The World's Only Country-Swapping Island

Every 31st January, at midnight, France's Pheasant Island does something extremely strange. It becomes Spanish. And every 31st July, it flips and becomes French again. It's the world's only regular, scheduled, country-swapping island. So this summer, I went to see the flipping thing for myself...
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FURTHER READING FOR INSOMNIACS
Full text of the 1659 Treaty of the Pyrenees - mjp.univ-perp.fr/traites/1659...
Scanned copy of the 1856 Treaty of Bayonne in pdf format - www.basedoc.diplomatie.gouv.f...
CREDITS
Article about handover ceremony by Mer et Marine (in French) - www.meretmarine.com/fr/conten...
"Mazarin concludes the peace of the Pyrenees" image used under license from Alamy - www.alamy.com/mazarin-conclud...

[@namenamename390]

I love how Tom Scott said in a video of his that he doesn't have a reason to go to this island because there's not much to say besides "huh, that's weird" And now we have an 8 minute video from Tim, probably saying more than "huh, that's weird".

[@Alex-cw3rz]

You're forgetting Tim had a huge and rousing celebration to mark the occasion

[@bonecanoe86]

Virgin Tom vs Chad Tim

[@C.I...]

One could do something illegal in one of the countries, just after it swaps and stop doing something now illegal in the new country.

[@JoranGroothengel]

Now all we need is for Tim to intercept Tom on one of his continental trips and do a video on Tom from a distance.

[@Beckenpower]

In which video of Tom Scott was this?

[@JagoHazzard]

As a lazy smuggler, I find this information very useful.

[@joangallardo9645]

I know you were joking, but both sides of the border are in the European Union, so it's not a transit or economic border. Just like the border between, let's say, Ohio and Pensilvania or Wales and England. No point for smuggling.

[@AnEnemy100]

@Joan Gallardo There have been differences within the EU notably in the amount of duty charged on cigarettes & tobacco within member states so there has been smuggling over this border.

[@Ultrasemen]

​@@joangallardo9645 I mean, sure, there is a 90 meter freely accessed bridge next to it, but that's about 90 more meters than I'm willing to walk for my smuggling operations. Tell a customer to drop the package on that island, wait half a year, boom, package smuggled and payment received... now that's what I call passive income.

[@LikePhoenixFromAshes]

@@Ultrasemen Honestly, pain of GETTING on this tiny island would be much more troublesome than possible income of smuggling anything across border flip... 😅 There isn't even any boats or raft piers anywhere to dock to. Best bet is small inflatable toy raft and compressor to inflate and deflate, but again, is it worth it?

[@Ultrasemen]

​@@LikePhoenixFromAshes right, but the point is that I don't need to go there, the whole process is automatic, a package is received where package is dropped. Maybe I'd have to set up my smuggler's den just once, but for that, I could rent a toy raft for just an hour.

[@harrytodhunter5078]

Another excellent high-risk border conflict documentary!

[@philvanderlaan5942]

I don’t think it’s that high risk , unless you sneak onto the island raise the Argentine flag while pretending to salvage a whaleing station I seriously doubt either navy is going to care much other than having someone yell at you to get off the flipping flipping island before you get yourself in trouble.

[@zilleisurh167]

Someone may have missed the joke here!

[@harrytodhunter5078]

@@philvanderlaan5942 Twas a mere joke. In Tims video about the French Border Stones, someone commented "Tim is now doing high risk border conflict documentaries."

[@philvanderlaan5942]

@@harrytodhunter5078 I was kinda continuing the joke sarcasm can support an issue as well as attacking it

[@harrytodhunter5078]

@@philvanderlaan5942 Ah, my apologies!

[@BeaglefreilaufKalkar]

I live in a small village in Germany on the Dutch Border. After the second world war, the Dutch took this village and the land round in reparation for war damages. Between 1949 and 1963 it was Dutch, now its German again. It flipped its border as well. However. It was the place of the biggest smuggling operation in the world, of all time. When it was announced that at midnight 1. August 1963 it would become German again, some folks thought, well that means we can bring Butter, Coffee, etc to Elten before then, and the next day it would be in Germany, but without going across the Border, so no tax was due. Legally this was questionable but what happened was that every space in the village was packed with goods, and the streets were full of loaded trucks. The amount of goods was so big that in the time after the streets had to be repaired because of all the trucks damaging the roads. This could be the reason that access to the island is traditionally restricted, you could smuggle without crossing a boarder. The boarder would cross you. This is also likely why it is handled by the navy, because its kinda like a ship.

[@davidw1518]

But what could you smuggle between two EU member states, both in the Schengen Area?

