Shapes of States

Advantages vs
Disadvantages
 ELONGATED STATE: State that is
geographically long and narrow
ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES
• Long and narrow country lends • Difficult to govern, defend, and
itself to a good amount of ports travel within the country
for shipping
EXAMPLE: VIETNAM
COMPACT STATE: Distance from the center
to the borders does not vary
ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES
• Easier to maintain, defend, and • May lack cultural diversity due to
travel through general size
EXAMPLE: HUNGARY
 FRAGMENTED STATE: States that are
divided, either physically or by borders
ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES
• Difficult to invade • Difficult to defend
• Access to varied resources • Difficult to unify
EXAMPLE: INDONESIA
PERFORATED STATE: State that completely
surrounds another state
ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES
• Able to dictate actions of enclosed • Can lead to internal tension and
state easily problems with enclosed state
EXAMPLE: SOUTH AFRICA
 PRORUPTED STATE: States that have an
Elongated portion but otherwise are Compact
ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES
• Access to resources and trade not • Fairly easy to be invaded by
dependent on other countries foreign countries
EXAMPLE: NAMIBIA
LANDLOCKED STATE: State with no direct
access to the ocean
ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES
• Smaller borders to defend from • Dependent on neighboring
foreign nations countries for trade
EXAMPLE: BOLIVIA
 ENCLAVE: State completely surrounded by
another state
ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES
• Smaller size makes it easier to • Tensions between surrounding
manage country and enclave (war can
easily happen)
EXAMPLE: LESOTHO
 EXCLAVE: Part of a State that is separated
from the main state
ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES
• Gives a state more access to • Harder to manage and govern at
resources times (especially when exclave is
farther away from main state)
EXAMPLE: TASMANIA