What Happens To A Border If The River Changes Course?

The River Lys (Leie, in Flemish) has formed the border between Belgium and France for nearly 200 years. The only problem is: rivers move. So what happens to the border when the river takes a new course? What does it look like? And with hundreds of river borders around the world, how do different countries deal with it? I went to northern France / southwestern Belgium to investigate...
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French coat of arms: commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...

[@brianmiles4917]

We, your viewers, demand a trip to Liberland. Don’t forget to find the highest point of elevation.

[@Kara_Kay_Eschel]

I am not demanding, but think it would be a fun video to watch.

[@tantroe-biff696]

Liberland! Liberland!

[@elinars5638]

Liberland organises events at least once per year. You should go.

[@paddyneill1964]

#Liberland 😎

[@We_Seek_Truth]

YES!!! - LONG LIVE LIBERLAND!!! And of course - King (Vít) Jedlička!!

[@jo_vally]

Funny thing about the signs: since Menen is a Flemish town, all signs legally have to be in Dutch only (annoying the French is just a bonus, this is to annoy the French speaking part of Belgium).

[@TheTimTraveller]

Ah interesting! I knew Menen was officially Flemish speaking, but had no idea that it was actually a legal requirement to use ONLY Flemish. That's kind of stupid. But also quite funny.

[@greentjmtl]

@@TheTimTraveller Quebec has entered the chat Among the more benign examples student in French school will be sent to detention if they were caught speaking English outside English class.

[@smveerman]

@@TheTimTraveller Belgium languages laws are amazing. A lot of people hate them but will defend them too. And they are so strongly followed that information from the railways or the road signs above the ring road of Brussels can be quite confusing.

[@dalstein3708]

I suspect JoVally is right. Annoying the French-speaking Belgians was the main goal, annoying the French across the border was merely a bonus.

[@nibblitman]

Ahhh the classic screwing with the neighbors move.

[@ruk2227]

Small pedantic note, as I'm sure you know Belgium is actually a trilingual nation with German as an (often forgotten) national language as-well.

[@TheTimTraveller]

Very good point! As demonstrated by the fact that I forgot about it

[@TVM_Media]

Yeah ok that’s true. There are more people speaking Turkish or Arabic than German tho. Belgium is just ..... weird.

[@mickavoidant4780]

Was it from the Treaty of Verseille giving some of Germany to Belgium?

[@TheTimTraveller]

@@mickavoidant4780 Yes. The worst thing is that I actually talked about this in my old video about the Vennbahn AND one about the Vaalserberg :S

[@ixlnxs]

@@TheTimTraveller Ah, don't worry, Ostbelgien (as the German bit of Belgium prefers to call itself) is stunningly beautiful and gemütlich, but in no way relevant to this video.

[@ChrissieBear]

The shop with "french products, belgian prices" on it killed me. xD

[@annaapple7452]

The Netherlands and Germany have a border dispute in the Eems-Dollard, part of the northern part of their border. They seem to agree that the border can change with natural processes, but NL claims it follows the deepest point of the estuary, and D says it is the low-water mark at the Dutch side. Leading to quite a bit of "betwist gebied" (disputed area), but they agreed that it was not worth a war. In 2014, they decided that the border will remain ambiguous and they manage the area together. I used to do ecological projects in that area and remember that the term betwist gebied was at that time changed into something more agreeable like "gemeenschappelijk gebied" (common area), but it was quite the elephant in the room.

[@benholroyd5221]

Dont you mean "Olifant in de kamer"?

[@AnnaRebeccaN9]

Indeed there is no real problem except maby the new wind turbines build at the harbor of Delfzijl being possibly in Germany but still no problem. I live right next to it but i never knew there was a border dispute right of the cost of where i life, but i read about it a few years ago cuz i love geography.

[@ApemanMonkey]

I'm always surprised when I read about that border dispute: how does Germany have the gall to move a sea border so close to another country's coast, instead of going more like "let's draw it in ze middle, ja?", after all they have done disrespecting that country's border in the past.

[@benholroyd5221]

@@ApemanMonkey I would guess its to do with shipping. If the border is at the low water mark so the shipping channel would always be on the German side. The devil is in the fine print. Maybe it was decided that Germany should have control of the shipping lane, maybe it was agreed that Germany would keep it navigable. Maybe nothing was agreed but Germany always had taken responsibility for keeping the shipping lane open. I suppose the reasonable question to ask now is who actually maintains the waterway now.

