Why are most of Pennsylvania's boundaries political?

Answer 1

Consider this analogy. Let's say five friends are playing in a wooded section of land. They each want a 'piece' of it. In these woods, at the far edge are pine trees (physical boundary); along the left is a tiny creek (physical); along the front edge are two fallen logs (physical); and along the right it meets a city building where the kids cannot play (physical and political). So the area inside those boundaries must be divided for 5 friends. One friend uses the toe of his shoe to draw a line in the dirt around his "state" (imaginary line, political). The friends must share boundaries in the space--they agree on imaginary lines between their 'states' (imaginary, political). The friends sit down and make a 'map' of their play area, showing each 'state' they 'own'. One calls hers Kingdom of Ellen; another says his is Empire of John; the other three make up kingdom names after their favorite cartoon characters. Each friend makes up their own 'laws' for their 'states'/areas. If one friend crosses the boundary into another State, the rules of the games the kids play must change to comply with the other area's rules. So in the Kingdom of Ellen, everyone must wear a hat or pay a fine. In John's empire, every visitor must pay a tax to use the 'roads' (similar to a toll road). But the 5 friends agree that some rules must apply to everyone-- for example, no one can run fast on anyone's land because it is too slippery. They agree that the one source of water, the creek, must be shared by all. They decide to "trade" resources--if one area has more sticks, they will share in trade for stones in someone else's area (trade / commerce agreements between 'states' or 'countries').

It is similar with States--or Countries. Some boundaries are physical -- mostly determined by water (rivers, oceans). The other boundaries -- imaginary -- must be agreed upon between "leaders". So back in Colonial Days, people tried to agree on borders. They could argue about or fight about borders. Luckily, most borders were quickly set and memorialized in maps.