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A divided city is one which, as a consequence of political changes or border shifts, currently constitutes (or once constituted) two separate entities, or an urban area with a border running through it. Listed below are the localities and the state they belonged to at the time of division.
Especially notable examples of divided cities are divided capitals, including Nicosia (since 1974), Jerusalem (1948–1967; de jure ongoing since 1948), Berlin (1949–1990) and Beirut (1975–1990).
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Former cities now divided
Africa
| Joint | Parts | |
|---|---|---|
| Galkayo, Somalia | North Galkayo (administered by Puntland) | South Galkayo (administered by Galmudug) |
| Moyale, divided between Kenya and Ethiopia | ||
Americas
| Joint | Parts | |
|---|---|---|
| Bristol, U.S. | Bristol, Tennessee | Bristol, Virginia |
| Carmen de Patagones, Argentina | Carmen de Patagones, Buenos Aires Province | Viedma, Río Negro Province |
| El Paso del Norte, Mexico (divided in 1848 after the Mexican–American War) | El Paso, Texas, United States | Ciudad Juárez, Mexico |
| Laredo, New Spain/Mexico | Laredo, Texas | Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas (The Mexican city was founded when the border was established, by people moving over the border from what had just become the US city) |
| Lloydminster, Canada, divided between Alberta and Saskatchewan, 1905–1930. The community was founded in 1903 in what was then the Northwest Territories, and located on the Fourth Meridian of the Dominion Land Survey, which became the boundary between the newly created provinces two years later. In 1930, the community was reunited as a single town under the shared jurisdiction of both provinces, and reincorporated as a single city in 1958. | ||
| Nogales | Nogales, Arizona, U.S. | Nogales, Sonora, Mexico |
| Planaltina, Brazil when Federal District was set as the new national capital in 1960 | Planaltina, Federal District | Planaltina, Goiás |
| Texarkana, United States | Texarkana, Texas | Texarkana, Arkansas |
| Washington, DC, U.S., and suburbs | Washington, DC | Georgetown (Washington, D.C.)—originally in Maryland, moved to the District of Columbia |
| Alexandria, Virginia—originally in Virginia, moved to District of Columbia, moved back to Virginia | ||
Asia
- Tell Abyad, divided along the Baghdad Railway under the Treaty of Ankara in 1921
- Arappınar, divided along the Baghdad Railway under the Treaty of Ankara in 1921
- Astara, divided under the Treaty of Turkmenchay (1828)
- Dibba, Portuguese fort
- Dibba Al-Fujairah (دبا الفجيرة), ruled by the Emirate of Fujairah, UAE
- Dibba Al-Hisn (دبا الحصن), ruled by the Emirate of Sharjah, UAE
- Dibba Al-Baya (دبا البيعة), ruled by the Governorate of Musandam, Oman
- Ghajar divided between Israel and Lebanon
- Hili, India, divided since 1947 after partition of India
- Hili, India
- Hili, East Pakistan, now Bangladesh (1971–)
- Jerusalem (de facto reunited in 1967)
- West Jerusalem, Israel
- East Jerusalem (al-Quds), under Jordanian control 1948–1967, under Israeli control since 1967, claimed by Jordan 1967–1988; recognized by the international community as Palestinian territory under Israeli occupation 1967–present
- Julfa, divided under the Treaty of Turkmenchay (1828)
- Lo Wu (the romanization used in Hong Kong) / Luohu (the romanization used in mainland China)
- 1898–1911: divided between the Qing Empire and British Hong Kong
- 1912–1939: divided between Guangdong Province, Republic of China and British Hong Kong
- 1939–1941: divided between Japanese occupation zone (pronounced Rakō) and British Hong Kong
- 1941–1945: both under Japanese occupation.
- 1945–1949: divided between Guangdong Province, Republic of China and British Hong Kong
- 1949–1997: divided between Guangdong Province, People's Republic of China and British Hong Kong
- 1997–present: the People's Republic of China possesses the sovereignty of the entire town since Hong Kong was handed over to the People's Republic of China by the United Kingdom in 1997; the part that was previously possessed by British Hong Kong is now administered by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, and the rest of the town is still administered by Guangdong Province. Border controls are still in use.
