India/Bangladesh - The world's worst border

Summary

This video humorously explores the bizarre border situation between India and Bangladesh, focusing on the confusing network of enclaves. These enclaves, where pieces of one country are entirely surrounded by another, create absurdities like needing a visa to leave one's own country. The origins of this situation date back to a 1713 war and were further complicated by colonial borders. Despite agreements in 1974 and 2015 to resolve the problem, it took decades to implement changes, freeing thousands of enclave residents. A lighthearted yet informative exploration of geopolitical oddities and their real-world impact.

Takeaways

• 😀 The video discusses the complex and unique border situation between India and Bangladesh, particularly focusing on the 2015 map.
• 😀 Enclaves are defined as pieces of one country surrounded entirely by another, leading to complex border issues.
• 😀 A 2nd-order enclave is a piece of India in Bangladesh, which is itself inside India, creating a layered, complicated border.
• 😀 The world's only 3rd-order enclave exists in this region, where a piece of India is in Bangladesh, which is inside India, which is inside Bangladesh.
• 😀 People living in smaller enclaves often lack access to basic resources and emergency services due to the border confusion.
• 😀 Residents of the enclaves need a visa to leave their territory, but to get that visa, they must travel to their embassy, which requires a visa they do not have.
• 😀 Historians are unsure about how these enclaves were created, but they know it resulted from a confusing 1713 war settlement between princes.
• 😀 The issue worsened when British colonial influence ended, and India and Bangladesh became separate nations with conflicting interests over the land.
• 😀 In 1974, an agreement was made to swap enclaves, but India did not ratify it, and the dispute continued for decades.
• 😀 Finally, in 2015, India ratified the agreement, leading to the cession of 161 enclaves to the country that contained them, granting freedom to thousands of residents.

Q & A

What is an enclave, as explained in the video?

An enclave is a piece of land that is entirely surrounded by another country. For example, a piece of Bangladesh within India, or vice versa.

What are '2nd Order' and '3rd Order' enclaves?

A 2nd Order enclave is a piece of India within Bangladesh, which is inside a piece of Bangladesh within India. A 3rd Order enclave is a piece of India within Bangladesh, which is inside a piece of Bangladesh within India, which itself is inside a piece of India within Bangladesh.

Why is the situation of living in these enclaves problematic?

The residents of these enclaves often lack access to basic services, such as healthcare, because of the border restrictions. Emergency services are often unwilling to cross borders, and the residents also face the bureaucratic challenge of needing visas to travel outside their enclave.

What is the humorous analogy used to explain the enclaves?

The enclaves are compared to food items like a TicTac inside a Polo, and a TicTac inside a Polo inside a bagel, to highlight the absurd and complex nature of these borders.

How did these border issues between India and Bangladesh come about?

The border confusion originated from a war in 1713 between various princes who didn't use maps to define clear borders. This was further complicated when the British colonized the region and, after independence, it resulted in an ill-defined and chaotic border situation.

What impact did British colonial rule have on the India-Bangladesh border?

During British colonial rule, the border issues were left unresolved, and after independence, the confusion continued, creating the bizarre enclave situation between India and Bangladesh.

Why didn't India ratify the 1974 agreement to swap enclaves with Bangladesh?

India did not ratify the 1974 agreement because they were unhappy with the small print, leading to further delays and disputes over the enclaves.

What was the significance of August 1, 2015, in the context of these enclaves?

On August 1, 2015, India finally ratified the agreement to swap the enclaves with Bangladesh, ceding 161 enclaves to the country that contained them and ultimately freeing thousands of people living in these enclaves.

How long did the dispute over the enclaves last?

The dispute lasted for nearly 40 years, from the 1974 agreement until the final ratification in 2015.

What is the main reason that India was reluctant to resolve the enclave issue earlier?

India was reluctant to resolve the issue because they feared that giving away land might send the wrong message to other countries, especially Pakistan and China.