Types of Boundaries How do we determine where

Types of Boundaries How do we determine where boundaries are located? What value is placed on physical features and cultural differences?

Partition Process of dividing a territory into separate countries/regions. Annexation: Adding territory to a preexisting state.

Geopolitics is when governments make laws/decisions based off of geographic features and/or human characteristics. This can be used in drawing boundaries, passing laws for/against certain groups of people, tax policies, tariffs, Laws of the Sea, trade agreements, quotas, voting age, etc. We will focus on drawing boundaries for this portion of the unit.

Self-determination The ability of a region to govern itself. This is the ability to obtain autonomy or independence. What problems occurred when European countries began to grant colonies independence? What happens when people feel they do not have self determination? How does gerrymandering harm self-determiniation?

Gerrymandering When political borders are drawn to purposefully benefit a particular party or candidate. In the US, there is a Census every ten years and afterwards district lines for the House of Representatives are redrawn. At this point, political parties jockey for power and try to redraw to their benefit. Gerrymandering is legal in the US as long as the lines aren’t drawn for racial purposes, BUT recent court rulings may indicate that the courts want to revisit the issue and tighten up the law around this issue.

Political Boundaries These boundaries exist on paper and in the minds of people. They show the area of a certain state of political entity’s territory. Territoriality: the feeling that a piece of land “belongs” to you or your people. A sense of territoriality can be a strong uniting force as well as a force that can lead to conflict (think Kashmir or Israel/Palestine) A frontier is an area between political boundaries where no one has governing authority. Antarctica is the last remaining true frontier. Who typically draws political boundaries? How are frontiers handled typically?

Creating Boundaries Boundary evolution: the wording of a treaty or agreement that creates a boundary. Delimitation: Representing the new border on paper. Demarcation: The process of physically representing a delimited border. Usually border crossings, fences, walls, signs, etc. are used. The area on either side of the boundary is called the border landscape. Some border landscapes are inclusionary, like the border between Canada and the US. This facilitates movement and trade. Some are exclusionary, like the border between Mexico and the US. This slows movement and/or trade.

Antecedent Boundaries These boundaries existed prior to human settlement. How is that even possible? Think geographically!!!

Antecedent continued… Physical Boundaries like deserts, mountains, or water often form natural boundaries between areas. Some global examples of Antecedent Boundaries would be: 1. Pyrenees (Spain and France) 2. Rio Grande (US and Mexico), Great Lakes (US and Canada) 3. Sahara (Chad/Niger and Libya) 4. Dead Sea (Israel and Jordan) 5. Alps (Italy and Switzerland/rest of Europe) 6. Ural Mountains (Europe and Asia) 7. Himalayas (India and China)

Subsequent Boundaries that are determined based on cultural differences among groups of people. What are some examples that we have discussed already that would fall into this category?

Subsequent continued… Break-up of India (Hindu—India, Muslims—East and West Pakistan Break-up of Ireland Great Britain (Protestants—UK, Catholics— Ireland) Quebec gaining autonomy from Canada (Catholics/French Speaking Quebec, Protestants/English Speaking—Rest of Canada) Palestinians gaining autonomy from Israel (West Bank, Gaza Strip, Golan Heights made up majority Muslims; Rest of Israel majority Jews)

Superimposed Boundaries forcefully drawn by a 3 rd Party, not always with the interest of the indigenous peoples. Best examples include North/South Korea, North/South Vietnam, and the Berlin Conference and the drawing of Africa’s colonial borders. North/South Korea and North/South Vietnam were divided by the UN post-WWII. The Northern regions were controlled by Soviet forces while the Southern regions were controlled by US forces. During the Berlin Conference, the boundaries of Africa were drawn by the various European powers with no regard to cultural and ethnic differences. Some rival tribes were grouped together while other tribes were divided up. The goal was resources and land for Europe…not unity for African tribes. Irredentism is when a border splits ethnic groups into two countries. Reunification is often sought by this group, sometimes leading to violence.

Relic Boundaries that existed at one point in time, but have since disappeared. However, people in the region still act as if the boundary is still there. Mason Dixon Line—Many people in the US still have perspectives of the “North” and “South” and the stereotypes that go with it. Even though the boundary dissolved after the Civil War Era, many people still adhere to the cultural differences. Berlin Wall and Iron Curtain—Boundary lines that divided the regions of Eastern Europe and Western Europe. After the Fall of Communism, the boundary lines were removed. However, due to economic development and cultural differences, many Europeans act as if these boundaries still exist.

Geometric Boundaries These are usually based off of Latitude and Longitude. Thus, they are “straight” lines on a map. Best examples are 49 th parallel (US/Canada), 38 th parallel (N/S Korea), 19 th parallel (N/S Vietnam) Other examples include boundary lines of Colorado, Wyoming, California, Nevada They are sometimes poorly drawn or ill-considered and may result in problems on occasion.

Boundary Disputes Definitional: These disputes center on the wording of a treaty. Locational: Disagreement about the actual location of a border, not the treaty. Operational: Disagreement about a border. US/Mexico now, for example. Allocational: Challenge to the use of a border, not its existence or location.

Law of the Sea (UN Convention on the Law of the Sea-UNCLOS) This agreement created the system of international law on the high seas. 1. Country’s borders extend 12 miles from their coast. 2. Exclusive economic zones are 200 miles of protected areas extending from a country’s coast. Other countries may travel within these areas, but they do not have rights to explore for resources 3. Conflicts do arise, however. If two country’s claims overlap, the median-line principle is used, where a line is drawn equidistantly from both countries, splitting the EEZ. 4. Antarctica is considered a global commons, where no one can extract resources or use it for military purposes, but all may access it to conduct scientific research.