Portugal and Spain ''fix'' their border

Two teams from the Geographical Institute of the Portuguese Army and the Geographical Centre of the Spanish Army will work until 19 June to guarantee the good maintenance of the land border between the two countries along the provinces of Zamora and Salamanca.

The task, which began in early May, consists of verifying the coordinates of each of the boundary posts and markers and checking that they are in good condition, clearing the weeds and cleaning them if necessary. In addition, if the posts are damaged or have been displaced, they are repaired; and if they have disappeared or cannot be repaired, they are replaced.

These tasks are carried out every year at different points along the border. The tools used range from basic hoes and brushes to state-of-the-art portable GPS devices to place every marker in its precise location.

The border, demarcated by virtue of the Treaty of Lisbon signed by Spain and Portugal in 1864, has a total length of 1,214 km. It is marked by 4,200 boundary posts, a fifth of which is revised every year so that a full revision is carried out every five years.

Soldiers from the two countries looking at a map (Photo: CEGET)