Countries that touch but have no road crossings

Started by getemngo, March 26, 2014, 11:58:53 AM

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getemngo

The Pan-American Highway has a well known gap at the east end of Panama, the Darién Gap, which makes it impossible to cross between North and South America. In other words, there's no official road crossing between Panama and Colombia.

Where else does this happen? As in, two countries share a land (or river) border, but there's no road or ferry connecting them. You cannot legally cross between them without flying, taking a train, or going through a third country.

I found two other examples in South America: Guyana and Venezuela, and Suriname and Brazil (which Suriname would like to change).
~ Sam from Michigan


Chris

#1
Russia and North Korea share a border, but there is no road border crossing, only a railroad crossing.

I'm not sure how much of a road border crossing there is between Afghanistan and China, or Bhutan and China.

Also, it's doubtful how much of a road border crossing Israel has with its neighboring countries (for public travel).

vdeane

I think Russia has this with a lot of countries.  The eastern border crossings are heavily tilted to rail.
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position of NYSDOT or its affiliates.

NE2

pre-1945 Florida route log

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vdeane

US and Cuba; there's a border post, but it's gated off.
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position of NYSDOT or its affiliates.

cpzilliacus

While there is no land connection (at least currently - there may have been one during the most-recent Ice Age), the U.S. State of Alaska's Little Diomede Island is not far from the Russian Federation's Big Diomede Island in the Bering Strait. 
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agentsteel53

I don't believe you can cross between Israel and Syria.
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firefly

Quote from: vdeane on March 26, 2014, 03:46:00 PM
US and Cuba; there's a border post, but it's gated off.
Cuba has no land border at all.

Brandon

Quote from: firefly on March 27, 2014, 11:16:47 AM
Quote from: vdeane on March 26, 2014, 03:46:00 PM
US and Cuba; there's a border post, but it's gated off.
Cuba has no land border at all.

Not exactly true.  There is a land border between Cuba and the US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay.  The US has leased Gitmo since 1903 and sent checks to the Cuban government for the lease (uncashed since 1959 - nobody said Castro was smart).
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1995hoo

Quote from: Brandon on March 27, 2014, 11:37:38 AM
Quote from: firefly on March 27, 2014, 11:16:47 AM
Quote from: vdeane on March 26, 2014, 03:46:00 PM
US and Cuba; there's a border post, but it's gated off.
Cuba has no land border at all.

Not exactly true.  There is a land border between Cuba and the US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay.  The US has leased Gitmo since 1903 and sent checks to the Cuban government for the lease (uncashed since 1959 - nobody said Castro was smart).

The Cubans don't do anything with the checks because the Castro government has contended the lease is illegal and invalid because it was procured by force. They believe cashing the checks would constitute an admission that they recognize the lease's validity.

I believe as a technical matter the base remains Cuban territory because the US merely has a perpetual lease and the treaty granting that lease recognizes "the continuance of the ultimate sovereignty of the Republic of Cuba." It's different from Akrotiri and Dhekelia because the UK specifically retained its sovereignty over those areas in the treaty granting independence to Cyprus.
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vdeane

There's a border post, and regardless of technicalities, it's a de facto border: http://goo.gl/maps/HGCWC
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position of NYSDOT or its affiliates.

agentsteel53

Quote from: vdeane on March 27, 2014, 12:54:58 PM
There's a border post, and regardless of technicalities, it's a de facto border: http://goo.gl/maps/HGCWC

how is this different from, say, the border of a US base elsewhere?  for example, Ramstein in Germany, which is undisputedly German territory leased to the US, and as far as I know is under solely US jurisdiction - and there's certainly fences and a gate to control access.
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agentsteel53

Quote from: Chris on March 26, 2014, 12:09:40 PM
Russia and North Korea share a border, but there is no road border crossing, only a railroad crossing.

apparently, some motorcyclists crossed legally between Russia and North Korea, and then again into South Korea.  both very tough borders to cross legally.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travelnews/10275490/Tourists-cross-Korean-border.html

I don't know where they crossed into North Korea but my guess is at the railroad crossing.  as for North to South, there is a legal crossing, but it's very, very rarely open.
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vdeane

Quote from: agentsteel53 on March 27, 2014, 01:13:57 PM
Quote from: vdeane on March 27, 2014, 12:54:58 PM
There's a border post, and regardless of technicalities, it's a de facto border: http://goo.gl/maps/HGCWC

how is this different from, say, the border of a US base elsewhere?  for example, Ramstein in Germany, which is undisputedly German territory leased to the US, and as far as I know is under solely US jurisdiction - and there's certainly fences and a gate to control access.
There's definitely two distinct structures there; one is probably the gate, and the other is probably a Cuban customs house.  As far as I know, military bases typically just have the gate.
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position of NYSDOT or its affiliates.

realjd

The US-Cuban border gate opens twice a day as there are (were?) still 3 Cubans who work on the Navy base:
http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=25459

The US and Cuban sides also have monthly meetings to discuss logistics, also traveling through the gate.

