# Has there ever been a border as long as Canada and the US with entirely peaceful relations? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 25, 2011, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-border-as-long-as-canada-and-the-us-with-entirely-peaceful-relations/590307 "2011-07-25T20:35:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2011, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-border-as-long-as-canada-and-the-us-with-entirely-peaceful-relations/590307/1 "2011-07-25T20:35:03Z")
I’ve of often thought about how cool US and Canada are, when observing the current and historical boundaries and alliance/tensions/wars that by far are the norm throughout the world. As a second question, has there ever been anything comparable, not only in border length, but in the amount of _time_ that such extraordinarily close relations existed for _any_ two countries? ---
**Author:** ![obfusciatrist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/4af34b/32.png) [@obfusciatrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obfusciatrist)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2011, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-border-as-long-as-canada-and-the-us-with-entirely-peaceful-relations/590307/2 "2011-07-25T21:11:35Z")
Just some data: U.S.-Canada border is 8,893 km. Only 9 countries have event hat much TOTAL land border: China: 22,147 km Russia: 20,017 km Brazil: 14,691 km India: 14,103 km United States: 12,034 km Kazakhstan: 12,012 km Democratic Republic of the Congo: 10,730 km Argentina: 9,665 km Canada: 8,893 km Of those, these are the ones with a shared border even 1/4th as long as the U.S.-Canada border (2000 for easy rounding): China-Burma - 2,185 km China-India - 3,380 km China-Mongolia - 4,677 km China-Russia - 3,645 km Russia-Kazakhstan - 6,846 km Russia-Mongolia - 3,485 km Brazil-Bolivia - 3,400 km Brazil-Venezuela - 2,200 km India-Bangladesh - 4,053 km India-Pakistan - 2,912 km United States-Canada - 8,893 km United States-Mexico - 3,141 km Kazakhstan-Uzbekistan - 2,203 km Democratic Republic of the Congo-Angola - 2,511 km Democratic Republic of the Congo-Republic of the Congo - 2,410 km Argentina-Chile - 5,308 km Other 2,000 km+ borders: Mali-Mauritania - 2,237 km Pakistan-Afghanistan - 2,430 km Colombia-Venezuela - 2,050 km Laos-Vietnam - 2,130 km If my math is right, the USSR-China border would have been around 6,500 km. So there are only two current borders that are even half as long as the U.S.-Canada border (Argentina-Chile and Russia-Kazakhstan). With the India-Bangladesh border coming close to half. ---
**Author:** ![Washoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecae2f/32.png) [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2011, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-border-as-long-as-canada-and-the-us-with-entirely-peaceful-relations/590307/3 "2011-07-25T22:02:30Z")
Didn’t we try to invade Canada once? We backed off when they threatened to drop Gordon Lightfoot on us or something. ---
**Author:** ![Blakeyrat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecd19e/32.png) [@Blakeyrat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blakeyrat)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2011, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-border-as-long-as-canada-and-the-us-with-entirely-peaceful-relations/590307/4 "2011-07-25T22:10:40Z")
There have been border disputes, check out the Pig War: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pig\_War](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pig_War) More notably, there’s also the War of 1812. So saying “entirely peaceful relations” is a bit of a stretch. I wonder about the two sides of the Great Wall of China… did the wall succeed in creating a peaceful border for a significant period of time? (I know it was overrun, but I don’t know how long it was in place before being overrun.) ---
**Author:** ![leahcim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b4bc9f/32.png) [@leahcim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leahcim)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2011, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-border-as-long-as-canada-and-the-us-with-entirely-peaceful-relations/590307/5 "2011-07-25T22:49:15Z")
> [@Blakeyrat](#): > > There have been border disputes, check out the Pig War: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pig\_War](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pig_War) More notably, there’s also the War of 1812. So saying “entirely peaceful relations” is a bit of a stretch. Those events predate Canada as an independent dominion, so it’s kind of a gray area as to whether that counts. The line on the map has certainly experienced war, even if that war was not between the two political entities currently parked on either side of it. ---