[@BeaglefreilaufKalkar]

@@davidw1518 Not much, thats why I said traditionaly

[@x-a-]

@@davidw1518 tabacoo, its so taxed in France and costs nothing in spain

[@castorchua]

@@x-a- We're dying for more tobacco smuggling in Australia

[@x-a-]

@@castorchua I heard it was also heavily taxed in Australia, how do you get them cheap over there ?

[@YetAnotherGeorgeth]

"If there's one thing us brits are good at celebrating, it's flipping borders!" I feel bad for laughing at that 😂

[@kyleahoff]

"Does anything actually happen on the flipping day itself?" 😂

[@MySparkle888]

Hong Kong agrees!

[@thePronto]

Yeah, way too soon after the Brexit shitshow, for which y'all are now paying the price of 'taking back control'. Maybe you should choose a PM who studied economics, not greek myths...

[@Kumorini]

@@MySparkle888 Rip Hong Kong 😢

[@darylking265]

I don't feel bad at all for laughing at that.

[@unvergebeneid]

This is the kind of thing a Google Maps developer would quit their job over.

[@Thatbloodypond]

Just checked Google maps, the island is supposed to be french at the moment but it is indicated as in Spain. Google decided to keep the island Spanish apparently

[@unvergebeneid]

@@Thatbloodypond Quel affront ! 😄

[@guaposneeze]

@@Thatbloodypond I'm sure eventually somebody will complain about it being wrong and Google will get it fixed to be French by the time it's back to being Spanish.

[@danielmartonkovacs3278]

I am seriously considering writing to Google. :) I didn't know anything about this island and hour ago, but now I am wierdly offended that Google doesn't follow this through on the Maps.

[@PrograError]

@@danielmartonkovacs3278 considering nations going to war over google map's maps it's an oddity...

[@AnEnemy100]

Meanwhile the island: “I am Basque all the time.”

[@1258-Eckhart]

That's even true.

[@YannR34]

Yep you are right, and even now with Europe, it probably doesn't care even more. If those Kings have known that at this time. 😄

[@charleslambert3368]

If it weren't for the single market that'd be a great way to avoid duties. It's not importing if you stay still and the border moves.

[@mariosebastiani3214]

Brilliant! I was thinking the exact same thing.

[@jrenema]

They actually did this when there were some border corrections between NL and Germany in the sixties. Someone clever got a bunch of butter into Germany duty-free

[@tonys1636]

No tariffs or duty between EU countries or members of the customs union but not EU members. The UK could have avoided the result of full Brexit by staying in the Customs Union and travel area but it still would have cost money but less than the exit payment the UK will be paying off for decades to come, not including the cost to trade for the customs charges and regulations. Trying to shop online from UK companies is a nightmare at the present time, packages being returned due to incomplete customs declarations and paying two lots of VAT for those that comply. Being an ex pat sucks at this time.

[@solracer66]

@@tonys1636 Some enterprising person could send a whole bunch of items to Gibraltar before they enter the Schengen area and do the same thing. But I am sure that there will be some line in the treaty that prohibits that loophole. But maybe not...

[@numbereightyseven]

No, I'm sure someone could make such a law.

[@workaholica]

Optional title: The border Google Maps has wrong half of the year.

[@dontcheckmychanel]

Somewhere Tom Scott is fuming he didn't do the research first.

[@DarkWolf958]

doubtfull, this is similar to that bridge that is technicly in 2 countries and the weird of Baarle Nassau/Hertog. it something that makes you huh that intresting. not really Tom's niche anymore. Tim's however

[@dontcheckmychanel]

@@DarkWolf958 Tim cited a lot of sources here, on a scale far beyond a "huh, that's interesting" video.

[@mariosebastiani3214]

Looking back at a couple of his latest videos (namely, the London Bridge and automated warehouse ones), I'd say it's for the best he didn't. The island would've probably sunk shortly thereafter. Not his fault at all, mind me, but...

[@SportyMabamba]

@@mariosebastiani3214 if Tom Scott had made a video on this topic a week later half the island would’ve sunk and the other half would be in flames

[@forzai3612]

HAI made a video on this a while ago

[@justinoblanco]

About 20 years ago, I happened to end up, after being poured out of San Fermines in Pamplona, at another strange boarder between France and Spain. It's actually another result of the Treaty of Bayonne. Tim, you must, must go see The Tribute of the Three Cows. French and Spanish officials get all dressed up and go to the top of the mountain to exchange 3 cows for grazing rights, and another year of peace. It's marvellous.

[@igorokinamujika2073]

Not really. Its a lot older, from 1375, when Navarre was an independendent Kingdom. And it seems to be a local arrangement between two towns.

