States, nations and boundaries, and how borders changed after wars

Grade 9 Social Studies Worksheet - Building Confidence

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Use this

   Cards A to C. Card A, boundaries: Physical boundaries follow landforms, such as the Pyrenees mountains between France and Spain and the Rio Grande between the United States and Mexico, from El Paso to the Gulf of Mexico. Geometric boundaries follow lines, such as the 49th parallel between the United States and Canada, west of Lake of the Woods to the Strait of Georgia, Egypt's border with Sudan along latitude 22° north, and Egypt's border with Libya along longitude 25° east. Key: solid line = agreed border; dashed line = disputed border. Card B, a dispute: Egypt and Sudan both claim the Halaib Triangle, an area north of 22° north that Egypt administers; Sudan says it belongs to Sudan under a 1902 administrative line. Card C, terms: A state is a country with territory, people, a government and sovereignty; a nation is a people who share a culture and identity. The Kurds, about 30 to 45 million people (estimates differ), are a nation without a state of their own; most live in Turkey, Iran, Iraq and Syria.

2. 1.

   A treaty sets a border "along 30° north from the river to the sea". What kind of boundary does Ari call it?

   • Geometric: it follows a line of latitude, even though it begins at a river and ends at the sea
   • Physical, because a line of latitude is a feature of the Earth that people can see
   • Neither kind, because a border agreed in a treaty is a political border and not a physical one
   • Physical, because it begins at a river and ends at the sea, so landforms mark it
3. 2.

   Which pair of borders on card A are both geometric, Bo?

   • The Rio Grande and the Pyrenees, since both lie in long, well-known borderlands
   • The 49th parallel and the Rio Grande, since both mark a border between the United States and a neighbor
   • The Pyrenees and Egypt's border with Libya, since both are named in the same card
   • The 49th parallel and Egypt's border with Sudan along 22° north, since both follow lines
4. 3.

   The 49th parallel runs west from Lake of the Woods to the Strait of Georgia. Esme says that makes it a physical border. What is the reply?

   • It is geometric: it follows a line of latitude, and the Strait of Georgia is only where the line ends
   • It is physical, since a parallel is a natural feature shown on every globe
   • It is physical on its western half and geometric on its eastern half, since the card names two places
   • It is physical, since the line ends at the Strait of Georgia, a body of water
5. 4.

   A country has a government, territory and sovereignty, and its people come from three cultures. How does Jun classify it?

   • A state holding more than one nation, since a state is a government and its territory
   • Not a state, since a state is defined as a country that has one culture and one people
   • Three nations and no state, since each culture is a nation and no single culture rules the country
   • A nation, since a country with a government and territory is a nation of its people
6. 5.

   A people share a language and a culture and live in two countries. They have no government of their own. How does Kira describe them?

   • Two small states, one in each of the countries they live in
   • A nation-state, since a shared language and culture make a state
   • A nation without a state, like the Kurds on card C
   • A state, since they share territory across two countries
7. 6.

   Estimates of the Kurds differ between about 30 and 45 million. Luz writes the number in a report. Which sentence fits the card?

   • At least 45 million, since the largest estimate is the safest figure to give
   • Fewer than 30 million, since the smallest estimate is the most careful figure
   • About 30 to 45 million, since estimates differ and no single count is agreed
   • Exactly 37.5 million, the middle of the two estimates
8. 7.

   Milo writes: "The Halaib Triangle belongs to Egypt." Which rewrite follows card B?

   • Egypt administers the Halaib Triangle, and both Egypt and Sudan claim it
   • The Halaib Triangle belongs to Sudan under a 1902 administrative line
   • Egypt owns the Halaib Triangle because it administers the area north of 22° north
   • The Halaib Triangle lies south of 22° north, so it is plainly Sudan's land
9. 8.

   Which line does Noah draw on a map for the Halaib Triangle, using the key on card A?

   • A dashed line, because both countries claim the area
   • A solid line on Egypt's side and a dashed line on Sudan's side
   • No line, because a disputed area belongs to no one and has no border
   • A solid line, because Egypt administers the area now
10. 9.

    Egypt's border with Libya follows longitude 25° east, a straight line. Ren says straight borders mean nobody disputes them. Test it with card A and card B.

    • No: straight borders are the ones most often disputed, which is why they are drawn that way
    • No: a straight line shows how a border was drawn, and Egypt's 22° north border has a disputed triangle
    • Yes: a straight line cannot be disputed, since a line has no place to argue about
    • Yes: the dispute is over the 1902 line, which is not straight, so straight borders are safe
11. 10.

    The Pyrenees and the Rio Grande are physical borders; the 49th parallel is geometric. Zee says physical borders are older than geometric ones. What does card A allow?

    • The claim is true, since a river or mountain is easier to see than a parallel
    • The claim is false, since lines on maps are always drawn before people settle a land
    • The claim is true, since landforms existed before people drew any lines on maps, so physical borders came first
    • The card gives no ages, so the claim cannot be judged; it shows only how each border is drawn