The Island That's Only French for Half a Year
One of the lessons parents try to teach their children is the importance of sharing things.
But would you believe there are even countries that have learned to share land between them?
In the river between France and Spain, there is a 200-meter-long island that the countries have been sharing for hundreds of years.
For half of the year — from February 1 to July 31, Pheasant Island is owned by Spain. For the other half of the year, it's French.
This situation is known as a "condominium," and there are only a few of them in the world.
A condominium is an area that is jointly owned by two or more countries — although the word is also used in the US to refer to an apartment building where people can own the rooms they live in.
No one lives on Pheasant Island, which sits in the Bidasoa River not far from the Bay of Biscay. On one side of the river is the Spanish town of Irun, and on the other is the French town of Hendaye.
Spain and France signed a treaty in 1659 agreeing to share the island, after the end of their part of the Thirty Years' War.
It has been seen as a symbol of peace, although anyone wanting to visit may be disappointed — people aren't usually able to go onto the island.
However, officials do travel across it to complete the handover twice a year.
The island has had a number of different names, and some visitors, including Les Misérables writer Victor Hugo, have complained that there actually aren't any pheasants living there!
Another example of a condominium can be found on the Moselle River, which is shared by Germany and Luxembourg. And El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua share the Gulf of Fonseca on the Pacific Ocean.
