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About This Quiz
Borders change over time. A variety of factors must be considered when deciding what border is what. How those borders are marked depends on the countries and the relationships they have which each other. Those designations can be subtle or distinct.
In Europe, it's difficult to tell where one country ends and another country begins. In the area where Austria, Hungary, and Slovakia meet, there is nothing but a triangular table with surrounding benches and potted hedges to mark where these countries intersect. In Asia, where mainland China and Macau meet, a visitor can clearly tell between the countries. The road along the border goes in a formation that looks like a figure eight. This is because the drivers in these countries drive on different sides of the road, and the way this road is constructed lets you see which of the two countries it is.
International borders have a different look and feel to them depending on where you go in the world. They may even change over time as history has shown. New countries may form or change their names entirely. Dust off your geography books, look at the images we've put together, and see how well you know the countries of the world! Enjoy!
Belarus, Russia
Poland, Ukraine
The border between Poland and Ukraine is one of the most heavily crossed in the European Union. This is mostly from Ukrainian citizens conducting business or traveling.
Latvia, Lithuania
Prague, Slovakia
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Peru, Colombia, Venezuela
Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname
Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay
The meeting of the borders of Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay forms what's known as a Triple Frontier. While there are many that exist across the globe, this one is unique because it was made by the joining of the Parana and Iguazu rivers.
Chile, Ecuador, Peru
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India, Pakistan
India and Pakistan were actually one country until 1947 when the British enacted Partition. Since then, the two countries have had various battles and almost went to war in 2019.
Nepal, China
Burma, India
Iran, Afghanistan
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Lithuania, Latvia
Poland, Lithuania
Estonia, Latvia
Russia, Belarus
After the breakup of the Soviet Union, Belarus became an independent nation. The two countries have had friendly relations, even giving each other's citizens access to employment, health care and education.
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Romania, Serbia
Greece, Albania
Bulgaria, Turkey
Although ruled by the Ottoman Turks for five centuries, Bulgaria became independent of Turkey in the 18th century. Recently, the first-ever ferry between the two countries was formed in an effort to increase tourism in the Black Sea.
Macedonia, Greece
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Laos, Thailand
Vietnam, China
Vietnam and China have shared a long history. After wars, conquests and independence, in recent history, the two countries have started to improve their relations with one another.
Thailand, Burma
Cambodia, Laos
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France, Germany
Although France and Germany have two distinct cultures, they meet in the middle at the city on the border, Strasbourg. In this city, a tourist can find the oldest French Christmas market and Germany's Black Forest.
Belgium, Netherlands
Spain, France
Switzerland, Austria
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Morocco, Algeria
France, Spain
Algeria, Libya
Spain, Morocco
It's hard to imagine that one could travel from Africa to Europe in one day, but at the Spain and Morocco border, it can be done. Travelers can take one of four ferries that travel at least a dozen times a day between the two countries (and continents).
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Venezuela, Brazil, Peru
Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay
Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela
There is a reason Ecuador, Colombia, and Venezuela have yellow, blue, and red in their flags in the same order. They were all once part of a republic that no longer exists called Gran Colombia.
Guyana, Suriname, Brazil
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El Salvador, Honduras
Mexico, Guatemala
Mexico and Guatemala share a Mayan cultural connection and history. Both of these countries became colonized by Spain. They also won their independence from the European country in the same year, 1831.
Nicaragua, Costa Rica
Guatemala, Belize
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Oman, Saudi Arabia
With relations between countries in the Middle East being up and down, Oman is more of a Switzerland of the Middle East. The country acts as a sort of bridge between its neighbor, Saudi Arabia, and other nations.
Iraq, Jordan
Saudi Arabia, Bahrain
Syria, Iraq
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Syria, Turkey
Turkey, Iran
Jordan, Syria
Iran, Iraq
Two of the largest countries in the Middle East went to war when Iraq's dictator, Saddam Hussein, made a move on Iran in 1980. The United Nations helped negotiate a cease-fire in 1980, and the two countries are now allies.
