10 remarkable international borders | Atlas & Boots

From the heights of Everest to a humble library, we share the most extraordinary international borders from across the globe

My name is unremarkable, most people would agree. It’s so common that if you Googled ‘Peter Watson’, you would find the intellectual historian, the author and the arts benefactor – all different men – ahead of me. There’s also a producer, a chemist and a podcaster among others.

Sadly, we all share a name with a less illustrious Peter Watson; one wanted by Interpol I’m told. For this reason, I am never able to use the electronic gates at airports. While Kia swans through in seconds, I am often consigned to the manual queue, presumably so that the staff can check I’m not a fugitive.

This annoyance was generally manageable until I tried to cross from Poland into Belarus in 2022. Kia and I had already been stuck in a coach for four hours at the border when we were finally allowed to enter passport control where we queued for the sole open counter.

When it came to my turn, there seemed to be some confusion among the officials. None of them spoke English and, sadly, I do not speak Russian or indeed Belarusian. I began to get stressed about holding up the queue. Eventually, I was asked to step aside while the staff made some phone calls. To my relief, after 20 minutes or so, I was allowed to enter Belarus.

Crossing international borders can be laborious or effortless depending where you are. Some borders are closely guarded; others are left alone. Most are unexceptional, but occasionally you will find one that is beautiful, illuminating or even amusing. Below, we share some of the most remarkable international borders found across the globe.

1. Nepal / China

The Nepal–China border runs all the way up Mount Everest, including the precise summit point, making it the highest international border in the world.

Everest can be climbed from both countries but is more frequently tackled from the Nepalese side which has better infrastructure and more experienced Sherpas to lend support to would-be summiteers.