the world. But, look closer, and there's plenty of bizarreness to be found.

不過，如果你仔細研究的話，你會發現它們其實是很奇怪的

While these sister nations get along fairly well, they both want to make it really clear

雖然這兩個姐妹國感情友好，不過他們都希望把邊界劃分清楚

whose side of the continent is whose. And they've done this by carving a 20-foot wide

為了搞清楚誰擁有北美洲的哪一邊，他們沿著邊境劃了一個20英尺寬

space along the border. All five and a half thousand miles of it.

的空間，總長5500英里

With the exception of the rare New England town that predates national borders or the

除了那獨特的建於劃定邊界前的新英格蘭小鎮或者

odd airport that needed extending, this space is the no-touching-zone between the countries

需要延長跑道的機場之外，這個空間成為了兩個國家的「無接觸區」

and they're super serious about keeping it clear. It matters not if the no-touching-zone

他們還是很認真的對待劃分邊界這件事

runs through hundreds of miles of virtually uninhabited Alaskan / Yukon wilderness. Those

儘管這個「無接觸區」貫穿了阿拉斯加/育空地區幾百里的荒野

border trees, will not stand.

對不起了，擋著邊界的樹兒們 ＝ ＝

Which might make you think this must be the longest, straightest deforested place in the

你可能認為美加邊境肯定是全球最長、最直的伐木地區

world, but it isn't. Deforested: yes, but straight? Not at all.

不過，這並不是。伐木地區？對！最直？大錯特錯！

Sure it looks straight and on a map, and the treaties establishing the line *say* it's

你在地圖上看的時候可能很直，而且雙方的條約「說」是直的

straight... but in the real world the official border is 900 lines that zig-zags from the

不過在現實中這官方制定的邊境其實是由900個相距最多達

horizontal by as much as several hundred feet.

幾百英尺的「之」字型橫線連在一起

How did this happen? Well, imagine you're back in North America in the 1800s -- The

這又從何而來？想想一下在1800年代的北美

49th parallel (one of those horizontal lines you see on a globe) has just been set as the

北緯49度線剛剛被制定為國界，是你的工作就是去實現它

national boundary and it's your job to make it real. You're handed a compass and a ball

他們給了你一個指南針和一個繩球，然後叫你

of string and told to carefully mark off the next 2/3rds of a continent. Don't mind that

去劃定之後二分之三個北美。無視那些

uncharted wilderness in the way: just keep the line straight.

未知的野生動物，你的責任只是需要保持這條線直

Yeah.

沒錯

Good luck.

祝您

With that.

好運

The men who surveyed the land did the best they could and built over 900 monuments. They're

那些查勘員盡了最大的努力建了900多個國界碑

in about as straight as you could expect a pre-GPS civilization to make, but it's not

這些碑的筆直度跟你想像一個沒有GPS的年代落成的國界差不多

the kind of spherical / planar intersection that would bring a mathematician joy.

不過那可不是帶給數學家歡樂的球形/平面交叉

Nonetheless these monuments define the border and the no-touching-zone plays connect-the-dots

儘管如此，這些國界碑藉由無接觸區的「連連看」

with them.

確定了兩國國界

Oh, and while there are about 900 markers along this section of the border, there are

噢，雖然在北美的這裏只有約900個國界碑。在整個美加邊界可是有約

about 8,000 in total that define the shape of the nations.

8000個國界碑去擬定兩國的國界

Despite this massive project Canada and the United States still have disputed territory.

儘管這個計劃有多麼的大，加拿大和美國仍然有爭議之地

There is a series of islands in the Atlantic that the United States claims are part of

在兩國爭議中，有幾個大西洋小島美國說

Maine and Canada claims are part of New Brunswick. Canada, assuming the islands are hers built

屬於緬因州，而加拿大說屬於新不倫瑞克。加拿大(假設島是她的)

a lighthouse on one of them, and the United States, assuming the islands are hers pretends

就在島上起了一個燈塔，而美國(假設島是她的)

the lighthouse doesn't exist.

就當燈塔透明

It's not a huge problem as the argument is mostly over tourists who want to see puffins

這問題并不重要因為這主要是想觀鳥客和想捉龍蝦漁夫之間的問題

and fishermen who want to catch lobsters, but let's hope the disagreement gets resolved

不過還是希望這個問題能在

before someone finds oil under that lighthouse.

