Salient (geography)

A salient is an elongated protrusion of a geopolitical entity, such as a subnational entity or a sovereign state.

While similar to a peninsula in shape, a salient is not surrounded by water on three sides and connected to a geographical mainland. Instead, it is delimited by a land border on at least two sides and extends out from the larger geographical body of the administrative unit.

In American English the term panhandle is often used to describe Florida or a similar shape. Less common descriptors include chimney (if protruding northward, as a chimney does from a roof) and bootheel (if protruding southward, as the heel underneath a boot).

Origin

The term salient is derived from military salients. The term "panhandle" derives from the analogous part of a cooking pan, and its use is generally confined to the United States.

The salient shape is the result of arbitrarily drawn international or subnational boundaries, although the location of some administrative borders takes into account other considerations such as economic ties or topography.

Country-level salients

Africa

• Far North Province, Cameroon
• Caprivi Strip, Namibia
• Casamance, Senegal
• Wadi Halfa Salient, Sudan

Americas

• Misiones, Argentina
• Ontario, Canada
• Tatshenshini-Alsek Park, British Columbia, Canada
• Amazonas, Colombia
• Guainía Departments, Colombia
• Petén, Guatemala

Asia

• Wakhan Corridor, Afghanistan
• Chittagong, Bangladesh
• Rangpur, Bangladesh
• Tanintharyi Region, Burma (Myanmar)
• Parrot's Beak, Cambodia
• Louroujina Salient, Cyprus
• Seven Sister States, India
• Sikkim, India
• Galilee Panhandle, Israel
• Mafraq Governorate, Jordan
• Batken, Kyrgyzstan
• North Hamgyŏng, South Hamgyŏng, and Ryanggang, together comprise the "panhandle" of North Korea
• Sughd, Tajikistan
• Southern Thailand, Thailand
• Hatay Province, Turkey

Europe

• Syunik, Armenia
• Tyrol and Vorarlberg together comprise the western "panhandle" of Austria
• Neum, Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Cheb District, Czech Republic
• Šluknov Hook, Czech Republic
• Enontekiö, Finland
• Western Thrace, Greece
• Donegal, Ireland
• Monaghan, Ireland
• Province of Trieste, Italy
• Dieveniškės Appendix, Lithuania
• Limburg, the Netherlands
• Canton of Geneva, Switzerland
• Canton of Schaffhausen, Switzerland
• Bernina, Inn, Lugano, Mendrisio and Porrentruy Districts, Switzerland
• Budjak, Ukraine

Subnational salients

Panhandles in the United States

Locations of panhandles within states of the USA

State	Largest city	Population	Area (sq mi)	Area (km2)	Population density (per sq mi)	Population density (/km2)
Alaska	Juneau	71,616	35,138	91,010	2	0.77
Connecticut	Stamford	224,284	96	250	2,336	902
Florida*	Tallahassee	1,407,925	11,304	29,280	125	48
Idaho	Coeur d'Alene	317,751	21,013	54,420	15	5.8
Maryland†	Frederick	492,950	2,194	5,680	225	87
Nebraska	Scottsbluff	87,789	14,258	36,930	6	2.3
Oklahoma	Guymon	28,751	5,687	14,730	5	1.9
Texas	Amarillo	427,927	25,887	67,050	17	6.6
Eastern West Virginia	Martinsburg	261,041	3,499	9,060	75	29
Northern West Virginia	Wheeling	132,295	601	1,560	220	85

^* This definition includes the following counties: Bay, Calhoun, Escambia, Franklin, Gadsden, Gulf, Holmes, Jackson, Jefferson, Leon, Liberty, Madison, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, Taylor, Wakulla, Walton, and Washington.

^† This definition includes the following counties: Allegany, Frederick, Garrett, and Washington

Many people in the Pacific Northwest refer to the extreme northern section of Idaho's panhandle as "The Chimney", due to its resemblance to a chimney when viewed on maps.

The northern segment of the borough of Manhattan in New York City represents a geographic panhandle as well.

Although Utah, like Nebraska, has a protrusion from its otherwise straight border, it is not usually considered a panhandle.

• The six northwest Cook County, Illinois townships, outside of Chicago.
• The Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway was often called the Panhandle, as it crossed the Northern Panhandle of West Virginia.
• The San Francisco Panhandle, California

See also

• Bootheel
• Border irregularities of the United States
• Border
• Chicken's Neck (disambiguation)
• Corridor (disambiguation)
• Enclave and exclave
• Fergana Valley (triple junction of Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan)
• Gerrymandering
• Political geography
• Salients, re-entrants and pockets
• The Thumb