Which statement about boundary relics is true?

• A. A relic boundary is a former border area that continues to influence identity or landscape, though no longer a boundary; example: The Great Wall of China.
• B. A relic boundary is a current border.
• C. A relic boundary is defined by trade routes today.
• D. A relic boundary exists only in maps.

Answer: (C)

A relic boundary is a former border that no longer functions as a political boundary but continues to shape places and people. It leaves traces in the landscape, memory, and identity of regions. The Great Wall of China is a classic example: it marks a historical frontier, and even though it isn’t a current boundary, the landscape, settlement patterns, and cultural sense of boundary in the area are still influenced by that historical line.

So the idea that a relic boundary is defined by trade routes today isn’t correct. Trade networks can shift and don’t define where a past border once stood or how it continues to affect the region. Relic boundaries are about historical borders and their lasting imprint, not current economic corridors.