Salient (geography)

Elongated protrusion of a geopolitical entity

"Panhandle" redirects here. For other uses, see Panhandle (disambiguation).

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Map of Namibia showing the Caprivi Strip in the country's northeast.

A salient, panhandle, or bootheel is an elongated protrusion of a geopolitical entity, such as a subnational entity or a sovereign state.

While similar to a peninsula in shape, a salient is most often not surrounded by water on three sides. Instead, it has a land border on at least two sides and extends from the larger geographical body of the administrative unit.

In American English, the term panhandle is often used to describe a relatively long and narrow salient, such as the westernmost extensions of Florida and Oklahoma, or the northernmost portion of Idaho. Another term is bootheel, used for the Missouri Bootheel and New Mexico Bootheel areas.

## Origin

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The term salient is derived from military salients. The term "panhandle" derives from the analogous part of a cooking pan, and its use is generally confined to North America.

The salient shape can be the result of arbitrarily drawn international or subnational boundaries, which serve to separate culturally unified peoples.[1] These occurred, for instance, during European colonialisation when colonial powers competed for Africa and the Western Hemisphere, after which post-colonial borders became based on colonial divisions.[2] In many cases these salients correspond to routes of expansion or bases for such expansion, as in Namibia and Mozambique.[3] Other modern salients originally served to provide barriers against other colonial powers, as with Britain against Tsarist Russia in Central Asia.[1]

Salients may also arise when a national government shifts territory between subnational entities for internal political reasons, as with West Virginia's eastern panhandle during the Civil War.[4] This also occurred with peripheral Tibetan-inhabited regions in Maoist China, which were split between provinces and from the Tibet Autonomous Region.[5]

The location of administrative borders can also take into account other considerations such as economic ties,[6] strategic needs,[7] history or topography. Even in these situations, however, salients frequently fail to follow clear and logical criteria, as seen with the partition of India and the resultant northeastern salient. Upon partition numerous majority-Muslim areas remained within Hindu India, and some non-Muslim-majority areas within the exclave of East Pakistan.[8]

## Country-level salients

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### Africa

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Far North Province of Cameroon A map of the Congo Pedicle Salient | Country

|

Cibitoke Province |  Burundi
Far North Region |  Cameroon
Congo Pedicle |  Democratic Republic of the Congo
Kongo Central
Southern Red Sea Region |  Eritrea
Gambela Region |  Ethiopia
Somali Region
Nimba County |  Liberia
Nsanje District |  Malawi
Kayes Region |  Mali
Azawad
Tete Province |  Mozambique
Caprivi Strip |  Namibia
Casamance |  Senegal
Kalahari Gemsbok National Park |  South Africa
Upper Nile |  South Sudan
Blue Nile |  Sudan
Wadi Halfa Salient
Kagera Region |  Tanzania
Cinkassé Prefecture |  Togo

### Asia

[edit]

Chittagong Division, Bangladesh Map of India showing the Seven Sister states in the northeast plus the smaller salient of Sikkim immediately to their west. The 14 provinces of Thailand forming the salient of Southern Thailand. Salient | Country

|

Wakhan Corridor |  Afghanistan
Chittagong |  Bangladesh
Rangpur
Sylhet
Western Belait District |  Brunei
Myanmar Panhandle (Kayin State, Mon State and Tanintharyi Region) |  Burma
Puta-O District
Maungdaw District
Mong Yawng Township
Parrot's Beak |  Cambodia
Yadong County (Tibet Autonomous Region) |  China
Seven Sister States (largest and most populous in the world) |  India
Sikkim
West Timor |  Indonesia
Jerusalem corridor |  Israel
Galilee panhandle
Mafraq Governorate |  Jordan
Mangystau Region |  Kazakhstan
Batken |  Kyrgyzstan
Phongsaly Province |  Laos
Tfail Salient |  Lebanon
North Hamgyŏng, South Hamgyŏng and Ryanggang |  North Korea
Primorsky Krai |  Russia
Sughd |  Tajikistan
Southern Thailand |  Thailand
Aralık, Iğdır Province |  Turkey
Hatay Province
Tashkent Region |  Uzbekistan
Fergana and Andijan Regions
Namangan
Tashkent City
Jizzakh Region
Sirdaryo Region
Surxondaryo Region
Tây Ninh Province |  Vietnam

