→History: tentative draft of further elucidation & update of bwnazmzw issues possibly for footnote rather than text |
rv rambling and ungrammatical original research, which as a "tentative draft" doesn't belong in article space even if it WERE grammatical and not speculative/OR etc "Enough already", Egull!!! |
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Many sources say a quadripoint exists in Africa, where the borders of [[Namibia]], [[Angola]], [[Zambia]], and [[Zimbabwe]] come together at the confluence of the [[Cuando River|Cuando]] (also called Chobe) and [[Zambezi]] rivers (approximately {{coord|17|47|30|S|25|15|48|E|type:landmark_region:BW_dim:10000|display=inline}}).<ref>{{cite book |last= Arnold |first= Guy |title= The Resources of the Third World |year= 1997 |publisher= Taylor & Francis |isbn= 9781579580148 |pages= 252, 319 |url= http://books.google.com/books?id=1LpwLDoIkHwC&pg=PA252}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last= Anderson |first= Ewan W. |authorlink= Ewan Anderson |title= International Boundaries: A Geopolitical Atlas |year= 2003 |publisher= Psychology Press |isbn= 9781579583750 |pages= 9, 116, 118 |url= http://books.google.com/books?id=E7-menNPxREC&pg=PA9}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1= Hinz |first1= Manfred O. |last2= Gatter |first2= Frank Thomas |title= Global Responsibility – Local Agenda: The Legitimacy of Modern Self-Determination and African Traditional Authority |year= 2006 |publisher= LIT Verlag Münster |isbn= 9783825867829 |page= 45 |url= http://books.google.com/books?id=eYhih1zKp8AC&pg=PA45}}</ref> Ever since the boundaries in the area were defined around the turn of the 20th-century there was uncertainty about whether they met to form a single quadripoint in the Zambezi River, or whether they met in two [[tripoint]]s in the river, close but not quite touching. If there was a quadripoint, then Botswana and Zambia would not share a border, except at a single point. A minor international incident occurred in 1970 regarding the quadripoint issue. [[South Africa]] informed Botswana that there was no common border between Botswana and Zambia, claiming that the quadripoint existed. As a result, South Africa claimed, the [[Kazungula Ferry]], which links Botswana and Zambia at the quadripoint, was illegal. Botswana firmly rejected both claims. Violence was avoided although shots were fired at the ferry.<ref>{{cite book |last= Griffiths |first= Ieuan Ll |title= The African Inheritance |year= 1995 |publisher= Psychology Press |isbn= 9780415010924 |page= 56 |url= http://books.google.com/books?id=O7rFC8o9dmAC&pg=PA56}}</ref> The question of whether a quadripoint exists remains unresolved. [[Ian Brownlie]], who studied the case, determined that the possibility of a quadripoint, although unlikely, cannot be definitively ruled out. To resolve the issue all four states, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe would have to conduct precise boundary surveys.<ref name=akweenda/> |
Many sources say a quadripoint exists in Africa, where the borders of [[Namibia]], [[Angola]], [[Zambia]], and [[Zimbabwe]] come together at the confluence of the [[Cuando River|Cuando]] (also called Chobe) and [[Zambezi]] rivers (approximately {{coord|17|47|30|S|25|15|48|E|type:landmark_region:BW_dim:10000|display=inline}}).<ref>{{cite book |last= Arnold |first= Guy |title= The Resources of the Third World |year= 1997 |publisher= Taylor & Francis |isbn= 9781579580148 |pages= 252, 319 |url= http://books.google.com/books?id=1LpwLDoIkHwC&pg=PA252}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last= Anderson |first= Ewan W. |authorlink= Ewan Anderson |title= International Boundaries: A Geopolitical Atlas |year= 2003 |publisher= Psychology Press |isbn= 9781579583750 |pages= 9, 116, 118 |url= http://books.google.com/books?id=E7-menNPxREC&pg=PA9}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1= Hinz |first1= Manfred O. |last2= Gatter |first2= Frank Thomas |title= Global Responsibility – Local Agenda: The Legitimacy of Modern Self-Determination and African Traditional Authority |year= 2006 |publisher= LIT Verlag Münster |isbn= 9783825867829 |page= 45 |url= http://books.google.com/books?id=eYhih1zKp8AC&pg=PA45}}</ref> Ever since the boundaries in the area were defined around the turn of the 20th-century there was uncertainty about whether they met to form a single quadripoint in the Zambezi River, or whether they met in two [[tripoint]]s in the river, close but not quite touching. If there was a quadripoint, then Botswana and Zambia would not share a border, except at a single point. A minor international incident occurred in 1970 regarding the quadripoint issue. [[South Africa]] informed Botswana that there was no common border between Botswana and Zambia, claiming that the quadripoint existed. As a result, South Africa claimed, the [[Kazungula Ferry]], which links Botswana and Zambia at the quadripoint, was illegal. Botswana firmly rejected both claims. Violence was avoided although shots were fired at the ferry.