An exclave is a territory belonging to a country but surrounded by other countries with no affiliation. It is often partially separated from the main country and may have access to it through a tiny border or sea access. Examples include Lesotho, French Guiana, and Alaska. Enclaves, on the other hand, are territories surrounded by another country but may have their own government, like Vatican City. Some territories may be considered practical exclaves due to their geography, like parts of Ireland.
An exclave is a term used in geography to describe a country or territory that belongs to another country but is surrounded by countries to which it has no affiliation or affinity. It is usually at least partially separated from the main country, state, or political region. This is often used when describing the political geography, focusing on borders, of each country as defined by political rule. Boundaries on political maps generally represent a country organized under a government, or states, counties, and cities belonging to a country. Yet the borders of an exclave are not linked to the country to which it belongs.
The term exclave creates confusion with respect to the term enclave. A country that surrounds another country may consider the inner country to be an enclave. If the surrounded country has no political affinity or does not belong to another country, then it is just an enclave. For example, Vatican City is an enclave of Rome. Vatican City has its own government, independent of Rome and Italy. It is not bound by the rules of Rome, and in many cases not by the rules of Italy.
Lesotho is another example of an enclave. It is an independent kingdom, landlocked and surrounded by South Africa. It does not belong to South Africa in any way and is a nation unto itself, recognized as such internationally.
An exclave can be an enclave. Usually the distinction of a true exclave from the enclave is that the exclave has access, such as river or sea access to the country to which it belongs. Alternatively, it can be linked to its dominant country by a tiny border. For example, French Guiana in South America shares political affinity with France but is not physically connected to it. Suriname and Brazil, and also the Atlantic Ocean border it. This gives France a way to access them without necessarily going through other countries to do so.
Alaska is another example of an exclave. It is separate from the United States and shares borders with Canada. Again it is accessible by sea with boundaries of the Arctic and Pacific Oceans and the Bering Sea.
A country can be both an enclave and an enclave. But not all are. In the case of Lesotho, for example, the country belongs to nothing but itself. It is therefore an enclave but not an exclave. Sometimes the exclave simply separates a part of a country or territory. For example, part of Fulton County in Kentucky is separated from the rest of the state of Kentucky and extends into Tennessee.
Other parts of the territory may be considered practical exclaves because, while they are not considered entirely separate from the land to which they belong politically, the geography of the area makes them impassable except by entering foreign territory. Parts of the Republic of Ireland are only accessible by crossing into Northern Ireland, for example.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
