JULY 27 IS THE US / CANADA BORDER PATROLLED?

JULY 27  IS THE US / CANADA BORDER PATROLLED?

Throughout his campaign and presidency, Donald Trump has made the security of the US / Mexico border a top priority. Endless tweets warn of armies of rapists sneaking across. To counter, the president is constructing a massive wall...as you already know. Yet with all this focus on the nation's southern border, we thought it would be helpful to give an update on the other international border in America: The northern one with Canada.

Officially called the International Boundary by the US government, it's three times longer than the testy Mexican border. In fact, it's the longest such boundary between two nations in the world. Also, unlike the Mexican one, this border is undefended. You'll see border patrols at the official crossing points, but the vast majority is under little jurisdiction: Only the joint US / Canada International Boundary Commission is allowed here.

So what does the border look like? Let's start with the long, straight 1,500 mile stretch. It runs exactly along the 49th parallel (latitude). Most of the border runs through forests, so a 20-foot wide area has been felled to indicate its location. It's called the "No Touch" area and it's illegal for anyone (other than the Commission) to be there. In the prairie areas of the Dakotas, it's indicated by sign posts every 100 yards. The next 800 miles of border are over water. Four of the five Great Lakes (and Niagara Falls) are bisected by the US / Canada border.

Things get dicey after the St. Lawrence River. Here, the border wiggles and waggles between New York, Vermont and Quebec. This is the oldest section of the border. It was drawn up 250 years ago at the Peace of Paris. Hence, a few places ended up with the line going right down the middle of town. For example, between Derby Line (US) and Stanstead (Canada), the international boundary is a row of flower pots. The library next door has a Canadian entrance on one side of the building and an American on the other!

Finally, there is the nearly 2,000 mile stretch that separates Alaska from the Yukon. Since the area is very sparsely populated, there is no physical indication of the border on land. However, the roads are curvy and sometimes straddle between the two nations. This impacts the town of Hyder, Alaska. It's only accessible by driving through Canada first. There are no passport checks, since you can only go to one place!