<ref>{{cite book |last= Griffiths |first= Ieuan Ll |title= The African Inheritance |year= 1995 |publisher= Psychology Press |isbn= 9780415010924 |page= 56 |url= http://books.google.com/books?id=O7rFC8o9dmAC&pg=PA56}}</ref> The question of whether a quadripoint exists remains unresolved. [[Ian Brownlie]], who studied the case, determined that the possibility of a quadripoint, although unlikely, cannot be definitively ruled out. To resolve the issue all four states, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe would have to conduct precise boundary surveys.<ref name=akweenda/> |
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after or while resolving the conflicting delimitations & disputed interpretations |
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official political discussions have been proceeding fitfully for the past decade because some & at times all 4 of the parties have been collaborating in the creation of a bridge that is projected of necessity & by chance to span the immediate boundary quadriconvergency directly between the present ferry slips at kazungula zm & kasane bw |
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indeed this critically important bridge link has been delayed for 10 years less for lack of vision or funding than for lack of boundary clarity |
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zw pres mugabe in 2004 did officially concede that a short bwzm boundary does exist between zw & na rather than any nazw boundary at all |
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& incidentally bwzm does exist de facto & in widespread belief not just because of the visible existence of the ferry connection but also owing to the unique prestige of the international boundaries research unit which has led academic speculation about the net effect of the various de jure delimitations into this direction as well |
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yet the best available official cartography which also happens to be zimbabwean does not support this concession belief or speculation |
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indeed all the best maps appear to agree that there could not possibly be a bwzm border but rather only a nazw border because territory not of botswana & zambia but only of namibia & zimbabwe are what appear to meet in these studied depictions or opinions |
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moreover these territories appear to meet on these maps exactly where the existing verbal delimitations indicate a territorial overlap |
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brownlie who in 1979 lamented the lack of adequate cartography still believed in the possibility of a quadripoint however remote |
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nevertheless all present evidence including surface & aerial photography he also never saw appears to refute all claims & expectations not only of a quadripoint but of any bwzm connection overlap border or boundary at all |
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indeed both the hypothetical bwnazmzw & the hypothetical bwzm today appear to be equally & only imaginary by perhaps as much as a few hundred meters |
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==Secondary quadripoints== |
==Secondary quadripoints== |
Revision as of 19:26, 31 October 2010
A quadripoint is a point on the Earth that touches the border of four distinct territories.[1][2] Some such points are also called four corners, from the corners of the four regions meeting there.[3]
History
Between 1830 and 1920 there was a quadripoint at the convergence of Belgium, Prussia/Germany, the Netherlands, and Moresnet. 50°45′N 6°01′E / 50.75°N 6.02°E [1] nl:Afbeelding:Vierlandenpunt.jpg This point has often been called a quadricountry point, though Moresnet was never truly a country but rather only a neutral territory or condominium of the Netherlands and Prussia (originally), and of Belgium and Germany (ultimately).
