If you’re sitting on a boat in Lake Constance, are you in three countries at once? Or just in one? Does it even matter? Because strangely, it turns out there are parts of the world where no-one really minds when international borders are not just ignored, but are completely undefined.
SOURCES:
Smith, B. (2001). Fiat Objects. Topoi, 20(2), pp.131-148.
http://ontology.buffalo.edu/smith/articles/fiatobjects.pdf
Khan, D. (2004). Die deutschen Staatsgrenzen. 1st ed. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck.
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35 Comments
If you're wondering why my coat looks ridiculous, it's because there was about a 30mph wind blowing off the lake, and it was either freeze to death or accept a certain loss of dignity…
Switzerland only came up with a border in case of war
2:01 Am I the only one who just loves the Tom Scott ¯_(ツ)_/¯ sound?
As a Swiss person regularly being on Lake Constance, I didn't even know that our view wasn't a generally agreed one
its called bodensee and not lake constance
The three countries might not care to much now but if oil or natural gas was found they would suddenly start to care.
No, there is another group of people affected by this: If you want to have a boat on that lake, and there are quite a few, you will find that it has its entirely separate rule of laws and licenses.
Don’t commit i crime on this lake…
But its called Bodensee in german. 🙁
Until they find oil under the lake, it wont be American soil
"Behind me is lake Constance. It is a big lake."
– Tom Scott, 2017.
If there was oil under the lake, things would look VERY different!
Diese Kommentarsektion ist nun Eigentum der Bundesrepublik Deutschland
Wow! I learned to sail on the Bodensee and I never knew that…I was 14 though.
Funny thing I just of thought if. A Swiss company sink a ball of gin in the lake and sell the gin after 100 days. But when wanted to lift it out of the lake. They couldn't find the ball. Now the Swiss police is investigating. I would guess they just took the job and no one complained.
I find it funny that the most neutral response is from the country that traditionally held the opinion of if it touches Germany it belongs to Germany so we’re just going to take it (lakes, countries, whatever) instead of the neutral country.
Hahha, i live in Vorarlberg the state of austria at the Bodensee
I now want my child to be born on that lake and be a tri-citizen from birth
austria provides citizenship by parentage, so you can‘t get austrian citizenship just because you were born there. i think germany changed it and now anyone born in germany can claim german citizenship. idk about switzerland so either germany and switzerland have to figure it out if someone gave birth on lake constance or it‘s actually only an issue for germany
Globalism won't ever work, Tom. Yes, there are lines between countries for many reasons, too varied to explain here.
(regarding the birth thing: as far as I'm aware, none of the three countries grant citizenship at birth the way the US does, so the boring answer would be "that of their parents")
How about you Constance some bi-
I’m going to go claim it and when they tell me they can’t it’s theirs I’ll say no it isn’t. This will force them to decide who’s it is once and for all
¯_(ツ)_/¯
Its 'Bodensee' not 'Lake Konstanz'
I was there when they actually had a border crossing. It was Much cooler than that LAME sculpture.
It's silhouette looks like a scuba diver
Is this still relevant for 2023? I have plan to go to Konstanz, I think it will be cool.
Well I grew up there. But most of the time the borders in the lake don't matter anyway, because you can't see the other shore due to the fog.
IIRC the most common way of determining on the lake is by looking at where the ship cast off from. This results in some oddities, like how Germans aren't allowed to throw their dead's ashes into the lake, but if you take the ashes over to Switzerland and get on a boat there, you can throw the ashes into the lake no problem, even when sitting right near the German coastline.
its the Bodensee or Floorlake if u prefer this
Lake Constance = BODENSEE!!!!!
Bodensee, why would you call that Lake Constance?!
What a bigass condo
Which bit of Africa do two countries not want to claim? If that's still the situation, can I go there and start my own little country?