[@maze2000wi]

The beer with the Spanish name that Tim's British friend from Spain is drinking is actually brewed by a Dutch company in a French town with a German name. Except for sometimes, when it is brewed in Austria or the Netherlands.

[@krissp8712]

Mr Worldwide

[@stvdagger8074]

Sounds like a Hapsburg beer.

[@cozzaronero]

And then there is Tim who drinks some Italian sparkling water and as an Italian i approve of this

[@7MishMash]

It was originally brewed by the French company Fischer near Strasbourg. Now its owned by Heineken

[@AlejandroPRGH]

In fact "Desperado" is not a even a Spanish name. The proper Spanish word is "Desesperado".

[@SiVlog1989]

The bizarre situation with Pheasant Island is almost as bizarre as the fact that Andorra's head of state is not only a co-principality, but neither of the Princes of the nation are even from royal lineage nor from Andorra at all

[@petertaylor4980]

The funniest thing about that is that staunchly republican France has a monarch* as its head of state. * I know some pedant will dispute this, so I shall preemptively note that I'm using the word in accordance with subheading 1b in the OED.

[@lucienmeunier2270]

@@petertaylor4980 And there are monarchs ruling in France too: some Oversea Territories, such as Wallis, have kings.

[@adiuntesserande6893]

It’s also the only nation with an elected head of state with the requirement that both the electors and elected in question be citizens of a country foreign to the one they’ll end up in charge of....

[@diegoferreiro9478]

In the 30s a guy self-proclamed King of Andorra, Boris the 1st, no less. When the bishop of La Seu d'Urgell heard about it and called the Guardia Civil. The bishop is the other co-prince, so somebody was getting in his turf. 5 guardias were dispatched (a sergeant and four constables), they 'invaded' Andorra, they captured the usurper and got back home to La Seu. That's how the Spanish invasion of Andorra went...

[@edwardlees4585]

@@petertaylor4980 Do you think Macron enjoys dressing up as the Prince in the evenings when only Brigitte is there with him? I reckon he's got a whole box of robes, crowns, septors and orbs stashed away somewhere.

[@GamesFromSpace]

Every time the island transitions, the side gaining ownership should throw a decently sized rock onto it. Eventually, the island will become a peninsula and solve the problem.

[@waruiseishin953]

what problem?

[@whoeveriam0iam14222]

@@waruiseishin953 the problem of random youtubers making a video about some island in a river

[@kaengurus.sind.genossen]

That reminds me of a tradition in the German navy

[@nialltracey2599]

Ah yes, the problem of the towns either side not being regularly flooded. You have come up with a very simple solution to that, if a little slow.

[@Delibro]

Why one rock every time it flips? As if it was forbidden to throw rocks in a river, EXCEPT when a border flips and then only ONE rock... And borders actually also can cross rocks, so nothing would be changed. People have weird minds to not solve problems that aren't even a problem 😀🤦‍♂

[@inwalters]

When I heard about this I imagined a movie set in World War 2 where a British historian/cartographer POW (named Tim, of course) escapes and makes it to Pheasant Island at 11:59 pm on January 31, being closely followed by the Germans. He dives in the river and swims to the island, just as it turns Spanish and then in good British fashion turns to taunt the Germans, yelling that he's in Spain now and they can't catch him.

[@bentilbury2002]

@F99 Crafter What generally happened was that allied personnel escaping from the Germans would be interned for a while and then released. The Spanish were careful not to burn all their bridges with the allies!

[@petertaylor4980]

On the subject of Spanish non-participation in WWII, Hendaye is where Franco met Hitler to the displeasure of both.

[@eddiejc1]

@@bentilbury2002 Which explains why Spain was allowed to remain a fascist country for thirty years after WWII.

[@flitsertheo]

@@bentilbury2002 Not burning their bridges, their airforce used license built German WW2 era airplanes with British engines. As can be seen in "The Battle Of England" movie.

[@nialltracey2599]

@@eddiejc1 actually, the commonly cited reason for it being allowed to stay a fascist dictatorship is because Franco had deposed a democratically elected government incorporating several communist groups. There was a great deal of concern that a free and democratic Spain would give Stalin an ally in a very strategic location, threatening travel between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean.

[@TurdleShell]

i really appreciate the use of "flipping" in a comedic way at any possible chance

[@HunterShows]

Are you saying he's made a flipping joke?

[@Luubelaar]

I think it's appropriate because the whole thing is flipping ridiculous. But considering the Llivia situation and just Belgium in general, this is a perfect example of a thing my husband coined, "cultural experience". It's the stuff that happens everyday and is completely normal to the people who live there, but makes you go "... what??!" and sometimes causes some confusion.