[@towaritch]

Is there a common dutch-german administration of the zone you mean?

[@LQC2556]

1:44 "While on the left, there's a more relaxed approach to taxation..." Further emphasized by the sign on that store that says "Produits français - prix belges"

[@ixlnxs]

Now that's something even I as a Fleming would stop for!

[@ekevanderzee9538]

@@paulm7826 in Belgium you have two economies. The real one and the official one.

[@johansilwouden3403]

@@ixlnxs Or as a Dutchman, I would take a DETOUR for while visiting your country!

[@HappyBeezerStudios]

That is something even I can understand.

[@HansLasser]

@@paulm7826 Not for everything. My parents go to France for some over the counter medicines and some food products. Cigarettes are cheaper in Belgium tough.

[@PaulFisher]

5:03 “…while Nepal (and apparently Google Maps) says it’s where the river was.” This is a tricky thing! Google (and all digital mapping services that operate in many countries) will show different borders in countries where required by local law. India in particular has an *exceptionally* strict rule that all maps must show India as having uncontested sovereignty over all the territory it claims. Maps in Russia show Crimea as part of the country. There once was a website where you could compare country views interactively but I cannot find it any longer. I believe in countries that are not party to the border or naming dispute, the company follows the international consensus in representing disputed borders.

[@JoshSweetvale]

That's called 'collaboration' and they'll pay reparations for it sonetime in the next few centuries.

[@michaelgusovsky]

There is usually no such thing as international consensus; in foreign relations, countries will usually act in favor of allies and against perceived enemies. There is no objective "right" answer. Countries that are powerful and influential, such as China and USA, will often bully others into going along with them (e.g., anyone recognizing Taiwan as a sovereign nation will face serious blowback from China)

[@PaulFisher]

@@michaelgusovsky certainly it is all political. What I was intending to say (though I may not have phrased it perfectly) is that in counties that do not restrict map depictions, digital maps will tend to show borders as disputed and not take a particular side in the dispute. “Consensus” refers more to consensus among geographers that a border is disputed, not necessarily among sovereign states (which, as you point out, does not exist in the case of a disputed border by definition-if there were consensus, it wouldn’t be a dispute!).

[@HappyBeezerStudios]

And all maps of China are a tiny bit off, also by law.

[@kaloarepo288]

I have a world globe which I think was made in China (People's Republic") which shows Kashmir as a separate territory separate from India, Taiwan is the same color as China and Israel is not even on the map and replaced with "Palestine."

[@Plntls21]

Fun fact about the Belgium street name “Jaagpad”. The direct translation is “rush path”. These paths were used by horses pulling barges along the river. The horses were rushed here to pull the barges in unfavorable conditions like upstream or in heavy wind. The English term is “towpath”. The word “jaag” is derived from “opjagen” which means “to rush” in English. In The Netherlands it is common for a path along an old canal or river to be called “Jaagpad”.

[@dinnae]

'jagen' also means to tug a boat, according to my dictionary, so I don't think there's a direct connection with rushing or hunting

[@igoromelchenko3482]

Nice to know.

[@Plntls21]

@@dinnae Oh dear, you are right, your story is the same as the Wiki page about the “jaagpad”. My version was told by a teacher, who obviously was a liar 😂

[@TheSynecdoche]

Jaagpad is not a street name, just a general qualification. In the same way that Dutch have voetpad (for pedestrians) and fietspad (for bicycles). Specifies their intended use (and lays a basis for prosecuting for instance motorists using them as a shortcut).

[@sssskowlmemestar6644]

I live close to one and I always thought it meant "hunting path" because well it runs next to a canal and fishing could be seen as some kind of hunting, right?

[@JanTuts]

6:13 Keep in mind that Belgium _as a nation_ might be bilingual, but only the Brussels Capital Region is actually officially bilingual, while Flanders is officially Dutch and the vast majority of Wallonia is officially French, except for a small region within Wallonia that is officially German (Ostbelgien). Those signs are in Flanders, so they are Dutch.

[@dennisengelen2517]

Glad you said that Brussels is 'official' bilingual, because in reality you can't even order a burger or ask directions in Dutch because French speakers still think they are in the old days where they had power and more people, while Flanders is the one in power now and those stuck up French speakers refuse to accept that fact lol.

[@BoG_City]

I see you are having the youtube succes you deserve, the sound effect budget is getting bigger and bigger haha love it

[@tijmen131]

still not a million subs, my man deserves more

[@crowbar6468]

You could say that the border got canal-abalised...

