Learn about territorial morphology and state morphology. Discover different state shapes' definitions, including compact, elongated, prorupted, and more.
Updated: 11/21/2023
State Morphology in Geography | Overview, Shapes & Examples
Table of Contents
Show
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the 5 shapes of states?
There are 5 shapes of states (state morphologies). These are Compact States, Elongated States, Prorupted States, Fragmented States, and Perforated States.
What is morphology in human geography?
Geography studies the physical features of Earth and its atmosphere. Human geography is the branch of geography that studies the effects of physical features and the atmosphere on humans and vice versa. Morphology in human geography is basically the form and shape of physical features and their association with humans.
What is state morphology?
The state morphology is the shape and form of the state boundaries. There are 5 different state morphologies which are compact, elongated, prorupted, fragmented, perforated, and landlocked.
Table of Contents
ShowGeography studies the Earth's structures and atmosphere, and their effects and influences on humans in terms of changes and distribution of population, land use, and resources. Morphology studies the form and shape of these Earth structures which are dynamically changing through the geological processes. In territorial morphology, the location of state (country), size, and form are the key in the determination of variations of cultures, diversity in population, and political views.
To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member.
Create your account
You must cCreate an account to continue watching
Register to view this lesson
Are you a student or a teacher?
Create Your Account To Continue Watching
As a member, you'll also get unlimited access to over 88,000 lessons in math, English, science, history, and more. Plus, get practice tests, quizzes, and personalized coaching to help you succeed.
Get unlimited access to over 88,000 lessons.
Try it now
It only takes a few minutes to setup and you can cancel any time.
Already registered? Log in here for access
BackResources created by teachers for teachers
Over 30,000 video lessons
& teaching resources‐all
in one place.
I would definitely recommend Study.com to my colleagues. It’s like a teacher waved a magic wand and did the work for me. I feel like it’s a lifeline.
Jennifer B.
Teacher
Back
Your next lesson will play in
10 seconds
The state morphology is the shape and form of the state boundaries which present advantages and disadvantages to the state. The bigger the size of the state, the more neighboring states it has which brings a high population and diverse culture. The bigger the population, the more ideas people will have. The diversity in thoughts can create conflict and political disagreements. The smaller states have a small population which can result in social unities as well as political agreements. In order to discuss these pros and cons related to the state morphologies, five main state shapes have been presented. These are:
Compact
Compact states are smaller sizes states having the same distance from the middle to the surrounding borders (roundish in shape).
 |
These states generally have a single culture and little diversity which can result in an easy and efficient political system. Due to the small size, there is no variation in climate and this can be advantageous in the physical preparation of different seasons. Food variations can be limited and there should be importing in order to access worldwide food services. This is disadvantageous since importing food can be costly. Although less cultural and ethnic diversity might be a problem, leading and managing the population can be easier. Compact states have fewer neighbors which can be translated as either good, due to few neighbor issues, or bad, as there are little or no export and import opportunities. Compact states are termed efficient states. Poland, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, and Burundi are examples of compact countries.
Elongated
Elongated states have a long and wide morphology which causes exposure to more neighbors, a variety of cultures, and ethnicity.
 |
This great diversity might affect political developments negatively and can result in inefficient political systems. Some of the towns are isolated from the capital city and this can create political issues. There can be great climatic variations that make the states fun to live in and positively contribute to the economy. Due to the size of the state, food and culture are quite diverse which may create either positive or negative effects. Abundant neighbors and various out-of-border interactions are translated into massive trade opportunities. Some examples of elongated states are Chile, Thailand, Vietnam, Italy, and Malawi.
Prorupted
A prorupted or protruded state has a morphology that is characterized by an essential compact body of mass associated with long and wide extensions. These extensions can be done intentionally so that the state has access to certain resources.
 |
The diverse cultures, ethnicity, and ideas of populations can create challenges in the political system and make ineffective government organizations. Climatic variations are beneficial to the state and bring different economic opportunities such as tourism. Due to the broad geographic coverage and purposeful boundary extensions, food can be diverse and there is no need to trade with neighbors. Having the possibility of the ocean or sea may contribute to the economy in terms of opportunities for marine trade. Examples of prorupted states are Thailand, Myanmar (Burma), India, and Namibia.
