Border
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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. Some borders are fully or partially controlled, and may be crossed legally only at designated
border checkpoints.There has been a renaissance in the study of borders during the past two decades, partially resulting from the creation of a counter narrative to notions of a borderless world which have been advanced as part of globalization theory
(1). This is reflected in a large number of international workshops and conferences, the BRIT (Border Regions in Transition) network of scholars
weblink, IBRU (the International Boundaries Research Unit)
weblink at the University of Durham, UK, the Association of Borderland Scholars (ABS) in the USA[
weblink], and the founding of smaller border research centres at Nijmegen (Holland)
weblink, Queens University (Belfast)
weblink, to name but a few. The Journal of Borderland Studies
weblink deals exclusively with border related material, while other international journals such as, Geopolitics,
weblink and Political Geography
weblink, publish material dealing with the changing significances and functions of borders in the contemporary world.Leading scholars in the contemporary study of borders include
Anssi Paasi weblink (
University of Oulu,
Finland),
Henk van Houtum weblink (
Radboud University Nijmegen ,
Netherlands),
Doris Wastl Water (
University of Bern,
Switzerland),
David Newman weblink (
Ben Gurion University,
Israel),
Emanuel Brunet Jailly weblink (
University of Victoria,
Canada),
Irasema Coronado (
University of Texas at El Paso).
Definitions of Borders
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 In modern times the concept of a marchland has been replaced by that of the clearly defined and demarcated border.For the purposes of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 are also classed as borders. Most countries have some form of border control to restrict or limit the movement of people, animals, plants, and goods into or out of the country. Under international law, each country is generally permitted to define the conditions which have to be met by a person to legally cross its borders by its own laws, and to prevent persons from crossing its border when this happens in violation of those laws.In order to cross borders, the presentation of
passports and
visas or other appropriate forms of
identity document is required by some legal orders. 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 constitutes
smuggling.
Border economics
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.Human economic traffic across borders (apart from
kidnapping), may involve mass
commuting between workplaces and residential settlements. 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
free trade.
Border politics
Political borders have a variety of meanings for those whom they affect. Many borders in the world have
checkpoints where
border control agents inspect those crossing the boundary. In much of
Europe, such controls were abolished by the
Schengen Agreement and subsequent
European Union legislation. Since the
Treaty of Amsterdam, the competence to pass laws on crossing internal and external boders within the European Union and the associated Schengen States (
Iceland,
Norway,
Switzerland, and
Liechtenstein) lies exclusively within the jurisdiction of the European Union, except where states have used a specific right to opt-out (
United Kingdom and
Ireland, which maintain a common travel area amongst themselves).
For details, see Schengen Agreement.The
United States has notably increased measures taken in border control on the
Canada–United States border and the
United States–Mexico border during its
War on Terrorism. The 3600-km (2000-mile) US-Mexico border is probably "the world's longest boundary between a
First World and
Third World country."
(2)Historic borders such as the
Great Wall of China, the
Maginot Line, and
Hadrian's Wall have played a great many roles and been marked in different ways. While the
stone walls, the Great Wall of China and the Roman Hadrian's Wall in Britain had military functions, the entirety of the Roman borders were very porous, a policy which encouraged Roman economic activity with its neighbors
(3). On the other hand, a border like the Maginot Line was entirely military and was meant to prevent any access in what was to be
World War II to
France by its neighbor,
Germany.
Image gallery
The following pictures show in how many different ways international and regional borders can be closed off, monitored, at least marked as such, or simply unremarkable.
Image:Tijuana-san diego border deaths.jpg|Border at Tijuana, Mexico and San Ysidro, California, USA. A straight-line border surveyed when the region was thinly populated.Image:Frontera España-Marruecos, por Ceuta.jpg|Ceuta border fence between Spain and Morocco.Image:Berlinermauer.jpg|A militarized frontier: the Berlin Wall used to be one of the most famous guarded borders in the world.Image:Alabama the beautiful.JPG|A sign welcoming visitors to the U.S. state of Alabama.Image:US-border-notice.jpg|A warning marker at the Canada – United States border at Point Roberts, Washington.Image:Grenz%C3%BCberschreitender_Wanderweg.jpg|A sign at the Polish-Czech border near the Králický Sněžník, indicating that the crossing of the border is only permitted to citizens of the European Union and of five more states. When the Schengen rules became applicable there in 2007, the sign became obsolete.Image:NicholasCountySignWV.jpg|Several markers designating the border between Nicholas and Greenbrier counties in West Virginia, USA along a secondary road. Notice the older stone survey markers a few meters behind the modern highway sign.Image:OffeneGrenzeNiederndorf-Oberaudorf.jpg|A typical Schengen internal border (here near Kufstein between Germany and Austria): the traffic island marks the spot where a control post once stood; it was removed in 2000.Image:Border flower pot.jpg|Self-illuminating Border flower pot between Burghausen, Salzach in Germany and Ach in Austria.Image:B1 Anfang Aachen 01.jpg|A border within a closely built-up area – here near Aachen between Germany and the Netherlands: Take the left lane in the Netherlands to actually turn left in Germany. Image:Baarle-Nassau frontière café.jpg|Border between the Netherlands and Belgium next to a street café. Some European borders originate from former aristocratic land ownership limits.Image:Eurode-Business-Center.jpg|This recently-built building of the Eurode Business Centre straddles the border between the Netherlands and Germany, in Kerkrade and Herzogenrath.Image:Karigasniemi Finland Bridge over Inarijoki.jpg|The bridge over the Inari River in Karigasniemi, on the border of Finland and Norway.Image:Border stone.JPG|Italy/Switzerland border stone at Passo San Giacomo. Some borders were broadly defined by treaty, and surveyors would then choose a suitable line on the ground.Image:Atyrau Europe.JPG|The "Europe Sign" in Atyrau, Kazakhstan, after crossing the Ural River bridge west.Image:Atyrau Asia.JPG|The "Asia Sign" in Atyrau, Kazakhstan, after crossing the Ural River bridge east.Helmstedt-Marienborn border crossing BRD/DDR
Image:Grensovergang-helmstedt-marienborn-paspoortcontrole-personenautos-04.JPGImage:Grensovergang-helmstedt-marienborn-paspoortcontrole-vrachtautos.JPGImage:Grensovergang-helmstedt-marienborn-lichtmast-commandotoren-brug.JPGImage:Grensovergang-helmstedt-marienborn-lichtmast-02.JPGSee also
{{wiktionary|border}}{{commons|Border}}
References
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[D. Newman & A. Paasi, `Fences and neighbours in the post-modern world: boundary narratives in political geography', Progress in Human Geography, 22 (2), 186-207, 1998; D. Newman, `The lines that continue to separate us: Borders in our borderless world’, Progress in Human Geography, Vol 30 (2), 1-19, 2006. ]
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[Murphy, Cullen. Roman Empire: gold standard of immigration. Los Angeles Times, June 16, 2007 (accessed here June 20, 2007)]
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[Murphy 2007]
External links
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