4.4

• physical geographic boundaries - natural barriers that separate two or more areas such as oceans, deserts, and mountains
• cultural boundaries - divide people according to some cultural division, such as language, religion or ethnicity
• Antecedent boundary


  Boundary that preceded the development of the cultural landscape, typically based on physical features like oceans or mountains
• Antecedent boundaries


  • Straight-line boundaries for states across the western frontier of the emerging United States
• Subsequent boundary


  Boundary typically created while the cultural landscape is evolving and is subject to change over time, usually related to cultural phenomena like ethnicity, religion, language, or economics
• Subsequent boundary


  • The border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, drawn based on the religious and political cultural landscape
• Superimposed boundary

  Boundary drawn by outside powers that may have ignored existing cultural patterns, often lacking conformity to natural features
• Superimposed boundaries

  • Boundaries established in Africa as a result of the Berlin Conference, creating around 50 irregularly shaped countries out of more than 1,000 indigenous cultures
• Landlocked states


  • Inherently dealing from a weakened position and struggle to effectively negotiate with neighboring countries
  • Among the most-impoverished and least-developed countries in the world
• Relic boundary

  Boundary that has been abandoned for political purposes, but evidence of it still exists on the landscape
• Relic boundaries

  • The Berlin Wall
  • The Great Wall of China
• Consequent boundary

  Border that is drawn taking into account language, ethnicity, religion, or other cultural traits, or using already-existing natural features like rivers, deserts, or mountains
• Consequent boundaries


  • The partition of the British colony of India in 1947, creating a Hindu-majority India and a Muslim-majority Pakistan
  • The Pyrenees Mountains separating Spain from France and surrounding Andorra
• open boundary - unguarded and people can cross it easily, with little or no political intervention
• militarized boundary - heavily guarded and discouraged entry by non-natives