What are Political Boundaries (College Board AP® Human Geography)

Types of Political Boundaries

• A political boundary marks the limits of a state’s territory 

• There are six types of political boundaries: 

  • Relic

  • Superimposed

  • Subsequent

  • Antecedent

  • Geometric

  • Consequent

Image: Types of political boundaries

Relic boundary

• A relic boundary is a former boundary that no longer exists but still holds significance, usually economic or cultural

  • An example of a relic boundary is the Berlin Wall, which divided East and West Germany before reunification

Superimposed boundary

• A superimposed boundary is a boundary drawn by outside power without attention to existing borders or social, cultural, or ethnic differences

• Superimposed boundaries often lead to conflict

• The boundaries of African states after the Berlin Conference are superimposed boundaries

  • The Berlin Conference of 1884 established a framework for European colonization of Africa and divided the continent largely into colonial spheres for European powers

  • Europeans often drew borders separating homogeneous groups that had traditionally lived together and placed other ethnically, culturally, and religiously diverse groups into one political entity

  • Borders were drawn according to European desires rather than reflecting the traditional political groupings in Africa

Image: African borders following the Berlin Conference

Subsequent boundary

• A subsequent boundary is a boundary drawn where people have already settled and established separate cultures

  • The boundaries of most European states are examples of subsequent boundaries

Antecedent boundary

• An antecedent boundary is one drawn before many people living in an area and before the establishment of a cultural landscape

  • The border between the United States and Canada is an example of an antecedent boundary 

Geometric boundary

• A geometric boundary follows a straight line, often a line of latitude or longitude

• Geometric boundaries can also be superimposed or antecedent

• Examples include the:

  • southern border of Egypt

  • western portion of the United States/Canada border

  • border between North and South Korea at the 38th parallel line 

Consequent boundary

• A consequent boundary is a type of subsequent boundary drawn to accommodate existing differences among a group of people

• These differences are generally cultural, religious, or ethnic

• Examples include:

  • the boundary dividing India and Pakistan

  • Nunavut Province in Canada

  • the states created from the breakup of the former country of Yugoslavia