Border lines located on the limits of a certain region, be it a country, state, district, created with the purpose of delimiting certain portions of land, air and water between one region and another, in addition to territorial delimitations, are called borders. It also establishes the jurisdiction of a certain government over the different portions of land that are within its territory, what happens outside said territory becomes a problem for the neighboring state.
What is border
Table of Contents
It is a conventional line that marks the boundary of a state. They can be physically delimited; with walls or fences, although it does not always happen this way. That is why we speak of a convention: the different countries agree to the extent of their respective limits; after passing this limit, you enter the territory of the neighboring country.
This term in its etymology comes from the unusual name “front” from the Latin “frons” or “frontis” and the suffix “era” that indicates the place and the object.
History of borders
They were created specifically to compose an identity since it is from them that the notion of belonging to a country, a territory or terroir begins to idealize.
In the eighteenth century the almost total collection of the Spanish cartographer, reveals the first borders, continues to exist and maintains its independence, others have changed their names or have modified their limits, regions that have become an integral part of other geographical areas, including areas of crops or communities that are not currently recognized as countries, but that carry great weight.
The maps produced at that time expanded the geographical knowledge of the world and facilitated its dissemination. In the 16th and 17th centuries, Europeans discovered, explored, conquered, and located countries with the goal of spreading a true picture of the world.
They participated in the birth of nations, which developed in the 18th century thanks to borders and the creation of a national identity, and in the 19th century they witnessed the colonization and distribution of colonies. This process, which began in the 16th century, did not end until after World War II with the creation of the UN.
However, it is still not possible to talk about a completely finished process, of a perfectly structured and immobile world, since it is constantly changing. Countries that come together forming new international organizations (European Union), created from the division of large territories (Lithuania, Ukraine, Uzbekistan), cultural identities without a nation (Palestine, Tibet) and a large number of territories that do not yet have name on the political map of the world and trying to be recognized as countries.
On the other hand, there are still 11 international border areas that show that a world without border separations is possible. Crossing from one country to another can be a daunting task for some. Unfortunately, there are even those who have lost their lives in the attempt.
There are countries whose boundaries are practically invisible and are just one more extension of the street or the opposite side of the road, for example the Netherlands and Belgium, Sweden and Norway, the Dominican Republic and Haiti, among others.
Types of borders
Not only by land or sea are they demarcated, there are different types of borders and they will be mentioned in the following section:
Maritime border
They can agree on international maritime borders having a mutual agreement with their neighboring countries without the need for international bodies to intervene in the event. In the maritime ones there are also what is known as “donut holes”, which despite the distance in which they are with respect to a country, are within the demarcated area and the same nautical miles of the neighboring country.
Air border
It is the supreme context to which the sovereignty of a state reaches in its vertical sense. It borders on interplanetary or cosmic space. The airspace of a country undoubtedly represents one of the most important and sensitive parts of its territory, since through it threats to its security can be introduced.
Neutral border
They are called neutral because none of the nations are allowed their control, including for the civil administration, there are cases in which it continues to be neutral, even when an agreement has been reached granting total control to a state, which withdrew. of his right to establish any military installation there.
Territorial border
Thanks to this, a country knows over which territory it will have authority, this delimitation can occur between countries or within the same country. They are important to create identity, since through them the notion of belonging to a country or territory begins to form.
At present there have been many conflicts that have arisen between nations, which have caused the border closure, generating many inconveniences in terms of trade between both countries, as well as the difficult situation that the people who inhabit have had to go through. in that area.
Natural border
They are those that are comprised of geographical elements, such as a river, a mountain range or the sea that can be an obstruction to circulation.
Artificial border
There are many determining reasons for the construction of these classes, at present it is possible that there is only one compelling reason to do them, and that is to prevent the entry of poor people, refugees from war who only seek to reach a world best. For some countries it is very difficult to accommodate everyone who is going through terrible situations, which is why they have opted for this type of construction.
Geopolitical frontier
They are of utmost importance in the development of states, if they are located in a favorable geographical position, since from there all kinds of relationships arise (political, economic, social), of great interest that affect the economic development of the region. and the consolidation of international policies.
- Static borders: in these there is no trade or cultural exchange, they are the product of a long historical presence, they remain absent from all economic and cultural activities, being similar to dead borders.
- Dynamic borders: in these there is trade or cultural exchange, they are characterized by their agility and movement in the activities that take place in them. They depend on the dynamism of variations in political processes.
Economic frontier
They are those in which commercial traffic between the populations settled in that area is taken into account. It is classified between: living or accumulation borders, characterized by its constant activity and dead borders, whose peculiarity lies in the absence of commercial exchange.
- Living borders: are those that are among the states that have not exhausted their creative energies.
- Dead borders: are those in which there is no population that exchanges resources or culture.
Laws of borders
For a legal body or legal norm to transcend borders, treaties and agreements are made, where the Magna Carta prevails in the countries. This basically happens in a similar way in almost all nations.
Land Law Network
It is made up of various organizations, communities, individuals, and alliances that work to defend and practice the Law of the Land. This includes the Law of the Land Alliance, the Law of the Land Alliance of Australia, the Gaia Foundation, the African Biodiversity Network, UKELA, the Global Alliance for the Rights of Nature and many more.
Community Bill of Rights
While an ecocide law is an example of international land law, it should be noted that there are examples of land law that are also occurring locally. In recent years, the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund (CELDF) has been a pioneer in the United States in promoting the Community Bill of Rights.
These types of local laws elevate the rights of communities and nature above corporate rights, and have proven effective in empowering communities and allowing them to decide whether corporate or industrial developments, such as fracking, can continue.
Borders of Mexico
It has land borders with 3 countries:
The border of Mexico and the United States are located in the north of that country, and it measures 3,141 km and extends from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific.
To the south of the country, Mexico has land border areas with Guatemala and Belize, which extend for a total of 1,152 km, from the Caribbean to the Pacific Ocean.
Maritime borders with 5 countries:
- In the Pacific Ocean with the United States and Guatemala.
- In the Atlantic Ocean with the United States.
- In the Caribbean Sea with Belize, Cuba and Honduras.
The maritime boundary between Honduras and Mexico is a 2005 treaty, based on 6 points, which creates a 263 km route. The maritime boundary between Mexico and Cuba was defined by a 1976 treaty.
The United States shares a maritime boundary of 785 km (565 km in the Pacific Ocean and 621 km in the Gulf of Mexico) determined successively by three treaties of 1970, 1978 and 2000 between the two countries.
However, due to the close proximity of the countries since 2001, the United States Government has implemented a Tijuana border security policy, which has emphasized the control of drug trafficking and migration, and has strengthened border security. with Mexico, with greater coordination of federal authorities with local and state government.
In 2009, the most disputed territory in the border area between Arizona and Sonora was Nogales, Sonora, where 116 deaths were registered. The response of the federal government has been to send elements of the National Guard to find affinities with conservative opinion groups and try to advance a proposal for immigration reform.
In the opinion of civil society organizations, the murder of migrants is not an isolated event, since situations like this have been documented and reported for more than two and a half years, there are testimonies of migrant victims of abuse by members of organized organizations.
This fact also reflects the lack of a comprehensive immigration policy, promoted by the Mexican state, to stop the extortion of the high number of Central Americans who do not cross the national border by buses, but walk towards the United States, and with an oppressive border climate.
According to the special report on cases of kidnapping against migrants, presented by the National Rights Commission. It should be noted that a great variety of border newspapers, such as the voice of the border, cover the subject in detail as well as the time change on the border, as well as the Iva on the border.
