BOUNDARY, n. In political geography, an imaginary line between two nations, separating the imaginary rights of one from the imaginary rights of the other. (Ambrose Bierce, “The Devil’s Dictionary,” 1911)
The answer to the question “where is the world’s most complex border?” is provided in the American Congress on Surveying and Mapping (ACSM) Bulletin of February 2009 by the infamous “Dr. Map”:
“Without doubt, the winner of the most complicated political border is that between Belgium and the Netherlands in the municipality of Baarle-Hertog (2006 population of 2,306, area 7.48 km²). The international boundary between Baarle-Hertog in Belgium and Baarle-Nassau in the Netherlands surrounds 21 land parcels that are exclaves of Belgium, and has three more parcels along the border. There are another seven Belgian exclaves in the Netherlands and three others on the border. The largest, Zondereigen in the Belgian exclave town of Merksplas, even has Dutch “holes” within it! The Treaty of Maastricht in 1843 established the border by individually listing the nationality for 5732 parcels of land. Those interested in the entire history of the division since 992 AD can reference ontology.buffalo.edu/smith/baarle.htm. Some houses are divided between the two countries. In the past, Dutch laws required restaurants to close earlier than Belgian. Diners could simply change their tables to the Belgian side at closing time. Fortunately, at least both sides now use the Euro. Dr. Map wonders which passport would be issued to someone born in a house that straddles the border!”
Launched in 2003, the Ask Dr. Map web site ) has wowed the world of Cartography. This repository of esoteric map ephemera (also known as “mapcrap” by aficionados) addresses everything from the definition of a “cartophilatelist” to the rumor that Waldo Tobler used to receive mail addressed to the latitude and longitude of his home. To quote its home page, “this web site contains answers to questions about maps submitted to Dr. Map, the ‘anonymous’ author of the column ‘Ask Dr. Map,’ printed bi-monthly in the ACSM Bulletin…This site contains material that is copyrighted, but with the author’s permission this material can be used in other publications. For questions and queries, send e-mail to askdrmap@cox.net. Dr. Map has a Ph.D. and a cartographic license, and is not afraid to use the latter!”
