Point Roberts, a pene-exclave south of Vancouver, belongs to which country?

Point Roberts, the unusual pene-exclave south of Vancouver, belongs to the United States.

It is part of Washington state’s Whatcom County, even though it sits on the southern tip of Canada’s Tsawwassen Peninsula. Point Roberts lies south of the 49th parallel, so the international boundary places it in the United States while surrounding land routes pass through Canada.

The territory’s status dates from the Oregon Treaty of 1846, when Britain and the United States agreed that the 49th parallel would form much of their Pacific Northwest boundary. Because Point Roberts is connected to the rest of the United States only by water or air, it is commonly described as a pene-exclave rather than a fully detached exclave.

To drive from Point Roberts to the rest of the United States, travellers normally cross about 25 miles of Canadian territory. The community covered approximately 4.884 square miles and recorded 1,191 residents in the 2020 census. Despite periodic proposals to transfer it to Canada, its status remains unchanged.