### Europe

[edit]

County Donegal within Ireland, in darker green Limburg shown within the Netherlands Salient | Country

|

Syunik |  Armenia
Tyrol and Vorarlberg |  Austria
West Flanders |  Belgium
Tamashowka |  Belarus
Neum |  Bosnia and Herzegovina
Dubrovnik-Neretva County |  Croatia
Ilok
Louroujina Salient |  Cyprus
Aš administrative district |  Czech Republic
Šluknov Hook
Laatre, Viljandi County |  Estonia
Enontekiö |  Finland
Charleville-Mézières |  France
Kakheti |  Georgia
Western Thrace |  Greece
County Donegal |  Ireland
County Monaghan
Province of Trieste |  Italy
Dieveniškės appendix |  Lithuania
Castelré, North Brabant |  Netherlands
Limburg
County Fermanagh |  United Kingdom
Pasvikdalen valley |  Norway
Gmina Bogatynia |  Poland
Kłodzko County
Melgaço and north of Monção and Arcos de Valdevez (Viana do Castelo District) |  Portugal
Tourém in north of Montalegre (Vila Real District)
Miranda do Douro, Mogadouro and Vimioso (Bragança District)
Moura and eastern Barrancos (Beja District) and Mourão (Évora District)
Bryansk Oblast |  Russia
Ain, (around the border of Switzerland) |  France
Galicia |  Spain
Slovene Istria |  Slovenia
Prekmurje
Canton of Geneva |   Switzerland
Canton of Schaffhausen
Bernina, Inn, Lugano, Mendrisio and Porrentruy Districts
Budjak |  Ukraine
Jamena |  Serbia
Petsamo |  Finland
Enontekiö

### South America

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Misiones Province within Argentina Salient | Country

|

Misiones |  Argentina
Leticia Trapeze |  Colombia
Southeast Guainía Department
Yavaraté, Vaupés Department
Petén Department |  Guatemala
Tumbes Region |  Peru
Amazonas |  Venezuela

### North America

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Salient | Country

|

Southeast Alaska |  United States
New England
South Texas
Southern Ontario (particularly Ontario Peninsula) |  Canada
Tatshenshini-Alsek Park, British Columbia
Madawaska County, New Brunswick
Labrador West, Newfoundland and Labrador

## Subnational salients

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The following locations are salients in First-level administrative subdivisions of nations.

### Africa

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Location of Niari Department within the Republic of the Congo. The southeastern arm is the Kimongo District. Location of the Fatick Region within Senegal. Gossas Department is the northeastern arm. Salient | Country

|

Tafraoui and Oran Province |  Algeria
Southwestern Saïda Province
Northeastern Bié Province |  Angola
Western Mono Department |  Benin
Eastern Kgalagadi District |  Botswana
Balé Province and Boucle du Mouhoun Region |  Burkina Faso
Kouritenga Province, Centre-Est Region
Northwest Bujumbura Rural Province |  Burundi
Northern Muyinga Province
Kimongo District, Niari Department |  Republic of the Congo
Northwestern Wele-Nzas Province |  Equatorial Guinea
Sitti Zone, Somali Region |  Ethiopia
Haut-Komo Department, Woleu-Ntem Province |  Gabon
Upper Denkyira West District, Central Region |  Ghana
Télimélé Prefecture, Kindia Region |  Guinea
Northeast Mamou Prefecture, Mamou Region
Western Isiolo County |  Kenya
Eastern Al Wahat District |  Libya
Southern Mzimba District, Northern Region |  Malawi
Eastern Dakhlet Nouadhibou Region |  Mauritania
Boumdeid Department, Assaba Region
Southeastern Tete Province |  Mozambique
Gossas Department, Fatick Region |  Senegal
Southern Uvinza District, Kigoma Region |  Tanzania
Babati, Hanang, Mbulu Districts, Manyara Region
Gokwe North and Gokwe South Districts, Midlands Province |  Zimbabwe