- Padang Besar, Malay Peninsula, divided between Malaysia and Thailand. (Note: it is not clear whether the town constituted a single settlement divided by an international border, or is instead an example of a geographical twin city. However, both towns' names, and the majority of their inhabitants, are of Malay origin.)
- Rafah divided between the Gaza Strip and Egypt
- Resülayn, divided along the Baghdad Railway under the Treaty of Ankara in 1921
- Sha Tau Kok (the romanization used in Hong Kong) / Shatoujiao (the romanization used in mainland China)
- 1898–1911: divided between the Qing Empire and British Hong Kong
- 1912–1939: divided between Guangdong Province, Republic of China and British Hong Kong
- 1939–1941: divided between Japanese occupation zone (pronounced Satōgaku) and British Hong Kong
- 1941–1945: both under Japanese occupation.
- 1945–1949: divided between Guangdong Province, Republic of China and British Hong Kong
- 1949–1997: divided between Guangdong Province, People's Republic of China and British Hong Kong
- 1997–present: the People's Republic of China possesses the sovereignty of the entire town since Hong Kong was handed over to the People's Republic of China by the United Kingdom in 1997; the part that was previously possessed by British Hong Kong is now administered by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, and the rest of the town is still administered by Guangdong Province. Border controls are still in use.
- Aleppo, Syria, divided between SSG and YPG after the 2024 Battle of Aleppo.
Europe
- Baarle, divided since 1194, modern NL–BE division since 1831
- Baarle-Nassau, Netherlands
- Baarle-Hertog, Belgium
- Bad Muskau, Germany
- Bad Muskau, Germany
- Łęknica, Poland
- Bad Radkersburg, Austria-Hungary
- Bad Radkersburg, Austria
- Gornja Radgona, Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (now Slovenia)
- Berlin (since reunited) in Germany
- West Berlin, closely associated with West Germany
- East Berlin, East Germany
- Bliederstroff, Lorraine (officially divided under the Treaty of Paris in 1815)
- Grosbliederstroff, France
- Kleinblittersdorf, Germany
- Bratislava, Czechoslovakia
- Bratislava, Slovakia
- Engerau (Petržalka), Austria (reunited after World War II)
- Brod-on-Sava, Kingdom of Yugoslavia
- Deryneia, Cyprus (de facto divided since 1974)
- Deryneia, Cyprus
- Kato Deryneia, North Cyprus
- Frankfurt (Oder), Germany
- Frankfurt (Oder), East Germany, now Germany
- Słubice, Poland
- Forst (Lausitz), Germany
- Forst (Lausitz), Germany
- Zasieki, Poland
- Gmünd, Austria-Hungary
- Gmünd, Austria
- České Velenice, Czechoslovakia, now Czech Republic
- Gorizia, Italy
- Gorizia, Italy
- Nova Gorica, Yugoslavia, now Slovenia
- Görlitz, Germany
- Görlitz, East Germany, now Germany 60,000
- Zgorzelec, Poland 38,000
- Guben, Germany
- Guben, East Germany, now Germany 22,000
- Gubin, Poland 19,000
- Herzogenrath, divided since 1815 at the Congress of Vienna (before that, department of Meuse-Inférieure)
- Herzogenrath, Germany (47,187)
- Kerkrade, Netherlands (47,681)
- Komárom, Austria-Hungary
- Komárom, Hungary
- Komárno, Czechoslovakia, now Slovakia
- Kosovska Mitrovica, Kosovo
- ethnic-Albanian south (Republic of Kosovo-controlled)
- ethnic-Serb north (North Kosovo)
- Küstrin, Germany
- Kostrzyn nad Odrą, Poland
- Küstrin-Kietz, Germany
- Laufenburg, divided between Switzerland and Germany
- Mödlareuth, Germany (now without boundary wall)
- Mödlareuth, Gefell, Thuringia, East Germany
- Mödlareuth, Töpen, Bavaria, West Germany
- Mostar (since reunited) in Bosnia and Herzegovina between Croatian Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia and Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
- Narva, Estonia
- Nicosia, capital of Cyprus, divided since 1974 after the Turkish invasion on the island and still divided (North Nicosia).