有人在燈塔下找到石油之前解決掉吧

Even the non-disputed territory has a few notably weird spots: such as this tick of

即使在非爭議地區裡還是有幾個奇怪的地方

the border upward into Canada. Zoom in and it gets stranger as the border isn't over

比如這個凸出來的地方，放大來看就更怪異了

solid land but runs through a lake to cut off a bit of Canada before diving back down

它並不橫跨，而是在湖中切掉一部份加拿大又往南

to the US.

之後往直線南回到北緯49度

This spot is home to about 100 Americans and is a perfect example of how border irregularities

這個地區是大約100個美國人的家，也是一個

are born:

不規則國界誕生的最佳例子

Back in 1783 when the victorious Americans were negotiating with the British who controlled

回到1783年，獲得勝利的美國人在跟那些控制了英屬北美（加拿大）的英國人談判的時候

what would one day be Canada, they needed a map, and this map was the best available

他們需要地圖，而這個就是當時最好的地圖

at the time. While the East Coast looks pretty good, the wester it goes the sparser it gets.

東岸的確很準確，不過愈往西走就愈簡陋

Under negotiation was the edge of what would one day be Minnesota and Manitoba. But unfortunately,

而他們當時正在談判（現今明尼蘇塔和緬尼托巴）地區。不幸的是，

that area was hidden underneath an inset on the map, so the Americans and British were

那塊地藏在了地圖插圖的下面，所以那些美國佬和英國佬

bordering blind. Seriously.

其實只是在劃分空白，（我說真的）

They guessed that the border should start from the northwestern part of this lake and

他們猜兩國國界應該從湖的西北變開始往西邊延伸

go in a horizontal line until it crossed the Mississippi... somewhere.

直到和密西西比河交叉的某處

But somewhere, turned out to be nowhere as the mighty Mississippi stops short of that

不過某處，變成了無處。因為那萬能的密西西比河在交叉前就斷了

line, which left the border vague until 35 years later when a second round of negotiations

所以剩下了那空白的邊界直到35年後第二輪的談判

established the aforementioned 49th parallel.

擬定了前述的北緯49度

But there was still a problem as the lake mentioned earlier was both higher, and less

不過還有一個問題，剛剛我們提到的湖其實比他們想像的在更北

circular than first though, putting its northwesterly point here so the existing border had to jump

更不規則。湖的西北點在這裏，所以國界需要跳上去

up to meet it and then drop straight down to the 49th, awkwardly cutting off a bit of

匯合它，然後馬上直落到北緯49度，不自然的切掉了一部份

Canada, before heading west across the remainder of the continent.

的加拿大，才繼續往西走其餘的陸地

Turns out you just can't draw a straight(-ish) line for hundreds of miles without causing

總結你並不可以畫一個幾百英里的直（吧）線而不

a few more problems.

製造幾個麻煩

One of which was luckily spotted in advance: Vancouver Island, which the 49th would have

溫哥華島：其中一個被幸運挽救的地方，北緯49線

sliced through, but both sides agreed that would be dumb so the border swoops around

本應會把它砍成兩半，不過雙方都同意這毫無意義

the island.

所以選擇繞開

However, next door to Vancouver Island is Point Roberts which went unnoticed as so today

但是溫哥華島旁邊的羅伯茲點在當時就沒有被發現，所以

the border blithey cuts across. It's a nice little town, home to over 1,000 Americans,

被國界橫跨。這是一個很不錯的小鎮，住著多於1000個美國公民

but has only a primary school so its older kids have to cross international borders four

不過只有一間國小，所以歲數大一點的孩子們每天都需要跨越國界四次

times a day to go to school in their own state.

去他們自己的州上學

In a pleasing symmetry, the East cost has the exact opposite situation with a Canadian Island

在東岸卻恰恰相反，加拿大的(坎波貝洛島Ile Campobello)島上

whose only land route is a bridge to the United States.

通往美國的橋是她唯一的離開島陸路

And these two aren't the only places where each country contains a bit of the other:

然而這兩個地方並不是唯一

there are several more, easily spotted in satellite photos by the no-touching zone.

在衛星相片下就能容易的看到在無接觸區有更多的地方有相同的問題

Regardless of if the land in question is just an uninhabited strip, in the middle of a lake,

無論是無人居住地，湖的中間

in the middle of nowhere, the border between these sister nations must remain clearly marked.

還是荒蕪之地，美加姐妹國的國界必須永遠保持清晰。