### South America

[edit]

Guayas Province, Ecuador. Balzar and El Empalme Cantons form the northern arm of the province. Venezuela's Barinas State. Andrés Eloy Blanco is the small western extension of the state, Arismendi is the larger eastern extremity. Páez, in Apure, lies immediately to the south of western Barinas. Salient | Country

|

Southern Buenos Aires Province |  Argentina
Luis Calvo, Chuquisaca Department |  Bolivia
Sud Cinti, Chuquisaca Department
Whale Coast, Bahia |  Brazil
Alto Parnaíba, Balsas, and Tasso Fragoso, southernmost Maranhão
Northern Mato Grosso
Ponta do Abunã in northwest Rondônia
Triângulo Mineiro, Minas Gerais
Arauco Province, Bío Bío Region |  Chile
San Antonio Province, Valparaíso Region
Urabá region, Antioquia Department |  Colombia
Unguía and Acandí in northernmost Chocó Department
Santander Department northern tip
Santa Rosa and Piamonte in southeastern Cauca Department
Cotacachi Canton, Imbabura Province |  Ecuador
Western Cumandá Canton
Eastern Tena Canton, Napo Province
Balzar and El Empalme Cantons, Guayas Province
Northern East Berbice-Corentyne |  Guyana
Caravelí Province, Arequipa Region |  Peru
Northern Tapanahony, Sipaliwini District |  Suriname
Páez, Apure |  Venezuela
Western Andrés Eloy Blanco Municipality, Barinas
Arismendi Municipality, Barinas
Guajira Municipality, Zulia

### North and Central America

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Salient | Country

|

Toronto (East York, Etobicoke, Old Toronto, York) |  Canada
Northwestern British Columbia
Middle Côte-Nord, Quebec
Western Puntarenas Province |  Costa Rica
Guamá, Santiago de Cuba Province |  Cuba
Southern Hato Mayor Province |  Dominican Republic
Southern Samaná Province
Southern San Miguel Department |  El Salvador
Norte, Jalisco |  Mexico
Eastern Tabasco
Western Tamaulipas
Southeastern Zacatecas
Southern Zacatecas
Chiriquí Grande District, Bocas del Toro Province |  Panama
Southern Chimán District, Panamá Province
Mariato District, Veraguas Province
Alaska |  United States
Connecticut
Florida[a]
Idaho
Maryland[b]
Nebraska
Oklahoma
Texas
Eastern West Virginia
Missouri Bootheel
Northern West Virginia
New Mexico Bootheel
Trans-Pecos
The Thumb
Locations of panhandles within states of the USA

See also: Border irregularities of the United States

### Asia

[edit]

Location of Nabatieh District within Nabatieh Governorate, Lebanon. Map of Gorno-Badakhshan within Tajikistan, showing the panhandle of Darvoz District in the west. South Sulawesi in Indonesia, with a panhandle of East Luwu Regency in the east Salient | Country