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Liechtenstein, Switzerland
Belgium, The Netherlands
In the early 1800s, Belgium became a part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands. After a few short years of Dutch rule, Belgians started a revolution that resulted in Belgium becoming an independent nation. The two countries now have close ties.
Switzerland, France
France, Belgium
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Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Mozambique, Malawi
Kenya, Tanzania
Mount Kilimanjaro is one of the tallest mountains in the world and definitely the tallest mountain on the African continent. Although it sits in Tanzania, the summit, Uhuru Point, can be seen from Nairobi on a clear day.
Malawi, Mozambique
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Bosnia, Serbia
Austria, Slovakia
Croatia, Bosnia
Italy, Slovenia
Italy and Slovenia are two independent nations, and there are checks at their borders. But as members of the European Union, citizens traveling between the two countries can freely bring in personal goods.
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Switzerland, Liechtenstein
In March of 2007, troops from the Swiss army lost their way and went into Liechtenstein. The authorities of the smaller invaded country were not alarmed because the Swiss army wasn't carrying ammunition.
Germany, Czech Republic
Liechtenstein, Austria
Hungary, Austria
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Armenia, Azerbaijan
Syria, Jordan
Jordan has more than 30,000 refugees from Syria staying in a camp on its border. Relations have been tense in recent history, but the reopening of border crossings has eased things a bit.
Lebanon, Israel
Turkey, Syria
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Cambodia, Thailand
Laos, Vietnam
Thailand, Myanmar
To enter Myanmar, the country formerly known as Burma, a tourist with a visa has four options by land from Thailand. For one, a traveler can take a covered pick-up truck and walk across a bridge into Myanmar. And one night in Bangkok, Thailand, and the world is your oyster, at least according to the popular song from the stage play, "Chess."
Malaysia, Indonesia
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Gabon, Angola
Malawi, Zambia
Kenya, Tanzania
South Africa, Namibia
At one time, Namibia was a German colony known as Southwest Africa. In the early 20th century, it was taken over by South Africa until it became an independent nation in 1990.
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Serbia, Albania
Serbia and Albania have had decades of difficulty with Serbian Nationalists citing its roots in the 14th century. Earlier this year, an attempt by Albania to have the border more open met with criticism by a Serbian official.
Hungary, Croatia
Macedonia, Greece
Ukraine, Moldova
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Honduras, Nicaragua
Haiti, Dominican Republic
The separation between Haiti and the Dominican Republic is distinct. One side, lush greenery with thick hedges and grass greets the eye, which is the Dominican Republic. On the other, the area which is Haiti is dry with only spots of green.
Costa Rica, Panama
Belize, Mexico
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Croatia, Slovenia, Hungary
Bulgaria, Macedonia, Greece
Germany, Poland, Czech Republic
The borders of Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic meet at the Lusatian Neisse River and form a tripoint. After decades of inaccessibility due to the Cold War, the people of these countries can now access the tripoint.
Ukraine, Belarus, Russia
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Scotland, England
Besides a border, Scotland and England have shared monarchs and their parliaments. Still, they've had tensions which have led to referendums for independence, both of which have failed.
France, Belgium
Wales, England
Ireland, Scotland
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Finland, Sweden, Norway
Where Finland, Sweden and Norway meet is marked by a concrete, pyramid-like structure measuring about 150 square feet that is a tourist attraction of sorts. It even has a snowmobile trail named after a crown princess of Sweden.
Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania
Romania, Bulgaria, Macedonia
Portugal, Spain, France
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Afghanistan, Tajikistan
Laos, Vietnam
Mongolia, China
Mongolia officially gained independence from China in 1921. But it struggled to stay an independent nation because China still considered Mongolia to be part of the mainland. China only stopped including Mongolia on its maps in 2002.
Nepal, India
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Morocco, Algeria
France, Spain
Luxembourg, Switzerland
Spain, Portugal
Spain and Portugal are the only two countries that make up the Iberian peninsula. Although they have similar climates, they have different languages, and Spain is five times bigger than its neighbor.