[@leapoffaith20]

Get out.

[@jcthefluteman]

Omg the Sim City music at 3:40 I see what you're doing there and I'm here for it

[@Andyoso88]

Took me back too! Loved the music in that game (along with actually playing / making cities)

[@VannevarB2]

I think it's a cover version?

[@VanadiumBromide]

Dumping all your heavy industry on your city's border is a time honored Simcity tradition.

[@JeffreyJakucyk]

@@VannevarB2 Tim covers all the music himself. There may be an exception here or there, but I can't think of them offhand.

[@quillmaurer6563]

"So what do we put on these isolated bits of territory?" "Howabout shit?" "Sounds good to me!"

[@johanleivasaldarriaga4366]

When you can travel again, we need a video about Liberland... Eh, assuming it is easy to go there

[@cedricvandierendonck2045]

no, last I heard it is a swamp with nothing there

[@tomasvrana6765]

You can only get there on boat and its nothing there.

[@andyjay729]

Probably easier to get to than the island in a lake on an island in a lake on an island in northern Canada. earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/85342/island-in-a-lake-on-an-island-in-a-lake-on-an-island

[@bluemountain4181]

I wonder if it could be used for tax evasion. If neither country claims it maybe neither country will tax it?

[@MrRedsjack]

@@bluemountain4181 set up a cigarette stand and see the 2 countries nag each other about whom has to get that sweet tobacco tax.

[@fitnesswithsteve]

3:41 I love the sim city 3000 music cover

[@PaulFisher]

I am pleased to not be the only person to notice Sim Broadway’s inclusion!

[@PF234]

It's the actual music, not a cover. Very nice detail indeed!

[@PaulFisher]

@@PF234 it sounds slightly different from the original-softer edges and slightly less…emphatic? beyond just being the original recording at low volume. I believe it is Tim playing the music on the piano, as he often does for the incidental music.

[@NSHorseheadSD70]

You never miss the sounds of your childhood

[@IntyMichael]

Reminds me of the movie "Rien a declarer" where the Belgian guy relocated the border posts at night towards France. :)

[@benholroyd5221]

Sounds like the Belgian version of 'The man who walked up a hill and came down a mountain'. Hmm, that actually sounds like a good idea for a Tim Traveller video.

[@IntyMichael]

​@@benholroyd5221 kzbin.info/www/bejne/ppq0gZSuob-Kq5Y

[@Brickselot]

@@benholroyd5221 rien a declarer is a franco-belgian movie but I think Dany Boon (someone from France) directed it. So don't forget the french

[@SkeletonSyskey]

2:18 Rosie & Jim 4:22 Neighbours That's what I love about Tim's Videos. The Nostalgic TV Themes on the piano.

[@rjc0234]

So strange to not have the saxophone!

[@ralphhowes]

A lovely episode with good giggles, and I learned where "fleur de Lys" comes from. Entertainment and education in one Tim shaped package.

[@KingCuddler]

im glad i wasnt the only one who was like "huh, i guess it does mean flowers of lys" and was pleasantly satisfied with that

[@jessicabudden5695]

The perfectly timed Neighbours theme brought a smile to my face (esp as an Aussie enjoying a video about a European border from the other side of the world!)

[@Tara19040]

This is the sort of thing Tom Scott would have made about 3-4 years ago. Great stuff.

[@williamhanson2874]

So true

[@contentedbuddha]

But Tim is sooo much less annoying

[@utopistmsoc]

Wait they are not the same person? Holy shit.

[@Varksterable]

@@contentedbuddha I disagree. They are certainly different. Tom found topics mostly in the UK. Tim mostly does 'foreign stuff' (from a UK perspective.) Tom did more in-depth, technical stuff. Tim does shorter, localized stuff. Tom has a UK PE accent. Tim doesn't. Is one 'better' than the other? Not really. I totally enjoy both. Both can be quite irritating at times. Both are usually highly entertaining. Comparing them is a bit like comparing lemons and shotguns; not really relevant.

[@nightw4tchman]

Tom did Baarle-Hertog/Nassau a few years back.

[@Aelsenaer]

This is a similar situation before a border correction (2018) between the Netherlands and Belgium. Near Vise / Maastricht an island (before 2018 Belgium) in the river Maas was only accesable from the Netherlands. Border has been changed due to criminal activities on the island.