Many sources say a quadripoint exists in Africa, where the borders of Namibia, Angola, Zambia, and Zimbabwe come together at the confluence of the Cuando (also called Chobe) and Zambezi rivers (approximately 17°47′30″S 25°15′48″E / 17.79167°S 25.26333°E).[4][5][6] Ever since the boundaries in the area were defined around the turn of the 20th-century there was uncertainty about whether they met to form a single quadripoint in the Zambezi River, or whether they met in two tripoints in the river, close but not quite touching. If there was a quadripoint, then Botswana and Zambia would not share a border, except at a single point. A minor international incident occurred in 1970 regarding the quadripoint issue. South Africa informed Botswana that there was no common border between Botswana and Zambia, claiming that the quadripoint existed. As a result, South Africa claimed, the Kazungula Ferry, which links Botswana and Zambia at the quadripoint, was illegal. Botswana firmly rejected both claims. Violence was avoided although shots were fired at the ferry.[7] The question of whether a quadripoint exists remains unresolved. Ian Brownlie, who studied the case, determined that the possibility of a quadripoint, although unlikely, cannot be definitively ruled out. To resolve the issue all four states, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe would have to conduct precise boundary surveys.[1]
Secondary quadripoints
A secondary quadripoint is the meeting of four political subdivisions (for example, provinces, states, or cantons). The four subdivisions may all belong to one country, or they may involve two or three different countries. By analogy, one could speak of tertiary quadripoints where, for example, four different counties meet at one point, and quaternary quadripoints where four municipalities meet, and so on.
In the United States and Canada, the grid-based Public Land Survey System resulted in a large number of such points, as did the Dominion Land Survey system of Canada.
Trinational
At 54°21′52″N 22°47′32″E / 54.36435°N 22.79228°E, there is a trinational secondary quadripoint: to the northwest is Russia (specifically the Russian exclave Kaliningrad Oblast); to the northeast Lithuania; and to the southwest and southeast two Voivodships (provinces) of Poland: Warmian-Masurian Voivodship and Podlaskie Voivodeship. [2] The quadripoint exists thanks to the way the border between Poland and Russian SFSR was defined in 1945 by the Potsdam Agreement. The new border between Poland and the USSR bisected Germany's former province of East Prussia; the northern part became Kaliningrad Oblast, and most of the southern part is now Warmia-Masuria.
At or around 19°N 52°E / 19°N 52°E, there appears to be another trinational secondary quadripoint: to the north is Saudi Arabia, to the southeast is Oman, and to the southwest two Governorates of Yemen: Hadhramaut Governorate to the westsouthwest and Al Mahrah Governorate to the southsouthwest.[8]
Binational
On the border of Sweden and Norway, at 65°07′08″N 14°19′33″E / 65.11888°N 14.32592°E, there appears to be a binational secondary quadripoint where two Counties of Norway, Nord-Trøndelag and Nordland, meet two Counties of Sweden, Västerbotten County and Jämtland County.[8] [3]
Another binational secondary quadripoint appears to exist on the border of Malawi and Mozambique where the Phalombe and Zomba districts of the former meet the Niassa and Zambezia provinces of the latter at a marked turnpoint on the southeast shore of Lake Chilwa.
Sub-national
The Argentine provinces of La Pampa, Río Negro, Mendoza and Neuquén form a quadripoint at 37°34′00″S 68°14′00″W / 37.56667°S 68.23333°W, though Rio Negro has disputed this since a 1966 resurvey cast the exact boundary convergence into some doubt.
The Four Corners Monument is the only point in the United States of America where four states meet: Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, and Arizona meet at right angles.
The creation of the Canadian territory of Nunavut established a quadripoint at the intersection of the 60th parallel north and the 102nd meridian west, 60°0′0″N 102°0′0″W / 60.00000°N 102.00000°W, where the boundaries of Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut come together. This point is sometimes called Canada's "four corners".[9] Nunavut was officially separated from the Northwest Territories in 1999, though the boundaries had been defined in 1993 via the Nunavut Act and the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement. Both documents define Nunavut's boundary as including the "intersection of 60°00'N latitude with 102°00'W longitude, being the intersection of the Manitoba, Northwest Territories and Saskatchewan borders".[10][11][n 1]
In Mexico there is only one precise quadripoint at 24°33′00″N 100°48′00″W / 24.55000°N 100.80000°W. The "Mojonera de los cuatro estados" ("Four State Boundary Stone") was built to mark the point where Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, San Luis Potosi and Zacatecas states effectively meet.