**Author:** ![Blakeyrat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecd19e/32.png) [@Blakeyrat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blakeyrat)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2011, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-border-as-long-as-canada-and-the-us-with-entirely-peaceful-relations/590307/6 "2011-07-25T23:03:03Z")
> [@leahcim](#): > > Those events predate Canada as an independent dominion, so it’s kind of a gray area as to whether that counts. The line on the map has certainly experienced war, even if that war was not between the two political entities currently parked on either side of it. Well, Canada wasn’t fully cut-off from the motherland until 1982, IIRC. But yes, the Pig War, which is the most recent border dispute in 1859, was technically with the British Empire, not Canada. It’s a lot more impressive to say the border has been conflict-free since 1859 than from 1982. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2011, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-border-as-long-as-canada-and-the-us-with-entirely-peaceful-relations/590307/7 "2011-07-25T23:20:44Z")
“Peaceful relations” and “no border disputes” aren’t quite the same thing. The US and Canada do currently have a few ongoing border disputes. They’re just being conducted diplomatically, rather than violently. From the CIA World Fact Book, the “Transnational Issues” entry for Canada: > [@](#): > > managed maritime boundary disputes with the US at Dixon Entrance, Beaufort Sea, Strait of Juan de Fuca, and the Gulf of Maine including the disputed Machias Seal Island and North Rock; Canada and the United States dispute how to divide the Beaufort Sea and the status of the Northwest Passage but continue to work cooperatively to survey the Arctic continental shelf; Strait of Juan de Fuca - yeah, there’s a few islands still unsettled from the Pig War. [Machias Seal Island](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machias_Seal_Island) is part of Maine according to the US, New Brunswick according to Canada. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2011, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-border-as-long-as-canada-and-the-us-with-entirely-peaceful-relations/590307/8 "2011-07-25T23:28:33Z")
Actually, the boundary dispute in the Strait of Juan de Fuca may not concern any islands, just the placement of the line from the mouth of the strait. > **[Strait of Juan de Fuca | Boundary dispute](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strait_of_Juan_de_Fuca#Boundary_dispute)** > > This strait remains the subject of a maritime boundary dispute between Canada and the United States. The dispute is only over the seaward boundary extending 200 nautical miles (370 km) west from the mouth of the strait. The maritime boundary within the strait is not in dispute. Both governments have proposed a boundary based on the principle of equidistance, but with different basepoint selections, resulting in small differences in the line. Resolution of the issue should be simple, but has been ... ---
**Author:** ![leahcim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b4bc9f/32.png) [@leahcim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leahcim)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2011, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-border-as-long-as-canada-and-the-us-with-entirely-peaceful-relations/590307/9 "2011-07-26T00:41:52Z")
> [@Blakeyrat](#): > > Well, Canada wasn’t fully cut-off from the motherland until 1982, IIRC. But yes, the Pig War, which is the most recent border dispute in 1859, was technically with the British Empire, not Canada. On both ends it’s more than a bit of a stretch to say that an entirely new entity was created in 1982 or 1867. Canada sort of eased its way into independence without a lot of noisy kerfuffle, unlike some other North American countries we could mention. Despite this, I have it on good authority that the soldiers who burned the white house during the war of 1812 were 100% Canadian and not at all British and we totally kicked your butt. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2011, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-border-as-long-as-canada-and-the-us-with-entirely-peaceful-relations/590307/10 "2011-07-26T01:26:00Z")
> [@leahcim](#): > > Despite this, I have it on good authority that the soldiers who burned the white house during the war of 1812 were 100% Canadian and not at all British and we totally kicked your butt. Oh yeah? Well, we burned Toronto first so you guys were just being copycats. ---
**Author:** ![SeldomSeen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ba0ec/32.png) [@SeldomSeen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeldomSeen)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2011, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-border-as-long-as-canada-and-the-us-with-entirely-peaceful-relations/590307/11 "2011-07-26T01:28:47Z")
> [@Blakeyrat](#): > > There have been border disputes, check out the Pig War: Ah yes…a splendid little war. A pig belonging to a Canadian settler (and obviously bent on sabotage) was caught eating the potatos of an American settler. The American shot the pig then offered a piddling compensation to the pigs owner. Owner demanded reparations of 10X the proffered amount, whereupon the American said “take your pig and shove it”, or words to that effect. The war of words escalated and both sides sent troops. More insults were exchanged. **from Wikipedia** > [@](#): > > Local commanding officers on both sides had been given essentially the same orders: defend yourselves, but absolutely do not fire the first shot. For several days, the British and U.S. soldiers exchanged insults, each side attempting to goad the others into firing the first shot, but discipline held on both sides, and thus no shots were fired. The international dispute was finally arbitrated by Kaiser Wilhelm I of Germany who basically told both sides “Go home and stop being ridiculous” , although he did give the island to the Americans. The only casualty was the pig, who probably deserved to be shot anyway. A pity, that more wars can’t be won that way. SS ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2011, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-border-as-long-as-canada-and-the-us-with-entirely-peaceful-relations/590307/12 "2011-07-26T06:21:27Z")
