Exclave facts for kids
An exclave is a special piece of land. It belongs to a country or a region, but it's not physically connected to the main part of that country or region. Think of it like a puzzle piece that's separated from the rest of the puzzle. This separated land is usually surrounded by other countries or areas. Islands are not counted as exclaves because they are naturally separated by water.
A great example of an exclave is Kaliningrad Oblast. This area belongs to Russia, but it's separated from the rest of Russia by land belonging to Lithuania and Poland.
It's important to know that while all enclaves are also exclaves, not all exclaves are enclaves. An enclave is a piece of land that is completely surrounded by one single other country. For example, Kaliningrad is an exclave of Russia, but it's not an enclave because it borders two countries (Lithuania and Poland) and also the Baltic Sea. On the other hand, Llivia, a small piece of Spain, is an exclave that is completely surrounded by France. So, Llivia is both an exclave and an enclave!
Sometimes, people living in exclaves might want to become independent. This idea often comes up if the exclave is very far from its main country.
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What are True Exclaves?
True exclaves are parts of a country that are completely separated from the main land by other countries. They are not islands.
- Angola: Cabinda is a part of Angola, but it's separated by the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
- Azerbaijan: Nakhichevan is an exclave of Azerbaijan, located between Armenia and Iran.
- Belgium: Baarle-Hertog is a Belgian municipality with many small exclaves within the Netherlands.
- Brunei: Temburong is separated from the rest of Brunei by Malaysia.
- Croatia: The Dubrovnik area is separated from the main part of Croatia by a small strip of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
- East Timor: Oecussi-Ambeno is an exclave surrounded by Indonesia.
- Germany: Büsingen am Hochrhein is a German exclave completely surrounded by Switzerland.
- Italy: Campione is an Italian exclave surrounded by Switzerland.
- Netherlands: Baarle-Nassau has parts that are exclaves within Belgium.
- Oman: Musandam is an exclave of Oman, separated by the United Arab Emirates.
- Russia: Kaliningrad is a large Russian exclave between Lithuania and Poland.
- Spain: Llivia is a Spanish exclave completely surrounded by France.
- Northern Cyprus: Kokkina is an exclave of Northern Cyprus.
- United States: Alaska is a large US state separated from the rest of the US by Canada.
Exclaves Within Countries
These are parts of a state or region that are separated from their main territory, but still within the same country.
Swiss Cantons with Exclaves
Many of the areas called cantons of Switzerland have their own exclaves:
- Bern has two small exclaves called Münchenwiler and Clavaleyres.
- Lucerne has two pieces separated by Lake Lucerne.
- Obwalden is in two large parts, separated by a strip of Nidwalden.
- Nidwalden's district of Hergiswil is separated by an arm of Lake Lucerne.
- Fribourg has a large exclave and two smaller enclaves within Vaud.
- Solothurn has two exclaves that border France, and one enclave within Bern.
- Schaffhausen is cut into three parts by German territory.
- Appenzell is surrounded by Sankt-Gallen. It has three small exclaves.
- Vaud has one exclave called Avenches.
- Geneva has two small exclaves within Vaud, which form the commune of Céligny.
US States with Exclaves
Several US states also have exclaves within their own borders:
- Kentucky: The Kentucky Bend is a piece of land surrounded by the Mississippi River on three sides. You have to go through Tennessee to reach the rest of Kentucky by road.
- Louisiana: St. Martin Parish has an exclave separated by Iberia Parish.
- Massachusetts: Norfolk County is not in one piece. Brookline and Cohasset are part of Norfolk County but are surrounded by other counties.
- California: The City and County of San Francisco has a small exclave on Alameda Island. You can't reach it by road from San Francisco without going through Oakland and Alameda.
- Michigan: The "Lost Peninsula" in Monroe County, Michigan can only be reached by road through Toledo, Ohio.
- Sandoval County, New Mexico: A small part of Sandoval County became an exclave when Los Alamos County was created during World War II.
What are "Practical" Exclaves?
"Practical exclaves" are places that are not truly separated from their main country. They are still connected by a very thin strip of land. However, it's much easier to reach them by driving through a foreign country. This often happens in hilly areas or where roads are limited. These are also called "pene-exclaves" or "quasi-exclaves."
- Canada: St. Regis, Quebec is part of the Akwesasne Mohawk Nation. You can only reach the rest of Canada by road through New York State in the US.
- United States:
- Alaska Panhandle: This part of Alaska is connected to the rest of the state, but you have to drive through Canada to reach it by road.
- Minnesota: The Northwest Angle is connected to Manitoba, Canada. You can only reach the rest of the US by road through Manitoba.
- Washington: Point Roberts is at the end of a peninsula. You can only reach the rest of the US by road through British Columbia, Canada.
Practical Exclaves Within Countries
These are similar to "practical exclaves" but they are within the same country. You have to travel through another part of the same country (or sometimes a different state) to reach them easily.
- United States:
- Virginia: The Eastern Shore is connected to the rest of Virginia by the 23-mile (37 km) long Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel.
- Iowa: Carter Lake is surrounded by Omaha, Nebraska on three sides. You can only reach Iowa by road through Nebraska.
- Michigan: The Upper Peninsula is connected to Wisconsin. You can reach it from the Lower Peninsula of Michigan by the 5-mile (8 km) long Mackinac Bridge.
Historical Exclaves
Throughout history, there have been many exclaves that no longer exist today. Here are a few examples:
- East Prussia: This was a German exclave after World War I. It was separated from Germany when Poland gained access to the Baltic Sea. Today, East Prussia is divided between Kaliningrad Oblast in Russia and a part of Poland.
- East Bengal (1947-1955) / East Pakistan (1955-1971): This area, now Bangladesh, was an exclave separated from West Pakistan by 1600 kilometers of India's territory.
- Walvis Bay: This was a South African exclave in Namibia. It became part of Namibia when Namibia became independent.
Related Pages
Images for kids
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The Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic is an exclave of Azerbaijan.
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Land for the Captain Cook Monument in Hawaii was given to the British government in 1877.
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The John F. Kennedy Memorial at Runnymede, United Kingdom, is on land given to the United States of America in 1965.
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The Mauritania Railway. The map shows a shorter route through Western Sahara and a longer route within Mauritania.
