unit 4 the function of political boundaries Flashcards
defining boundaries
writing it down on a legal document
delimiting boundaries
drawing it on a map
demarcating boundaries
the physical/tangible object on the ground marking the boundary
administering boundaries
determining the laws that govern the boundary
definitional/positional dispute
a disagreement on where the boundary is
Ex: TX/Mexico–is it the Pecos or Rio Grande?,
territorial dispute
disagreement on who rightfully has the land, especially when the majority ethnicity matches a different country
Ex: when Americans flooded Texas and said “Why is this still Mexico? It is mainly Americans.”, Germans invading other European countries in the lead up to WWII–there are majority Germans, it should be Germany
resource/allocational dispute
especially in water boundaries–whose resource is it?
Ex: Arctic Circle–all countries that touch want the oil in the Arctic Circle, when Exclusive Economic Zones overlap–whose fish are they?
functional/operational dispute
disagreement over the laws that govern the border
Ex: do you need a passport to get into Mexico, during COVID–do you need vaccination records?
how far out are territorial rights?
12 nautical miles–your laws still prevail
how far out is the exclusive economic zone (EEZ)?
200 nautical miles–exclusive right to all water, resources, mineral, fish, and oil found
describe the issue in the arctic circle
oil!!!
describe the issue in the south china sea
china thinks that they have full control over the entire South China Sea (according to old records) and completely disregarding the Law of the Sea (EEZ rule). Neighboring countries are not happy. So China has started building artificial islands (Spratly Islands) in order to extend their EEZ
median-line principle
for bodies of water smaller their 400 nautical miles, this law prevails. The actual border is SMACK DAB IN THE MIDDLE of the water way