[@logoseven3365]

“The worlds only flipping border.” If you say so

[@rgibson7305]

"And I will have your daughter." "Si." "QUE??" I had to pause the video I was laughing so hard...

[@slimcourage901]

"¡Adios amigos!"

[@loxodoncyclotis1823]

Pretty disgusting when you know that Louis was Felipe's nephew, which means the princess was his first cousin!

[@rgibson7305]

@@loxodoncyclotis1823 INDEED.

[@rabidheartbeats5953]

@@loxodoncyclotis1823 what's worse is that Maria Theresa was his first cousin TWICE over. but hey that's the Habsburgs for you.

[@jamesmurphy3415]

You need to get like 20 people on each side of the river to shoot off fireworks... one rocket each ... if you just keep doing it after like 2-3 years it will become a thing and you will probably need to buy a ticket

[@Aamiller312]

The instrumental version of Craig Ferguson’s Late Late Show theme as the clock approached midnight was perfect.

[@robbieweld7928]

ay was just gonna comment that!

[@MsGrandunion]

maybe you missed the other music? The Neighbours theme during the summary of the war and La Marseillaise at midnight was just genius!

[@hardanheavy]

"Which bit of Spain are you from?" "Manchesta" got a LOL from me ^^

[@vojtechjanda9684]

"Hello, bonjour, hola, and kaixo!" ...finally, that Euskara class I once took paid off!

[@Zeppflyer]

The state of Pennsylvania (unlike most US states, where schools are governed by the county) has 500 (Yes, exactly) separate school districts, which are completely independent of one another and manage all schooling within their borders from preschool through high school (5ish yo to 18ish), sometimes, for only a few dozen students. In the next valley over from where I grew up south of Pittsburgh, the school district border was the creek that ran down the center of the valley. I don't know if this actually ever happened or not, but the joke/rumor was that a family had built a small dam upstream of their house and rerouted the creek, in order to send their kids to the better district to the west, rather than the one to the east. I don't know that this ever actually happened, but given the amount of earth moving equipment that most farmers own and the informality with which school registration is often handled in rural PA, it could probably be done.

[@ChrisCaramia]

Michigan has an inappropriate number of school districts too--some of which exist without the town(ship) they formerly served. Now I know which state to blame!

[@tahanneloc10]

I lived in PA but went to school in Ohio. My family lived on the PA side of the state line road and it was mostly woods in PA, but just 10 mins drive into Ohio there were schools, stores, businesses, etc. Because our address was in PA we had to pay school taxes in PA and thus the school district had to drive us to school, even though it was in Ohio

[@AndrewAMartin]

I thought it was 503 school districts, but in any case, that's way too many. Another tidbit of information: that means there are 500 (or 503, whichever) different taxing authorities in Pennsylvania. Ludicrous... PA also has a problem with tiny police forces, but due to being a Commonwealth, consolidation efforts are very difficult.

[@MatthewWalster]

"Tomorrow's just a future yesterday" -- I miss Craig Ferguson's Late Late Show!

[@jabbertwardy]

Tim's music selection is always surprising and appropriate 🎹

[@TimHoppen]

I also caught that. Such warm feelings.

[@llydrsn]

Probably the best ever late night theme. Tootsie fruitsie! Now I am wondering if Geoff has a place over at Pheasant Island?

[@michaelcollins966]

@@llydrsn , they probably throw beads at each other every 6 months.

[@jtd8719]

Love the Windows error sound near 1:40. Your editing, as always, is masterful.

[@slowshop]

1:33

[@kippen64]

As an Australian, it's odd that you can be in one country one side of a river and another country on the other side of the river.

[@SteenG3yL]

You just have a very thicc river as border with New Zealand

[@mikespearwood3914]

@@SteenG3yL We're actually closer to Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and East Timor than New Zealand.

[@patrickverlinden71]

And it's not guarded by crocs.

[@andrewgwilliam4831]

Not really any different to where Australian states are separated by a river.

[@mikespearwood3914]

@@andrewgwilliam4831 But a lot of the borders are just straight lines across desert where nobody lives though. So it's a weird anomaly in Australia to have population centres at the state border at either side.

[@peterwright4647]

Hans Island. Denmark and Canada should adopt this strategy instead of leaving booze for each other.

[@castorchua]

I'd go with booze. All diplomacy requires more booze.

[@towaritch]

Same thing with Perejil island between Spain and Morocco

[@HappyBeezerStudios]

Yeah keep the booze, in some way it is sort of a cultural exchange.