Four provinces of the Philippines meet at a point on Mindanao island, at the northern part of the same mountain range as Mount Apo: Bukidnon, Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, and Cotabato.
There are two quadripoints in Switzerland where three cantons meet. At each, a practical exclave of one canton touches its parent, while two other cantons touch each other. One is near 47°24′51″N 7°22′33″E / 47.41417°N 7.37583°E, where the municipality of Roggenburg is cut off from its parent Basel-Country by Jura to the south and an exclave of Solothurn to the north. The other is near 47°19′20.5″N 7°33′30″E / 47.322361°N 7.55833°E where Jura again touches Solothurn, cutting off the municipality of Schelten from its parent canton of Bern.[14]
Other countries that enjoy positively confirmed or at least very probable secondary quadripoints are Andorra, Bulgaria, the Dominican Republic, Gabon, Jamaica, Liechtenstein, Libya, Mauritania, Sudan, Uganda, and Vietnam.
United Kingdom
An analysis of county quadripoints in the United Kingdom is complicated by multiple changes to the borders and numbers of administrative counties in the last century (see Administrative counties of England). No true quadripoints remain in the United Kingdom.
Until the late nineteenth century, one quadripoint did exist; near Evenlode in Gloucestershire, is "Four Shire Stone",[15] formerly at an intersection of Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Warwickshire, and a detached fragment of Worcestershire. However, the fragment has been reassigned, leaving only a tripoint around ten miles (16 km) from modern Worcestershire.[16]
In addition there are a few near misses. The most famous lies south west of Stamford – where Rutland, Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire seem to meet at a point. (52°38′25″N 0°29′40″W / 52.64028°N 0.49444°W) However, the location actually consists of two tripoints around 66 ft (20 metres) apart.[17]
Five or more regions
At subnational level, one can find even more than four divisions converging at a point.
- Those five Parishes of Saint Kitts and Nevis that are located on the island of Nevis meet on Nevis Peak: Saint George Gingerland Parish, Saint James Windward Parish, Saint John Figtree Parish, Saint Paul Charlestown Parish and Saint Thomas Lowland Parish
- Five villages of Niue meet at one point in the northern part of the island, clockwise: Alofi North, Makefu, Tuapa, Mutalau and Lakepa.[18]
Tertiary quintipoint:
- Five counties in Florida meet within Lake Okeechobee:[19] Okeechobee, Martin, Palm Beach, Hendry, and Glades.
- In the Philippines:
- Municipalities of Tagkawayan, Quezon Province; Labo, San Vicente and San Lorezo Ruiz, Camarines Norte; and Del Gallego, Camarines Sur
- Cities of Cadiz, Sagay, Silay and Talisay, and municipality of Calatrava, Negros Occidental[citation needed]
- Municipalities of Carmen, Batuan, Bilar, Dimiao, and Valencia, Bohol
- Municipalities of San Miguel, Ubay, Alicia, Dagohoy and Pilar, Bohol
- Malaybalay City, Sumilao, Baungon, Talakag and Lantapan, Bukidnon
- Municipalities of Carmen, Aleosan, Pikit and Kabacan, Cotabato; and Pagagawan, Maguindanao
- Municipalities of Tibiao and Barbaza, Antique; Madalag and Libacao (a close call?), Aklan; and Jamindan, Capiz
Tertiary sexipoint:
- Municipalities of Basey and Marabut, Samar; and Balangkayan, Llorente, Balangiga and Lawaan, Eastern Samar, Philippines
Tertiary septipoint:
- Seven municipalities (Aura, Masku, Mynämäki, Nousiainen, Pöytyä, city of Turku and Rusko) meet on Kuhankuono boundary mark[20] in the Kurjenrahka national park in Finland Proper. This was an octopoint until the eighth municipality, Yläne, merged[21] with Pöytyä on 2009-01-01.
