Amongst the nominees for the New7Wonders of Nature, you will find many natural sites that stretch out over two or more countries. As much as natural borders like rivers, mountain ranges or deserts have always been strategically useful for settlements and states, nature itself does not care a bit about lines people have put on a map. Instead, it often challenges mankind to try to overcome them
wunder_nature_new_af_Congo basin forest 290x218Expanding a settlement or kingdom until natural borders have been reached, and maintaining those borders once conquered, has long been a major focus of foreign policy and even a reason for war - from time immemorial up until this very day. The Roman Republic and later the Roman Empire is a good example of a state that expanded continuously until it reached natural borders, which were then eventually overcome: first the Alps and later the Rhine river, the Danube river, the Sahara Desert. Even today, the Mississippi and the Rio Grande in North America and the Rhine in Europe are major east-west boundaries. The Orange and Limpopo Rivers in southern Africa are other examples of waterways that form the boundaries between provinces and countries along their routes.
But ... the fate of a border is to often become irrelevant
It is, however, important to remember that the living conditions on the banks of these famous rivers have always been similar on each of its banks. The same can be said for many mountains and other natural boundaries. The same natural environment dictates similar solutions when it comes to finding food or solving a transport challenge. If we look at the cultural diversity of the indigenous peoples worldwide, we can often see only slight differences in their approaches to dealing with nature. In the same way, we can see the similarities amongst cultures living close to each other, only divided by a river or lake. A unity of ideas exists around these places. For example, the numerous ethnic groups (or tribes) of the Amazon rainforest developed similar rituals and hunting techniques, although not one bridge crosses the Amazon, even today. In the long run, the fate of a border is that it will be overcome. One can tear down an unfriendly wall or a fence, but every natural border has always been an invitation to climb, conquer or cross it, just to find out what lies on the other side. No scientist could ever doubt the huge impact on human evolution by the challenges of "insurmountable" natural barriers, driving people to do what they thought could not be done.
