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 19 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.You may use your textbook and an online atlas to complete the assignment.

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:

Category / United States / Mexico
Per Capita GNP / 47,200 / 13,900
Unemployment Rate / 8.3 (2012) / 5.4 percent
ArableLand / 18% / 13%
Agricultural Employment / .7 / 13.7
Literacy / 99 / 86.1
Major Language / English / Spanish
Major Religion(s) / Protestant / 76.5 percent Roman Catholic
Fertility Rate/women / 2.06 / 2.29
Natural Increase* / 0.6 / 1.4
Percent Urban / 82 / 78
Births/1,000 / 13.8 / 19
Deaths/1,000 / 8.3 / 4.86
Internet users/100 / 79 / 31
Physicians/1,000 / 2.67 / 2.8
Infant Mortality Rate/1,000 / 6.6 / 17
Hospital Beds/person / 3/1,000 / 1.6/1,000
Percent GDP/Defense / 4.06 / 1.03
Life Expectancy - Female / 80 / 79
Life Expectancy - Male / 76 / 74

Source: CIA World Factbook, 2011

*Population Reference Bureau, 2010

2. Questions:

  1. What is the definition of a boundary?
  2. What purpose doboundaries serve?
  3. Do geometric political boundaries effectively separate people?
  4. What impact does the United States/Mexican border have on the lives of people on either side of the boundary?

3.Shapes of States:Use an atlas to find an example for each of the following and explain the pros or cons of the particular shape for the country. Do not use any of the examples given in the textbook.

Five Basic Shapes:

  1. Compact states
  2. Elongated states
  3. Prorupted states
  4. Perforated states
  5. Fragmented states

Landlocked States:

4. Types of Boundaries:Use an atlas to find an example for each of the following. Do not use any of the examples given in the textbook.

Physical Boundaries:
a. Deserts as borders

b.Mountain ranges as borders

  1. Rivers as borders
  2. Borders to contain rivers
  3. Oceans as borders

Define the Law of the Sea:

Cultural Boundaries:Geometric and Ethnic. Explain why each of the following might be useful. Give an example of each.

  1. Geometric
  2. Religious
  3. Language
  4. The Green Line boundary

Evaluation:
Multiple Choice Questions:

  1. Which one of the following borders is an example of a geometric boundary that runs east/west?
  2. France/Spain
  3. Egypt/Sudan
  4. England/Scotland
  5. North Korea/South Korea
  6. Costa Rica/Panama
  7. All of the following are examples of nations except?
  8. Kurds
  9. Palestinian Arabs
  10. Israel
  11. England
  12. Canada
  13. Which shape most easily fosters the establishment of effective internal communications for a smaller state?
  14. Compact
  15. Elongated
  16. Fragmented
  17. Prorupted
  18. A feature of the physical environment commonly used to separate states includes all but which of the following?
  19. Deserts
  20. Geometry
  21. Mountains
  22. Lakes
  23. Rivers