Political Geography: State Shapes and Borders

Territorial Morphology: The Shape of States

• Types of States:

  • Compact

  • Prorupted

  • Elongated

  • Fragmented

  • Perforated

  • Micro

• The morphology and topography of a state can impact how it is governed.

Compact States

• Definition:

  • States that are circular or oval-shaped.

• Characteristics:

  • Ease of communication; proximity to capital enhances governance.

• Examples:

  • Switzerland

  • Hungary

Prorupted States

• Definition:

  • A compact state with a large projecting extension.

• Challenges:

  • Issues with devolution often arise.

• Examples:

  • Democratic Republic of Congo

  • Thailand

Fragmented States

• Definition:

  • States that consist of several discontinuous pieces of territory, like islands.

• Challenges:

  • Devolution can be an issue.

• Examples:

  • Indonesia

  • Philippines

Perforated States

• Definition:

  • A state that completely surrounds another state.

• Examples:

  • South Africa surrounds Lesotho

Elongated States

• Definition:

  • States with a long and narrow shape due to geographical or political/economic reasons.

• Examples:

  • Chile

  • Gambia

Microstates

• Definition:

  • Tiny, usually homogenous states.

• Examples:

  • Andorra

  • Liechtenstein

  • Luxembourg

  • Singapore

Exclaves and Enclaves

• Exclaves:

  • Small bits of territory that lie separate from the rest of the state by another state (not landlocked).

  • Example:

    • Kaliningrad belonging to Russia.

• Enclaves:

  • Landlocked pieces of a state surrounded by another state.

  • Example:

    • Armenia and Azerbaijan, especially the Nagorno-Karabakh region.

Boundaries

• Types of Boundaries:

  • Physical Boundaries:

    • Easy to see and use; based on natural features like lakes and rivers.

  • Cultural Boundaries:

    • Harder to define based on language, religion, ethnicity; related to concepts like Balkanization and shatter belts.

  • Geometric Boundaries:

    • Straight and imaginary lines.

Boundary Origins

• Antecedent Boundary:

  • Developed before any significant settlements and cultural distinctions.

• Subsequent Boundary:

  • Established after areas are settled.

• Superimposed Boundary:

  • Imposed by external forces, often ignoring pre-existing cultural landscapes.

• Relic Boundary:

  • An old boundary that no longer exists but still affects the region.

Boundary Disputes

• Types of Disputes:

  • Positional (Definitional):

    • Disputes over the exact location of borders.

  • Territorial:

    • Disputes regarding who owns what territory.

  • Resource (Allocation):

    • Disputes over resources such as oil or water.

  • Functional (Operational):

    • Disputes over the rules and operations at borders.

Case Studies

• Kashmir Dispute:

  • Involves claims between India and Pakistan.

• Assam Dispute:

  • Involves claims between China and India.

Law of the Sea

• UNCLOS:

  • United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea sets rules for maritime conduct and borders since 1994.

The Arctic Sea Issues

• Disputes over resources:

  • Territorial claims and resource mining in the Arctic.

South China Sea Dispute

• Claim lines and resources:

  • Competing claims by China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia, and other nations over islands and waters.

Gerrymandering

• Definition:

  • Manipulative practice of drawing electoral district boundaries to benefit a particular political party.

• Illustration:

  • Examples show how districts can be drawn to influence election outcomes.