So basically the answer is no, there never has been a border as long as the US/Canada one and one existing for the longest time w/o a shooting war or general nastiness. What two contiguous nation/“nation-states” have had the longest non-belligerent status? I am including satrapies, Pax Romanum, etc. ---
**Author:** ![UDS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecae2f/32.png) [@UDS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2011, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-border-as-long-as-canada-and-the-us-with-entirely-peaceful-relations/590307/13 "2011-07-26T07:02:30Z")
Hold on, hold on. The US/Canada border is the longest bilateral land border in the world. So if the question is “is there another bilateral border as long as that which has been peaceful for as long as that?” the answer must be “no”. There is no other bilateral border as long as that, period. If the question is “is there another bilateral border which has been peaceful for longer than the very long US/Canada bilateral border” the answer is “yes, there are lots”. How long is it since Sweden attacked Finland or Russia, or vice versa? It was longer ago than 1859. How long has it been since France attacked Spain or vice versa? Longer than since 1859. Spain and Portugal? Same goes. Belgium and the Netherlands? Switzerland and any of France, Germany, Italy, Austria or Liechtenstein? ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2011, 8:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-border-as-long-as-canada-and-the-us-with-entirely-peaceful-relations/590307/14 "2011-07-26T08:34:47Z")
> [@SeldomSeen](#): > > Ah yes…a splendid little [Pig] war. … > > The only casualty was the pig, who probably deserved to be shot anyway. > > A pity, that more wars can’t be won that way. Another such was the [Aroostook War](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aroostook_War) between Maine and New Brunswick about 20 years earlier. Besides both wars being virually bloodless, they had the commonality that Winfield Scott was sent out from Washington to calm things down. ---
**Author:** ![Floater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dc4da7/32.png) [@Floater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Floater)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2011, 9:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-border-as-long-as-canada-and-the-us-with-entirely-peaceful-relations/590307/15 "2011-07-26T09:08:28Z")
> [@UDS](#): > > How long is it since Sweden attacked Finland or Russia, or vice versa? It was longer ago than 1859. Sweden has never attacked Finland, mainly because present day Finland was the Eastern half of the realm until we lost it in the war of 1808/9, which was started by Russia. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2011, 10:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-border-as-long-as-canada-and-the-us-with-entirely-peaceful-relations/590307/16 "2011-07-26T10:04:40Z")
The repercussions of the Pig War are still felt today, though, as Canadians honor the fallen by refusing to give in to American imperialism by producing only Canadian bacon, even in the face of its obvious inferiority. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2011, 10:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-border-as-long-as-canada-and-the-us-with-entirely-peaceful-relations/590307/17 "2011-07-26T10:43:10Z")
> [@yabob](#): > > [Machias Seal Island](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machias_Seal_Island) is part of Maine according to the US, New Brunswick according to Canada. My Uncle Gordie is one of the lighthouse keepers that Department of Foreign Affairs places there. Every year an American boats over to assert USA sovereignty, so they have a fish fry and tea. ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2011, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-border-as-long-as-canada-and-the-us-with-entirely-peaceful-relations/590307/18 "2011-07-26T11:06:04Z")
Why haven’t we conquered the Horseshoe Falls yet? They are the better of the two and I’ll bet we can whup the Canadians trying to defend it. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2011, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-border-as-long-as-canada-and-the-us-with-entirely-peaceful-relations/590307/19 "2011-07-26T11:35:55Z")
I think the OP is asking not so much about modern states, but any borders in history. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2011, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-border-as-long-as-canada-and-the-us-with-entirely-peaceful-relations/590307/20 "2011-07-26T14:58:03Z")
> [@Smeghead](#): > > I think the OP is asking not so much about modern states, but any borders in history. Correct. But I am learning a lot about the feistiness of Canada. Who knew? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-border-as-long-as-canada-and-the-us-with-entirely-peaceful-relations/590307.md?page=2)