KANISA GEORGE

In her book titled Lands of Lost Borders: Out of Bounds on the Silk Road, travel writer Kate Harris examined the complexities of inter-country travel against the backdrop of passports, visas and the mystery surrounding geopolitical boundaries. As an explorer she sought to understand the nature of limits and how an invisible line allows us to toe the line. Some, if not most of us, are left baffled when trying to understand boundaries. Consider this, why do we have boundaries, and whose responsibility is it to define them?

Since the obliteration of the supercontinent Pangea, the earth and its inhabitants have drifted in varying directions, leaving oceans and seas between us. But how do we determine where Trinidad and Tobago stop and where it begins? And in large continents like Europe, who decides where France begins, and Spain ends?

The world is divided by borders and boundaries that tell us where to go, whether we need permission to enter and how long we are allowed to stay. Several factors influence its creation, but the earth's natural features are usually the starting point. Physical boundaries are naturally occurring barriers between two areas and account for a considerable chunk of the earth's boundaries. Mountain ranges, surface water, and deserts can all serve as physical boundaries and often influence political borders between countries or states.

Other features affecting the creation of the many invisible lines that separate us has a lot to do with human interference. Wars and conquests, treaties and mutual agreements have solidified the many boundaries that exist today and the laws governing immigration that followed. The impact of World War I essentially reshaped the world map and permanently changed the landscape of mainland Europe.

During Britain's 1947 partition of India, a line separating the Muslim from the Hindu areas was devised, which became the borders between India, Pakistan, and today Bangladesh. The Radcliffe line displaced millions of people and led to three wars and years of disputes. Agreements like the feudal charter signed in September 1278 that fixed Andorra's mountain border between France and Spain, and the 1783 Treaty of Paris that defined the United States' borders are both legal instruments used to separate one state or country from the other.

Even in the Caribbean, there is a 15 km border between Saint Martin (France) and Sint Maarten (Netherlands). The island of Hispaniola was split in two by the Treaty of Ryswick, resulting in the creation of the Dominican Republic and Haiti.

Borders separating one country from another might be a lot easier to fathom, but how are maritime borders defined? Ocean and sea borders are an area of contention for many reasons, namely, because of the wealth of resources that exist many depths below. Not only does the ocean provide a steady food supply, but oil and natural gas could very quickly change the financial landscape of any country.

Boundaries of maritime zones between countries are established throug

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