Cómo cambiaron las fronteras y los mapas
Explora cómo los países, las costas y nuestro conocimiento del mundo han cambiado los mapas que usamos.
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Questions with solutions-
1. Elige la respuesta correcta.
¿Qué pasó con estos dos países en 1990?
A European map from 1985 shows East Germany and West Germany as separate countries.
- They remained separate countries with a shared capital.
- They reunited to become one country.
- They became two republics within the Soviet Union.
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- They reunited to become one country.
La reunificación alemana eliminó la frontera nacional entre Alemania Oriental y Alemania Occidental, aunque las fronteras regionales se mantuvieron.
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2. Elige la respuesta correcta.
Which event explains this difference?
A 1988 political map of the Soviet Union shows Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania inside its borders. On maps from 1992, they appear as independent countries.
- The enlargement of the European Union
- The reunification of Germany
- The breakup of the Soviet Union
Consider which event ended the larger state shown on the older map.
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- The breakup of the Soviet Union
The Soviet Union dissolved in 1991. Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, which had been independent before Soviet rule, regained their independence.
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3. Elige la respuesta correcta.
¿Qué cambió inmediatamente a raíz de esta venta?
In 1803, France sold the Louisiana Territory to the United States.
- The United States gained a large area west of the Mississippi River.
- The entire Louisiana Territory became a single US state.
- France gained US territory east of the Mississippi River.
Adquirir territorio no es lo mismo que crear un estado.
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- The United States gained a large area west of the Mississippi River.
El territorio comprado era mucho más grande que el actual estado de Luisiana. Más tarde, partes de ese territorio se convirtieron en varios estados distintos.
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4. Elige la respuesta correcta.
What process made this once-flooded land usable?
Some Dutch polders contain farmland where there was once water. Dikes keep surrounding water out, while pumps keep the enclosed ground dry.
- Letting tides deposit soil without human control
- Draining water from enclosed areas
- Waiting for a permanent worldwide drop in sea level
Think about the job performed by the pumps.
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- Draining water from enclosed areas
This is land reclamation. Maps can gain areas of dry land through engineering, not just through changes in national borders.
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5. Elige la respuesta correcta.
¿Qué nueva ruta proporcionó el canal?
Before the Suez Canal opened in 1869, ships traveling between Europe and Asia often sailed around southern Africa.
- A route across Panama between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans
- A route across Turkey between the Mediterranean and Black Seas
- A route across Egypt between the Mediterranean and Red Seas
Suez está en el noreste de África.
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- A route across Egypt between the Mediterranean and Red Seas
El canal creó un importante atajo para el transporte marítimo. Una nueva vía navegable puede cambiar los mapas de transporte sin crear un nuevo país.
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6. Elige la respuesta correcta.
¿Qué descripción corresponde a Pakistán entre 1947 y 1971?
When British India was partitioned in 1947, Pakistan had western and eastern parts. The eastern part occupied the area that became Bangladesh in 1971.
- Its two main parts were separated by Indian territory.
- Its two main parts met along a shared land border.
- Its two main parts were separated only by the Arabian Sea.
Piensa en dónde se encuentra Bangladés en relación con la India y el actual Pakistán.
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- Its two main parts were separated by Indian territory.
Un país no tiene que formar un único territorio continuo. La distancia entre las dos partes de Pakistán dificultaba los viajes y la administración.
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7. Elige la respuesta correcta.
Why is Alaska often placed in a separate box?
Canada separates Alaska from the 48 connected US states. Many US maps show Alaska in a small box beside the main map.
- To indicate that Alaska is an independent country
- To include distant territory without stretching the main map
- To show Alaska's actual position beside the southwestern states
Consider page space rather than political ownership.
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- To include distant territory without stretching the main map
This separate box is called an inset. It may use a different scale, and being placed near the main map on the page does not mean being near it on Earth.
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8. Elige la respuesta correcta.
¿Qué característica de este mapa explica la diferencia?
On a Mercator world map, Greenland can look close in size to Africa, although Africa is much larger.
- It enlarges areas near the equator more than areas near the poles.
- It preserves relative land areas but changes national borders.
- It enlarges areas near the poles more than areas near the equator.
Groenlandia está mucho más lejos del ecuador que la mayor parte de África.
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- It enlarges areas near the poles more than areas near the equator.
Una proyección transforma la superficie curva de la Tierra en un mapa plano. La proyección de Mercator es útil para la navegación, pero no conserva las áreas relativas.
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9. Elige la respuesta correcta.
¿Qué beneficio práctico trajo esto?
In 1995, Kiribati moved the International Date Line east of all its islands. Previously, the line had passed through the country.
- All its islands could use the same calendar date.
- All its islands could experience sunrise at the same moment.
- All its islands could receive exactly the same hours of daylight.
Un límite en el calendario afecta las fechas, no el movimiento del sol.
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- All its islands could use the same calendar date.
La línea internacional de cambio de fecha es una convención humana, no un elemento físico. Puede desviarse para rodear países y facilitar la vida cotidiana.
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10. Elige la respuesta correcta.
¿Qué muestra este ejemplo sobre las fronteras fluviales?
In the nineteenth century, the Rio Grande shifted near El Paso, creating uncertainty along the US–Mexico border. The resulting Chamizal dispute was settled by an agreement in 1963.
- Every river shift automatically moves the legal border to the new channel.
- A moving river can require clarification of the legal boundary.
- The river's earliest recorded course always remains the legal border.
La geografía física y los acuerdos legales no siempre cambian al mismo tiempo.
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- A moving river can require clarification of the legal boundary.
Los acuerdos fronterizos pueden tratar la erosión gradual de manera diferente a un cambio repentino en el curso de un río. La causa del desplazamiento puede tener importancia legal.
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11. Elige la respuesta correcta.
What does this suggest about modern national borders?
After independence, many African countries retained boundaries inherited from colonial rule. Some of these lines divided communities and did not follow rivers or mountains.
- Independence always removed boundaries drawn during colonial rule.
- Each national border marks a clear change in both culture and landscape.
- National borders do not always match cultural or natural divisions.
A political line and a cultural boundary are different kinds of division.
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- National borders do not always match cultural or natural divisions.
Many leaders favored keeping inherited boundaries to limit new territorial disputes, even when those lines did not reflect local communities.
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12. Elige la respuesta correcta.
¿Qué conclusión está respaldada por esta corrección?
Some seventeenth-century European maps showed California as an island. Later surveys established its connection to the mainland, and newer maps removed the separation.
- A map can change because geographic knowledge improves.
- Correcting a coastline proves that the land itself has moved.
- A mistaken coastline must represent an earlier national border.
Distingue un cambio en el mundo de un cambio en lo que las personas saben sobre él.
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- A map can change because geographic knowledge improves.
Baja California es una península, no una isla. Los mapas antiguos pueden conservar ideas equivocadas en lugar de reflejar una realidad física anterior.