|

Wakhan District, Badakhshan Province |  Afghanistan
Nawa District, Ghazni Province
Chishti Sharif District, Herat Province
Eastern Sarpang District |  Bhutan
Tianchang, Anhui |  China
Maqu County, Gansu
Fan County and Taiqian County, Henan
Pingliang and Qingyang, Gansu
Daxing'anling Prefecture, Heilongjiang
Zhaotong, Yunnan
Koraput and Malkangiri districts, Odisha |  India
Pathankot district, Punjab
Kota division, Rajasthan
Southern Jhansi division, Uttar Pradesh
Wonogiri Regency, Central Java |  Indonesia
Pacitan Regency, East Java
Mahakam Ulu Regency, East Kalimantan
South Jakarta, Jakarta Special Capital Region, and Depok, West Java
Tabalong Regency, South Kalimantan
East Luwu Regency, South Sulawesi
Ogan Komering Ilir Regency, South Sumatra
Pasaman Regency, West Sumatra
Semirom County, Isfahan Province |  Iran
Southwest Razavi Khorasan Province
Southern Yazd Province
Noda, Chiba |  Japan
Nose, Osaka
Ōra District, Gunma
Reinan [ja](Wakasa), Fukui
Wadi Araba Department, Aqaba Governorate |  Jordan
Russeifa Department, Zarqa Governorate
Southwest Panfilov District, Chuy Region |  Kyrgyzstan
Chong-Alay District, Osh Region
Nabatieh District, Nabatieh Governorate |  Lebanon
Bandar Baharu District, Kedah, |  Malaysia
Northeast of Kuantan District, Eastern Pahang
South of Kemaman District, Terengganu
Gangaw Township, Magway Region |  Myanmar
Thabeikkyin District, Mandalay Region
Eastern Achham District, Far-Western Region |    Nepal
Western Surkhet District, Mid-Western Region
Bannu, Karak, and Kohat Divisions, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, |  Pakistan
Tiwi, Albay |  Philippines
Northernmost portion of barangay San Isidro, Cainta, Rizal[9]
Northwestern Cagayan
Libis/Reparo, Santa Quiteria and Talipapa of southern Caloocan
Carmona, Cavite
Northeastern Ilocos Sur (roughly corresponding to its 1st district),
Barangays Casile and Pittland, Cabuyao, Laguna
Santa Maria, Laguna
Las Piñas (Almanza Dos)
Eastern Maguindanao del Sur, Philippines (municipalities east of Sultan sa Barongis)
Carranglan, Nueva Ecija
Alfonso Castañeda, southern Dupax del Norte and Dupax del Sur, Nueva Vizcaya
Eastern Sultan Kudarat (roughly corresponding to its 1st district, excluding Isulan)
Zakamensky, Tunkinsky and Okinsky Districts, Buryatia |  Russia
Katangsky District, Irkutsk Oblast
Kirensky, Mamsko-Chuysky and Bodaybinsky Districts, Irkutsk Oblast
Bikinsky District, Khabarovsk Krai
Trincomalee District, Eastern Province |  Sri Lanka
Al-Suqaylabiyah District, Hama Governorate |  Syria
Chenggong and Changbin townships, Taitung County |  Taiwan
Darvoz District, Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region |  Tajikistan
Kim Sơn District, Ninh Bình Province |  Vietnam
Nghi Xuân District, Hà Tĩnh Province
Western Dhamar Governorate |  Yemen

### Europe

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Location of Viken, Norway. The municipalities of Jevnaker and Lunner connect the former counties of Akershus and Buskerud Location of Newmarket (shown as red dot) within Suffolk, England Location of Manche within Normandy, France Salient | Country

|

Southern Gmunden, Upper Austria |  Austria
Pancharevo, Sofia City Province |  Bulgaria
Kuhmoinen, Pirkanmaa |  Finland
Parikkala, South Karelia
Pudasjärvi-Taivalkoski-Kuusamo, North Ostrobothnia
Ruokolahti, South Karelia
Varkaus, Pohjois-Savo
Gironde, (panhandle is around the Gironde estuary) |  France
Drôme (Montfroc)
Hauts-de-Seine
Meurthe-et-Moselle
Manche
Lower Franconia, Bavaria |  Germany
Amt Neuhaus, District of Lüneburg, Lower Saxony
Osnabrück District and City, Lower Saxony
Altenburger Land, Thuringia
Southeastern Mureș County |  Romania
Southeastern Győr-Moson-Sopron County |  Hungary
Northern Pest County
Clonlisk, County Offaly |  Ireland
Tullyhaw, County Cavan
Province of Rieti, Lazio |  Italy
Raseiniai District Municipality, Kaunas County |  Lithuania
Dieveniškės, Vilnius County
Rivierenland, Gelderland |  Netherlands
Steenwijkerland, Overijssel
Viken |  Norway
Wschowa County, Lubusz Voivodeship |  Poland
Mourão, Évora District |  Portugal
Mozdoksky District, North Ossetia–Alania |  Russia
Priyutnensky, Yashaltinsky, and Gorodovikovsky Districts, Kalmykia
Western Chelyabinsk Oblast[c]
Oparinsky, Podosinovsky, and Luzsky Districts, Kirov Oblast
Vorkuta District, Komi Republic
Negueira de Muñiz, Galicia (Spain) |  Spain
Aranjuez, Madrid (Spain)
A Mezquita, Galicia
Diessenhofen, Schlatt bei Diessenhofen, and Basadingen-Schlattingen, Frauenfeld District, Thurgau |   Switzerland
Monthey District, Valais
Buckfastleigh, Teignbridge |  United Kingdom
Ceiriog Valley, Wrexham County Borough, Wales
English Maelor, Wrexham County Borough, Wales
Western New Forest District, Hampshire
Newmarket, Suffolk
North Cornwall, Cornwall
Stamford, Lincolnshire
South Staffordshire, Staffordshire
The area around Tring, Hertfordshire, which is itself bounded on one side by a salient of Buckinghamshire in the area around Pitstone, Ivinghoe and Dagnall
Ljig, Kolubara District |  Serbia
Ljubovija, Mačva District
Bosnian-Podrinje Canton Goražde, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina |  Bosnia and Herzegovina
Petrovo, Republika Srpska
Ravno, Herzegovina-Neretva Canton

