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The Why Factor: Bordered World

Factual: Science & Nature

20/07/2012 GMT

Bordered World

BBC World Service - The Why Factor, Bordered World

How lines on a map shape our lives, our ideology and our development (Repeat).

This week on One Planet, another chance to hear our programme from earlier this year on national borders around the world.

The lines we draw on the surface of the world can protect us, oppress us and define us - but do they provide any benefits, or do they hold back development?

Mike reports from the town of Baarle-Nassau in the Netherlands, from the town of Baarle-Hertog in Belgium and then from Baarle-Nassau, and then from Baarle-Hertog.... the border between the two countries criss-crosses the town, running across roads, under homes, and even through a supermarket. Mike speaks to local residents about what it's like to step between one country and another.

But not all borders are so benign. Lucy Williamson visits the demilitarised zone between North and South Korea to find out how South Koreans feel about the possibility of reunification with their estranged relatives, and we speak to Professor Martin Pratt of the International Boundaries Research Unit at the University of Durham, who tells us about the many hostile border conflicts still going on around the world.

Plus, a vision of a world without borders. When the internet was first invented, fans claimed that it represented a new post-national future - but has this utopian vision turned out to be real? Matt McGrath reports.

As ever, tune in, have a listen and then let us know what you think.

Email the team at oneplanet@bbc.com, or join us on Facebook and Twitter - the links are below.

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