Territorial Morphology Territorial Morphology Relationship between a state?s geographic shape, size, relative location, and it?s political situation Shape of states Controls the length of its boundaries with other states Shape affects potential for communication and conflict with neighbors Shape is part of its identity Shape can determine the difficulty or ease of internal administration and social unity 5 basic shapes Compact Elongated Prorupted Perforated Fragmented Compact States Definition: the distance from the center to any boundary does not vary significantly Theoretically would be shaped in a circle or square Capital at center and shortest boundaries to defend Often the political ideal Compactness is a beneficial characteristic for most smaller states