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Paraguay, Argentina
Bolivia, Brazil
Of all the South American countries, Bolivia shares the largest border with Brazil. Because of this, they are trade partners and allies, cooperating to increase development of border areas.
Argentina, Chile
Brazil, Uruguay
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Netherlands, Germany
Germany, Denmark
Latvia, Lithuania
Denmark, Sweden
Denmark is made up of around 400 islands and has many windmills and thatched cottages. Automakers Volvo and Saab started in Sweden. Both countries are part of the Schengen Area that agrees to have no border control for member nations.
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Iraq, Kuwait
Tunisia, Libya
Egypt, Israel
Israel created a border-fence with Egypt in 2013 that the Israeli Defense Ministry called the "Hourglass." The fence is equipped with radars and cameras that alert Israel Defense Forces of unusual activity.
Qatar, United Arab Emirates
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China, Vietnam
Bangladesh, Myanmar
Laos, Cambodia
Laos and Cambodia were once French colonies. Cambodia was under French rule in the late 19th century into the mid 20th century, and Laos was ruled by the French at about the same time.
Myanmar, Thailand
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England, Wales
Wales is the smallest country in the United Kingdom, and England is the biggest. They are two of four countries that make up the United Kingdom. The other two are Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Ireland, Scotland
Denmark, Germany
None of these
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Costa Rica, Panama
Nicaragua, Costa Rica
El Salvador, Honduras
Belize, Guatemala
The territorial dispute between Belize and Guatemala has been going on since 1821. Since then, Guatemala has claimed most or all of Belize as theirs. The case will soon make its way to the International Court of Justice in The Hague.
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Colombia, Ecuador
Guatemala, Honduras
Panama, Colombia
Panama was part of Colombia after the ending of a nation called Gran Colombia in 1831. In 1903, the U.S. government helped Panamanian rebels to achieve independence.
Honduras, Nicaragua
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Senegal, Guinea
Sierra Leone, Liberia
Mauritania, Mali
Modern-day Mauritania was part of what was once known as The Kingdom of Mali. It was known for its wealth and power from the 13th to the 16th centuries. Today, the two countries share an open road border.
Niger, Nigeria
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Ecuador, Peru
Guyana, Suriname
Guyana is the only English-speaking country in South America. Its neighbor to the east, Suriname, speaks Spanish. Their dispute over off-shore waters in 2007 was resolved by The Hague.
Venezuela, Colombia
Suriname, Brazil
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Hungary, Romania
The capital of Hungary is Budapest, and the capital of Romania is Bucharest. Bucharest is nicknamed "Little Paris," and Budapest is considered by some to be one of the most beautiful cities in Europe.
Croatia, Bosnia
Serbia, Macedonia
Slovenia, Croatia
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Zimbabwe, Mozambique
In March of 2019, heavy rains and floods from Cyclone Idai affected Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi. Winds reached over 100 mph and affected "hundreds of thousands" in its wake, according to the United Nations.
Namibia, Botswana
Angola, Zambia
Botswana, South Africa
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Peru. Bolivia
Chile, Argentina
Chile and Argentina can get cold despite being part of a continent with rain forests. Parts of Chile can even get colder than 0 degrees Celsius. The two countries also have the distinction of sharing the world's third-longest international border.
Paraguay, Brazil
Suriname, French Guiana
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Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan
Syria, Iraq
Iran, Afghanistan
Afghanistan and Iran are two of four countries in the world whose people speak Persian or, as some call it, Farsi. The other two are Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, although fewer people speak it in these two countries.
Jordan, Iraq
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Sudan, Egypt
Nigeria, Niger
Uganda, Kenya
Ethiopia, Somalia
Although internationally Somalia has been recognized, recently Ethiopia didn't recognize its neighbor on a map. A government agency of Ethiopia erased it from a map on its website but later apologized.
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