SP Cook

Cuba - USA.  Gitmo is not US territory.  It is a military base leased to the USN under a treaty the current Cuban government wishes a previous Cuban government had not entered into.   The gate there does have a road,  but in any event is no different than the boundry, not border, of  any US (or British or Russian) base in another country.

Israel-neighbors.  Humans were there a couple of thousand years before 1947.  There are certainly roads between each jurisdiction, some closed by the Israeli military since the 60s, but still there.  Also remember that Israel occupies part of Syria, the Golan Heights, and thus uses the road between Israel and the part of Syria it occupies every day.  The roads between occupied Syria and the rest of Syria are closed, but are still there.

vdeane

Quote from: SP Cook on March 28, 2014, 06:30:29 AM
Cuba - USA.  Gitmo is not US territory.  It is a military base leased to the USN under a treaty the current Cuban government wishes a previous Cuban government had not entered into.   The gate there does have a road,  but in any event is no different than the boundry, not border, of  any US (or British or Russian) base in another country.
US military bases in other countries have local customs offices on the other side?

The "treaty" thing is a technicality, given that we got it in America's imperialist war against Spain and that many of the pre-revolution Cuban leaders were American puppets.
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position of NYSDOT or its affiliates.

1995hoo

It's not quite the same as all British bases. Akrotiri and Dhekelia are distinct, for example, in that there is an actual border there because the UK retained sovereignty over them in the treaty granting Cyprus its independence.
"You know, you never have a guaranteed spot until you have a spot guaranteed."
—Olaf Kolzig, as quoted in the Washington Times on March 28, 2003,
commenting on the Capitals clinching a playoff spot.

"That sounded stupid, didn't it?"
—Kolzig, to the same reporter a few seconds later.

oscar

Quote from: vdeane on March 28, 2014, 03:41:30 PM
The "treaty" thing is a technicality, given that we got it in America's imperialist war against Spain and that many of the pre-revolution Cuban leaders were American puppets.

The Bush Administration heavily relied on that "technicality" in its efforts to make Guantanamo Bay as much a "law-free zone" as possible, including in particular denying U.S. constitutional rights for detainees on the grounds that Gitmo was on foreign soil (while at the same time not conceding the detainees had any rights under Cuban law, either).  You can argue about whether that should matter, but that was a key part of the Administration's argument, and also part of why some still resist trying or housing detainees somewhere in the 50 states or D.C.
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vdeane

They would have found something; it was convenient to have it be a lawless zone and the treaty provided an easy excuse.  But this is getting political.
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position of NYSDOT or its affiliates.

getemngo

To take Cuban politics back out of this...

I took a look at Africa, and the only one I found that may be genuinely impossible is South Sudan/Ethiopia.

Libya and Chad definitely had a connecting road at one time, but since the Chadian—Libyan Conflict of the 1970s and 80s, it might not exist anymore. The border is in the middle of the Sahara Desert.

Niger's roads to Chad and Libya are so minor that they don't show up on Google Maps, but there are indeed border stations. Driving from Niger to Libya takes you past the site of the Tree of Ténéré, the most isolated tree on earth until it was destroyed by a drunk Libyan trucker.

Tanzania to Mozambique used to be a bit iffy. There was a pedestrian ferry, but taking a car meant tying three boats together and putting planks on top! :crazy: But in 2010, the Unity Bridge was built, so now getting to the river is the only hurdle. :biggrin:

It looks like every country in Europe that touches has at least one connecting road, so most likely any examples we're still missing are in the Middle East or Asia.
~ Sam from Michigan

CNGL-Leudimin

Botswana and Zambia, if they touch at all. There's a ferry connecting both countries, though.
Supporter of the construction of several running gags, including I-366 with a speed limit of 85 mph (137 km/h) and the Hypotenuse.

Please note that I may mention "invalid" FM channels, i.e. ending in an even number or down to 87.5. These are valid in Europe.

english si

Quote from: CNGL-Leudimin on April 05, 2014, 10:11:58 AM
Botswana and Zambia, if they touch at all.
I believe they do, but Namibia and Zimbabwe don't, with the four corners not quite being such, and instead two tripoints about 200m apart

CNGL-Leudimin

Quote from: Chris on March 26, 2014, 12:09:40 PM
I'm not sure how much of a road border crossing there is between Afghanistan and China, or Bhutan and China.

According to Google Maps, no crossings between China and either Afghanistan (Which would be a hell of time change) or Bhutan. At least one with Pakistan, India, Nepal and Tajikistan, and a couple with Sporclestan Kyrgyzstan (the Irkhestam link is even an expressway!).

And how I can forget Alanland with all its neighbors :sombrero:
Supporter of the construction of several running gags, including I-366 with a speed limit of 85 mph (137 km/h) and the Hypotenuse.

Please note that I may mention "invalid" FM channels, i.e. ending in an even number or down to 87.5. These are valid in Europe.

vdeane

Alanland borders every country in the world.
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position of NYSDOT or its affiliates.



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