Contíguas

Contíguas is a Portuguese adjective and its feminine plural form contíguas, used to describe things that touch or share a boundary. The term conveys adjacency or proximity, indicating that two objects, regions, or elements are directly next to each other without any gap. It is commonly employed in geography, cartography, and related fields to express border-sharing or nearby locations.

Etymology and grammar notes: contígua stems from Latin contiguus, with the standard gender and number variations in Portuguese: contíguo (m sing), contígua (f sing), contíguos (m pl), contíguas (f pl). The form chosen depends on the gender and number of the noun it modifies. For example, fronteiras contíguas (fem. plural) or estados contíguos (masc. plural).

Geography and maps: in geographic contexts, contíguas describes neighboring areas that have a common boundary, such as countries, states, or regions. Examples include países contíguos (neighboring countries) or estados contíguos as they share borders along a line de fronteira. The concept is also used when discussing territorial contiguousness on maps or in regional planning.

Other domains: in mathematics or logic, contíguos can be used to describe objects that touch or abut at a boundary, such as intervalos contíguos or pontos contíguos in a sequence. The word emphasizes the idea of adjacency rather than mere proximity.

See also: contiguidade, contíguo, contígua.