exclave

American  

[eks-kleyv] / ˈɛks kleɪv /

noun

1. a portion of a country geographically separated from the main part by surrounding foreign territory.

   West Berlin was an exclave of West Germany.

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exclave British  

/ ˈɛkskleɪv /

noun

1. a part of a country entirely surrounded by foreign territory: viewed from the position of the home country Compare enclave

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Etymology

Origin of exclave

First recorded in 1885–90; ex- ¹ + -clave, modeled on enclave

Compare meaning

How does exclave compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• enclave vs. exclave

Explanation

An exclave is a region of one country that's separated from the rest by another country's territory. There are many exclaves around the world. Alaska is a well-known example of an exclave because it is part of the United States but separated from the mainland by Canadian territory. Another famous exclave is Kaliningrad Oblast, which is a part of Russia, but surrounded by Poland, Lithuania, and the Baltic Sea. Exclaves often face challenges like relying on neighbors for trade and travel while developing unique cultural and political traits shaped by their isolation.

Related Words

• area
• colony
• country
• district
• enclave
• field
• land
• nation
• neighborhood
• province
• sector
• state
• street
• terrain
• zone