Salient (geography)

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

"Panhandle" redirects here. For other uses, see Panhandle (disambiguation).

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

In American English, the term panhandle is often used to describe a relatively long and narrow salient, such as the westernmost extensions of Florida and Oklahoma, or the northernmost portion of Idaho. Another term is bootheel, used for the Missouri Bootheel and New Mexico Bootheel areas.

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 North America.

The salient shape can be the result of arbitrarily drawn international or subnational boundaries, though the location of administrative borders can also take into account other considerations such as economic ties or topography.

Country-level salients

Africa

Americas

Asia

Europe

Subnational salients

The following locations are salients in First-level administrative subdivisions of nations.

Subnational salients in Africa

Subnational salients in the Americas

Panhandles in the United States
StateLargest cityPopulationArea (sq mi)Area (km2)Population density
(per sq mi)		Population density (/km2)
AlaskaJuneau71,61635,13891,01020.77
ConnecticutStamford224,284962502,336902
Florida[lower-alpha 1]Tallahassee1,407,92511,30429,28012548
IdahoCoeur d'Alene317,75121,01354,420155.8
Maryland[lower-alpha 2]Frederick492,9502,1945,68022587
NebraskaScottsbluff87,78914,25836,93062.3
OklahomaGuymon28,7515,68714,73051.9
TexasAmarillo427,92725,88767,050176.6
Eastern West VirginiaMartinsburg261,0413,4999,0607529
Northern West VirginiaWheeling132,2956011,56022085
See also: Missouri Bootheel, New Mexico Bootheel, and Border irregularities of the United States

Subnational salients in Asia

Subnational salients in Europe

Subnational salients in Oceania

See also

Notes
  1. 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.
  2. This definition includes the following counties: Allegany, Frederick, Garrett, and Washington
  3. Not a geopolitical salient, but a normal geographical feature similar to that of a peninsula.

References
  1. "San Isidro". Google Maps. Google LLC. Retrieved 14 January 2020.

Further reading
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