[@da96103]

This was the one where they founf a headless body in one of the islands and belgium and netherlands both did not want to get involve.

[@zhuravlik26]

This part of the border is especially weird - there is also an exclave of Wallonia, which up to some time belonged to Flanders, thus it has street names in Flemish, but the language there is French. Belgium is really amazing in its internal complexity.

[@SupremeLeaderKimJong-un]

Ah yes, when a river changes course. A lot of border irregularities because of the changing course of the mighty Mississippi in the US. Like the Kentucky Bend, a piece of Kentucky cutoff from the rest of the state

[@fishflake1209]

Alas, Supreme Leader, the Kentucky Bend is the result of bad surveying, not changes in the Mississippi’s course. The Kentucky-Missouri and Tennessee-Missouri borders are defined by the River, while the Kentucky-Tennessee border is defined by a line of latitude. It just happened that the Mississippi does an over-under job directly over that line.

[@TomJohnson67]

Either he is everywhere or I have the same taste in videos as Kim Jong Un.

[@miliba]

You are lucky that your border rivers like the Yalu arent so meandering. Otherwise youd have problems with China

[@Gahmuret]

It's just too bad that we can't cut Kentucky off from the rest of the US.

[@Mohammed8778]

@@TomJohnson67 Or youtube doesnt restrict names to be unique ;-)

[@guntherV73]

As a Belgian I can attest that this is a really good example of a Belgian signpost... in excellent condition.

[@samuel999]

Love the SimCity theme tune at 3:39!

[@edgarmark909]

I agree, it was the perfect touch!!

[@Seff2]

So much nostalgia suddenly

[@BoonBreyne]

I very regularly do bicycles rides in this area, and when I return home I sometimes start to count how many times I've crossed a country/region/province border along the way! (since adding on top of the craziness, there's an exclave of the Wallonia region right along these awkward river border bits) I believe my "high score" was just over 50 region crossings in one day :D So cool to see this covered on this channel!!

[@Brickselot]

Itd a really nice area ngl

[@Elkyrie2]

Saw the Belgian flag, had to see what whacky geography shenanigans we were up to this time :)

[@andyjay729]

For American state boundaries, I think we follow the "where the river used to be" rule. Especially along the Mississippi, which changed its course a lot until the US Army Corps of Engineers started large-scale levee-building efforts in the early 1900's, there are countless little tendrils of states on one side of the bank reaching onto the opposite side. Kaskaskia, which used to be the capital of the east-bank state of Illinois, is now located on the west side of the river, but still in Illinois.

[@lopat2539]

The same thing happened to Carter Lake, Iowa. It found itself on the west side of the Missouri River when the river (naturally) changed course, which would make it part of Nebraska. The Supreme Court ruled it was still a part of Iowa, which it is to this day.

[@barvdw]

Answer: it depends on the specific treaty formulations, and if it's unclear, you can have a good old-fashioned border dispute. BTW, Belgium may be bilingual, but Menen is in the unilingual Flemish community, as Belgium is effectively a federal state made up of 3 different communities, sharing 3 regions, which aren't entirely the same (Brussels is a Region, but not a community, as both the Flemish and French Community administer it side by side, and the Germans have their own Community, but are a part of the Walloon, largely francophone Region). And strictly speaking, Flemish is the name of the people and culture, but the language is Dutch. I mean, if the Americans can claim to speak the same language as the British, surely the Flemish can claim the same vis-à-vis the Dutch?

[@cesariojpn]

(Seeing the river border disputes) I didn't know Tim became a part of Map Men.

[@Quick_Fix]

Men, men, men

[@gazpachopolice7211]

@@Quick_Fix I guess now they can add the missing ” men” in the theme

[@Mohammed8778]

@@Quick_Fix men

[@extrastuff9463]

He did sneak the map men piano cover into a previous video that involved border things, I suspect it might've been that German village inside Switzerland one.

[@Albert_Herring]

Map men Map men Map Map Map Men Men

[@Play2jens]

Fantastic video, as always! Mind you, "Flemish" is used to describe the dialect Flemish people use to speak. The official language in Flanders is Dutch, which means that the signs are written in Dutch.

[@JanBockaert]

Glad I am not the only one who gets irked when people use the word Flemish. 😀 It's not even a dialect, maybe a group of Dialects spoken in the west of Flanders.

