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Island Vulnerability Borders
http://www.islandvulnerability.org/borders.html
Island Vulnerability explores the challenges which isolated geographies face when dealing with risk and disasters by examining the processes which create, maintain, and could be used to reduce their vulnerability. Border regions are often as isolated and otherwise marginalised geographies as islands. Thus, border regions may display many risk, disaster, development, and vulnerability challenges similar to islands. The study of borders can inform islands and other isolated geographies while being informed by studies of other isolated geographies.
This Island Vulnerability Borders page provides images for the Island Vulnerability Project proposal "Vulnerability reduction in border regions". Images of borders shown here illustrate the arbitrariness of many of them. An artificial line is drawn, irrespective of the environment, thereby creating vulnerabilities which previously did not exist and which otherwise would not exist. The issues are particularly difficult at points where more than two states meet.
The borders are:
- Austria - Liechtenstein
- Austria - Slovakia
- Austria - Switzerland
- Canada - U.S.A.
- France - Germany
- France - Monaco
- France - Switzerland
- Germany - France
- Germany - Switzerland
- Ireland - U.K.
- Italy - Switzerland
- Liechtenstein - Austria
- Liechtenstein - Switzerland
- Monaco - France
- Norway - Sweden
- Slovakia - Austria
- Sweden - Norway
- Switzerland - Austria
- Switzerland - France
- Switzerland - Germany
- Switzerland - Italy
- Switzerland - Liechtenstein
- U.K. - Ireland
- U.S.A. - Canada
The triple points are:
The illustration of a border here does not imply any comment on, support for, or refutation of any disputes.
Austria - Switzerland
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Austria - Switzerland border, marked on the south side of the bridge over the River Rhine. |
Austria - Switzerland border, marked on the north side of the bridge over the River Rhine. |
Austria - Switzerland border, looking along the River Rhine.
(Copyright Ilan Kelman 2003)
Austria - Liechtenstein
Austria - Liechtenstein border checkpoint with customs officials, looking from Liechtenstein into Austria.
(Copyright Ilan Kelman 2003)
Austria - Liechtenstein border checkpoint with the potential for customs officials, but no one was there.
(Copyright Ilan Kelman 2003)
Austria - Liechtenstein border checkpoint with vicious cows on guard, looking from Austria into Liechtenstein.
(All photos copyright Ilan Kelman 2003)
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Austria - Liechtenstein border checkpoint with vicious plants and stones on guard, looking from Liechtenstein into Austria (above) and from Austria into Liechtenstein (large photo below).
(All photos copyright Ilan Kelman 2003)
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Austria - Slovakia
Stripes: Looking across Austrian fields towards Slovakia's capital, Bratislava.
(Copyright Ilan Kelman 2005)
In the below left image, the legs of two soldiers walking towards me are visible. They told me to stay on the Slovak side, but I explained that I was walking from Slovakia into Austria. They requested my passport, glanced at each stamp in it, and then watched me photographing the border until I wandered over to the Austrian customs checkpoint.
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Looking from Slovakia into Austria with the stone monument and signs marking the border. |
Looking from Austria into Slovakia with the stone monument marking the border. |
Looking along the Austria - Slovakia border marked by the stone with the red top.
(Copyright Ilan Kelman 2005)
Canada - U.S.A.
Canada - U.S.A. border at Niagara Falls, with New York on the left and Ontario on the right.
(Copyright Ilan Kelman 2008)
Canada - U.S.A. border underneath the Rainbow Bridge, Niagara Falls: Looking from Ontario across to New York.
(Copyright Ilan Kelman 2008)
Canada - U.S.A. border on the Rainbow Bridge, Niagara Falls: the line between the different concretes delineates the border, with New York on the bottom (with the grate) and Ontario at the top.
(Copyright Ilan Kelman 2008)
A light pole marking the Canada - U.S.A. border on the Rainbow Bridge, Niagara Falls. From the Canadian side, it cost fifty cents (in either currency) to walk onto the bridge! But it was free from the American side.
(Copyright Ilan Kelman 2008)
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Canada - U.S.A. border on the Rainbow Bridge, Niagara Falls. |
Canada - U.S.A. border on the Rainbow Bridge, Niagara Falls. |
Canada - U.S.A. border at the St. Clair River with Ontario on the left and Michigan on the right.
(Copyright Ilan Kelman 2006)
Canada - U.S.A. border looking across the south end of Lake Huron from Ontario into Michigan.
(Copyright Ilan Kelman 2006)
Canada - U.S.A. border, looking across the St. Lawrence River from Wolfe Island, Ontario to New York.
(Copyright Ilan Kelman 2009)
Canada - U.S.A. border, looking across the St. Lawrence River from Wolfe Island, Ontario to New York.
(Copyright Ilan Kelman 2009)
Canada - U.S.A. border at Hill Island in the Thousand Islands. Looking from Ontario to New York (above) and from New York to Canadian customs and immigration in Ontario (below)
(Copyright Ilan Kelman 2009)
Norway - Sweden
At Svinesund with Norway on the left and Sweden on the right.
(Copyright Ilan Kelman 2009)
Switzerland - Germany
A Switzerland - Germany border checkpoint looking from Switzerland towards Germany.
(Copyright Ilan Kelman 2002)
Switzerland - France
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A closed checkpoint of the Switzerland - France border looking from France towards Switzerland. |
After having crossed the closed checkpoint of the Switzerland - France border, looking from Switzerland towards France. |
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Switzerland - France border with customs. |
A ditch marking the Switzerland - France border, looking from France towards Switzerland. |
Switzerland - Italy
Switzerland - Italy border looking from Switzerland towards Italy.
(Copyright Ilan Kelman 2002)
Switzerland - Liechtenstein
Various vantage points of the Switzerland - Liechtenstein border.
(All photos copyright Ilan Kelman 2003)
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Germany - France
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Germany - France border marked by white lines in the road, looking from Germany towards France. |
Germany - France border marked by white lines in the road, looking from France towards Germany. |
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Looking south along the Germany - France border marked by the River Rhine. |
Looking north along the Germany - France border marked by the River Rhine. |
France - Monaco
France - Monaco border looking from Monaco into France. The car straddles the border.
(Copyright Ilan Kelman 2009)
France - Monaco border looking from France into Monaco.
(Copyright Ilan Kelman 2009)
Looking at the France - Monaco border with France on the right and Monaco on the left.
(Copyright Ilan Kelman 2009)
France - Monaco border, looking from France down the steps towards Monaco.
(Copyright Ilan Kelman 2009)
Ireland - U.K.
Looking from County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland towards Swanlinbar, Eire. The border is marked by the end of the new road surface on the U.K. side and the start of permission to pass under risky conditions on the Irish side. Fortunately, both countries request that you drive on the left side of the road.
(Copyright Ilan Kelman 1997)
Austria - Liechtenstein - Switzerland
Austria - Liechtenstein - Switzerland Northern Triple Point looking along the Austrian-Liechtenstein border to Switzerland.
(Copyright Ilan Kelman 2003)
France - Germany - Switzerland
France - Germany - Switzerland Triple Point looking from France towards the German-Swiss border.
(Copyright Ilan Kelman 2002)
The material on the Island Vulnerability website is provided as only an information source. Neither definitive advice nor recommendations are implied. Each person or organisation accessing the website is responsible for making their own assessment of the topics discussed and are strongly advised to verify all information. No liability will be accepted for loss or damage incurred as a result of using the material on this website. The appearance of external links on this website does not constitute endorsement of the organisations, information, products, or services contained on that external website.