Border
For alternate meanings see border (disambiguation)Borders define
geographic boundaries of
political entities or legal jurisdictions, such as
governments,
states or
subnational administrative divisions. They may foster the setting up of
buffer zones.
In the past many borders were not clearly defined lines, but were neutral zones called
marchlands. This has been reflected in recent times with the neutral zones that were set up along part of
Saudi Arabia's borders with
Kuwait and
Iraq (however, these zones no longer exist). In modern times the concept of a marchland has been replaced by that of the clearly defined and demarcated border.
For the purposes of
border control,
airports and
seaports also class as borders. Most countries have some form of border control to restrict or limit the movement of people, animals and goods into or out of the country. In order to cross borders people need
passports and
visas or other appropriate forms of
identification. To stay or work within a country's borders
aliens (foreign persons) may need special
immigration documents or
permits that authorise them to do so.
Moving goods across a border often requires the payment of
excise tax, often collected by
customs officials. Animals (and occasionally humans) moving across borders may need to go into
quarantine to prevent the spread of exotic or infectious diseases. Most countries prohibit carrying illegal drugs or endangered animals across their borders. Moving goods, animals or people illegally across a border, without declaring them, seeking permission, or deliberately evading official inspection counts as
smuggling.
The presence of borders often fosters certain economic features or anomalies. Wherever two jurisdictions come into contact, special economic opportunities arise for
border trade.
Smuggling provides a classic case; contrariwise, a border region may flourish on the provision of
excise or of
import/
export services -- legal or quasi-legal, corrupt or corruption-free.
Different regulations on either side of a border may encourage
services to position themselves at or near that border: thus the provision of
pornography, of
prostitution, of
alcohol and/or of
narcotics may cluster around borders, city limits, county lines,
ports and
airports.
In a more planned and official context,
Special Economic Zones (SEZs) often tend to cluster near borders or ports. See also
maquiladora.
Human economic traffic across borders (apart from
kidnapping), may involve mass
commuting between workplaces and residential settlements, as in
Israel.
The removal of internal barriers to
commerce, as in
France after the
French Revolution or in
Europe since the 1940s, de-emphasises border-based economic activity and fosters freer
trade.
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Political science*
Land borders*
List of countries that border only one other country*
List of national border changes in the twentieth century*
Maritime border*
Political geography*
Republic of Ireland-United Kingdom border*
Scottish Border*
The CommonCensus Map Project - Computes cultural borders in the United States
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Border Trade Alliance*
Borderbase - Border portal with news and information
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Nijmegen Centre for Border Research- Nijmegen Centre for Border Research
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Journal of Borderlands Studies - Journal of Borderlands Studies
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Association of Borderlands Studies - Association of Borderlands Scholars
