Surprising border disputes

[Hugh Fatbastard]

Surprising border disputes

Denmark or Sweden or Russia or somebody keeps bothering us about the Arctic.

I mean, please. Just go away.

[Sam]

Surprising border disputes

beak wrote:

The whole Bir Tawil/Hala'ib Triangle mess between Egypt and Sudan, neither wanting the former because they feel it'll strengthen their claim on the latter. Egypt has de facto control of the Triangle... for now.

But some shithead from Virginia has claimed it so his daughter can be a princess.

I hope the Egyptian army blows his house up.

Heaton named the land the Kingdom of North Sudan, after consulting with his children.

“I do intend to pursue formal recognition with African nations,” Heaton said, adding that getting Sudan and Egypt to recognize the kingdom would be the first step.

What could possibly go wrong?

[San Bernardhinault]

Surprising border disputes

In terms of border disputes that surprise me, I think the Spratly/Paracel one does, because I think of those countries as being fairly well established and because there are so many parties to them.

Equally, in terms of countries I think as being well established, so it feels weird there being a border dispute:

Ecuador and Peru
Russia and Japan over the Kuril Islands, even though that's a WWII hangover like so many of these.

I think my "favourite" is the whole Sino-Indian Johnson and McMahon Line stuff, because of how insanely complex it is, with the whole Great Game backstory and the way that old contradictory treaties made before countries were completely coherent, and with maps drawn before the geography was properly known.

It's also pretty amazing to me that the Saudi/Yemeni border in the Rub al Khali wasn't formalized until this century.

[blameless]

Surprising border disputes

Don't some Scots continue to claim Berwick-upon-Tweed?

Given Cameron's attitude to northern England, nowadays it's more that the Tweedsiders want to be counted as part of Scotland.

[Janik]

Surprising border disputes

La Lanterne Rouge wrote: It's also pretty amazing to me that the Saudi/Yemeni border in the Rub al Khali wasn't formalized until this century.

Yeah, I mean, one has to draw a line in the sand.

[Gangster Octopus]

Surprising border disputes

Diable Rouge wrote: Ireland, Denmark, the Faroes and Iceland still vigorously claim Rockall.

But, but it's been part of the Empire forever...

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

Surprising border disputes

Janik wrote

Yeah, I mean, one has to draw a line in the sand.

Keyboard ruined.

[treibeis]

Surprising border disputes

In an end-of-term history exam in the first year of secondary school, one of the questions was “Which countries does the Severn Bridge link?” Everybody wrote England and Wales.

The teacher, a South Walian and a strident opponent of the Severn Bridge because his family worked for the Aust Ferry service that was discontinued shortly after the bridge opened, marked all the answers wrong and insisted that the Severn Bridge linked England with England, as the border didn’t start until somewhere near Chepstow. Unsurprisingly, there were mass protests from the entire class.

This particular border dispute was solved by the teacher giving one particularly vocal pupil a clout round the head for saying that it was a “flipping stupid answer.”

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

Surprising border disputes

Almost as daft as claiming that "Wales" is a "country", as opposed to just a slightly more annoying county than Yorkshire.

[Vulgarian Visigoth]

Surprising border disputes

There is this country called Israel....never mind, it's a very long story...

[San Bernardhinault]

Surprising border disputes

A properly surprising border dispute! Between the USA and Canada. Which is currently notable because of the high price of lobster...

[Guy Profumo]

Surprising border disputes

Rogin the Armchair Fan wrote: Almost as daft as claiming that "Wales" is a "country", as opposed to just a slightly more annoying county than Yorkshire.

Which brings us on rather neatly to The Yorkshire Ridings Society.

[Paul S]

Surprising border disputes

treibeis wrote: In an end-of-term history exam in the first year of secondary school, one of the questions was “Which countries does the Severn Bridge link?” Everybody wrote England and Wales.

The teacher, a South Walian and a strident opponent of the Severn Bridge because his family worked for the Aust Ferry service that was discontinued shortly after the bridge opened, marked all the answers wrong and insisted that the Severn Bridge linked England with England, as the border didn’t start until somewhere near Chepstow. Unsurprisingly, there were mass protests from the entire class.

Technically your teacher was right. The Severn Bridge links England with England, it is the Wye bridge that links England and Wales. Oh and the second Severn Crossing is a crossing and not a bridge. A bridge is a free standing structure whereas a crossing is not.

The Aust ferry - The Severn Princess - is currently under restoration.

[Toro Toro]

Surprising border disputes

Thing with Guyana is, the great majority is solidly impenetrable jungle. That there's a border dispute about who owns how much of that jungle is really kind of academic.

[GCostanza]

Surprising border disputes

Somewhere on the Iraq-Kuwait border?
Wasn't it the pretext for that war?

[matt j]

Surprising border disputes

Navassa Island is claimed by Haiti but administered by the US. It was originally staked by the US under the brilliant (or brilliantly stupid) Guano Islands Act.

Oddly, if I remember my reading from years ago correctly, it wasn't actual guano specifically that made Navassa valuable, but the phosphorus rich limestone which mimicked guano.

At one point it had a lighthouse and a lighthouse keeper, which must have been a great job for hermits.

[DCI Harry Batt]

Surprising border disputes

Janik wrote:

Don't some Scots continue to claim Berwick-upon-Tweed?

Berwick is quite clearly Scottish.

[Stumpy Pepys]

Surprising border disputes

The residents of Chigley, Trumpton and Camberwick Green have been at each others' throats for decades. At some point it's going to kick off big time.

[Sean of the Shed]

Surprising border disputes

Rogin the Armchair Fan wrote: Janik wrote

Yeah, I mean, one has to draw a line in the sand.

Keyboard ruined.

Perhaps you could have just used a stick.

[Sean of the Shed]

Surprising border disputes

Stumpy Pepys wrote: The residents of Chigley, Trumpton and Camberwick Green have been at each others' throats for decades. At some point it's going to kick off big time.

Any excuse.

[adams house cat]

Surprising border disputes

Until the 20s Virginia and West Virginia.

[AMMS]

Surprising border disputes

Well one is being resolved. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2015/08/01/say-goodbye-to-the-weirdest-border-dispute-in-the-world/?postshare=5691438585348065