Top News

Imagine crossing a bridge in less than a minute and then receiving a text message welcoming you in a new country. That's not far from reality when walking through the El Marco bridge, which is only 10 feet long. The tiny wooden bridge spans the narrow Arroyo Abrilongo stream, which is the natural border between Portugal and Spain. To identify the two countries, the Portuguese end of the bridge has a "P" stone marker, while the stone marker on the Spanish side has "E" (for España) inscribed on it.

Because Sapin and Portugal are in different time zones, the crossing offers a unique form of time travel. Hopping between countries in mere seconds, those who venture across the bridge will see their watch change by an entire hour. The modest crossing joins the Spanish village of La Codosera in the south to Portugal's El Marco.

According to Fascinating Spain, the tiny crossing was constructed by local residents centuries ago. Originally, the bridge was nothing more than a set of basic wooden planks to cross the narrow waterway, but with EU funding, it was reconstructed in 2008. Labourers from both Spain and Portugal worked on the piece of infrastructure, and given its petite size, only pedestrians, not cars, can cross it. Bicycles, however, are still allowed.

The bridge has been ignored by many rankings, which often give the "the shortest" title to a bridge spanning the United States-Canada border on Zavikon Island. However, the Portugal-Spain bridge is at least 13 feet (4 meters) shorter than its North American counterpart, which is why it tops the ranking.

However, not everyone is impressed with that. One Reddit user joked: "I once crossed a plank that was put over a creek at the border between UK (Northern Ireland) and the Republic of Ireland. That was a lot shorter!"