Border barrier

A border barrier, border fence or border wall is a separation barrier that runs along or near an international border. Such barriers are typically constructed for border control purposes such as curbing illegal immigration, human trafficking, and smuggling.[1][2] Some such barriers are constructed for defence or security reasons. In cases of a disputed or unclear border, erecting a barrier can serve as a de facto unilateral consolidation of a territorial claim that can supersede formal delimitation. A border barrier does not usually indicate the location of the actual border, and is usually constructed unilaterally by a country, without the agreement or cooperation of the other country.

Mexico–United States barrier in California
Israeli West Bank barrier
Berlin Wall, 1988.

Examples of border walls include the ancient Great Wall of China, a series of walls separating China from nomadic empires to the north. The construction of border barriers increased in the early 2000s; half of all the border barriers built since World War II, which ended in 1945, were built after 2000.[3]

List of current barriers

Note: The table can be sorted alphabetically or chronologically using the icon.

NameCountries affectedBuilt and maintained byDate builtLength (km)TypeDeaths during crossing attemptsReferences
Argentina–ParaguayArgentina and ParaguayArgentina20141.3Anti-illegal immigration[4]
Austrian border barrierAustria, Italy, and SloveniaAustria20153.7Anti-illegal immigration[5]
Belize–GuatemalaBelize and GuatemalaBelizeProposed, agreedN/ADisputed territory and anti-illegal immigration
Botswana–ZimbabweBotswana and ZimbabweBotswana2003500Protection of livestock against disease (Botswana), anti-immigration (purported from Zimbabwe officials)8[6]
Brunei–MalaysiaBrunei and the city of Limbang, MalaysiaBrunei200520Anti-illegal immigration
Bulgaria–Turkey barrierBulgaria and TurkeyBulgaria201430Anti-illegal immigration[7]
Calais border barrierUnited Kingdom and FranceUnited Kingdom and France20161Anti-illegal immigration[8]
Ceuta border fenceSpain and MoroccoSpain20018Anti-illegal immigration13–18 depending on estimates.[9]
Costa Rica–NicaraguaCosta Rica and NicaraguaCosta RicaProposedN/AAnti-illegal immigration
Green Line (Cyprus)Cyprus and Northern CyprusCyprus and the United Nations1964180Buffer Zone
Chinese–Korean border fenceChina and North KoreaChina20111,416Anti-illegal immigration[10]
Chile-Bolivia ditchChile and BoliviaChile2022 (Under construction)N/AAnti-illegal immigration[11]
Denmark–Germany border fenceDenmark and GermanyDenmark201970Wildlife control (official), Anti-immigration (third party claims)[12][13][14]
Dominican–Haiti border fenceDominican Republic and HaitiDominican RepublicUnder construction 2022N/AAnti-illegal immigration and crime[15][16]
Egypt–Gaza barrierEgypt and Gaza StripEgypt1979, subterranean barrier under construction3.1Anti-terrorism and anti-illegal immigration[17]
Estonia–Russia barrierEstonia and RussiaEstonia2018110Anti-intrusion, illegal trade and illegal immigration[18]
Finland–Russia border barrierFinland and RussiaFinland2023200Against Russian intrusion, illegal trade and illegal immigration[19]
Greece–Turkey borderGreece and TurkeyGreece2012, expanded 2021[20][21]200Anti-illegal immigration[22][23][24][25]
North Macedonia–Greece barrierNorth Macedonia and GreeceNorth Macedonia201530Anti-illegal immigration[26]
Malaysia–Thailand borderThailand and MalaysiaThailandProposed650Anti-terrorism
Melilla border fenceSpain and MoroccoSpain199811Anti-illegal immigration
Hungary–Serbia barrierHungary and SerbiaHungary2015175Anti-illegal immigration[27][28][29][30][31]
Hungary–Croatia barrierHungary and CroatiaHungary201541Anti-illegal immigration
India–Bangladesh barrierIndia and BangladeshIndiaUnder construction3,268Anti-illegal immigration
India–Myanmar barrierIndia and MyanmarIndiaUnder construction1,624Anti-drug smuggling and anti-terrorism
India-Nepal barrierIndia and NepalIndiaUnder construction?Anti-illegal immigration Anti-terrorism
