According to the
CIS World Factbook, as of August 30, 2005, there
are 325 international land boundaries separating 192 independent states and 73 dependencies/areas of special
sovereignty on this planet. Additionally, there are 130 maritime boundaries. That adds up to a lot of borderline, and a
huge portion of it is in some sort of ongoing dispute.
The Factbook keeps an updated list of
current border disagreements around the world. Some are relatively minor maritime boundaries disputes (the US and the
Bahamas can’t agree on alignment of a particular boundary); or there are migration issues (like the increase of migrant
passage from the Dominican Republic cross the Mona Passage to Puerto Rico); and, of course, there are serious and
dangerous conflicts that have caused violence and fighting, like the troubles in the Gaza Strip.
The CIA’s brief dispute summaries are a good resource to review for quick lessons in the major border conflicts
around the world. Bookmark it and refer to it before planning your next adventure journey overland or by sea.
[via TMN]