Holland and Belgium have swapped a total of 48 acres of territory and moved their border after the discovery of a headless corpse on an effectively lawless peninsula between the two countries.

On January 1, the border between the eastern Belgian region of Vise and the southwestern Dutch municipality of Eijsden was moved back to its historic location in the middle of the River Meuse, which splits the two countries.

Over time, the river’s changing course meant that two uninhabited Belgian peninsulas ended up on the Dutch side while a section of Dutch territory found itself on the Belgian side of the Meuse.

The peaceful land-swap, equivalent to 27 football fields, was agreed last November, more than 170 years after the border was agreed in 1843.

One uninhabited peninsula had proved almost impossible for the Belgians to police. Because they required special permission to travel through Dutch territory, they were forced to approach it by boat.