Fenwick Island, Delaware, USA

At the foot of the Fenwick Island lighthouse stands the original stone marker that divided Maryland (see the Calvert coast-of-arms?) from Pennsylvania (the Penn coat-of-arms is on other side). Confused yet? (1) Why Pennsylvania? What did the Penns have to do with Delaware? (2) Why trans-peninsular? Shouldn't it be trans-insular? [2021]

Nicosia, Cyprus

Abandonment and decay: That's what you typically see in a buffer zone set up to keep two warring factions apart. This one cuts through Nicosia to separate the Turkish north from the Greek south. It should really should be called the Humpty Dumpty Zone since no one has been able to put Cyprus back together since the two sides went to war in 1964. [2004]

El Rosario, Michoacán, Mexico

♫ These Are a Few of My Favorite Things ♫ ~ Welcome Signs: Welcome signs may glow with local character, exude national ambition, or, in this case, compliment the international community for establishing a biosphere reserve. Remember, you never get a second chance to make a first impression. See also: Geographically Yours Welcome. [2008]

Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK

Cities around the world have become known for their murals. Belfast is one of them. Before everybody got used to posting comments on their Facebook wall, people used real walls for the same purpose. In this case, mural art is being used to mark territory. Other cities that have used wall space to enhance their sense of place include Brussels and London. [2009]

Nogales, Sonora, Mexico

Along the frontier that divides Mexico from the United States, there are 50 border crossings, including three in Nogales. Here is a view of one of them taken over three decades ago before the current era of fortification and militarization. [1988]

Four Corners, Navajo Nation, USA

Leap year happens only once every four years. A state quadripoint happens only once, and that is where these four states meet. Recognize the flags? It it actually a sexapoint since two overlapping jurisdictions join the core four: the Navajo Nation and the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe. Don't approve of the word sexapoint? Feel free to use hexapoint. [2013]

Seoul, South Korea

In Korea,and everywhere in the Northern Hemisphere, it's the first day of summer. The seas should now be calm enough for the resumption of visitor trips to Dokdo Island in the East Sea. Images of Dokdo are all over Korea, but why? Here's a clue: The island appears as Takeshima on some maps. [2016]

La Linea, Andalusia, Spain

Lots of language here, but she is clearly not speaking to the world or the Anglophones on the other side of "the line." Her casa is on the Gibraltarian border, and she has apparently been aggrieved by the local government. She may be the 'Duchess of the Frontier,' but for the rest of her message we need a translator. Who can help? [2015]

Pas de la Casa, Andorra

It is not easy entering Andorra from France. You have to wind your way up the north flank of the Pyrenees and through the 'pass of the house.' One shepherd's hut, however, has become a frontier town and ski resort complete with a touch of America. At more than 9,000 feet above sea level, this might be the highest McDonald's in Europe. [2005]

Four Corners, Navaho Nation, USA

Straight lines used to divide political jurisdictions are called geometric boundaries. Where they meet you often find "tripoints," but rarely do you find "four points." At the spot where Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and Colorado meet, the site has been turned into a "teachable place," the geographer's equivalent of a "teachable moment." [2013]

St. Augustine, Florida, USA

Looking for a date? You can find one in St. Augustine, Florida: 1565. Yes, Jamestown, it's true. The oldest continuously occupied European settlement in the United States is not in Virginia. And, St. Augustine really has been continuously occupied since it was founded. [2007]

Lineboro, Maryland, USA

For four score years, the Penns and the Calverts argued over the boundary between their colonial land grants. Finally, in 1760, the issue was resolved. Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon were sent to America to demarcate the line. It is probably the most well-known interstate boundary in the entire country today. [2007]

Texarkana, Arkansas and Texas, USA

In Texarkana, the city too big for one state, stands the only federal court house and post office that straddles a state line. It's promoted by the locals as the "second most photographed court house" in the country. What's the first? [2012]

Derby Line, Vermont, USA and Rock Island, Quebec, Canada

The Haskell Free Library was deliberately built on the international border between the USA and Canada in 1904. Indeed, the boundary line runs right through the reading room. It also bisects several other structures in town. Homeland Security hates Derby Line, Vermont! [2009]

Quebec City, Quebec, Canada

There's no bilingualism on this landscape, rather a welcome sign in French only. What does it say?  "Welcome to Québec" (i.e., Ville de Québec, or Quebec City). After that, politics get involved: Québec is proclaimed the national capital. Apparently, the Québecois are a nation of their own, independent of the Canadian nation. [2005]

Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Two Las Vegas icons:  the welcome sign and Wayne Newton. The Stardust is gone, but it is hard to imagine the City of Lights without these two sprites. Danke Schoen to both. [2001]