Borderlines.
Geography, history and geopolitics.
Award Winning Travel Writing
Borderlines is where ‘Prisoners of Geography’ meets travel blogging. This is Travel Tramp’s geopolitical column.
Learn how geography, politics and history shape the world around, as we answer deep travel questions from the road.
What makes a country a country? What’s the difference between a micronation and a microstate? Why did Transnistria declare independence from Moldova?
You can find answers to all these questions and more as I build a database of the world’s cartographic curiosities and geopolitical oddities.
Latest Border Stories
Why is Cyprus Divided? Everything You Need to Know.
Why is Cyprus divided? From the Mediterranean island's ancient origins to the 1974 Turkish invasion and occupation, here's everything you need to know about the divides between north and south. In the early morning hours of July 15, 1974, the island of Cyprus was...
Famagusta: How to Explore Cyprus’ War-Torn Holiday Resort
The Cypriot holiday resort of Famagusta, abandoned when the Turkish army invaded the island in 1974, is a war-torn ghost town on the golden sands of Northern Cyprus. Here's how to explore the Varosha ruins. I set foot on the beach and was instantly dazzled by the...
Where is Belize? Everything You Need to Know.
Where is Belize? Which countries does Belize share borders with? Is there really a land dispute with Guatemala? Here's everything you need to know about Belize's geography and location within Central America. Located in Central America, Belize is a small sovereign...
What is the United Kingdom? Everything You Need to Know.
What is the United Kingdom? How many countries are in the UK? What's the difference between the UK and Great Britain? Here's everything you need to know! The United Kingdom is a uniquely complex construction of different 'counties' that all call the British Isles...
How Many Counties in England? Everything You Need to Know.
How many counties are in England? From Leicestershire to Yorkshire, we unravel England's confusing county system. England's intricate system of counties often causes outright bewilderment, even amongst English natives like myself. The 'county system' is a complex...
How Many States in Mexico? Everything You Need to Know.
How many states in Mexico? Is Mexico City a state? What type of government does Mexico have? Here's everything you need to know about Mexico's federal system. Mexico, or as it's officially named, the 'United Mexican States', stretches from the border of the USA in the...
Is Malta a Country? Everything You Need to Know.
Is Malta a country? From its days under the monastic rule of the Knights of St John to independence from the British Empire in 1964, here's everything you need to know about Malta's sovereign history. "We start at Malta's Independence Monument," said Darrell...
How Many States in Australia? Everything You Need to Know About Australian States and Territories.
How many states are there in Australia? How many territories are there? Here's everything you need to know! Australia, the world's sixth-largest country and smallest continent, is a federation of six states, three internal territories and seven external territories....
Is Lebanon a Country? Everything You Need to Know.
Is Lebanon a country? Where exactly is Lebanon located? What type of government do they have? Here's everything you need to know. "You weren't afraid to come to Lebanon?", asked Aline Bou Abdallah, my tour guide to Tripoli and Qadisha Valley, in Lebanon's fractured...
Is Yugoslavia Still a Country? Everything You Need to Know.
Is Yugoslavia still a country? Does Yugoslavia still exist today? The short answer is no, but here's everything you need to know about the Yugoslav breakup and its successor states! Travelling around the Balkans, it's hard to escape the lingering ghosts of Yugoslavia....
richard@travel-tramp.com