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Salient (geography)

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

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

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

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. Another term is bootheel, used for the Missouri Bootheel and New Mexico Bootheel areas.

Origin edit

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, though the location of administrative borders can also take into account other considerations such as economic ties or topography.

Country-level salients edit

Africa edit

 
Far North Province within Cameroon
 
A map of the Congo Pedicle

Americas edit

 
Misiones Province within Argentina

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.

Europe edit

 
Dutch Limburg shown within the Netherlands

Subnational salients edit

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

Subnational salients in Africa edit

 
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.

Subnational salients in the Americas 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.

Panhandles in the United States edit

State Largest city Population Area (sq mi) Area (km2) Population density
(per sq mi)		 Population density (/km2)
Alaska Juneau 71,616 35,138 91,010 2 0.77
Connecticut Stamford 224,284 96 250 2,336 902
Florida[a] Tallahassee 1,407,925 11,304 29,280 125 48
Idaho Coeur d'Alene 317,751 21,013 54,420 15 5.8
Maryland[b] Frederick 492,950 2,194 5,680 225 87
Nebraska Scottsbluff 87,789 14,258 36,930 6 2.3
Oklahoma Guymon 28,751 5,687 14,730 5 1.9
Texas Amarillo 427,927 25,887 67,050 17 6.6
Eastern West Virginia Martinsburg 261,041 3,499 9,060 75 29
Northern West Virginia Wheeling 132,295 601 1,560 220 85
 
Locations of panhandles within states of the USA

Subnational salients in 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

Subnational salients in Europe edit

 
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

Subnational salients in Oceania edit

 
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.

See also edit

Notes edit

  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. ^ Not a geopolitical salient, but a normal geographical feature similar to that of a peninsula.

References edit

  1. ^ "San Isidro". Google Maps. Google LLC. Retrieved 14 January 2020.

Further reading edit

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