This study attempts to describe and analyse the effects of a political boundary on the geographical landscape in part of West Africa Initially pre-colonial conditions are considered - especially the political situation and pattern of indigenous political groupings Secondly, the boundary is described in relation to the factors which influenced its conception and ultimate creation and this is followed by a description of the line finally delimited to separate the two colonies of Dahomey and Nigeria The major section of the thesis deals with the various effects of the boundary By forming the edge of the state the boundary acted to some degree as a negative influence in the landscape and a "frontier zone" developed in relation to different state functions Within the frontier zone the boundary had a positive local influence on some aspects of communications, population movement and rural economies producing what has been termed a "border landscape" Population movement and trade were considered on a larger scale in both legal and illegal aspects while an attempt at measuring the restrictive influence of the boundary was made by applying the interactance hypothesis to movement of traffic on relevant boundary routes A further aspect of the boundary effects deals with the boundary separating two colonial systems At each side a colonial situation imposed from outside influenced, in different ways and to a varying degree, every sphere of the economic, social, political and religious life of the indigenous population Along the boundary, where the two colonial systems met, an apparent and measurable division developed in the geographical landscape

Commercial cotton production was introduced into the Sudan on two distinct and separate occasions, by the Turks in the 1860's and by the British in the 1900's. The earlier venture, however, was a total failure while the second was a success. This thesis examines the factors underlying failure and success using the records left by travellers, administrators and agriculturalists to discuss and evaluate man's changing attitude to the agricultural resources of the Sudan between the years 1860 and 1925. The thesis, a contribution to the historical geography of an African underdeveloped country in the colonial period, stresses the importance in development schemes of two factors, first, the need for careful, soundly conceived and sympathetic pilot studies prior to the main scheme, drawing as much as possible on indigenous farming practice, and second, the need for a clear view of the ultimate aims of large scale developments as an essential preliminary to the isolation of salient issues and the implementation of a consistent policy. In retrospect it can be seen that the Gezira Scheme proper has been a. great success and this study focuses upon the vital antecedents that made it a success.

The Sudan-Ethiopia boundary stretches from Ras Kassar on the Red Sea to Lake Rudolf which forms the tripoint of the Sudan, Ethiopia and Kenya boundaries. The 2,220 km long boundary was established between 1901-1909 by a series of Anglo-Italian treaties. Evidence from these treaties indicates that the boundary was delimited as Egypt's eastern border rather than that of the Sudan. The main objective of the delineators was to secure the Egyptian influence on the Upper Nile. The Sudan as an Independent political entity was not seriously considered in the boundary negotiations and little heed was taken as regards the interests of some border peoples. Thus, after its Independence the Sudan has to face several boundary problems; such problems are at present the core of the Ethiopian-Sudanese relations. This thesis examines the evolution of the Sudan-Ethiopia boundary from a geographical viewpoint. However, other factors which have affected its location and function are also considered. In the Introduction the place of the political boundaries in geographical studies is mentioned and the varied wealth of literature on boundaries is reviewed and the geographical approach distinguished. Chapter One is an appreciation of the physique of the area through which the boundary passes and Chapter Two gives a background to the human, cultural and tribal frontiers within the existing border zone. In Chapter Three the main developments and changes in the position of frontiers between the two countries from the earliest period to the present century is discussed. The primary territorial evolution of the political boundary is critically examined in Chapter Four and the final episode of the boundary delimitation is described in Chapter Five. Chapter Six is a geographical analysis of the boundary as regards to the physical and human landscape of the border zone. In Chapters Seven and Eight the boundary functions are discussed in detail as regards to its effects on settlement, trade (both legal and illegal), population and population movement. Chapter Nine examines the causes, effects and results of the contemporary border problems between the Sudan and Ethiopia and Chapter Ten gives a comprehensive conclusion to the whole thesis and suggests some practical steps to minimize the existing border problems.

From 1911 to 1914 an Anglo-Belgian boundary commission demarcated some 800 km of the boundary between the Congo Free State and Northern Rhodesia with 46 boundary markers. As was common practice across most British colonial boundaries in Africa prior to 1914, the process of demarcation was an exercise focused more on mapping and exploration than on clearly defining boundaries at the local scale. The division of territorial sovereignty through boundaries was known only at a small geographic scale. However, in 1927 a second Anglo-Belgian boundary commission was sent to demarcate what was by that time the Belgian Congo-Northern Rhodesia boundary. Working for six years at a cost that exceeded preceding boundary commissions throughout colonial Africa, the 1927-33 boundary commission erected boundary marks every 500 metres and literally carved the boundary line onto the local landscape. This research is framed by a ‘traditional’ understanding of a boundary as a fixed, bilateral and linear entity, taking an approach from international law. It is shown how boundaries developed as an essential component of the modern state territorial sovereignty that was imposed on the African continent through European imperialism. In making a boundary ‘known,’ demarcation is then isolated as a distinct process and recovered as a narrative in the study of the DRC-Zambia boundary from the colonial through the post-independence periods. Examining the disparity in demarcation methodology within in this narrative provides a unique lens through which to examine the relationship between state and territory throughout this narrative. It will be shown how economic aspects of land continue to affect demarcation methodology, reflecting some of the very foundational tenets of territorial sovereignty.

This research investigates and analyses the London Season in the nineteenth century through an engagement with „New Mobilities‟ literature. By positioning the research within this literature and connected theories surrounding material and performative geographies, the research provides a historical perspective to this emerging area of geographical enquiry. Using a wide variety of sources, the mobility of this societal group is reassessed, highlighting the crucial role movement played in the practices of the Season. The concept of „networks‟ is adopted to enable a detailed analysis of the connections forged during the London Season, revealing the powerful role held by women in the period. This desire to network is understood in detail through an engagement with performance literatures to illustrate the importance of dance to those participating. This detailed engagement with networking practices is continued through a material engagement with the Season; analysing the use of fashion to increase the chances of connection. The spatial implications of the London Season are addressed through the construction of broad scale analyses using court directories, ball attendance records and rate books. This enabled the popularity of certain spaces to be ascertained, leading to discussions regarding the use of space as a tool by those participating in the Season to attract connections. This active engagement with space moves away from previous interpretations of the period, in which the West End is treated as a banal template. This research also adopts calls from within historical geography (Blunt, 2000a; McDowell, 2004) to utilise biographical material in understanding the past. Individual experiences of the Season are contrasted throughout the thesis, revealing that the period should not be understood as a single, indivisible „Season‟, but instead as many „Seasons‟ overlapping with one another, yet offering different experiences of the same phenomenon.

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