# Market Integration Barriers

## Definition

The various obstacles that prevent different markets from being unified into a single economic system, including natural barriers like mountains and deserts, political barriers like tariffs and customs, and infrastructural barriers like poor roads and lack of navigable waterways.

## Source Chapter

Book I, Chapter 3

## Context

Smith discusses multiple types of market integration barriers: the frozen ocean preventing navigation in Tartary, the distance between African rivers preventing inland navigation, and political control over river courses preventing communication between upper country and the sea.

## Economic Domain

Regulation

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