ABSTRACT
The focus of geopolitics is upon the use of geography to illuminate politics and particularly political decision-making. Despite the increasing effects of globalization, the basic unit in the contemporary world political system is the state. It is an internationally recognized political and juridical entity which claims sovereignty over a specific area of land and possibly adjacent sea, the inhabitants of the area and the resources located therein. This area is delimited in the minds of individuals and groups owing allegiance to the state, in most cases on cartographic representations of the state and in some cases on the ground itself, by boundaries. Boundaries indicate the accepted territorial integrity of the state and the extent of government control. In the majority of cases boundaries are legally recognized by the states which share them and also by the international community.
