A compact State, in the political geography context is a State (country) in which the distance from the center to any boundary does not vary significantly. Compact States are one of six different shapes for States, and are usually not fully circular. The benefits of these states are that they are easiest to defend (they have the smallest possible perimeter), and they are effective with communication and transportation. Negative possibilities for the state include not having access to the ocean and compact states often fracture ethnic groups.