[@Simon-nx1sc]

@@JanBockaert I'd argue that Flemish is the group of ALL Flemish dialects, and not only the western ones. Why do you think it's only the west?

[@eddiejc1]

I've heard the reason Walloon Belgians originally referred to this as "Flemish" rather than "Dutch" was to discourage Flemish people from identifying as Dutch. But I will leave it to an actual Belgian to correct me if I am wrong.

[@kristofvanderauwera5739]

The dispute about whether or not Flemish is a group of dialects or a distinct language is, in my opinion, a very interesting one. It's recognised as a separate language, and I would posit that a Dutch speaker and a Flemish speaker could spend delightfully long hours being incomprehensible to one another despite speaking, technically, the same language. Considering West Flemish is distinct from East Flemish, which is distinct from Limburgs, which is distinct from Antwaarps, which is distinct from Brabants... you get my point :) True, they are a collection of distinct, colourful, and (to proper Dutch speakers) utterly incomprehensible dialects, but I would go so far as to call this collection of dialects a distinct language of its own, as it's easier for a West Flemish speaker to understand someone speaking Antwaarps (or its offshoot, Mechels), while a proper Dutch speaker would struggle. But, to be clear for those of you who are not from the area and haven't spent a long time in a low level dispute with neighbours from the north about something as simple as the classification of the language you speak to one another, the language taught in schools in Belgium is Dutch. Yes, the same Dutch that is spoken north of the border in the Netherlands. What you speak at home, on the other hand, is absolutely Flemish. There have even been international competitions about who speaks and writes the more proper Dutch, which amusingly is more often won by Belgians than the Dutch. And all of this discussion leaves aside the thorny question about which language Afrikaans is more closely related to. Belgian borders are delightfully unnecessarily complicated.

[@JanBockaert]

@@Simon-nx1sc because I would call the Dialects around Antwerp and Brussels Brabantian and the Limburg Dialects Limburgs 😀. Limburgs and West-Vlaams are quite different. But yeah, languages change all the time, so I think it may makes as much sense to use modern day borders to group dialects as it makes sense to use the historic borders 😀.

[@zacharyyarost5804]

Your presentation style is outstanding and your videos do nothing but bring me joy.

[@HumeHwy]

There’s a similar issue in Australia too. The border between the states of New South Wales and Victoria is mostly formed by the Murray River - specifically, the top of the southern bank of the main channel of the Murray River. The border was surveyed in the 1850s. The river had undergone many substantial changes in course since then. So how do we deal with these river changes? It’s fairly simple. The obscure common law principle of “the doctrine of accretion and erosion” applies. If the Murray River changes course due to the gradual and imperceptible accretion or erosion of river sediments along the southern bank, the border changes likewise. If, however, the border changes due to a sudden avulsion - a flash food, say, or a storm, or a landslide, or an earthquake - the border stays the same. This means there are bits where Victoria is north of the current river and bits where New South Wales is south of the current southern bank.

[@kzonedd7718]

Not in the mood for a 'Helloooo' joke. But hearing it did, once again, cheer me up. Thank you, take care. Be safe. We're fighting Covid here, and one family member is in bad shape. Avoid catching it, trust me.

[@TheTimTraveller]

Ah very sorry to hear that David, sending best wishes and I hope you all come through it ok

[@kzonedd7718]

@@TheTimTraveller Most are recovering, but gf's mother is in induced coma, but stable and the prognosis is improving. Thanks. :) Keep making video's. I watch them as soon as I see you posted one.

[@mrcompisawesome]

I work in civil drafting and surveying in an area with a lot of rivers. This issue is pretty common with property lots and city boundaries

[@thedavecwright]

Brilliant as ever, Tim and bonus fleur-de-lys info!

[@itsjustkevin6652]

There was a border dispute in the US between Tennessee and Georgia involving a river. There's now a line painted on the street for the boundary and a nice photo opportunity where you can stand in two states with a sign behind you showing each state. A couple business ended up on the line.

[@speerboom]

Meanwhile on the other side of Belgium on the River Maas a similar situation with de Dutch-Belgian border has been corrected in 2019 I believe. Now the border runs along the river again and small pieces of land have changed country.

[@mig25foxbat]

Really enjoyed finding your channel Tim - one of the rare high points of this year for me

[@yondie491]

As always, love your work. Take care and stay safe!!

[@alexisjordan3303]

As à Frenchman, I want to say this video and others you've made on France are a treasure. Thank you Tim !