Fragmented
The physical morphology of the state is fragmented and each piece can be associated with different cultures, people, ethnic diversity, and mindsets which creates an unfavorable political system. The variations in climate are assumed to be opportunities in terms of economic development such as diverse tourism activities. Food variations can bring opportunities so that the government does not need to import food but can export so that it benefits the economy. Having many neighbors might bring potential conflict. Italy, Japan, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the USA are examples of fragmented states. Exclave is the portion of a fragmented state which is geographically separated from the main territory of a state. Nagorno-Karabakh of Armenia is an exclave.
 |
 |
Perforated
The perforated state has other states in them. The morphology of the perforated state characterizes its climatic, food, cultural, and ethnic variations. Some of the advantages of the perforated state are, both perforated and internal states become allies with each other in both economic and military conditions. Vatican City (an internal state) brings tourists and financial support to Italy (a perforated state). However, if both perforated and internal states have conflicts, then there will be political and economic issues between them which is a disadvantage. This situation can be extra problematic since the internal state is landlocked inside the perforated country. South Africa is the only truly perforated state by Lesotho which is a great example of an enclave. Lesotho is enclaved by South Africa. Other examples of an enclave, which means a territory or state completely surrounded by a different state, are Vatican City and San Marino.
 |
 |
Landlocked States
The landlocked states do not have a physical border with the oceans and seas. Some of the common landlocked states are Kazakhstan, Andorra, Austria, Luxembourg, San Marino, Switzerland, and Vatican City. Although the morphology (compact and elongated) of the states is the key in various aspects of development, the lack of a maritime environment would result in political and economic handicaps. In addition to the drawbacks in economic development, landlocked states suffer from a lack of education, and low life expectancy and income due to the isolation and lack of connection to the industrialized world. There are 12 countries that have low HDI (human development indices) and 9 of them are landlocked countries.
 |
To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member.
Create your account
Morphology in geography is the shape and form of land features. These land features have an effect on human populations as well as being affected by human activities, which is the study of human geography. One of the important morphology concepts is the morphology of states (countries) which is basically the form and shape of country boundaries. Each of the five different state boundaries-compact, elongated, prorupted, fragmented, and perforated, has significant effects on cultural and ethnic diversity as well as the nature of social and political minds. These effects can be positive or negative according to the type of diverse background of the population. A compact, circular and small state morphology defines the social and political unity, whereas, an elongated morphology can have a very diverse background of citizens which may result in social and political conflicts and inconsistencies. Most of the time, the well-being of states depends on the geographical location, size, and shape as well as associated linked parameters such as food availability, import and export business, and climate.
To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member.
Create your account
Video Transcript
State Morphology
Can you draw the shape of your country? Believe it or not, this is actually a pretty important question. No, it's not because your art skills are being judged. It's because the shape of a country can drastically impact its future.
State morphology is the study of how the shape of a country can affect its culture, politics, economy, and overall well being. Shapes aren't always something we think about when considering why states act the ways they do, but there's actually a lot to be said about the geometry of the human world.
Compact and Elongated States
Compact States
There are about 195 countries in the world today, but geographers categorize them into one of five shapes. Let's start with the most basic: a compact state.
Imagine drawing a dot on a piece of paper. Next, draw lines of roughly equal length in all directions from that dot. This is a compact state, one in which all borders are roughly the same distance from the center. Compact states of the world include France, Uruguay, and Zimbabwe, among many others.
So, why does it matter? A circular compact state is often seen as the ideal shape for a country because it is the easiest to transport resources and people from one end to the other. This makes managing, defending, and governing the state very efficient. As a result, nearly all compact states have their capital cities in the center of the country. The government is equidistant from all borders, giving them the most efficient control.
 |
A centralized capital can be so useful in managing a country that some states even move their capital for this purpose, creating what we call a forward thrust capital, a capital that is moved to be more central to the state. A great example of this can be found in the compact state of Nigeria. Nigeria's most populous city and historic capital was Lagos, but it's on the coast, far from many of the Nigerian people. So, in the 1980s, the government planned out an entirely new city, Abuja, in the center of the country and moved its capital there in 1991.
