A territory can be determined by artificial borders or natural borders.
A territory is a portion of the Earth's surface that belongs to a country, a province , a region , etc. The term, derived from the Latin territorĭum , can be extended to the land or terrain owned or controlled by a person, an organization or an institution .
For example: "The provincial territory extends to those mountains" , "The Venezuelan government assured that, if necessary, it will defend the integrity of its territory with weapons" , "The troops have already entered enemy territory: now we have to wait for the local response" .
Territory as a geographical or political unit
The notion of territory can be understood at a political or geographical level. For politics , territory is the delimitation in which there is a settled population and which depends on a competent authority. The city of Mar del Plata , for example, is a territory that belongs to the Province of Buenos Aires and, in turn, the territory of Buenos Aires is part of the Argentine Republic . This means that Mar del Plata has a mayor (the authority of the municipality) who is accountable to the governor of Buenos Aires (the provincial authority), who is in turn situated in the institutional hierarchy below the Argentine presidency (the authority of the nation).
The territory, with its corresponding borders, marks the limits of state activity and the activity of a foreign state . A national state has no authority beyond its territory, but it can manage the natural and human resources that form part of its territorial surface.
The autonomy of a territory depends on many factors. An area, for example, may be inhabited by aboriginal people and then, through a process of colonization and conquest, pass into the hands of another country. Years later, with a revolution, the inhabitants of the territory in question may proclaim their independence.
In geography , the definition of territory depends on the author and the context, since the notion can be used as a synonym for place, space, region or landscape.
The territories have their own flora, fauna and climate.
Continents and islands
It is possible to differentiate between two large types of territories according to their size and their connection with bodies of water: continents and islands .
A continent is a vast land area. It is common to distinguish between six continents ( Africa , America , Antarctica , Asia , Europe and Oceania ), although there are other classifications. A continental territory contains multiple types of ecosystems, geographical features and natural resources, such as forests, deserts, jungles, lakes and rivers.
An island , on the other hand, is a territory that is completely surrounded by water. Its surface is smaller than that of the continent. The largest island on planet Earth is Greenland , which is located between the Arctic Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean.
The geographical coordinates of a territory
The geographic coordinates of a territory are a combination of letters, numbers and symbols that, in a frame of reference, make it possible to determine its location on the surface of our planet. Typically, coordinates that indicate horizontal position are used, such as longitude and latitude , although altitude can also be taken into account.
Let's take the case of Paris , the capital of France . Its geographic coordinates are 48° 51″ 12″» N; 02° 20″ 56″» E. The data 48° 51″ 12″» N correspond to latitude, while 02° 20″ 56″» E refers to longitude.
It is worth noting that, with the information on geographic coordinates, any territory can be located on a map or in systems such as GPS.
The Falkland Islands are a disputed territory administered by the United Kingdom and claimed by Argentina through diplomacy.
Local development
Local development of a territory can take many different forms. First of all, it is necessary for the economy to grow through agriculture, livestock, mining, tourism or some other type of industry or commercial activity.
Economic growth is typically linked to infrastructure development, with roads, ports, airports, railways and other resources that improve transportation and communications.
The progress of the territory, of course, also requires health and education services so that the inhabitants can enjoy a good quality of life.
The Seville Territories Festival
In addition to all of the above, it is important to know other uses or meanings of the term that concerns us now. Thus, for example, we cannot ignore the existence of Territorios Sevilla , an international music festival that used to be held in the Andalusian city that gives it its name and that had numerous editions.
A wide variety of groups and artists from different corners of the planet participated in this musical event that included a wide variety of genres such as flamenco, pop, rock, rap, blues…
An expression of war reporters
The term Comanche territory , used primarily by war reporters, should also not be overlooked. When they use this expression, they are referring to a place they know they should not enter because their lives could be put in serious danger.
It was precisely on this basis that the Spanish novelist Arturo Pérez Reverte published a novel called "Territorio Comanche" in 1994 , which was later adapted to the big screen by Gerardo Herrero . It tells the story of two reporters during the development of the so-called Yugoslav wars, which took place between 1991 and 2001 and pitted the Serbs against Croats, Albanians and Bosnians.
Similarly, the same title of the novel was the one of a program on the television channel Telemadrid , presented by Cristina Tárrega and based on interviews with current guests.