The Indo-Bangladeshi enclaves,In geographical terms an enclave is a piece of land belonging to a sov

The Indo-Bangladeshi enclaves,In geographical terms an enclave is a piece of land belonging to a sovereign nation which is entirely surrounded by the territory of another sovereign nations.  These geographical oddities are actually quite common and most nations have at least a few small enclaves situated in foreign territory.  For example: Germany has a handful of small enclaves located in Belgium and Switzerland, Russia is the proud owner of Kaliningrad, surrounded by Lithuania, Poland, and the Baltic sea.  One of the most complicated international borders is between India and Bangladesh, where both sides of the border are spotted with numerous Indian and Bangladeshi enclaves.  According to legend, ancient and medieval kings would bet plots of land in games of chance such as cards or chess, leading to patchwork of different territories in the region.  In 1713, a treaty between the Kingdom of Koch Bihar and the Mughal Empire further complicated the mess of small territories that dotted the land.  In 1947, the partition of British India into India and Pakistan led to a border between India and East Pakistan (later to become Bangladesh).  By then there were scores of Indian and Bangladeshi enclaves along the border. Over the decades several diplomatic attempts were made to “de-enclave” the border, but all failed.  In 2013 an agreement was made that allowed residents of the enclaves to travel freely throughout the region.So how many enclaves line the Indian-Bangladeshi border.  In 1997 a joint survey of the area was conducted, and it was discovered that there are 106 Indian enclaves within Bangladesh, and 92 Bangladeshi enclaves within India.  Most are less than 1 square kilometer in size, the largest are Dahagram-Angarpota (Bangladesh) at 18 square kilometers, and Balapara Khagrabari (India) at 29 square kilometers.  The most confusing of all enclaves are located in the Cooch Behar District of West Bengal, where Dahala  Khagrabari (India) is located within Upanchowki Bhajni (Bangladesh), which is located within Balapara Khagrabar (India), which is a located within Bangladesh itself. -- source link

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