Enclave

noun (countable)

/ˈɛnkleɪv/

A portion of territory of one state completely surrounded by the territory of another state. India and Bangladesh resolved a historic 162-enclave problem through the Land Boundary Agreement (LBA) of 1974 implemented by the 100th Constitutional Amendment Act, 2015, exchanging 111 Indian enclaves in Bangladesh and 51 Bangladeshi enclaves in India, affecting approximately 51,000 people. Enclaves must be distinguished from exclaves (territory of a state separated from the main body) and counter-enclaves.

✍️ Usage in a UPSC answer

The 100th Constitutional Amendment Act, 2015 facilitated the exchange of enclaves between India and Bangladesh, ending nearly seven decades of statelessness for residents of the Cooch Behar enclaves under the Land Boundary Agreement.

Synonyms

territory pocketenclosed territorycircumscribed areapene-enclave

Antonyms

exclavemainland territorycontinuous territory

🌱 Word Family

enclave (noun/verb), exclave (antonymous noun), enclaved (adjective), clavicle (cognate anatomical noun), conclave (cognate noun)

🔡 Root

French enclave ← enclaver (to enclose with a key) ← Latin in- (in) + clavis (key)

📜 Etymology

From French enclave, a noun derived from enclaver (to lock in), from Latin in (in) + clavis (key). The image is of territory 'locked in' by surrounding land. The word entered English diplomatic and geographical vocabulary in the 18th century.

🧠 Memory Hook

ENCLAVE = EN-CLAVE (CLAVE = key, as in clavicle/keyboard). Territory that is locked in (keyed in) by another country's land. Visualise a padlock — the enclave is the territory inside the lock.

⚖️ Polity & Constitution 📖 Seen in: Preamble of the Indian Constitution

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