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When the snow melts, Switzerland and Italy will know how to draw their border

Bern, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The usual cement country border markers don’t work in the high Alps, partly because the snow is too deep and partly because the boundaries tend to shift as nature moves her mountains slightly. The Swiss Federal Council 19 August signed notes drawn up by Switzerland and Italy laying out the procedure for drawing the boundary line if the need arises.

The high Alps border covers a large area around several peaks, including Bernina, Mont Rosa, and around the Matterhorn and Mont Vélan.

In these areas it generally follows either the line of the crest of peaks or the way the water falls, but a growing concerns is the impact of melting glaciers on the boundary, with the appearance of new layers of rock. In this case the water line will be followed.