Sunday, September 4, 2016

Unusual Shape

The northern border between India and Bangladesh is completely crazy. Also called enclaves or chitmahals


Don't believe me? See for yourself.



10 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. You wish I wasn't what? A bug-eyed potato-bean person?

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    2. He wishes you weren't inside an Indian enclave inside a Bangladeshi enclave inside India... or at least that's the only explanation I can see... *shrug*

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  2. And from what I've heard, life is not easy in those counter-enclaves, as it's nearly impossible to get access to medical care, let alone higher education, since the locals would have to cross the border, which they can't do without a visa... but the offices that issue visas are not in the enclave but in the country proper.

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    Replies
    1. Yeah. It's as if they asked Franz Kafka to settle their border dispute.

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  3. A similar situation can be found at the Dutch-Belgian border (in the villages of Baarle-Nassau and Baarle-Hertog). See it here: https://www.google.com/maps/place/Baarle-Nassau/@51.4368842,4.8884816,13z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x47c6a5342570ab1d:0x808696d1e9939744!8m2!3d51.4451366!4d4.9295231

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  4. A lot of these enclaves disappeared now. See e.g. http://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/india-and-bangladesh-swap-territory-citizens-landmark-enclave-exchange

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    Replies
    1. I'd heard this was in the process of being fixed, but that in reality it's still quite a mess. Knowing what I do about Indian bureaucracy, I imagine it'll be quite some time before any of this gets sorted out properly.

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  5. Wow. Just wow. How did they even... Never mind. Don't want to know. Lol

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  6. You know, that's really insightful of you. It really requires you to actually know the places that you've visited. Because 95% Indians aren't butt aware this problem even exists. I was just sharing this comic with a acquaintance here in office, he didn't get shit! LOL. But TBH i think the only reason I know about it is because I am from the Northeastern part of India.

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