[@tatianajimenez8843]

Thank you for this video! It was nice someone talked about our little island. I saw my old school, and my family's house. Some people try to go to the island because there is a pokemon gym on it, and you can't acces to it from neither of the island walking paths. I tried...

[@tf8896]

Love the Basque in the intro!

[@Darwinek]

I think the locals don't really care about it. Basques on both sides of the border. For them it's all just Basque Country.

[@EdMcF1]

So from 1958 until 1986, that island left and joined the then EEC many times.

[@mlies37]

Took me a second to recognize the theme song to the late late show with craig fergusson, I loved that show

[@llydrsn]

I miss that show

[@pinitxopo]

Hope you liked the Basque Country!

[@eddiejc1]

It's a shame that neither France nor Spain is willing to allow tourists on the island. Citizens of either country don't need a passport to cross over into the other country, so would it really kill them to install a pedestrian bridge and/or ferry? I think people would turn out to see a ceremony turning over the island to the other country twice a year.

[@gianfavero]

I guess you don't know France well. Here everything is forbidden unless expressly allowed.

[@RoScFan]

@@gianfavero That s fucked up! So france is not a free country?

[@grovemeister04]

@@RoScFan He's not trying to say France isn't a free country, it most certainly is one. France has very strong social norms that you will be frowned apon if you break. There's a certain anecdote that goes along with this. It asks why the French are tired all the time, and it's because they have to deal with french people all day.

[@Quick_Fix]

Over here we have a (sarcastic) saying: "France is a very beautiful country... it's a shame it's inhabited by the French".

[@grovemeister04]

@@Quick_Fix I love that. Thanks for sharing.

[@japsurdejjvvhh7635]

That was a genuinely good video about a trip where literally nothing happened. At. All 😁

[@TremereTT]

Didn't they witness a whole Island crossing the Franco-Spanich boarder?

[@micaelsilva]

I don’t recommend look in to the Louis XIV’s browser history (at 2:50)

[@Hand-in-Shot_Productions]

The Tim Traveler and Louis's bride?!

[@deeser]

That was flipping marvelous!

[@crackwitz]

regular people divorce: you get the kids every tuesday and thursday and every second weekend spain and france: ... whatever this is...

[@eddiejc1]

Another interesting border nearby is the Spanish town of Llivía which is surrounded by France. Know how in this video we see Louis XIV saying that "we will have all villages north of the Pyranees?" He should have been more careful about his language because Llivía ISN'T a village, so it wasn't included and thus it remained a part of Spain. Unlike Pheasant Island, Tim can actually visit Llivía! There's also an interesting bit about a long-running dispute over a stop light that he could put into a video...

[@njdevilku1340]

I'm sure @tim traveller did that on purpose (maybe his next video if he's was in south France this summer).

[@thomasb6583]

Other interesting facts about this island: - The island was ruled by a viceroy until 2017, who was the commander of the naval base of Bayonne for the French side. You can even find the nomination of our viceroy here on the Official journal of the French Republic (JORF n°0168 du 20 juillet 2017, Texte n° 103) - which meant it was a kingdom de facto - It is completely forbidden to go to this island. It was also decided by the viceroy, I guess to avoid having any mess created if anything happens due to this weird law status - The status of condiminium was sometimes used as a way to avoid conflict when sovereignty was disputed among a territory. It became something big with the colonial empires (cf High Hebrides until 1980 between the French and the Flipping-borders-Brits ahah) Thank you Tim to wait until midnight to share with us these impressives images of an island switching country in the middle of the night !

[@lauraketteridge324]

I knew about the flipping border, but your way of presenting the information makes it all rather enjoyable. Will there be a return in 6 months to see if the flip is better celebrated?

[@Allan_son]

Canada and Denmark flip our border island in a different way. As I hear it the Canadian navy visits Hans Island every year or two. They remove the Danish flag and a bottle of schnaps and leave our flag and a bottle of Canadian rye whiskey. Sometime later the Danes return and remove our flag and the rye. Thus the island flips in a less orderly manner than the French and Spanish have arranged.

[@HappyBeezerStudios]

Less orderly but way more fun. Get free booze and a nice flag.

[@MyLateralThawts]

Canada and Greenland (or rather, the Danish government) might consider this solution for their own bizarre dispute over Hans Island.

[@Luubelaar]

Is that the one where they turn up, remove the other country's flag, put up their own, and leave a bottle of booze for when this happens next time? I find that hilarious. The most polite way to have a dispute.

[@bobsrailrelics]

Loving the animation of the old paintings. Another fascinating story.

