Why are the national borders of many countries on the map "horizontal and vertical"?

National boundaries refer to the dividing lines between countries. Generally speaking, two neighboring countries are separated from each other by mountains or natural geographical conditions such as rivers and lakes. Therefore, the borders of many countries in the world are rather tortuous.

In addition to this kind of boundary line drawn by natural terrain, there is also a kind of boundary line caused by human factors, the most representative of which is Africa.

It can be clearly seen from the map that the borders of many countries on the African continent are straight lines. Especially in North Africa, almost every country has a straight border line, which is a special existence in the entire world geography. The reason for the linear borders of African countries is artificially caused by colonial rulers.

As we all know, except for Liberia, the remaining countries on the African continent have been colonized or "protected" by other countries. The original intention of establishing the country of Liberia is inseparable from the colonial nature. The entire African continent was once dominated by European powers. annexed territory.

Before Africa was colonized, there were no clear boundaries between African countries. At that time, Africa was relatively backward. Most of the tribes were nomadic. Tribes often migrated between each other. There was no need for border restrictions before.

Africa is vast and sparsely populated, mostly deserts and grasslands. The Sahara, the largest desert in the world, is located in Africa, with an area of ??approximately 9.06 million square kilometers, which is only less than 600,000 square kilometers smaller than China (approximately half the area of ??Tibet) and occupies 1/3 of the entire African territory. In addition, it is mostly grassland, with few mountains and rivers and uneven distribution. There are no clear natural signs that can be used as boundary lines. This has caused trouble for African countries to draw borders.

At the end of the 19th century, European powers entered Africa and divided it up. The colonists only considered their own interests, and divided Africa, which was originally a windfall, quite arbitrarily. With a ruler, each other's colonial scope was determined, such as the famous Varni Line in Africa (the name of the border line between Morocco and Algeria). ) was casually drawn by French colonial leader Varnier. Unless it was for specific interests, such as Haikou, most colonists had no objection to such a division.

So after the independence of many African countries, the borders between countries were mostly determined by the divisions during the colonial period. The hasty demarcation of borders by great powers has even led to the division of many ethnic groups. This is also the root cause of frequent ethnic conflicts and territorial disputes in most African countries today.