Tertiary octopoint:
- Eight municipalities or towns in Albay, Philippines including Legazpi City meet on the crater of Mayon Volcano.
See also
Notes and References
This article was originally translated from the Dutch-language wiki article nl:Vierlandenpunt, as of 2006-06-20 [4], with the assistance of SystranBox online machine translation.
- Notes
- References
- ^ a b Akweenda, S. (1997). International Law and the Protection of Namibia's Territorial Integrity: Boundaries and Territorial Claims. Martinus Nijhoff. pp. 201–203. ISBN 9789041104120.
- ^ Nolan, J. (2003). "There are numerous points where three countries meet. Are there any with four?". Geographical. 75 (12): 19. ISSN 0016-741X.
{{cite journal}}
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ignored (help) - ^ One could argue that, if one region lies on one side of a straight line border, and the other three are on the opposite side of this line, there are only three corners plus a straight line. However in geometry the straight line in this context would be considered to form a straight angle measuring 180°.
- ^ Arnold, Guy (1997). The Resources of the Third World. Taylor & Francis. pp. 252, 319. ISBN 9781579580148.
- ^ Anderson, Ewan W. (2003). International Boundaries: A Geopolitical Atlas. Psychology Press. pp. 9, 116, 118. ISBN 9781579583750.
- ^ Hinz, Manfred O.; Gatter, Frank Thomas (2006). Global Responsibility – Local Agenda: The Legitimacy of Modern Self-Determination and African Traditional Authority. LIT Verlag Münster. p. 45. ISBN 9783825867829.
- ^ Griffiths, Ieuan Ll (1995). The African Inheritance. Psychology Press. p. 56. ISBN 9780415010924.
- ^ a b Kallos, Aletheia (2006-06-08). "an apparent nose2janontvb binational quadripoint". BoundaryPoint (Yahoo! Groups). Retrieved 2006-06-20.
- ^ "Nunavut, Canada Information: Geography". Canadian Tourism Development Corporation. Retrieved 28 October 2010.
- ^ "Nunavut Act". Department of Justice, Canada. Retrieved 28 October 2010.
- ^ "Nunavut Land Claims Agreement" (PDF). Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated. Retrieved 28 October 2010.
- ^ "Manitoba - Northwest Territories - Nunavut - Saskatchewan Multi-point". The Corner Corner. Retrieved 2010-07-29.
- ^ Canadian Spatial Reference System Online Database, Natural Resources Canada, Geodetic Survey Division. GSD LONG Report for: "MON 157 (name), 674002 (unique number)" (online database requires free registration).
- ^ Schuler, Martin (2005). RECENSEMENT FÉDÉRAL DE LA POPULATION 2000: LES NIVEAUX GÉOGRAPHIQUES DE LA SUISSE (PDF) (in French). with the collaboration of Manfred Perlik. Neuchâtel: Swiss Federal Statistical Office. pp. 22, fn. 12. Retrieved 2007-01-04.
Juridiquement ..., un seul point de contact définit la qualité de territoire limitrophe. ... ce point de droit a permis que la commune de Roggenburg puisse changer de canton (d'abord vers Berne, puis vers Bâle-Campagne). De même la commune de Schelten n'est pas considérée comme une exclave du canton.
{{cite book}}
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ignored (help)CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link) - ^ Ordnance Survey grid reference for Four Shire Stone: SP231321
- ^ Buchanan, C. A. (1980). The Batsford Guide to the Industrial Archaeology of Central Southern England: Avon County, Gloucestershire, Somerset, Wiltshire. Batsford. p. 91. ISBN 0713413646.
{{cite book}}
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ignored (|author=
suggested) (help) - ^ "A real quadripoint?". blanchflower.org.
- ^ http://www.spc.int/prism/country/NU/stats/Nu_Environment/NU_Land/Stats_Map.jpg
- ^ Counties of Florida map from U.S. Census Bureau.
- ^ Kuhankuono octopoint from National Land Survey of Finland map
- ^ Pöytyän kunta — official website Template:Fi icon
External links
- Geographical Curiosities: Local Geography a larger list of quadrisecondary points, without references.