[@leopratlong8312]

Désolé, commentaire en Français : à ce niveau, c'est de la 'Pataphysique ! C'est l'étude des détails auxquels mêmes les principaux concernés, la France et l'Espagne, ont cessé de s'intéresser. Et c'est pour ça que la pataphysique considère comme essentielles les choses inutiles ou dispensables, comme le fait de faire 1000 km pour assister à une cérémonie qui n'existe pas, sur une frontière qui n'existe plus vraiment, sur une île interdite d'accès, pour vérifier un questionnement que personne n'a de raison d'avoir jamais eu. Bravo ! Et peut-être l'une de vos vidéos les plus drôles ! Et surtout, une vidéo qui manquait à tous puisque personne n'aurait jamais eu l'idée de la faire. Et pourtant, on s'est tous posé un jour la question à laquelle vous répondez, de la même manière qu'on se demande pourquoi il y a encore du dentifrice dans le tube une fois que le tube est vide, ou encore quel est le plus long bâtiment du monde (mais il y a là aussi une de vos vidéos pour y répondre :) ).

[@flitsertheo]

Heureusement personne ne comprends le Français ici.

[@LaPingvino]

@@flitsertheo sauf moi...

[@JMac-fj1rg]

For weird island territories, consider Nunez Rocks just south of the Alaska panhandle. Half the day they are submerged due to tidal action and therefor part of the USA. When the tide recedes and Nunez Rocks appears above sea level, they become part of Canada due to the unclear wording of the 1903 treaty

[@N.I.R.A.T.I.A.S.]

5:42 Brilliant use of the Craig Ferguson theme ... it's hard to stay up, it's been a long, long day indeed.

[@henningbartels6245]

I liked the fact that Tim as a native speaker mixed up 'invented' and 'invited' - because it happened to me (as German) once at an occasion.

[@justanotherglorpsdaymornin5097]

I would like to imagine some kayakers stopping off on Pheasant Island to stretch their legs just to have either a French or Spanish navy boat rock up so an oficer can politely ask them to get off the island.

[@tatianajimenez8843]

there are a lot of kayakers on the river. You could be one, go to the island for 5 min, take a picture of the memorial, play some pokemon go on the gym there, and the navy won't be there before you get out. I live in front of the island, French side.

[@49metal]

So, reading between the lines I make the following supposition: The island is a true simultaneous, continuous condominium with neither side receiving or ceding their immediate sovereignty. The "timeshare" practice discussed in popular media is not the product of any treaty or authorized diplomatic settlement, but a custom implemented by the respective militaries so that they don't have to patrol it simultaneously or continuously and to distribute the minor maintenance the island receives equally.

[@chilanya]

but, switching on a 6-month basis seems not equal at all. with the seasons changing there may be a lot more maintenance in one season than another, and a lot more "dangerous" tourists to fend off in tourist season. More equal would be to switch each year.

[@pomerakchild]

It's mad to think that if it was the late 70's and you committed murder on the island, depending on the time of the year you'd either be spending life in a Spanish jail or you'd lose your head. Literally.

[@nealbekheetsaliyb2854]

No, murderers in Spain were garotted and guillotined in France. I think the last executions were 1974 in Spain and 1977 in France

[@rpalstra]

Quite a surprise hearing you play the Late Late Show theme (and Neighbours was also quite appropriate :)

[@andrewweitzman4006]

Fran's disgusted expression during the "changeover" just says it all, really.

[@toposebi95]

Ah bloody hell, I live in Irun, could've invited you to some pintxos... EDIT: I WAS LITERALLY IN HENDAYE WHEN HE WAS FILMING, HOW THE HELL DID I NOT SPOT TIM?

[@njdevilku1340]

Where you up @ midnight on July 31st?

[@toposebi95]

@@njdevilku1340 I was there earlier in the day lol

[@wherethebirdsgo]

Thank you so much for the inclusion of the basque!

[@beharford]

Nicely done, Lad...great video!

[@chrisclark1761]

There a lots of notable I would not bother to get out of my chair to see. Such as LasVegas, TheVatican, Antarctica. Places like Pheasant Island and Baarle-Nassau on the other hand, are places I would happily spend time and money going to visit.

[@TrevorSturman]

Google Maps is still currently showing it as Spain. Are they trying to start a war because that's how you start a war

[@tristanbackup2536]

A nerf war! >:D

[@Cordoba82]

Your videos are such an enjoyable way of learning about Europe! Thanks for taking the time to put them together and for sharing with the rest of the world who can really go anywhere right now!

[@paulyiustravelogue]

You literally spent a whole day there just to capture that midnight moment! Bravo! And that blooper at the end adds a nice touch.

[@llydrsn]

Ah yes, Tim is pushing boundaries again!

[@capcompass9298]

That pun is bordering on painful.

