The World’s Shortest International Border Is Just 85 Metres Long

International borders are usually imagined as long lines cutting across mountains, rivers, deserts and forests. Some stretch for thousands of kilometres, separating countries with vastly different landscapes and cultures. But one border is so short that you could walk across it in less than a minute. It lies between Spain and Morocco at Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera , a tiny Spanish territory on Morocco’s Mediterranean coast. The border measures only about 85 metres, making it one of the most remarkable geographical curiosities in the world. Yet its unusual length is only part of the story. The territory was once an island, and a natural geological event eventually changed its relationship with the African mainland.