Glossary
Antecedent Boundaries
Boundaries that existed before the development of the cultural landscape, often following natural features or established before significant human settlement.
Example:
The dense Amazon rainforest acting as a natural division between Brazil and its neighbors before extensive colonization is an antecedent boundary.
Consequent Boundaries
Boundaries that are drawn to accommodate existing cultural differences, aligning with linguistic, religious, or ethnic divisions.
Example:
The division of Czechoslovakia into the Czech Republic and Slovakia, largely along ethnic and linguistic lines, is a consequent boundary.
Cultural Boundaries
Political boundaries that are based on differences in cultural traits, such as language, religion, or ethnicity, often separating distinct cultural groups.
Example:
The border drawn to separate areas predominantly speaking French from those speaking German in a historical region would be a cultural boundary.
Defined Boundary
A boundary established by a legal document, such as a treaty or a formal agreement, outlining the precise location of the border.
Example:
The agreement signed by two nations specifying the exact coordinates of their shared border is a defined boundary.
Delimited Boundary
A boundary that has been drawn onto a map, translating the legal definition into a visual representation.
Example:
After a treaty is signed, cartographers then draw the new border onto official maps, creating a delimited boundary.
Demarcated Boundary
A boundary that is physically marked on the landscape with objects like walls, fences, pillars, or signs.
Example:
The physical fence and watchtowers along a border serve as a demarcated boundary, making the division visible on the ground.
Economic Boundaries
Boundaries influenced or established by economic factors, such as trade routes, resource distribution, or agreements for economic cooperation.
Example:
The internal borders within the European Union are largely open boundaries, but the external borders are also economic boundaries that regulate trade and movement of goods.
Geometric Boundaries
Political boundaries that are straight lines or arcs, often drawn without regard for physical or cultural features, frequently based on latitude or longitude.
Example:
The straight line separating Colorado and Kansas, following a line of longitude, is a geometric boundary.
Jurisdiction
The official power to make legal decisions and judgments, defining the area or sphere over which a legal authority extends.
Example:
A police officer's authority to enforce laws is limited to their specific city or county, which is their area of jurisdiction.
Militarized Boundaries
Boundaries that are heavily guarded and fortified, making crossing difficult and often dangerous due to high security and military presence.
Example:
The Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) between North and South Korea is a prime example of a militarized boundary, heavily fortified and patrolled.
Natural Boundaries
Political boundaries that follow a physical feature of the landscape, such as rivers, mountain ranges, or deserts.
Example:
The Andes Mountains forming a border between Chile and Argentina is a classic example of a natural boundary.
Open Boundaries
Boundaries that allow for free and unrestricted movement of people, goods, and services across them, often found within economic or political blocs.
Example:
Travel between France and Germany within the Schengen Area of the European Union is facilitated by open boundaries, with no passport checks.
Relic Boundaries
Boundaries that no longer function as political borders but are still visible on the cultural landscape, leaving a historical imprint.
Example:
The remnants of the Berlin Wall, though no longer dividing East and West Berlin, serve as a powerful relic boundary reminding people of past divisions.
Sovereignty
The supreme authority of a state to govern itself or another state, meaning it has the right to rule its territory without external interference.
Example:
When a country decides its own laws and policies without another nation dictating them, it is exercising its sovereignty.
Subsequent Boundaries
Boundaries that are drawn after the cultural landscape has been established, often reflecting existing cultural differences like language or religion.
Example:
The border between India and Pakistan, created after the partition of British India to separate Hindu and Muslim populations, is a subsequent boundary.
Superimposed Boundaries
Boundaries imposed on an area by an outside or conquering power, often ignoring existing cultural, ethnic, or linguistic patterns.
Example:
Many of the straight-line borders in Africa were drawn by European colonial powers, creating superimposed boundaries that often led to conflict among diverse groups.
Territoriality
A fundamental aspect of human behavior and political geography, referring to the connection of people, their culture, and their economic systems to the land.
Example:
A community's strong sense of belonging and defense of their ancestral lands against encroachment demonstrates their deep territoriality.