political
political
Political
Natural boundaries are coastlines, mountain ranges, lakes, rivers, gulfs, canyons, desert wastelands... basically, a part of the earth that is considered by most to be uninhabitable. Political boundaries are the borders that are represented on maps by all the other lines besides natural boundaries and latitude/longitude indicators (although many political boundaries are natural boundaries and parts of lines of latitude and longitude). They are the boundaries between nations and between national subdivisions.
farms or forest
Pennsylvania is bordered on all sides by state boundaries, which are all imaginary political boundaries between states. One boundary is purely political, the Mason Dixon line, with Maryland. One physical is the Delaware River, with New Jersey. Another physical boundary on the northwest corner is Lake Erie, both a physical and 'imaginary' political boundary between the US and Canada. How you can tell is to look for physical indicators---oceans, other water (large lakes, large rivers, places with many ports), or mountains that cut through an area or territory. These do not always mean a border--for example, the Applachian Mountains were not used as a state border in Pennsylvania--but often these physical indicators do make a border.
political
A map that shows physical boundaries is most often called a road map or road atlas if there is more than one map involved. Physical boundaries between countries and states are usually shown as dotted lines.
They were created by the countries that took over them. Even though many have gained their independence, they still have the same boundaries in most parts.
3. political boundaries imposed by Europeans that had little relationship to African tribal boundaries
portraiture
the patterns of european colonialism
Looked at over the past 1000 years, no European country had stable boundaries.