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tripoint

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{{Short description|Geographical point at which the boundaries of three countries or subnational entities meet}}

{{More citations needed|date=July 2008}}

File:Tripoint of borders between Israel-Syria and Jordan.jpg, Israel, and Jordan]]

A triple border, tripoint,{{Citation needed|date=November 2023}} trijunction,{{cite book |last1= Charney |first1= Jonathan I. |last2= Colson |first2= David A. |last3= Smith |first3= Robert W. |title= International Maritime Boundaries |year= 2005 |publisher= Martinus Nijhoff |isbn= 978-90-04-14461-3 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=RN0GnOcw0McC&pg=PA3298 |page= 3298}} triple point, or tri-border area is a geographical point at which the boundaries of three countries or subnational entities meet. There are 175 international tripoints as of 2020.{{cite web|url=https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/webadmin?A2=ind1001&L=INT-BOUNDARIES&T=0&F=&S=&X=78F2250D58E03ACBA8&P=59|title=JISCMail - INT-BOUNDARIES Archives|website=www.jiscmail.ac.uk|access-date=10 April 2018}} Nearly half are situated in rivers, lakes or seas. On dry land, the exact tripoints may be indicated by markers or pillars, and occasionally by larger monuments.

Usually, the more neighbours a country has, the more international tripoints that country has. China with 16 international tripoints and Russia with 11 to 14 lead the list of states by number of international tripoints. Other countries, like Brazil, India, and Algeria, have several international tripoints. Argentina has four international tripoints. South Africa, Pakistan and Nigeria have three international tripoints, Guatemala has two: one with Mexico and Belize, and one with Honduras and El Salvador; while Bangladesh and Mexico have one. Within Europe, landlocked Austria has nine tripoints, among them two with Switzerland and Liechtenstein. Island countries, such as Japan and Australia, have no international tripoints (some, like Bahrain and Singapore, have tripoints in the territorial waters), and the same goes for countries with their only neighbour country, such as Portugal or Lesotho. Landlocked countries also have international tripoints. Likewise, the United States with two neighbouring countries has no international tripoints; however, it has a number of state tripoints as well as one point where four states meet. Indonesia has no international tripoints, just like Australia, Japan and the United States. Canada, as well, which has a maritime border with two other countries, has no international tripoints; however, it has five tripoints on land where the boundaries of provinces and territories meet, and one quadripoint where four provinces and territories meet. Japan has multiple prefectural tripoints; it also has prefectural quadripoints. In addition to the United States, Canada and Indonesia, Australia also has tripoints where the boundaries of states meet.

Border junctions (or "multiple points" or "multipoints" as they are also sometimes called) are most commonly threefold. There are also a number of quadripoints, and a handful of fivefold points, as well as unique examples of sixfold, sevenfold, and eightfold points (see {{section link|quadripoint|Multipoints of greater numerical complexity}}). The territorial claims of six countries converge at the South Pole in a point of elevenfold complexity, though this is an example of points subject to dispute.

Examples

File:Drilandenpunt.jpg: Tripoint (Germany / Netherlands / Belgium)]]{{Main articles|List of tripoints}}

International tripoints include:

  • Bratislava is the only capital city in the world which is located at a tripoint: Slovakia, Hungary, and Austria. The city's administrative area extends to the tripoint, but the point lies outside of urban Bratislava itself.

Some historic tripoints:

  • the Tossal dels Tres Reis ('Peak of the Three Kings'), located where the borders of the ancient Kingdoms of Aragon, Valencia and Principality of Catalonia meet{{cite web|url=http://www.icc.cat/portal/ |title=Mapa Topogràfic de Catalunya|publisher=Institut Cartogràfic de Catalunya|access-date=May 22, 2010}}.

International agreements

File:Tarvagan Dakh Mongolia Russia China tripoint.jpg

While the exact line of an international border is normally fixed by a bilateral treaty, the position of the tripoints may need to be settled by a trilateral agreement. For example, China, Russia, and Mongolia have set the position of the two relevant tripoints (the junction points of the China–Russia border, the Mongolia–Russia border, and the China–Mongolia border) by the trilateral agreement signed in Ulaanbaatar on January 27, 1994. The agreement specified that a marker was to be erected at the eastern tripoint, called Tarvagan Dakh (Tarbagan Dakha), but that no marker would be erected at the western tripoint (which was defined as the peak of the mountain Tavan-Bogdo-Ula (Kuitunshan, Tavan Bogd Uul).[http://old.lawru.info/base33/part6/d33ru6020.htm Соглашением между Правительством Российской Федерации, Правительством Китайской Народной Республики и Правительством Монголии об определении точек стыков государственных границ трех государств (Заключено в г. Улан-Баторе 27 января 1994 года)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305131240/http://old.lawru.info/base33/part6/d33ru6020.htm |date=2016-03-05 }} (The Agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation, the Government of the People's Republic of China, and the Government of Mongolia on the determination of the points of junction of the national borders of the three states)

Gallery

Image:Puerto Iguazú Tres fronteras.JPG|The confluence of the Iguazú and Paraná rivers is the tripoint between Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina.

Image:Tripoint Basel (ws).jpg| Dreiländereck Basel: Switzerland, Germany, and France

Image:Europadenkmal DE-BE-LU.jpg| Europadenkmal: Germany, Belgium, and Luxembourg

Image:Trojmezí CZ-PL-DE.jpg|Tripoint of Germany, Czech Republic, and Poland in Sudetes

File:Trojmezí Kremenec.jpg|Border stone on the tripoint of Poland (right of photograph), Slovakia, and Ukraine (left)

Image:treriks.jpg | Treriksröset: Finland, Norway, and Sweden tripoint

File:Russia-Norway-Finland border.jpg|Tripoint of Russia, Norway, and Finland

Image:20040727-59 Arnoldstein Dreiländergrenzstein.jpg | Arnoldstein: Italy, Slovenia, and Austria tripoint

File:Tripont Czech republic-Austria-Germany.JPG| Border stone on the tripoint of the Czech Republic (foreground), Austria, and Germany

File:TumbaSummit7560.jpg| Border stone on the tripoint of Bulgaria (right of photograph), Greece (left), and North Macedonia, located on the Tumba Peak

File:Mont dolent.jpg| The tripoint of France, Italy, and Switzerland is located on Mont Dolent.

File:Triple Point, Mount Roraima.jpg| Border stone on the tripoint of Venezuela (foreground), Brazil, and Guyana located on Mount Roraima

File:Mount Sabyinyo.JPG|3rd peak of Mount Sabyinyo, tripoint of Uganda, Rwanda, and DRC

File:France, Germany and Luxembourg tri-point marker.jpg | Ceremonial marker near the tri-point of France, Germany and Luxembourg

Image:Cameron's corner.jpg| Cameron Corner Survey Marker, the point where the borders of the Australian states of New South Wales, Queensland and South Australia meet

See also

References

{{Reflist}}

External links

  • {{Commons-inline|Tripoint}}
  • [http://geosite.jankrogh.com/borders/portugal_other.htm Penedo dos Três Reinos («The Rock of Three Kingdoms»)]
  • [https://www.flickr.com/photos/kernbeisser/24424915352/ Tripoint border of China, Russia and North Korea]
  • [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OpQtEsd03Lc Tripoint border marker of Russia, China and North Korea at 9:28]

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Category:Border-related lists