A border established through colonization or by powerful outside forces without regard to pre-existing cultural or physical landscapes is a key concept in political geography. This type of border often disregards existing ethnic, religious, or linguistic distributions, and may disrupt traditional patterns of land use and resource access. The partition of Africa by European powers in the late 19th century, specifically during the Berlin Conference, exemplifies this process. European nations arbitrarily drew lines on the map to demarcate their colonial territories, frequently uniting disparate groups within a single colony or dividing cohesive cultural regions.
The imposition of these lines carries significant long-term consequences. It frequently leads to internal conflict and political instability as different ethnic or religious groups, forced to coexist within the same political entity, compete for power and resources. Furthermore, it can create or exacerbate cross-border tensions as populations with shared cultural ties find themselves separated by an artificial line. The legacy of such divisions often endures long after the colonial powers have departed, contributing to enduring political and social challenges. These manufactured lines often fail to promote stability and can actively hinder development.
