[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enclave\_and\_exclave](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enclave_and_exclave)
this is what wikipedia has to offer, but its so minimal and confusing. it only says that; An enclave is a territory (or a small territory as part of a larger one) that is entirely surrounded by the territory of one other state or entity.\[1\] Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters.\[2\]: 60 Enclave is sometimes used improperly to denote a territory that is only partly surrounded by another state.\[1\] Vatican City and San Marino, both enclaved by Italy, and Lesotho, enclaved by South Africa, are completely enclaved sovereign states.
An exclave is a portion of a state or district geographically separated from the main part by surrounding alien territory (of one or more states or districts etc).\[3\] Many exclaves are also enclaves, but not all: an exclave can be surrounded by the territory of more than one state.\[4\] The Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhchivan is an example of an exclave that is not an enclave, as it borders Armenia, Turkey and Iran.
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An *ex*clave (“ex-” meaning outside of, or away from) is part of one country that is *separated from the main part*. We have a country where part of it is somewhere else; we have to leave the main part and cross through somewhere else to get to it.
An *en*clave (“en-” meaning in, or inside) is part of one country thing that is no only separated from the main part, but *entirely surrounded* by a single other country.
All enclaves are exclaves, but not all exclaves are enclaves. An exclave that is surrounded by two countries (one on each side) isn’t an enclave, as an enclave has to be surrounded by a single country.
A second-order enclave is an enclave (part of a country that is entirely surrounded by another country), where the land that is surrounding it is also an enclave (so part of a country entirely surrounded by another country). You have a bit of one country inside a bit of a second country, inside a bit of a third country (or possibly the first country).
A third-order enclave is a second-order enclave where the third bit of land is also an enclave. You have your first bit of land (part of one country), surrounded by a second bit of land (from a different country), surrounded by a third bit of land, surrounded by a fourth bit of land. At this point things get a bit silly.
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Looking at [Wikipedia’s helpful graphic](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Diagrama_enclave_exclave.svg), A1-A5 are all exclaves of A. They are part of A, but not directly connected to the main part.
A1 and A2 are not enclaves as they aren’t completely surrounded by another country (A1 has the sea, A2 is between B and C). A3, A4 and A5 are enclaves as they are completely surrounded by B, or E.
E1 is a second-order enclave. It is an enclave (part of E, but separated from the main part and completely surrounded by A5), where the thing surrounding it – A5 – is also an enclave. For a third order enclave we would need another region inside E1.
D is arguably not an enclave as it is an entire country, so not a part separated from another country.
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