49th Parallel Apr 2026

Following the War of 1812, Britain and the U.S. agreed to set the 49th parallel as the border from the Lake of the Woods in the east to the Rocky Mountains in the west.

After years of "joint occupancy" and the American political slogan "Fifty-Four Forty or Fight!" (referring to a more northern line), the two nations compromised by extending the 49th-parallel boundary all the way to the Pacific Ocean.

The is a circle of latitude located 49 degrees north of the Earth's equator. While it spans across Europe and Asia, crossing major landmarks like Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris, it is most famous as the primary international boundary between the United States and Canada. Stretching over 1,200 miles across the western half of the continent, it forms the longest straight-line section of what is often called the longest undefended border in the world. Historical Establishment