[@gerwardbosman3783]

On Google maps they don't do 'flipping borders', according to the drawn borderline it is permanently Spanish...

[@PMX]

And Apple Maps shows it (currently correctly) as belonging to France, so maybe that one does switch? 🤔

[@thorsteinj]

OSM shows a border following the island's shoreline, then a separate border running north of the island. And the island is currently part of France.

[@flyiasf5668]

This is so cool. I used to work in irun for two years, and every day I walked past this island on my way to work. I never knew it was this special. And yes, during low tide, there is basically no water in the bidasoa.

[@mary-janejenkins9560]

Amazed at your ability to source such fascinating information 💕 Thank you for all these wonderful videos

[@cakemartyr5794]

Hilarious take on this. Sorry you didn't get a chance to go on the island. Could I suggest a visit to a split island? Usedom (German name) in the Baltic has a German half and a Polish half, including the town of Swinoujscie, which I visited when I was seven. Both East Germany and Poland were Communist then. The island was split postwar, as the line of the Oder border was projected northward through it, rather than around it. Anyway, well done for including Euskera in your video. Agur!

[@dennisdekoster1187]

I just love these silly border-facts. Especially the way how Tim tells his stories. 🇳🇱

[@aikohikari6587]

That video was excellent! Really informing and also entertaining. Definitely going to watch more of your videos.

[@sniper441]

Tim your videos always bring a big smile to my face. I hope you continue to make these lovely parks for long to come

[@MrGreatplum]

That’s probably the best reason to make a video in order to meet half way with a pal! 😆 The French and the Spanish ought to do one of those changing the guard ceremonies like the Indians and Pakistanis do on their border!

[@capcompass9298]

Not enough room on the island.

[@thespanishinquisition9595]

Reminds of the scetch "The adventures of Ralph Mellish." by Monty Python: "When suddenly... Tada ".. nothing happend."

[@KingfisherTalkingPictures]

So delighted to see a new episode and see what this island I’ve read about looks like.

[@philsharp758]

Excellent. Nice to see you back, dealing with the serious issues of the day.

[@JohnMulhall1]

I suppose that many of the locals believe the island is neither French or Spanish, simply Basque, if they think about it at all. But that's not what I was wondering about... How do you even find out about these places?

[@dwarftoad]

It doesn't look like the border line on Google maps actually flips back and forth (it shows the island in Spain), can we petition them to make it a dotted line encircling the island or something?

[@MrKelsomatic]

I just checked and noticed the same thing!

[@setharnold9764]

I'm surprised a Google maps engineer hadn't already programmed in a switch at midnight. What's the point of having 20% project time if not to solve problems exactly like this?

[@NielMalan]

Since it is the 21st century, I expect a corporation with the size and arrogance of Google to have its maps accurate at all times.

[@extrastuff9463]

Just checked google maps while watching this video and indeed, but Google is actually doing something even worse. By judging both the sattelite and regular map they are splitting the island up: tiny bits of each side of the island are allocated to France map wise. Can't really fault them though, would be nice to have it automatically updating but there aren't many borders that are periodically changing like this so the system might not be designed for it.

[@WildBluntHickok]

Fun fact: google maps actually displays boarders differently depending on what country you're in when you check it, so as to conform to that country's biases. Maybe your country doesn't recognize a country that 95% of the UN recognizes but the other 5% don't, or maybe your country says that mountain range that the border runs along is 100% in your country and the neighboring country says it's 100% in their country. Google maps will lie to you however your country demands they do it. It gets interesting when you check it in China. All sorts of places suddenly aren't independent anymore. "How could we be guilty of invading there? It's part of China already, just check the maps!"

[@almostthere3733]

Love it when historic figures have Zoom meetings! Good thing you found those recordings.

[@chrismckay8349]

Hoorah. An upload on my Birthday. Best present ever. Thanks Tim.

[@TotoDG]

2:27. Hey, Felipe... *Why the long face?* (Man, if I actually told him that, I'd probably be executed under lèse-majesté.)

[@awkwardaquamarine19]

So you "invented" a friend. Good for you, sir! 😇 Cheesy joke aside, I love how you make mundane stories into something interesting. The people who live nearby the "flipping island" border probably thinks their history meh, but you made it into an entertaining YT video. Kudos!🤓

[@hatchsp]

You are flipping brilliant. Well done. Excellent video.

[@Hand-in-Shot_Productions]

Thanks for the information (and the comedic ceremony)! Subscribed!

[@Mountain133]

The border between Finland and Sweden also chances depending on where the deepest point of the border river (Tornionjoki) is. Depending on how the river flows whole islands can change from one country to another.

