back
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