6 of the most interesting international borders on Earth
Unless you've ever lived on, bought books from, or had trouble crossing one, you probably haven't given much thought to borders. But truth be told, how they're drawn and what's used to delineate them can be fascinating. For example: What do a triangular picnic table, two rivers, and a friendly volleyball game have in common? At one time or another, they've all acted as a border between two or more countries, of course!
We took to Quora to find the world's most interesting international borders; here are six you should know about.
India/Pakistan
The Economist has called the border between India and Pakistan the world's most dangerous, and with a long history of conflict between the two nations, it's no surprise that it is illuminated -- for security reasons -- with floodlights. Indeed, it's so secure (and bright!), you can see the India/Pakistan border from space.
The countries also try to outdo each other with daily border closing ceremonies; check out some of the border closing wars -- replete with "silly walks" -- here.
Haiti/Dominican Republic
As seen from space, the border that separates Haiti and the Dominican Republic reflects the huge disparity between Haiti's scorched earth (left) and the DR's verdant landscape (right). Why the big difference? Simple: the DR, unlike Haiti, imposed measures to conserve its forests.
U.S./Mexico
Despite devolving into the 1,969mi-long political hotspot that it is today, for a brief time in the '70s the border was more of a beach party -- with a section used for a friendly game of volleyball between the two nations; watch a more recent version of the game above, and listen for the beachy French music.
Netherlands/Belgium
Easily one of the coolest borders you'll ever (barely) notice separates these two European countries. The partition between the Netherlands and Belgium looks simple enough, but it's actually pretty intricate. In fact, the town of Baarle sits smack dab on the border, which not only divides cafes and restaurants, but people's homes and backyards -- so theoretically, you could live in Belgium but be sleeping in the Netherlands.
Argentina/Brazil/Paraguay
Sure, some countries are separated by bright lights and imaginary lines that run through people's bathrooms, but The Triple Frontier -- which borders Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay -- meets at a T-shaped river junction. For easy access, there are two bridges crossing the Parana and Iguazu rivers to connect the countries.
Austria/Slovakia/Hungary
In the ultimate "let's break schnitzel together" gesture, Austria, Slovakia, and Hungary meet at a triangular picnic table plunked down in the middle of a lush field. On said table, there are three national emblems indicating which country you're sitting in. For a closer look at the border, watch this strangely sinister(?) video.
Chloe Pantazi is an editorial assistant on Thrillist's travel team. Whilst writing this article, she’s had Beyoncé’s “Partition” stuck in her head. Follow her to the partition, please, on Twitter at @ChloePantazi.