[@ivarnordlkken8082]

The same happens between Finland and Norway on the Tana (Teno) river.

[@Gunstick]

I want to know if google maps switches the border at midnight. You showed the map before but then didn't after. Arghhhh!

[@captainufo4587]

Just checked, it's not flipped. It's currently shown as part of Spain.

[@TheTimTraveller]

The answer is nothing but a huge disappointment I'm afraid! I had my phone all set up for a before and after shot, fired up Google Maps just after midnight and... it doesn't update.

[@mike.w]

Apple maps seems to be correct! I'll have to check back on January 31st to see if it switches back to Spain.

[@Gunstick]

We need to file a bug report with google! 🤣

[@violetariveros7681]

I adore your videos, the information, the editing, the comedy, perfection! I dies with the "¡Adios amigos!"

[@zwatotem]

I can't believe KZbin algorithm is so clever, that it recommended this to me now. I'll be watching tomorrow at midnight, what happens to the island at Google Maps.

[@NoNameAtAll2]

what about that Canada-Norway changing island? where people are sent to change a flag (and receive old and put new gifts under the pole)

[@TheTimTraveller]

Ah I love that story too! I'd say the difference is that here, the border swap is agreed (and scheduled!) by both nations. Hans Island is still technically a territorial dispute, albeit an unusually friendly one.

[@johan21mp]

No it's not a dispute. The Canadians just have realised were right and they're wrong. Even the name is bloody well in Danish

[@Superchickenman159]

hans island, (kingdom of) denmark / greenland. no flippin' way this has been sorted between us. disputed and unimportant but still a fun story: schnapps is traded for canadian club whisky wherever a new flag is staked whenever a ship shows up. technically it's a geo-political crux, but if we're speaking technicalities, technically nobody gives a shit. it's an esoteric playground for danes and canadians. nothing but adorable!

[@badAim2]

In my opinion... that island belongs to Hans. Seems pretty obvious to me.

[@MonctonRad]

It's Canada and Denmark actually. An intense conflict. The only casualties so far have been the odd bottles of Schnapps and whiskey.

[@chrisislt]

Now i want a weird history channel, narrated and animated by Tim. The portrayal of The Spanish princess was marvelous!

[@capcompass9298]

Splosh.

[@darrenwilson8042]

Another genuinely informative video - thanks

[@Alex-ur3vt]

These vidoes are class mate, keep it up.

[@uytteb]

So does it really flip sides every six months in a territorial/legal sense, or does only maintenance and oversight flip sides? If the island is "en indivision" (owned jointly), which the treaty appeared to say, shouldn't it legally be a part of both countries all the time?

[@qwertyTRiG]

That's what I was thinking. Sounds like it's actually a condominium, and administration, not possession, changes hands.

[@aleksandercirilkozar2769]

From Basque pespective this river runs through the middle of the nation so I see little reason they would celebrate some ritual from countries that enforced that border there.

[@hologram1211]

One of your best yet!

[@mattratelle7927]

Okay, but the thing we all wanted to know is whether or not the line on the map flips depending on time of year! I kept waiting for you to address that!

[@PMX]

Google Maps still shows the island as belonging to Spain so, no. But Apple Maps shows it (correctly) belonging to France so... maybe Apple maps flips?

[@MarcusfotosDe]

This is also the only place on earth where you could travel from one country to an other without even moving at all!

[@CptJistuce]

Nope! Texas-Mexico border is defined as the Rio Grande, and the Rio Grande drifts quite a bit. We swap random chunks of uninhabited land with Mexico regularly because of it.

[@vinnyethanol]

After being apprehended by The Navy: “You’re really not supposed to be there. Please don’t do it again.” “No worries, I don’t want to bother since I’ve done it.” “Alright, cheers mate.”

[@thePronto]

Navy: "Just kidding, 50 lashes. Mr. Bosun, tie the prisoner to that tree."

[@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721]

I'm picturing the navy in a rowboat. They didn't want to waste their important ships on this.

[@HappyBeezerStudios]

@@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721 Just two sailors coming in. One is occupied with rowing, the other with looking important.

[@RomanoPRODUCTION]

Tim, my favorite laid-back influencer

[@MsGrandunion]

Loving the Neighbours theme during the summary of the war!

[@jetaddicted]

France has some of the weirdest borders (“some” because Belgium and the Netherlands also have some funny ones, alongside India and Bangladesh); well worth a documentary.

[@Calum_S]

Come on Tim, you could have toasted the event with Perrier.

[@IsoscelesKramer]

Either way, Nestle reaps the benefits! :)

[@nelsondesilva3916]

You're a riot Tim! Love your work

[@arvibi3084]

Great flipping video, Tim.