Description
Book SynopsisHave you ever thought about why a country’s borders are where they are? ‘Dividing up the World; the story of our international borders and why they are where they are’, is an utterly fascinating study of how borders have come about and the stories behind them. As well as unearthing tales and anecdotes relating to more familiar borders, the author also examines less well-known ones including the Drummully Polyp, the Scots Dike, the Medicine Line, the Gadsden Purchase, Neutral Moresnet, the Green Line, the Sand Wall, the Gambian ‘Ceded Mile’, the Caprivi Strip and an island that changes nationality twice a year. The result is a highly entertaining, meticulously-researched book, full of accounts of geography, maps, politics, colonialism, power, aggression and negotiation. After reading ‘Dividing up the World; the story of our international borders and why they are where they are’, you will never think of borders in the same way again.
Table of ContentsChapter One Why, when and how; a short history of borders 7 Chapter Two Tribes at war: the curious Irish and Scottish Borders 35 Chapter Three ‘Build a wall’ The troubled history of the southern border of the United States 79 Chapter Four When mighty nations crash together Forming the US-Canada borders 111 Chapter Five Islands in the stream; exclaves and enclaves Their creation and continuing fascination 143 Chapter Six Disputed borders War without peace 179 219 Chapter Seven Straight Lines and Colonial contempt African boundaries 219 Chapter Eight New and disappearing borders 258 Chapter Nine People without borders 303 Chapter Ten Our curious borders; oddities from around the world 344 Bibliography 385
