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Farmer accidentally moves Belgium-France border

Borders - Level 0

Governments spend many years making borders. A farmer in Belgium changed the border between Belgium and France in a few minutes. He made Belgium about 1,000 square meters bigger. He moved a border stone 2.29 metres inside France. He moved it so he could drive his tractor around his field more easily.

Moving a border can lead to war. Luckily, Belgium and France saw the funny side of this. The mayor of the Belgian town said the stone was put there in 1819. He said he would find the person who moved the stone. The mayor added: "We know exactly where the stone was before. It was right next to a tree."

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Borders - Level 1

Governments spend years or even decades making borders. A farmer in Belgium did not need so long. He changed the border between Belgium and France in a few minutes. He made Belgium about 1,000 square meters bigger and France smaller. He moved a border stone 2.29 metres inside France. The stone he moved was put there in 1819. The farmer moved it so he could drive his tractor around his field more easily.

Moving a border between two countries can lead to war. Luckily, Belgian and French diplomats saw the funny side and avoided a crisis. The mayor of the Belgian town said: "The stone was placed there in 1819 following the defeat of Napoleon....We will find the person who moved the stone....I still have to verify who [he] is." The mayor added: "We know exactly where the stone was before. It was right next to a tree."

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Borders - Level 2

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Governments spend months, years or even decades making borders between countries. A farmer in Belgium did not need so long. He took just a few minutes to change the border between Belgium and France. He made Belgium about 1,000 square meters bigger and France about 1,000 square meters smaller. He moved a 150-kilogram border stone 2.29 metres inside France. A border stone shows where the border is between two countries. The stone the farmer moved was put there in 1819. The farmer moved it to make it easier to drive his tractor around his field.

Moving a border between two countries can lead to war. Luckily, diplomats in Belgium and France saw the funny side of this. They avoided a crisis in a friendly way. The mayor of the Belgian town said: "The stone was placed there in 1819 following the defeat of Napoleon....We will find the person who moved the stone so we can avoid any troubles. I still have to verify who [he] is." The mayor added: "We know exactly where the stone was before. It was right next to a tree." The mayor of the border town in France said: "I fully trust the Belgian mayor, who did what was necessary."

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11 online activities    |    8-page printable   (PDF)

Borders - Level 3

Governments, army leaders and diplomats spend months, years or even decades creating borders between countries. A farmer in Belgium did not need so long. It took him just a few minutes to change the border between Belgium and France. He made Belgium about 1,000 square meters bigger and France about 1,000 square meters smaller. How? He moved a 150-kilogram boundary stone 2.29 metres inside France. A boundary stone shows where the border between two countries or areas lies. The stone the farmer relocated was laid down in 1819 to mark the French-Belgian border. The farmer did not move the stone for political reasons. He did it to make it easier to drive his tractor around his field.

Moving the border between two countries could easily create a major diplomatic incident or even lead to war. Luckily, diplomats in Belgium and France saw the funny side of this. They avoided an international crisis in a friendly manner. The mayor of the Belgian town said: "The stone was placed there in 1819 following the defeat of Napoleon. The situation should be resolved tomorrow. We will find the person who moved the stone so we can avoid any troubles. I still have to verify who the landowner is." The mayor added: "We know exactly where the stone was before. It was right next to a tree." The mayor of the town across the border in France said: "I fully trust my Belgian counterpart, who did what was necessary."

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