Elongated State
Most people see compact states as the easiest to manage, but does it really make a difference? To answer that, let's look at elongated states, those states that are long and narrow. Vietnam and Norway are great examples of elongated states, but perhaps the best is Chile (which is about 2,650 miles long and just 220 miles wide).
As with compact states, the capital of elongated states tends to be in the middle of the country, but in this case, that doesn't make the government equidistant to all the borders. It's very close to some, but very far from others. This makes the management of resources, transportation, and people much more difficult. It also tends to promote localized identities, particularly in the regions farthest from the capital, often at the expense of national identity.
Perforated Country
Which would be easier to consistently move things across, a dinner plate or a donut? The plate, because you can go straight through it. Well, some states end up being the donut.
A perforated state is one that completely surrounds another country (called an enclave). A clear example of this is Italy, a country that encompasses the Vatican state, a sovereign nation. South Africa is another example, which surrounds the small country of Lesotho.
Perforated states have to alter transportation and trade routes to avoid the enclave country, which can make administration more difficult. This arrangement can also lead to social problems, particularly if the enclave state and the perforated state don't get along. Lesotho, for example, was a strong opponent of apartheid in South Africa, leading to a lot of tension between the nations.
Prorupted State
Next, let's look at a prorupted state, also called a protruded state. Imagine a compact state, fairly evenly shaped, that has one dangly extension protruding off the side. That's a prorupted state. Thailand and Myanmar are great examples, as is Austria to a less dramatic degree.
 |
Prorupted states have both their advantages and disadvantages. For one, the strange shape makes part of the country more isolated than the rest, which can make it harder to govern and often leads to localized identities. However, many states didn't arrive at this shape by accident; they fought for it. Why? The protrusion may be a result of an attempt to gain access to open-water ports or other resources vital to the nation's survival. In these cases, the odd shape and management issues are worth the benefit of accessing certain resources.
Fragmented States
The fifth and final shape a country can take is fragmented. A fragmented state is discontinuous, meaning all its parts don't touch. The clearest examples of this are places like the Philippines, Japan, or Indonesia. Of course, the United Kingdom and the United States are also examples of fragmented states.
 |
Fragmented states can be divided in two ways, either by water (as with the USA and Hawaii), or by another country (as with the USA and Alaska, divided by the nation of Canada). A territory that is divided from its home country by another state is known as an exclave.
As with prorupted states, fragmented states have their advantages and disadvantages. The fragmented parts are harder to defend from invaders, tend to feel isolated from the capital and government, and can be difficult to incorporate into trade and transportation routes. On the other hand, they can grant the country access to new resources (like oil in Alaska or Pacific-based trade routes and travel destinations in Hawaii). So again, it's a question of costs and benefits.
Lesson Summary
There are many countries in the world, but in general, they can be organized into five shapes according to state morphology, the study of how the shape of a country can affect its culture, politics, economy, and overall well being.
1. Compact states are those with borders roughly equidistant from the center, where the capital tends to be, and are the easiest to manage.
2. Elongated states are long and narrow, which can make the extreme ends feel isolated and hard to get resources to.
3. Perforated states completely encompass another state.
4. Prorupted states have at least one long protrusion, which can be harder to manage but may also give the country access to important resources.
5. Fragmented states are discontinuous, meaning all their parts don't touch and tend to be more vulnerable to invasion, but may also reach into diverse areas with more resources.
To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member.
Create your account
Register to view this lesson
Are you a student or a teacher?
Unlock Your Education
See for yourself why 30 million people use Study.com
Become a Study.com member and start learning now.
Become a MemberAlready a member? Log In
BackResources created by teachers for teachers
Over 30,000 video lessons
& teaching resources‐all
in one place.
I would definitely recommend Study.com to my colleagues. It’s like a teacher waved a magic wand and did the work for me. I feel like it’s a lifeline.
Jennifer B.
Teacher
Back
State Morphology in Geography | Overview, Shapes & Examples
Related Study Materials
Explore our library of over 88,000 lessons
Browse by subject