The World's Weirdest Borders

Welcome to the rabbit hole.

International borders are strange and sometimes confusing things, changing over time and often on seemingly bureaucratic whims. And once you start digging into the wheres and whys, it's hard to look away...

Here are a few of our top picks for the world's weirdest borders:

The longest hole-in-one

Ever shanked a golf shot so bad it took an hour to land? Seriously! 

On the northern border of Finland and Sweden, you’ll find Green Zone’s 18-hole golf course. The quirk? Seven holes in Finland and 11 in Sweden, meaning golfers need to walk across the border multiple times per round. 

And since there’s a one-hour time difference between these Nordic neighbors, your shot technically takes an hour to get to the other side — or even appears to travel back in time.

Reading between the lines

A good book, a teary opera. Both have the ability to transport you into their stories instantly, but what if they could transport you across state lines… 

On the skirt of Vermont and Quebec, that’s precisely what happens at the Haskell Free Library & Opera House. The only indication you’ve swapped maples for stars? A black line cutting through a rickety floorboard.

It was built by a wealthy Canadian, Martha Stewart Haskell (no, not that one), after inheriting a fortune from her late husband. A gift to the community, it was intentionally built to straddle the border between the US and Canada as a symbol of friendship and cultural welcome mat for the border communities. It’s often referred to as “the only library in the US with no books” since most stacks are indeed on the Canadian side. 

Sadly, under the current administration, Canadians are no longer allowed to use the US sidewalk that leads to the library's grand entrance. Instead, they are required to travel to a US legal port of entry first—a stark contrast to Martha Stewart Haskell’s vision. One must enter through an emergency exit, walk up three flights of stairs through the opera house on the second floor, and descend three more flights of stairs to reach the main office before ever even touching a book. 

In response, the library has begun building an entirely new entrance for Canadians, mainly with the help of private donations.

A matryoshka doll of borders

You’re probably familiar with enclaves, one sovereign territory entirely encircled by another. San Marino, the Vatican, and Lesotho spring to mind. But what about an enclave within another enclave? 

Enter Madha. Entirely within the UAE, this Omani territory is completely cut off from Oman on all sides. Dead center in Madha is a counter-enclave, the tiny Emirati village of Nahwa, belonging to the UAE. This geographical puzzle is commonly known as the UAE-Oman donut and is one of only two counter-enclaves in the world.

It all came about in 1969, when borders were being established by the British. Madha swore allegiance to the Sultanate of Oman, while Nahwa swore their allegiance to one of the seven emirates.

To make things even more complicated, 30 km north is Musandam, another Omani exclave separated from the rest of the country by the UAE. Known as the "Norway of Arabia," visitors who want to see its famous fjords usually fly from Muscat. Otherwise, you’re looking at crossing six border checkpoints (passing through Madha/Nahwa) just to drive to and from Oman.

Shared custody

On the border of France and Spain, there’s a sliver of land in the middle of a river called Pheasant Island. It's no bigger than a football field and uninhabited, but from February to July it's Spanish… and from August to January, French. 

In 1659, this was considered neutral land. And when the Treaty of the Pyrenees was signed here, it put an end to the 24-year war between the countries. 

Day-to-day management is delegated to the local mayors of the border towns Hendaye & Irun—mostly consisting of cutting the grass and chasing illegal campers off the land. And no, there are and never have been pheasants.

A little to the left

Meet the undisputed champion of border lore. Remember when we said there are only two counter-enclaves in the world? This is the other, and the most bizarre. 

No corner of the towns Baarle-Nassau and Baarle-Hertog is safe from the patchwork white crosses that mark the border between the Netherlands and Belgium. It’s a town of roughly 10,000 and made up of 22 enclaves belonging to the Belgian municipality of Baarle-Hertog, surrounded by the Dutch municipality of Baarle-Nassau, with 7 counter-enclaves. Because of this, you can cross the boundary 30 times in just 5 kilometers, with the border running straight through streets, supermarkets, and schools.

It’s a place where couples can sleep in the same bed while being in two separate countries and where residents have moved their front doors just a smidge to pay less tax.

Have you ever visited one of these barmy borders? Are there others we should add to the list? Let us know in the comments!