The Treaty of Limits was a 1906

treaty A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between actors in international law. It is usually made by and between sovereign states, but can include international organizations An international organization or international o ...

between

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

and the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

which established the

international boundary Borders are usually defined as geographical boundaries, imposed either by features such as oceans and terrain, or by political entities such as governments, sovereign states, federated states, and other subnational entities. Political borders ca ...

between Brazil and the Dutch colony of

Suriname Suriname (; srn, Sranankondre or ), officially the Republic of Suriname ( nl, Republiek Suriname , srn, Ripolik fu Sranan), is a country on the northeastern Atlantic coast of South America. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north ...

. The treaty defined the border as being

formed from the French border
French Guiana French Guiana ( or ; french: link=no, Guyane ; gcr, label=French Guianese Creole, Lagwiyann ) is an overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France on the northern Atlantic ...
to the British border
British Guiana British Guiana was a British colony, part of the mainland British West Indies, which resides on the northern coast of South America. Since 1966 it has been known as the independent nation of Guyana. The first European to encounter Guiana was S ...
, the line of the watershed between the Amazon basin to the south, and the basins of the rivers flowing into north to the Atlantic Ocean.

The treaty also established the possibility of designating a joint Brazilian–Dutch commission that would physically demarcate the border with markers if that was deemed necessary. The boundary defined by the treaty is still the recognized border between Brazil and now-independent Suriname. There are no

border checkpoints A border checkpoint is a location on an international border where travelers or goods Border control, are inspected and allowed (or denied) passage through. Authorization often is required to enter a country through its borders. Access-controll ...

along the border, and much of the border region consists of impenetrable

rainforest Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainfores ...

, but the boundary commission has set down 60 border markers along the Brazil–Suriname border. The border described in the treaty was the result of a negotiation process between the Netherlands and Brazil and followed the establishment of the borders between Brazil and France (

French Guiana French Guiana ( or ; french: link=no, Guyane ; gcr, label=French Guianese Creole, Lagwiyann ) is an overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France on the northern Atlantic ...

, to the west) and Brazil and the United Kingdom (

British Guiana British Guiana was a British colony, part of the mainland British West Indies, which resides on the northern coast of South America. Since 1966 it has been known as the independent nation of Guyana. The first European to encounter Guiana was S ...

, to the east. ) that were based on the same watershed. The latter borders were established after two arbitrations that were headed by

Walter Hauser Walter Hauser (1 May 1837, in Wädenswil – 22 October 1902) was a Swiss politician and member of the Swiss Federal Council (1888–1902). He was elected to the Federal Council on 13 December 1888 and died in office on 22 October 1902. He was a ...

President of the Swiss Confederation The president of the Swiss Confederation, also known as the president of the Confederation or colloquially as the president of Switzerland, is the head of Switzerland's seven-member Federal Council (Switzerland), Federal Council, the country's ...

, and King of

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

Victor Emmanuel III, respectively. The treaty was signed in

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...

on 5 May 1906. Brazil and the Netherlands both ratified the treaty in 1908.

References

*Surya P. Sharma (1997). ''Territorial Acquisition, Disputes and International Law''. (M. Nijhoff Publishers: The Hague, )

External links

Treaty of Limits
Full text (Portuguese) Limits (Brazil-Netherlands) Limits (Brazil-Netherlands) Arbitration cases Limits (Brazil-Netherlands) Limits (Brazil-Netherlands) Brazil–Suriname border Limits (Brazil-Netherlands) 1906 in Brazil 1906 in the Netherlands Limits (Brazil-Netherlands) Brazil–Netherlands relations {{Suriname-stub

See also

References

External links