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. Instead, it has 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 a relatively long and narrow salient, such as the westernmost extension of Oklahoma. Less common descriptors include chimney, or stovepipe and bootheel.

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 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

The following locations are salients in :Category:First-level administrative country subdivisions|First-level administrative subdivisions of nations.

Subnational salients in Africa

* 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.
Although Utah, like Nebraska, has a protrusion from its otherwise straight border, it is not usually considered a panhandle, as half of the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, the most populous region in the state and the home of the state's capital, is located in the region. Likewise, though New York has a southern protrusion that is more conspicuous than e.g. the Connecticut, Texas and Nebraska Panhandles, this is never considered a panhandle since it accommodates the most densely populated parts of the state. Thus, the concept of a panhandle may not be purely geographic but may also have a demographic component.