Colonial/Dependency Contiguity, 1816-2002 (v3.0)

Version 3.0 of the Correlates of War Colonial/Dependency Contiguity data identifies all contiguity relationships between states in the international system from 1816 through 2002 which involve colonies or dependencies. That is, if two dependencies of two states are contiguous, or if one state is contiguous to a dependency of another, the data set reports a contiguity relationship between the two main states (with appropriate codes identifying the relevant dependent entity/entities).

The classification system for contiguous dyads is comprised of five categories, one for land contiguity and four for water contiguity. Land contiguity is defined as the intersection of the homeland territory of the two states in the dyad, either through a land boundary or a river. Water contiguity is divided into four categories, based on distances of 12, 24, 150, and 400 miles.