Where we are in the world
Chile and Argentina share a border of about 3,300 miles, which is the third-longest border in the world (after US-Canada and Russia-Kazakhstan). While a vast majority of the border is clearly defined and agreed upon by both nations and the international community, there is a dispute over a small section in the far southern portion of both countries (in the Patagonia region, near the infamous Mt. Fitz Roy).
For other maps on borders, see posts on the Nahwa and Madha Exclaves and Kinmen and Lienchiang Counties in Taiwan!
See the interactive Google Map at the bottom of the post!
Three key facts about this map
40 miles of border is still disputed between Chile and Argentina
Despite generally positive relations, there is a stretch of border that has been disputed between the two countries since 1998. While to the north and south of the disputed section has been agreed upon, various versions of the border have been proposed by each country. In 2006, an official Argentinian government body began publishing and using a map noting their claimed border, which caused unease in Chile.
The Argentinian military recently conducted exercises in the disputed region
Nodding to their apparent claim, in 2018 the military of Argentina conducted training exercises in the disputed ice fields. This caused temporary political strain between the two countries and clearly noted that there had been no significant progress at demarcation the border across the 40 mile stretch of ice fields.
Google Maps does not show a border at all
In an effort to maintain neutrality in the border dispute, and due to the fact that the border has not been officially defined by the two countries yet, Google Maps removed its normally crystal-clear border demarcation lines along this 40 mile stretch. Instead, there is a blank space in between the northern and southern portions of the border between Chile and Argentina (see interactive Google Map below!)
Additional link/source
- Article about the 2018 Argentinian military exercises in the region (link, published in 2019)
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