[@iandlv6835]

It’s nice to have you back Tim.

[@Varksterable]

You do seem to keep finding these fascinating topics. Good to see you posting again.

[@markrimag]

Great video as usual, Tim. Love your intro as well as the music for your outro, don't ever change them! Except for special episodes of course, love your rendition of the classic "Let's go to San Marino", as it has of course always been called.

[@XEinstein]

I love the border dispute between the Netherlands and Germany in the Eems. The Dutch claim that the border run along the deepest part of the Eems and the Germans claim it is all theirs. The dispute is settled by both sides acknowledgeding the other's opinions and leaving it at that.

[@Qfeys]

Menen is the city where I grew up! Never thought it would feature in a YT video!

[@jeffcampbell1555]

Ahhh. First video of the day. So refreshing. Thanks Tim.

[@sampointau]

And a happy new year Tim!

[@thierrypauwels]

Today I went cycling on the towpath of the other river in the region: Schelde. I went over Oudenaarde, Avelgem, Bossuit and then turned to cycle along the canal to Kortrijk. I thought I had remained in Flanders all the time. Only when I looked at Google Maps I saw that I have been in Wallony, precisely because of similar exclaves following the old river course.

[@BHuang92]

"River Lys changes border" River Sava: *That's cute...*

[@andyjay729]

Mississippi River: Hold my mint julep

[@russvhill2]

As usual, the music track lifts your video way above all others. Looking forward to you having a great 2021 Tim 😀

[@cakemartyr5794]

Love this kind of quirks. Thanks again for a great video.

[@lutosa829]

Very interesting. Next time you come to Belgium or the Netherlands you should do a video about the truly weirdest border (maybe in the world): Baarle-Hertog (or Baerle-duc, same town). I guess you won't be disappointed...

[@Burning_Dwarf]

Had to pick up my wheelchair there, my navigation went mad with border notices 😋 Send pictures to my north american friends and they went wild over the fact that the border was just an aesthetic choice of streetstones

[@AverytheCubanAmerican]

If there’s ever a sewage war, NYC would win with its pizza rats and ninja turtles

[@TheMajkla]

The other side should employ Schroeder and Crank!

[@stvdagger8074]

Just remember that the sewage companies across the river in New Jersey are run by Tony Soprano. Don't underestimate him like Phil Leotardo did.

[@peanut71968]

Tons of fun watching and listening to Tim’s vids! Thanks 😊 T!

[@rohannock]

Excellent video from Tim like always !

[@rosiefay7283]

5:11 Disappointed that, when you waltzed over to the Danube, you didn't play a piece of music about that beautiful blue river.

[@shiteguides]

Reminds me of the old Simon and Garfunkel song, 'Like a briiiiiiiiidge, over Belgian waters'

[@sambarton5963]

Loving the subtle use of Simcity 3000 music, nice touch!

[@songqiaocui2950]

Absolutely love you videos as a viewer in Belgium! How fascinating!

[@ChrisMelville]

Tim, you sneaked in the theme from "Neighbours" there...

[@raakone]

I noticed it to, and it's been SO long since I heard it (I have some family in the UK, my stepmom was once a real big fan of that show, back when they had the piano version of it back in the late 80s. The UK used to send their criminals to Australia, Australia sent their soaps to the UK)

[@unclenogbad1509]

Yes, Danube is the classic. The border between Hungary and Croatia is simply chaotic. And it's nothing new - there's a great 19th Century novel (Az Arányember - the Man With the Golden Touch - by Mór Jókai), large parts of which take place on an island in the Danube that had formed since the previous survey (they weren't very frequent) and hence doesn't officially exist.

[@guillaumecrance2213]

Very refreshing good mood and curiosity. A perfect seasonning of my morning tea. Thank you

[@GnrMilligan]

Only just discovered your videos,and after watching just two of them you have earned a sub.Lots of interesting content to look forward to.Thanks for your efforts.Its folk like you that make youtube great!

[@TeacherElo]

Hi Tim, thank you for teaching us so many fun facts. The bread representation for each country was very helpful! Cheers!

[@lordsjaak]

Vrolijk kerstfeest en Gelukkig nieuw jaar from the Netherlands. :D (so let's annoying the French with more Dutch words :D )

[@zitaksal]

I used to go cycling around Menen a lot. Thank you, Tim!

[@sarah3591]

Suprised to see a video about my hometown on yt! Well done:)

[@alonespirit9923]

Ya know, it's almost disappointing that there's not a secret sewage war going on.

