Borders And Powers
Alexandria-Elizabeth Eason
Borders and Powers Explained
Governments generally set up clear boundaries and exercise their power within these borders creating political units. Political maps show examples of political units such as countries and their defining borders. Each country generally has several levels of government- such as cities, counties, and states. This generally creates overlapping units of authority over the same area. Just as one place can belong to more than one physical/cultural region it can also belong to more than one political regions.
Every nation has a sovereign government and fixed borders. Often times the borders are based off of a defining physical feature in the geography. Rivers, lakes, seas, mountains, and oceans often provide the means to set up a border. Frequently, in the United States the circumstances are different and the borders are as a result of historical circumstances or political agreements.
History often shapes the creation of national borders especially through the conflict of neighboring states for control of a territory. Both physical and human factors shape borders as well as internal political division.