Panhandle
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2008-06-22T04:16:56Z
71.163.214.247
{{Unreferenced|date=November 2006}}
{{globalize|USA}}
{{otheruses4|the geographical feature|the act of panhandling (approaching strangers to ask for money)|beggar}}
[[Image:PanhandleMap-USA-states.png|thumb|300px|Locations of panhandles within states]]
A '''panhandle''' is an informal [[Political geography|geographic]] term for an elongated tail-like protrusion of a geo-political entity, such as a [[subnational entity]] or a [[Sovereignty|sovereign]] [[state]]. The term derives from the analogous part of a [[cooking pan]] and its use is generally confined to the United States. A panhandle is similar to a [[peninsula]] in shape, but unlike a peninsula it is not surrounded by water on three sides and connected to a [[physical geography|geographical]] [[mainland]]. Instead, a panhandle is delimited by a land [[border]] on at least two sides and extends out from the larger geographical body of the administrative unit. The panhandle 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 geography|economic ties]] or [[topography]]. In the United States, a protrusion with a less elongated shape is informally called a ''[[bootheel]]''.
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ Panhandles of the United States of America
|-
! State !! Largest city !! Population !! Area ([[Square miles|sq. mi]]) || Population density<br>(per sq. mi)
|-
| [[Alaska Panhandle|Alaska]] || [[Juneau, Alaska|Juneau]] || 72,954 || 35,138 || 2
|-
| [[Connecticut Panhandle|Connecticut]] || [[Stamford, Connecticut|Stamford]] || 220,209 || 96 || 2,294
|-
| [[Florida Panhandle|Florida]] || [[Tallahassee, Florida|Tallahassee]] || 1,222,492 || 11,304 || 108
|-
| [[Idaho Panhandle|Idaho]] || [[Coeur d'Alene, Idaho|Coeur d'Alene]] || 295,160 || 21,013 || 14
|-
| [[Western Maryland|Maryland]] || [[Frederick, Maryland|Frederick]] || 469,376 || 2,194 || 214
|-
| [[Nebraska Panhandle|Nebraska]] || [[Scottsbluff, Nebraska|Scottsbluff]] || 90,410 || 14,258 || 6
|-
| [[Oklahoma Panhandle|Oklahoma]] || [[Guymon, Oklahoma|Guymon]] || 29,112 || 5,687 || 5
|-
| [[Texas Panhandle|Texas]] || [[Amarillo, Texas|Amarillo]] || 402,862 || 25,824 || 16
|-
| [[Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia|Eastern West Virginia]] || [[Martinsburg, West Virginia|Martinsburg]] || 212,483 || 3,499 || 61
|-
| [[Northern Panhandle of West Virginia|Northern West Virginia]] || [[Wheeling, West Virginia|Wheeling]] || 141,060 || 601 || 235
|}
*The [[Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway]] was often called ''the Panhandle'', as it crossed the Northern Panhandle of West Virginia.
* [[Panhandle (San Francisco)|San Francisco, (California) Panhandle]]
==Panhandles outside the United States==
{{Original research|section|date=September 2007}}
Outside of the United States, the term is not in common usage, with the arguable exception of the nearby [[New Brunswick Panhandle]]. Nonetheless, some people would describe the following characteristic territorial protrusions elsewhere as a ''corridor'' or an ''arm'' extending into an administratively different territory. Such shapes of territory can be a result of linguistic (or ethnic) lines, in addition to geographic features and other reasons.
*[[Wakhan Corridor]], Afghanistan
*[[Karakoram]], Pakistan
*[[Misiones Province|Misiones]], Argentina
*[[Teknaf]], Bangladesh
*[[Minas Gerais#Geography|Triângulo Mineiro]], Brazil
*[[Maroua]], Cameroon
*[[Tatshenshini-Alsek Park]], British Columbia, Canada
*[[New Brunswick Panhandle]], New Brunswick, Canada
*[[Enontekiö]], Finland
*[[Western Thrace]], Greece
*[[Petén (department)|Petén]], Guatemala
*[[Seven Sister States]], India
*[[Donegal]], Republic of Ireland
*[[Batken Province|Batken]], Kyrgyzstan
*[[Yucatán Peninsula]], Mexico
*[[Tenasserim]], Myanmar
*[[Province of Trieste]], Italy
*[[Antakya]], Turkey
*[[Caprivi Strip]], Namibia
*[[Limburg (Netherlands)|Limburg]], the Netherlands
*[[Congo Pedicle]], Democratic Republic of the Congo
*[[Polish Corridor]], Poland
*[[North Hamgyong|North Hamgyŏng]], [[South Hamgyong|South Hamgyŏng]], and [[Ryanggang]], together comprise the "panhandle" of North Korea.
*[[Southern Thailand]], Thailand
== See also ==
{{Wiktionary}}
*[[Bootheel]]
*[[Gerrymandering]]
*[[Chicken's Neck]]
*[[Border]]
*[[Political geography]]
*[[Corridor]]
*[[Strip of land]]
*[[Enclave and exclave]]
*[[The Thumb]]
*[[Salients, re-entrants and pockets]]
{{Template:American panhandles}}
[[Category:Political geography]]
[[eo:Patotenilo (geografio)]]
[[fr:Queue de poêle]]
[[pt:Cabo de frigideira]]
[[simple:Panhandle]]