[@martinnyberg9295]

Yeah, Sweden 🇸🇪 and Finland 🇫🇮 just move the border when the river moves. Much easier. It has worked that way for 211 years so far. 😏

[@lukastaubert5721]

The same countries that fighted over a rock in the ocean for nearly 100 years?

[@martinnyberg9295]

@@lukastaubert5721 No. Finland has not been independent for longer than 103 years, and Sweden had had peace for 207 years so nobody fought anyone else about any islands during that time. We settle things by negotiating. 😏 Also, Sweden and Finland do not share a border in an ocean. It’s a sea. 😁

[@johanfaxer2809]

But I think you can find some weird things along the Torne river anyway, since these revisions only take place every 25th year (next time is in 2031). For example near Kolari, where a small part of ”Sweden” is on the Finnish side of the border. However, the strangest part of the Swe/Fin border must be on the small island Märket, with its zigzag border, just to put the lighthouse on the Finnish side.

[@az2man]

I'm living near this river, on the French side, and I like to joke about the fact I cross the border 6 times when I go jogging, without even leaving the path along the river Lys

[@johnbuchheister9142]

Your videos are such an uplift. Thanks!

[@jancelabobo8238]

Hmm Tim, KZbin did you dirty. I havent been receiving notifications when you upload, at least for me. I just missed at least 6 months of your content. (Frankly i did not manually check thinking travel is woozy right now)

[@TheTimTraveller]

Oh KZbin is weird like that. On the plus side you've got six months to binge on now! For obvious reasons it's all about Paris or places that are within a few hours of Paris, but there are still some good little adventures in there I hope

[@jancelabobo8238]

@@TheTimTraveller lol true, on to binging now. Stay safe on your travels :)

[@dr4win9f00l]

The one person disliking this is the founder of Lieberland

[@pieterpossenier4191]

this is what makes youtube cool. you learn stuff about things you didn't know, about places where you live. Been on this cycling pad a lot, yet didn't know this. Thanks for making me smarter again. learn something every day.

[@gradyzyner7423]

Always a fine pleasure to view one of your vids.

[@hedgehog3180]

Probably a good thing that the Danish-German border doesn't run along the Eider in retrospect.

[@palantir135]

Try the Dutch Baarle Nassau/Belgium Baarle Hertog region. It’s real borderline craziness.

[@Okurka.]

That never shifts.

[@wich1]

@@Okurka. and he already did a video on that

[@Okurka.]

@@wich1 He didn't.

[@wich1]

@@Okurka. you are right, I was misremembering, in his 50k subscriber Q&A (kzbin.info/www/bejne/fqfamI2oitieaNE) he explains why he chooses not to do a video on Baarle Nassau/Hertog, in my mind that was him covering the subject

[@FareezYusran]

Loving the special Christmas-sy rendition of the outro. Happy Holidays, Tim!

[@EElgar1857]

Entertaining, as always, and Happy Holidays to you!

[@LeeBv9983]

0:45 That border looks like the result of four bottles of Chimay Blue.

[@The-one-man-band]

The weirdest river-border (also in Belgium) shifts constantly. The border between The Netherlands and Belgium at the north edge of the port of Antwerp. There are two set line that go into the river Schelde. But the connect in the river at “the deepest point (deepest trench)”. Given the fact that this is a sand-bottom river and has very high tidal current, the deepest point changes constantly. When an accident happens on the part of the access rout top the2d largest harbour of Europa, the hydrographic department of both countries need to establish the deepest point to see which country needs to investigate it. www.google.be/maps/place/51%C2%B021'46.2%22N+4%C2%B013'41.2%22E/@51.362829,4.2259213,15z

[@sapiensesciencecerveau2523]

Ah, you must be talking about l'Escaut ! The river connected to Lys via the Deûle and Scarpe canals... Same water, same problems.

[@gavla3550]

2:19 Rosie and Jim. How apt. 😄

[@andydolphin3796]

Nice video as per usual, was tickled that you ended with Xmas greetings as it popped up in my face on May 6th....

[@davasg96]

is no one going to mention THE ROSIE AND JIM MUSICAL THEME ON THE PIANO

[@zork999]

That's the one thing that I find kind of irritating about The Tim Traveller. I love the videos and they always make my day, but the vast majority of the musical "in" jokes just go right over my head being an American. I got the Flintstones one a few videos ago, but pretty much everything else is just background noise that I know I would get if I had the "right" cultural upbringing.

