Abstract
Abstract. The article deals with the evolution of the concept of borders between human groups and with its slow evolution from the initial no men’s land zones to the ideal single-dimension linear borders. In ancient times the first borders were natural, such as mountain ranges or large rivers until, with the development of Geodesy, astronomical borders based on meridians and parallels became a favourite natural base. Actually, Modern States adopted these to fix limits in unknown conquered territories. The postmodern thought led give more importance to cultural borders until, in the most recent times, is becoming rather impossible to fix borders in the virtual cyberspace.
Highlights
Once upon a time, the first communities of hunters-gatherers used to protect their territories, without materially marking definite limits; instead, between hostile tribes there were broad no men’s land, namely wide respect areas
Let me stress that History, as well as Geography, must take in account the environment
The physical or natural borders have already been mentioned speaking about the Roman Limes, quoting mountains and rivers (Rhine, Danube): the best definite border for a region is the sea coast, and no region can be best defined an island
Summary
The physical or natural borders have already been mentioned speaking about the Roman Limes, quoting mountains (the Alps) and rivers (Rhine, Danube): the best definite border for a region is the sea coast, and no region can be best defined an island (don’t forget these words, only goods for physical geography: limit of territorial waters are very difficult things). Geographers mainly discuss in terms of territoriality and sovereignty, seeing boundaries as expressions or manifestations. A situation appropriately expressed by the North-American situation after the civil war, when none was discussing USA sovereignty from Atlantic to Pacific; but west of Mississippi there were: millions square km of unsettled areas: the wilderness. In the 20th Century, especially after WW2, the frontier concept has been extended to the whole planet: in other word, there is a strong belief that the manifest destiny pushes the world history toward a US primacy, military or economic, and cultural. Kennedy invoked Turner’s idea, transferring the new Frontier in the outer space: it took only 8 year to win the battle, sending in 1969 the first expedition to the moon
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