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segelnhoch3 t1_jad49xs wrote

The same as with every other extremely straight border in the world (US-Canada, almost all of Africa, Middle East, etc.): Someone took a map and a ruler, drew a line and said "This is now the Border between X and Y" with no regards to the people living there (ethnic groups), geography and topology.

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bulksalty t1_jad4d3k wrote

The curvy borders of Texas follow rivers (often based on the river course at some fixed point in time). The straight borders are specific latitude and longitude lines, for example the panhandle is formed by the 100th and 103rd meridians on either side up to 36 degrees 30 minute latitude for the northern border.

Surveyors use a variety of methods (GPS and lasers today) to convert a legal line into a physical straight line on the ground.

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Moggy-Man OP t1_jad52o6 wrote

"The straight borders are specific latitude and longitude lines, for example the panhandle is formed by the 100th and 103rd meridians on either side up to 36 degrees 30 minute latitude for the northern border."

Okay now that actually makes sense to me and my laypersons knowledge of how map borders are formed.

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dequincyjelly t1_jadavm6 wrote

Slightly off topic but i read the panhandle bit was taken off Texas when it joined as it was the dividing latitude for slavery being legal. That bit went to oklahoma eventually.

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