[@andrewkepert923]

Also (4:23) theme from ‘Neighbours’ - Australian soap opera popular in Britain. With really corny lyrics about good neighbours being good friends. Which I *guess* applies to USA & Mexico....

[@SS369]

03:30 Nice one :DDDD

[@andrewatherton316]

Well that was one rabbit hole I did not expect to travel down late on a Sunday night. I thoroughly enjoyed the 07:10 of your video: your style and delivery bring a smile to my face without fail. I then spent the best part of the next hour reading through the comments which had been posted in the five hours since the video had been released. Wow, just wow. I could not have imagined what lay just across the water. When next I am able to visit mainland Europe I will be sure to do so with more caution and circumspection. LOL

[@lewisdsd]

Tim, I truly love your videos 😊

[@eastpavilion-er6081]

Belgians are language experts. Almost all the PENTALINGUAL people I met are from Belgium. (English, French, German, Flemish, Dutch)

[@barvdw]

Flemish and Dutch differ less than American and British English differ from each other, so.. Officially, Flemish is just Dutch with an accent.

[@OntarioTrafficMan]

By that standard I'm pentalingual too, since I speak English, French, Dutch, Québecois and American.

[@MrDikketet]

@@barvdw Most Flemish dialects are vastly different from standard Dutch

[@barvdw]

@@MrDikketet You've clearly never heard Achterhoeks, (Dutch) Limburgs... Dialects are very different, yes, but that's true for most of the Dutch language area, they can differ immensely. The same is true for many languages, btw, enough Englishmen have more trouble understanding a Yorkshireman than an American... However, I was talking about the Standard Dutch spoken in Belgium, a variant that is used widely and the exclusive variant used in any official context. A use the word variant loosely, here, as it is basically the same language as taught in the Netherlands, with just a few words that are used differently (e.g. lopen) and a mildly different pronunciation (less diphtongs, softer G).

[@B3webtv]

Hi there. Little correction : Belgium is not exactly a bilingual country. The part concerned here is monolingual (Flamish region : Dutch only). It is not about annoying anyone, but respect the use of official languages, which no Belgian region likes to joke about. 😉 Greetings from Brussels and compliments for the channel : all your videos are great, funny and interesting. About the use of languages in Belgium : fr.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communaut%C3%A9s_de_Belgique (I know you speak French 😉)

[@MrMattie725]

Haha true! We sure can speak and understand French, but don't you dare use it on official Flemish documents or signage!

[@ArturoSubutex]

Shouldn't we have bilingual signs in border areas though? Just to be nice and neighbourly?

[@Phiyedough]

I live in one of these places, in my case it is the river Drava and the border is between Croatia and Hungary. A bit of agricultural land belonging to my Croatia village is now on the other side of the river and is accessed by not one but 2 chain ferries, one for tractors and another (rarely used) for tourists.

[@ratsaacrobinson2913]

This is so interesting!! I loved the video ❤️

[@davidconnor2458]

This is also the reason why there’s a little bit of The Bronx that is officially part of Manhattan...

[@joermnyc]

Marble Hill, though they weren’t allowed to have 212 area codes on their phone numbers because it would be too complicated for the phone company, so they’re 718 like the rest of the Bronx.

[@lohphat]

AND vice versa. There's a tip of Inwood park which actually was on the Bronx side of the river before the canal was built. The "lagoon" at Inwood was actually the southern bend of the river and it was turned into a small peninsula. The baseball field #6 and the area surrounding it was on the north side of the river in the Bronx. www.google.com/maps/@40.8743831,-73.9199108,18z/data=!5m1!1e2

[@delilas2398]

3:52 Is that SimCity music or something?

[@FARBerserker]

i very much enjoy your videos. short, but funny and informative!

[@dave_h_8742]

Loving your vlogs, humour is great keep up the good work.

[@iamfuser]

Hi Tim, the Dutch and Belgians did swap some land due to changes of the path of the river Maas (and a dead body). www.rtlnieuws.nl/nieuws/opmerkelijk/artikel/310836/nederland-en-belgie-ruilen-stukje-land-dankzij-lijk (Dutch)

[@LucqsQ]

Ook ne goeiendag

[@FrauWNiemand]

This is so interesting. I love those videos. And: Merry Christmas to y'all.

[@rogerwilco2]

I love the detail of the Flemish signage.