Crossing the Line GIS Activity

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     The country that could potentially split is Australia. The Murrawarri nation, straddling the border of sub-states New South Wales and Queensland, would become a separate enclaved country in the eastern part of the continent. The Arabian Gulf Union could form with the joining of several countries in the Middle East including Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman, Bahrain, as well as parts of Iraq and Syria.

     I believe Murrawarri will split from Australia because it is clear the nation wants its own country. In 2013, the "republic" declared independence from Australia and claimed a small segment of territory. However, the government ignored this declaration and Murrawarri's independence is not recognized. At first, the nation interpreted the lack of response as the green light to start a country; they began setting up a government and went to the United Nations for recognition. Murrawarri has yet to achieve state status, but are determined to make it happen. I think the Arabian Gulf Union will form because of cultural similarities. Not only do the countries practice the same religion, but they speak similar languages. Additionally, the countries are unified through a common threat from Iran.

     The Murrawarri Republic has both physical and cultural boundaries. The nations borders are largely based on where the majority of the nation lives and the territory they claimed. However, to draw the boundaries, the Darling and Balonne Rivers were used as criteria. The boundaries of the Arabian Gulf Union are cultural. They were drawn in accordance with the Indo-European/ Afro-Asiatic language family border.
   
     Murrawarri will be satisfied with statehood but in the beginning, their economy, government, and military won't be very strong, and may not ever be. This is because of the small size of the nation and the probable unwillingness of other countries to invest in such a tiny chunk of land. Another disadvantage is being landlocked, the nation won't be able to make money importing and exporting goods by sea. Independence is good for the nation because it will be unified; not only will the Murrawarri Republic be a nation-state, they will be linked through their extensive efforts to gain sovereignty. Murrawarri could likely stimulate other nations in Australia to split, and the continent might eventually look similar to Africa. The Arabian Gulf Union will create security because the new, more powerful country will be able to defend itself against Iran. Plus, simply having more territory can make a state stronger economically. Combining states could possibly cause internal conflicts because of the nature of people resisting change.