Quote:

---

As a matter of note, this area is probably not part of the Omani exclave Al-Mahdah. The borders in Google Earth are of low resolution and somewhat inaccurate. See the map in this Enclaves and Exclaves Web page.

---

The location of Madha is indeed "somewhat inaccurate". The attached overlay file shows both location and shape to be way off. And the author of the page notes that even his version is an estimate of the approximate boundary line. Since much of the boundary area is seemingly desolate mountain range bordered by more desolate desert, I wonder if the boundary have ever been carefully surveyed. But if you reduce the transparency of the overlay by using the slider, or by simply unchecking the over box, you will see that Nahwa is where it should be.


Source

The borders were agreed on in 1969 with Oman retaining a piece of the United Arab Emirates, which they call Madha, and UAE in turn keeping a much smaller holding within the Omani enclave, which is Nahwa .

Jan S. Krogh's Geosite has lots of other descriptions of enclaves, exclaves, and other cartographic oddities. These are bits of geography that we rarely hear about unless they lead to a current conflict. These bits of land can also make us realize that even what seems to be the most perfect map probably has some room for improvement.

Edited by Hill (11/28/08 08:19 PM)

Post Extras