This island in Europe belongs to a different country every six months

Pheasant Island lies in the Bidasoa River. In one local language, it's called Isla de los Faisanes, and in the other, Île des Faisans. Two local languages? Yes, because the island belongs to Spain at one time andFrance at another.

The small green island in the Bidasoa River appears seemingly insignificant. Today, it is. But in the past, it played a vital role.

Source: Google Earth

This also means that its residents change their nationality every six months. Or rather, they would, if there were any.

But Pheasant Island is uninhabited, preventing complications.

It's just a small island in a river. Seemingly insignificant. It's home to a few dozen trees, an old monument, and nothing else. Yet it once played a significant role. For centuries, historic negotiations between Spain and France were conducted on Pheasant Island.

The memorial on Pheasant Island is intended to commemorate the end of a 24-year war.

Source: IMAGO/Kena Images

Pheasant Island is 224 meters long and up to 41 meters wide. This makes it the smallest condominium in the world. A condominium is a territory shared by several states. In the case of Pheasant Island, there are only two. The Isla de los Faisanes, or Île des Faisans, lies between the cities of Hendaye in France and Irún in Spain on the Atlantic coast. It is therefore something of a "border island."

But how did this unusual arrangement come about? Spain and France once waged war against each other for 24 years. In 1659, the rulers of both nations finally met for peace negotiations. On the island in question, Pheasant Island, to be precise.

The so-called Treaty of the Pyrenees was negotiated there for approximately three months. The goal: to redraw the existing borders between the two countries. Louis XIV of France and Philip IV of Spain personally signed the Treaty of the Pyrenees.

A place steeped in history: Louis XIV of France and Philip IV of Spain agreed to the Peace of the Pyrenees on Pheasant Island.

Source: imago images/KHARBINE-TAPABOR

Pheasant Island itself was also part of the deal. The two parties agreed not to award the island to one country, but to administer it jointly.

But what the negotiating parties probably didn't anticipate at the time were the fishermen. The quarrelers were said to have repeatedly clashed. So, almost 200 years after the Peace of the Pyrenees, an additional clause was added: the Treaty of Bayonne.

In 1856, he established that there would no longer be a border on the island, but that Pheasant Island would belong entirely to France for half the year and Spain for the other half. It took several decades for this arrangement to come into force, but it has been in effect since 1901.

To make things a little more complicated, however, the rule doesn't apply from the beginning to the end of a calendar year. Instead, Pheasant Island belongs to Spain from February 1 to July 31. From August 1 to January 31, it is a French island.

By the way, there is no mayor; the head of the river is a Spanish or French commander of the river police. The old treaty stipulates that this person is then called the viceroy.

You're not allowed to enter the island. Admittedly, it doesn't have all that much to offer. The houses in the background are on the mainland.

Source: IMAGO/Pond5 Images

By the way, you can't vacation on the island. Entering it is strictly forbidden. Perhaps because otherwise it wouldn't be entirely clear which country would actually be responsible for you.

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