# Are there any undemarcated boundaries left in the world? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 11, 2008, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-undemarcated-boundaries-left-in-the-world/463040 "2008-09-11T00:56:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2008, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-undemarcated-boundaries-left-in-the-world/463040/21 "2008-09-11T22:13:49Z")
The border between the US and Canada–more precisely between Alaska and BC and Yukon–is completely defined as height-of-land, but is unknown in fact, being under a mile (or so) of ice. It is not under dispute and it is possible, given sufficient global warming and perhaps fancy radar, that it will be demacated during this century. It is not under dispute, however, since there is no interest in it at present. ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2008, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-undemarcated-boundaries-left-in-the-world/463040/22 "2008-09-11T22:19:13Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > Also it looks like the Vic/SA border runs along the middle of the channel, but the Vic/NSW border runs along the southern shore. I think that’s what the article means by ‘undefined’. The NSW/VIC border has always been clearly defined as the southern high bank of the Murray. The VIC/SA border has not been defined for that small 3.6 km section. So the assumption is that it runs down the middle of the river. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2008, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-undemarcated-boundaries-left-in-the-world/463040/23 "2008-09-11T22:23:13Z")
> [@griffin1977](#): > > As I pointed on in my earlier post, while the Kashmir issue as a whole is not one of demarcation, the dispute around the Siachen glacier is. It was left undemarcated as it was so remote, inhospitable and hard to survey (and hence, it was assumed, no one would bother fighting such unpopulated, completely useless territory). But India does not consider the “Line of Control” to be the actual border, so the Siachen Glacier is really irrelevant for the purposes of the disputed border. ---
**Author:** ![Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hypnagogic_jerk/32/4252_2.png) [@Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypnagogic_Jerk)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2008, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-undemarcated-boundaries-left-in-the-world/463040/24 "2008-09-12T01:48:02Z")
> [@D18](#): > > I was surprised when I learned that the border between Labrador and QC has not been formerly recognized by QC, so it sort of meets your criterion. Again, this isn’t so much an undemarcated as a disputed border. The border between Quebec and Labrador is well demarcated on all maps, except that on the official Government of Quebec maps it follows (I believe) the dividing line between the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of St. Lawrence watersheds, which is north of the Privy Council line of 1927, the recognized border. The Wikipedia article has a [map](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Labrador_boundary_dispute.png) showing the competing claims. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2008, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-undemarcated-boundaries-left-in-the-world/463040/25 "2008-09-12T01:54:36Z")
There used to be a dotted line between Western Sahara and Morocco on the map, not there now. ---
**Author:** ![Panurge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/fbc32d/32.png) [@Panurge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Panurge)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2008, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-undemarcated-boundaries-left-in-the-world/463040/26 "2008-09-12T08:02:50Z")
[Hans Ø [Hans Island]](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_%C3%98) is claimed by both Canada and Denmark. Every now and then Canadian & Danish troops reach the island (located in the Kennedy Channel between Greenland and Canada) and replace the other nation’s flag with their own. Good fun, I think. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2008, 8:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-undemarcated-boundaries-left-in-the-world/463040/27 "2008-09-12T08:09:08Z")
> [@Panurge](#): > > [Hans Ø [Hans Island]](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_%C3%98) is claimed by both Canada and Denmark. Every now and then Canadian & Danish troops reach the island (located in the Kennedy Channel between Greenland and Canada) and replace the other nation’s flag with their own. Good fun, I think. If they came at the same time, would they throw lutefisk and poutine at each other? (I think there’s a bit in the Geneva Convention about using lye-treated fish as a weapon of war (specifically, it says “Eewwww…”).) ---
**Author:** ![Panurge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/fbc32d/32.png) [@Panurge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Panurge)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2008, 8:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-undemarcated-boundaries-left-in-the-world/463040/28 "2008-09-12T08:38:54Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > If they came at the same time, would they throw lutefisk and poutine at each other? (I think there’s a bit in the Geneva Convention about using lye-treated fish as a weapon of war (specifically, it says “Eewwww…”).) That would be .. erm .. interesting. I know that the Danish troops used to place a bottle of [snaps](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snaps) or [Gammel Dansk](http://www.gammeldansk.dk/composite-58.htm) or similar next to the flag - a small exchange of presents among “enemies”. ---
**Author:** ![slaphead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9bcb4/32.png) [@slaphead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slaphead)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2008, 10:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-undemarcated-boundaries-left-in-the-world/463040/29 "2008-09-12T10:05:39Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > If they came at the same time, would they throw lutefisk and poutine at each other? (I think there’s a bit in the Geneva Convention about using lye-treated fish as a weapon of war (specifically, it says “Eewwww…”).) The danes would cash in their close cultural ties with the Swedes and deploy [Surstromming](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surstromming). Even in the open air, a synchronised mass can-opening should drive off anyone not acclimatised. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2008, 11:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-undemarcated-boundaries-left-in-the-world/463040/30 "2008-09-12T11:24:40Z")
When Ötzi the Tyrolean Iceman was discovered, both Austria and Italy claimed him; before the discovery, when the expedition that later found him needed help from local officials, each country claimed the other should handle it. Yeah, there’s a well-defined border. ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2008, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-undemarcated-boundaries-left-in-the-world/463040/31 "2008-09-12T13:05:12Z")
> [@Polycarp](#): > > That said, the boundaries of India, Pakistan, and China in the general area of Kashmir are still in dispute. I believe there are a couple of other China-India disputed borders – nothing they’re interested in going to war about, but stuff wher one’s claim and the other’s overlap by a few precipitous miles. Going off of memory in GQ. 1. China-India have several disputed borders in the Himalayan region and have faught extended skirmishes over them in the late 1980’s and possibly more recently. 2. not aware that China-Pakistan have disputed borders 3. there are disputed borders between the Russian Far East and NW China. Rivers have shifted course… 4. Spratly islands are claimed by china, taiwan, philippines, viet nam. 5. nautuna islands are claimed by indonesia and china. this one probably counts as the chinese have never stated exactly where the border is. pretty interesting claim if you look at it on a map. 6. HK, China, Korea & Japan all jointly claim some islands. 7. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-undemarcated-boundaries-left-in-the-world/463040.md?page=1)