The delimitation of national borders is often based on natural geographical factors such as rivers, streams, mountains, waterfalls,…and in accordance with treaties, agreements signed among the States. However, due to the differences in natural conditions, customs and thinking of nations and regions worldwide, a number of special forms of borders have been created. Please find herewith the introduction of some special information related to national border lines worldwide.

1 - The border between Israel and Jordan is demarcated by a concrete wall of joined concrete slabs up to 8 m high, totaling 730 km in length.

2 - On the border between Pakistan and China, there is a segment of more than 1,000 km in length situated at an altitude of 4,693 m (above sea level) in the Khunjerab mountain. Common border markers were built, with one side of which belonging to Pakistan, and the other side, to China.

3 - On the Thai - Myanmar border, many segments of the border are rivers or natural forests, where only watch-towers need to be built with flags flown by each side.

4 - The border between South Korea and North Korean is a horizontal demilitarized zone which is 238 km in length and 4 km in width. People are banned from crossing this area, only telescopes can be used by one side to look to the either side.

5 - Belgium and the Netherlands in Western Europe have segments of their border marked with gray stone tiles with white crosses painted thereon. Sometimes, many houses are situated right on the border line.

6 - India and Tibet has segments of the border, where only moveable barriers are erected.

7 - Morocco and Spain: The two countries are far from each other, however Spain has an area of land in Africa, close to Morocco called Ceuta, where the border is demarcated with special signboards. The Marocan people are allowed to cross the border freely for trading purpose during daytime, paying just 5 Euros for "border crossing" duty! 

8 - On Cyprus island in the Mediterranean, the border between Greek in the south and Turkish in the north is demarcated by tanks filled with soil and sand, stacked on one another.

9 - The U.S. and Mexico has a common border of 3,200 km in length, over 1,200 km of which is easy for crossing; a strong iron fence is built by the U.S. and kept by the U.S. guards to prevent people from cross it illegally. Those who bare legal documents can cross it at specified gates. 

10 - On the border area between China and Nepal lies Mount Everest, which is the highest in the world. Compared to sea level, Mount Everest is 8,850 m high (data measured in 1999) and it keeps rising up about 2.5 cm per year.

11 - The border between the West Bank, Israel and Jordan is the Dead Sea, which is seen to be the lowest place on the earth's surface. It is the reservoir that has the maximum salinity in the world. The Dead Sea is actually an inland lake, where water can only flow in without flowing out. Water supply is mainly relied on the Jordan River flowing in from the north. Each year, the average volume of water flowing in from the Jordan River to the lake is 5 billion m3, accounting for twothirds of volume of water flowing into the Dead Sea.

12 - A number of border waterfalls seen as the most beautiful in the world. They are:

Iguazu Falls on the Argentina - Brazil border

Located between the border between Argentina and Brazil, Iguazu Falls consist of 275 footsteps, stretching over 3 km of rocky cliffs covered with tropical forests. The Falls plunge from a height of 82 m with a large impressive fall called "Devils Throat", which is a U-shaped gorge covering nearly half the width of the Iguazu River.

Victoria Falls on the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe

 Victoria Falls (also known as "Mosi-oa-Tunya" or "the Smoke that Thunders") are where the Zambezi River plunges off the basalt plateau, forming the flows from a height of 107 m with a width of 1.7 km. Victoria Falls pour down the Batoka Gorge, which is almost 100 km long in southern Africa.

Niagara Falls on the U.S. - Canada border

Composed of two large waterfalls, the American and the Horseshoe, Niagara Falls are 914.4 m in width and the average volume of water pouring over the Horseshoe Falls is 2,268 m3 per second. Located along the U.S. - Canada border, one can admire Niagara Falls in various ways: walking, taking a boat or simply watching it from the window of their hotel room.

Ban Gioc Fall on the Viet Nam - China border

Ban Gioc Fall is one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Viet Nam, located on the Viet Nam - China border, belonging to Dam Thuy commune, Trung Khanh district, 89 km from Cao Bang town along the provincial highway 206 to the north, and 26 km from Trung Khanh town. Ban Gioc Fall, with its own beauty and advantage, is attracting more and more visitors at home and abroad./.  

Collected from Baomoi, Dantri, Vietbao Newspapers