### Oceania

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Location of Anetan District within Nauru Location of Timaru District within New Zealand's South Island. The Waitaki District is parallel with it, a little further south. Salient | Country

|

Northeastern Nadroga-Navosa Province, Western Division |  Fiji
Southern Anetan District |  Nauru
Rangitaiki River Valley, Bay of Plenty Region |  New Zealand
Hunter River Valley, Otago region
Upper Rangitata Valley, Timaru District
Upper Waitaki Valley, Waitaki District
Northeastern West New Britain Province |  Papua New Guinea

## See also

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* Bootheel
* Border irregularities of the United States
* Border
* Chicken's Neck (disambiguation)
* Corridor (disambiguation)
* Enclave and exclave
* Fergana Valley (triple junction of Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan)
* Gerrymandering
* Political geography
* Salients, re-entrants and pockets
* The Thumb

## Notes

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1. ^ This definition includes the following counties: Bay, Calhoun, Escambia, Franklin, Gadsden, Gulf, Holmes, Jackson, Jefferson, Leon, Liberty, Madison, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, Taylor, Wakulla, Walton, and Washington.
2. ^ This definition includes the following counties: Allegany, Frederick, Garrett, and Washington
3. ^ Encompassing, in order of increasing distance from the main body of the oblast, Kusinsky District, Zlatoust Urban Okrug, Satkinsky District, Tryokhgorny Urban Okrug, Katav-Ivanovsky District, Ust-Katav Urban Okrug and Ashinsky District.

## References

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1. ^ a b Jacobs, Frank (December 5, 2011). "A Few Salient Points". New York Times.
2. ^ Lowitt, Richard (2006). American Outback: The Oklahoma Panhandle in the Twentieth Century. Texas Tech University Press. pp. xvii, xviii. ISBN 9780896725584.
3. ^ Weigert, Hans W. (1957). Principles of Political Geography. New York City: Appleton-Century-Crofts. pp. 73–75.
4. ^ Hubbard, Bill (2008). "Chapter Five: The Evolution of the Territories and States". American Boundaries: The Nation, the States, the Rectangular Survey. University of Chicago Press. p. 167\. ISBN 9780226355931.
5. ^ Sautman, Barry (2006). "Tibet and the (Mis)-Representation of Cultural Genocide". In Sautman, Barry (ed.). Cultural Genocide and Asian State Peripheries. New York City: Palgrave Macmillan. p. 207\. ISBN 1403975744.
6. ^ Mellor, Roy E. H. (1989). National, State and Territory: A Political Geography. London: Routledge. p. 70\. ISBN 9780415022873.
7. ^ Pounds, Norman John Greville (1972). Political geography (2nd ed.). New York City: McGraw-Hill (published 1963). p. 271\. ISBN 9780070505667.
8. ^ Ali Tayyeb (1966). Pakistan; A Political Geography. London: Oxford University Press. p. 89.
9. ^ "San Isidro". Google Maps. Google LLC. Retrieved 14 January 2020.

## Further reading

[edit]

* Robert Reid (4 April 2016). "America's Panhandles, Ranked From 1 to 10". National Geographic. Retrieved 2019-05-16.