Boundary Ballads Raise the Flag for the European Union Understanding Disasters Activity Index

<< Informal conversation or international exchange? Banter at the Half Way House pub, which straddles Quebec and New York State, can be both at the same time. Photograph by Sarah Leen

Identify the boundaries that are "singing" odd geographical songs.

It all probably happened in the guy's head, but an editor here at National Geographic claims that late one night the boundaries of the world started singing. It began, he says, when he pulled a geography book off the shelf and read its definition of boundary. "The term ‘boundary' most commonly refers to an imaginary line separating one country from another...."

"Imaginary?!" yelled furious voices that seemed to be trapped between pages of the National Geographic Atlas of the World. "You try keeping two superpowers apart and see just how ‘imaginary' you feel!" Then came...songs. Weird songs. From the Rio Grande to the Red Sea, from the Pyrenees to the 49th parallel—various geographic features crooned about what it means to be a boundary. The startled guy managed to write a few of them down. Can you help identify the singers of these boundary ballads?

Younger Xpeditioners: Draw a map showing the boundaries of the area where you can go without an adult. A few possibilities: the front sidewalk, the end of the block, the backyard, your floor in the apartment building. Have these boundaries changed over time?

Older Xpeditioners: Have a Boundary Bonanza contest. See who can think of the most boundary ballads. Who can solve the most? (A few ideas: Mason-Dixon Line, Red Sea, Rhine River.)

Parents: Help your kids find the boundaries in your life. Start small (rooms in the house, neighborhood), then use the MapMachine or an atlas to move on to bigger boundaries (town, country, continent, galaxy).

If time permits, you might consider walking or driving one of the boundaries. A few possibilities: neighborhood, school district, town, county.