- Pello
- Rheinfelden
- Rheinfelden (Aargau) (Switzerland)
- Rheinfelden (Baden) (Germany)
- Rijeka, Croatia
- Fiume, Italy (1924–1944)
- Sušak, Kingdom of Yugoslavia (reunited after World War II)
- Rome, Papal States
- Rome, Italy
- Vatican City
- Saint-Gingolph, Switzerland (since March 4, 1569)
- Saint-Gingolph, Switzerland
- Saint-Gingolph, France
- Saltney, divided between England and Wales
- Sarajevo, capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, after the Dayton Agreement which politically defined the country's political structure, has most of the city within the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, while some suburbs are within the boundaries of the other entity, Republika Srpska.
- Sátoraljaújhely, Austria-Hungary
- Sátoraljaújhely, Hungary
- Slovenské Nové Mesto, Czechoslovakia, now Slovakia
- Teschen, Austrian Silesia
- Walk, Livonia
- Veľké Slemence
- divided between Slovakia and Ukraine (connected with an exclusive border just for the village, the only one in the Schengen area)
Oceania
Cities that arose next to each other across a boundary line
Africa
| Cross-border town | Countries |
|---|---|
| Aflao and Lomé |  Ghana /  Togo
|
| Brazzaville and Kinshasa |  Republic of the Congo /  Democratic Republic of the Congo
|
| Um Dafuq and Am Dafok |  Sudan/ Central African Republic
|
Asia
| Cross-border town | Countries |
|---|---|
| Blagoveshchensk and Heihe |  Russia /  China
|
| Chandigarh, Panchkula, Mohali |  India
|
| Islamabad–Rawalpindi |  Pakistan
|
| Jaigaon and Phuntsholing | India /  Bhutan
|
| Johor Bahru and Singapore |  Malaysia /  Singapore
|
| Kara-Suu and Qorasuv |  Kyrgyzstan /  Uzbekistan
|
| Korgas /Khorgos | Russia /  Kazakhstan
|
| Shenzhen /Hong Kong | China
|
| Tachileik and Mae Sai |  Myanmar /  Thailand
|
Europe
| Cross-border town | Countries |
|---|---|
| Como and Chiasso |  Italy /  Switzerland
|
| Konstanz and Kreuzlingen |  Germany / Switzerland
|
| Monaco and Beausoleil, Alpes-Maritimes, Les Moneghetti, Saint-Antoine, Figuiera, Les Salines |  Monaco /  France
|
| Póvoa de Varzim and Vila do Conde |  Portugal
|
| Giurgiu and Ruse |  Romania /  Bulgaria
|
| Gdańsk and Gdynia |  Poland
|
| Zvornik, and Mali Zvornik |  Bosnia and Herzegovina /  Serbia
|
| Tornio and Haparanda |  Finland /  Sweden
|
North America
| Cross-border town | Countries |
|---|---|
| Derby Line, Vermont and Stanstead, Quebec |  United States /  Canada
|
| Detroit–Windsor | United States / Canada
|
| Ottawa and Gatineau | Canada
|
| Niagara Falls, New York and Niagara Falls, Ontario | United States / Canada
|
| Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Camden, New Jersey | United States
|
| New York City and its neighbors (Jersey City, West New York, Hoboken, New Jersey, etc.) across the Hudson River | United States
|
| Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan and Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario | United States / Canada
|
| Texhoma, Oklahoma and Texhoma, Texas | United States
|
| Union City, Indiana and Union City, Ohio | United States
|
| Tegucigalpa and Comayagua |  Honduras
|
| San Diego-Tijuana | United States /  Mexico
|
South America
| Cross-border town | Countries |
|---|---|
| Aceguá and Aceguá |  Brazil /  Uruguay
|
| Chuí and Chuy | |
| Leticia and Tabatinga |  Colombia / Brazil
|
| Rivera and Santana do Livramento | Uruguay / Brazil
|
See also
Notes and references
Notes:
| a. | There was international controversy on the status of Jerusalem in 1948 which has been further complicated since 1967. See positions on Jerusalem for further information. |
References:
- "World's great divided cities: The most enchanting cities split into two halves", Houston Chronicle, 03 March 2018
- "World's great divided cities: The most enchanting cities split into two halves", Houston Chronicle, 3 March 2018