India–Pakistan barrierIndia and PakistanIndia2004550Anti-terrorism[32]
Iran–Pakistan barrierIran and PakistanPakistan[33] and IranUnder construction959Anti-terrorism and Anti-drug smuggling[34][35][36]
Iran–Afghanistan borderIran and AfghanistanIranUnder construction140Anti-illegal immigration Anti-terrorism Anti-drug smuggling
Israel-West Bank barrierIsrael and PalestineIsraelPartially Completed708Anti-terrorism and disputed territory[37]
Israel-Egypt barrierIsrael and EgyptIsrael2013245Anti-illegal immigration
Israel-Lebanon barrierIsrael and LebanonIsrael201811Conflict zone
Israel-Gaza barrierIsrael and Gaza StripIsrael1994N/AAnti-terrorism
Kazakhstan–Uzbekistan barrierKazakhstan and UzbekistanKazakhstan200645Anti-drug smuggling
Korean Demilitarized ZoneNorth Korea and South KoreaNorth Korea and United Nations Command1953248Conflict zone
Kruger National ParkSouth Africa and MozambiqueSouth Africa1975120Anti-illegal immigration89 (Army), over 200 (Various churches)
South Africa–Zimbabwe BorderSouth Africa and ZimbabweSouth Africa2000s225Anti-illegal immigration, anti-drug smuggling, anti-weapon smuggling[38][39][40][41]
Kuwait–Iraq barrierKuwait and IraqKuwait1991193Conflict zone
Latvia–Russia border fenceLatvia and RussiaLatvia201590Anti-illegal immigration[42]
Libya–Tunisia barrierLibya and TunisiaTunisiaTBA460Anti-terrorism, Anti-illegal immigration
Lithuania-Belarus barrierLithuania and BelarusLithuania2021[43]502Anti-illegal immigration[44][45]
Lithuania–Russia border fenceLithuania and RussiaLithuania2017130Anti-smuggling, anti-illegal immigration, anti-intrusion[46]
Moroccan Western Sahara WallMorocco and Western SaharaMorocco19802,700Conflict zone[47][48]
Norway–Russia border barrierNorway and RussiaNorway20160,2Anti-illegal immigration[49]
Pakistan–Afghanistan barrierPakistan and AfghanistanPakistanongoing2,670Anti-terrorism, anti-illegal immigration, anti drug smuggling[50][51]
Poland–Belarus barrierPoland and BelarusPoland2022[52]186Anti-illegal immigration21[53][54][55][56][57][58]
Saudi–Yemen barrierSaudi Arabia and YemenSaudi Arabia200475Anti-illegal immigration
Saudi–Iraq barrierSaudi Arabia and IraqSaudi Arabia2014900Anti-illegal immigration and conflict zone[59][60][61]
Slovenia–Croatia barrierSlovenia and CroatiaSlovenia2016220Anti-illegal immigration[62][63][64]
Serbia–North Macedonia barrierSerbia and North MacedoniaSerbia2020240Anti-illegal immigration[65]
Turkey–Syria border barrierTurkey and SyriaTurkey2018828Anti-terrorism, anti-illegal immigration and smuggling[66]
Turkey–Iran border barrierTurkey and IranTurkey2019144Anti-terrorism, anti-illegal immigration and smuggling
Turkmen–Uzbekistan barrierTurkmenistan and UzbekistanTurkmenistan20011,700Anti-illegal immigration
Ukraine–Russia barrierUkraine, Russia and BelarusUkraineUnder construction2,000Anti Weapon Smuggling and Conflict zone
United Arab Emirates–Oman barrierUnited Arab Emirates and OmanUnited Arab Emirates2018410Anti-illegal immigration
Mexico–United States barrierUnited States and MexicoUnited StatesPartially Constructed1,000Anti-illegal immigration and smuggling[67][68][69][70][71][72][73][74][75][76]
Uzbek–Afghanistan barrierUzbekistan and AfghanistanUzbekistan2001209Anti-illegal immigration
Uzbek–Kyrgyzstan barrierUzbekistan and KyrgyzstanUzbekistan1999870Conflict zone
Hong Kong-China barrier and FortsHong Kong and mainland ChinaUnited Kingdom and Hong Kong1950s?Anti-terrorism Anti-illegal immigration
(Gibraltar) United Kingdom-Spain barrier(Gibraltar) United Kingdom and SpainUnited Kingdom and Gibraltar19091.24Anti-terrorism Anti-illegal immigration
Ethiopia-Eritrea barrierEthiopia and EritreaEthiopia and Eritrea1990s–2000s?Anti-terrorism

Border barriers in history

Map of the Roman Empire, along with locations of limes
The extent of the Ming dynasty and its walls, which formed most of what is called the Great Wall of China today

Antiquity

Middle Ages

Early modern period

Defunct barriers in modern times

Other

See also

References

External links