Often times, when we think of the word "border", soldiers and fences often come to mind but that's actually not the case and you'll be surprised to see how beautiful some borders are.
Take for example, the Great Wall of China. What once was a fortress to stop anyone from entering China is now a symbol of human ingenuity and one of the great wonders of the world.
Borders say a lot about a country's relationship with another's. These boundaries can be as simple as a thin line, or as serious as a military outpost like in the case of North Korea, one of the most dangerous countries in the world. If it's heavily guarded, chances are there is some kind of hostility.
For this list, we will take a look at the most beautiful (some lesser-known) borders around the world.
Read on and find out: What Some Of The World's Most Fascinating Country Borders Look Like
12 Center Of The Earth (Ecuador)
Pinpointed by Charles-Marie de La Condemie in the 18th century, the Earth's equator is a popular destination with over 500 thousand visitors annually, massively boosting the country's tourism last year. Museums, souvenir shops, and festivities are now common and tourists get to see absurd magic tricks such as water flowing to two sides.
Researchers have argued, however, that the real equator is actually a few feet away from the tourist site but it's still impressive how the old explorers managed to find the real center without GPS, just celestial bodies.
11 Shenzhen | Hong Kong - Traditional Vs. Modern
Mainland China closing its borders from Hong Kong is proof that they don't want anything to do with the crisis. On regular days, border patrol and customs are strict as ever, it's as if there's some kind of feud going on between the two territories. Hong Kong also placed strict measures like Mainland Chinese nationals needing to obtain visas even though they're under one country.
For visitors, getting there is easy and there are plenty of options: by train, ship, or plane.
10 India | Pakistan - Bitter Rivals
Aside from cultural and political differences, Pakistan and India remain diplomatic toward each other. From time to time, shots are fired because of territorial disputes but nothing major has happened and borders remain open to anyone. It's just like a lighter version of the Korean War.
Researchers call the border one of the most dangerous in the world because of random shooting incidents that happen rarely. On peaceful times, ceremonies are conducted almost every day and on special holidays, border guards exchange sweets.
9 South Korea | North Korea - A Stalemate
Fun fact: the Korean War technically never ended because neither country signed any peace agreement. Any wrong move between the two and we may be seeing another world war. Just recently, a North Korean outpost fired across the border although it didn't cause anything serious.
The DMZ is one of the heavily guarded places in the world with mines, booby traps and snipers guarding the area. Only a few dozen have managed to cross the border while the majority are sent back to labor camps.
8 Argentina | Brazil - Most Scenic Border
When we think of the word "border", we think of tall concrete walls, bridges or barbed wire, but this one is different because it is the only border that is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Iguazu Falls is slightly taller than Niagra Falls a little lusher. They are actually a set of falls that are divided by islands. The view on the Brazilian side is more complete. If you have enough cash to spare, why not take a helicopter tour over the falls?
7 Italy | Vatican City - Smallest Country In The World
Italy is the gateway to the smallest country in the world: Vatican City. It is the only country with no military, no official currency, governed by a theocratic and absolute monarchy. This is the most important piece of Catholic history because it houses the leader of the church and basically all things related to Christianity.
As the border is only made up of old walls and thin lines, visitors have the freedom to step in and out. You can now tell your friends you've been to Italy a thousand times in one day.
6 Finland | Norway | Sweden - Three-Country Cairn
In 1896, the tripoint between Finland, Sweden, and Norway was calculated and it has since been a popular destination for extreme adventurers, and unusually serene most of the time. Unlike the others that have some kind of security or fence, this one is just a simple monument.
It takes a 2-mile hike to the "Three-Point Cairn" but if you want the cheaper one, try taking the 11-mile hiking trail through the Malla nature reserve.
5 Asia | Europe - East Meets West
Turkey is the bridge between Asia and Europe and there is literally a bridge that connects the continents called the "Bosphorus Bridge".
The mega bridge, is also the world's widest suspension bridge in the world, an attempt by Erdogan to demonstrate Turkey's architectural prowess. The bridge took over $3 billion to construct in the span of 3 years and the results are tremendous, boosting the economy by a mile.
4 Canada | United States - Longest Border In The World
Pictured above is the border town in Quebec and Vermont, named Stanstead. What's cool about this town is that residents fill their cars up in the US and buy groceries in Canada across the street.
Since 9/11, the border town has been more guarded but that doesn't stop tourists from exploring the region that is home to lush forests, rivers, and lakes, great for camping and skiing. One of Canada's very first banks is also located here, one of the more interesting historical landmarks.
3 Pakistan | Afghanistan - Brutal Border Clashes
The tension is escalating in the border known as "Durand Line". The 2,400 km boundary has seen its fair share of conflict since 2007 and residents are marching through to Pakistan in an attempt to seek refuge.
The border has been closed off several times now because of the violent skirmishes that have taken place. In 2019, heavy shelling resulted in 3 casualties and both countries have been blaming each other and it seems that there will be no end to this dispute. Not in the near future.
2 Argentina | Chile - For Desert Adventurers
The third longest border in the world is also a challenging trek.
The Christ the Redeemer statue was unveiled in 1904 as a symbol of friendship between the two countries. It's not the actual cross anymore though since it got torn down in 1916 due to the corrosive environment.
The only downside is that tourists only get to hike the trails in the summer as winter temperatures can reach -22F.
1 China | Nepal (Mt. Everest) - World's Highest Border
The most extreme border on this list is the most scenic one.
If you're brave enough, why not try crossing Tibet from China through the Himalayan Mountains? The border extends all the way into China, Nepal, and India and passes through the highest peak in the world, Mt. Everest.
It is crazy to think that these extreme regions were once used as trade routes and the three governments have had border disputes in the area.