Important Boundaries Lines in the World: Borders List

Important Boundaries Lines in the World: Boundaries worldwide separate one nation from another, defining any nation’s sovereignty within its geographical, legal, and political borders. In ancient and medieval times, the borders and jurisdiction of any region, district, state, or country were not fixed and were called frontiers. These frontiers kept changing, with every ruler conquering new territories through wars and battles, but in modern times, these borders are fixed through various treaties and legal and political negotiations.

In this article, we will talk about why we need to study boundaries and the complete list of some important boundaries around the world.

Important Boundaries Lines in the World

Boundaries and Neighboring Countries

Countries are divided by boundary lines, but these boundaries are not always very peaceful; we often read about the clashes at the borders in newspapers, television, and social media. These conflicts arise when one nation claiming shared boundaries claims land beyond these boundaries.

Some examples of such conflicts are between India and Pakistan, sharing the Radcliffe line; India and China, sharing the McMahon line; and South Korea and North Korea, sharing the 38th Parallel.

List of Important Boundaries in the World

Name of the Boundary	Between the countries	Year of formation	Important features	Remerger/dispute of boundaries in some cases
17th Parallel	South Vietnam and North Vietnam	1954	a) It was divided under the Geneva Accords in 1954 b) 17th latitude from the equator that divides North and South Vietnam	Unification of both South and North Vietnam in 1976.
20th Parallel	Libya and Sudan		a) It is located at the 20th latitude north of the equatorial plane
22nd Parallel	Egypt and Sudan		a) It is located at the 22nd latitude north of the equatorial plane.
25th Parallel	Mauritania and Mali		a) It marks the northernmost section of the Mali-Maurtiana border.
31st Parallel	Iraq and Iran		a) It marks the border between Iraq and Iran b) It also marks the borders between the states of Louisiana and Mississippi
38th Parallel	South Korea and North Korea		a) It demarcates the central part of the Demilitarized zone between North and South Korea b) It is most guarded international boundary line.
49th Parallel	The USA and Canada		a) It Forms the International border between the USA and Canada b) It is located 49 degrees north of the equator.
Durand Line	Pakistan and Afghanistan	1893	a) It was delimited by Sir Mortimer Durand in 1893 in undivided India.	Afghanistan does not recognize this line as a boundary between the two nations.
Hinden Burg line	Poland and Germany		a) A defensive line in French Territory during World War I	The Treaty of Versailles in 1919 made it irrelevant.
McMahon line	China and India	1914	a) Sir Henry McMahon drew IT in consultation with Tibetan representatives.	China often raises question marks on the status of this line.
Maginot line	Germany and France		a) A defensive line on the French border towards Germany before World War II.	It was rendered obsolete by the German invasion of France during the world war II.
Mannerheim Line	Russia and Finland		a) A defensive line against the soviet union built by Finland during World War II.
Oder-Neisse line	Poland and Germany		a) Demarcates Polish and German border according to the Potsdam conference, recognized by Unified Germany in 1990. b) It runs along the rivers Oder and Lustian Neisse rivers.
Radcliffe Line	India and Pakistan		a) Demarcated for the Partition of India and the formation of East (now Bangladesh) and West Pakistan. b) Sir Cyril Radcliffe demarcated it.
Seigfried line	France and Germany		An extension of the Hindenburg defensive line on the western front of World War I
Blue Line	Lebanon and Israel		A border demarcation between Lebanon and Israel was established by the United Nations.
Green Line/ UN Buffer Zone/ Attila Line	Turkis Cyprus and the Republic of Cyprus	1964, extended in 1974 after the ceasefire of 16 August 1974.	It is a dimilitarizes zone patrolled by the United Nations Peacekeeping force in Cyprus

Why do We Need to Study Boundaries?

These boundaries are significant in making and breaking relations among the neighboring countries’ national and international peace. These boundaries impact every aspect of the people living in these countries, for example, trade, culture, and society. There are many places in the world where these boundaries are present but do not impact the free movement of people across them; for example, countries of the European Union, the India-Nepal border, and the India-Bhutan border. At the same time, many borders are heavily guarded, under constant surveillance, and require a lot of permission to cross. These boundaries thus become deciding factors for any country and its peaceful existence among its neighbors.

Conclusion

In conclusion, international boundaries were not permanently fixed in the past but were fixed over time to avoid future battles and wars. However, boundaries are still issues of conflict between many countries and are thus constantly under heavy patrol. In the above article, we have provided a complete list of some of the most important international boundaries across the world.

Related Artcles:

• Neighbouring Countries of India – Full List
• Bordering Countries of India

List of Boundaries in the World – FAQs

Why is the India-Pakistan border known as the Red Cliff Line?

It is named after Sir Cyrill John Redcliff, the chairman of the Boundary Committee set up to solve the issue of the partition of India.

What countries surround India’s land borders?

India is a great landmass with both coastal and land boundaries, and when it comes to sharing land boundaries, India shares its land border with seven countries, which are Bangladesh, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and China. Nepal, Myanmar, and Bhutan.

How is the symbol for international boundaries depicted?

Everything that is represented on a map, be it rivers, mountains, or boundaries, has symbols, color codes, and notations, and for international boundaries, it is commonly represented by dashes and dotted lines.

Why are many international boundary lines referred to as parallel?

These international boundary lines coincide with latitudes, which are also called parallels because they run parallel to the equator.

What is the border between India and Nepal called?

The border between India and the Kalpani region is between Sunali, Mahakali, and Kali because it is separated by the Kali River as per the treaty of Suguli in 1816 between the British and Nepal. Since the river keeps shifting its course, sometimes it causes a few minor disputes between the two nations.