This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 188.3.111.74 (talk) at 18:32, 26 February 2013 (Hatay is no longer disputed between Turkey and Syria!). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Revision as of 18:32, 26 February 2013 by 188.3.111.74 (talk) (Hatay is no longer disputed between Turkey and Syria!)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)This is a list territorial disputes around the world. Both Past and present in modern times. Bold indicates one claimant's full control; italics indicates one or more claimants' partial control.
Disputes between recognized sovereign states
Africa
Territory | Claimants | Notes |
---|---|---|
Abyei | Sudan South Sudan |
Both Sudan and South Sudan claim the area. Takeover by north May 2011 |
Badme | Ethiopia Eritrea |
Basis of the Eritrean-Ethiopian War which began in 1998. Currently controlled by Ethiopia. |
Bakassi | Cameroon Nigeria |
This area was handed over by Nigeria to Cameroon following an International Court of Justice ruling, but the Senate of Nigeria has decreed the handover of territory was illegal. |
Banc du Geyser | Madagascar Comoros France |
|
Bassas da India, Europa Island and Juan de Nova Island | France Madagascar |
|
Bir Tawil | None Egypt-administered |
De jure no man's land. Egypt and Sudan both claim different borders in which they would have the Hala'ib Triangle, leaving the Bir Tawil to the other. As both claim the Hala'ib Triangle, neither claims Bir Tawil. |
Bure | Ethiopia Eritrea |
|
Caprivi Strip boundary tripoints/quadripoint | Botswana Namibia Zambia Zimbabwe |
|
Ceuta | Spain Morocco |
|
Chagos Archipelago | United Kingdom Mauritius Seychelles |
United Kingdom administers as part of British Indian Ocean Territory |
Part of Gicumbi District, Northern Province | Rwanda Uganda |
|
Glorioso Islands | France Madagascar Seychelles Comoros |
|
Hala'ib Triangle | Egypt Sudan |
Previously under joint administration; Egypt now maintains full de facto control |
Heglig | Sudan South Sudan |
Both Sudan and South Sudan claim the area. Controlled by South Sudan in mid-April 2012, internationally viewed as part of Sudan. |
Ilemi Triangle | Kenya South Sudan |
|
Islas Chafarinas | Spain Morocco |
|
Jodha | South Sudan Sudan |
Both Sudan and South Sudan claim the area. |
Part of Kabale District | Uganda Rwanda |
|
Kafia Kingi | South Sudan Sudan |
Both Sudan and South Sudan claim the area. |
Kaka | South Sudan Sudan |
Both Sudan and South Sudan claim the area. |
KaNgwane | South Africa Eswatini |
Swaziland claims territories which it states were confiscated during colonial times. The area claimed by Swaziland is the former bantustan of KaNgwane, which now forms the northern parts of Jozini and uMhlabuyalingana local municipalities in KwaZulu-Natal, and the southern part of Nkomazi, the southeastern part of Umjindi and the far eastern part of Albert Luthuli local municipalities in Mpumalanga. |
Part of the Kahemba region | Angola DR Congo |
Following a March 2007 report on the disputed area on the joint border in the Kahemba region, the Congolese interior minister admitted the territory was in fact part of Angola and agreed to send a technical team to demarcate the border along colonial era lines. The countries agreed to end the dispute in July 2007. |
Koualou village | Burkina Faso Benin |
|
Kpeaba village | Guinea Ivory Coast |
Guinean troops occupying village since January 2013. |
Area near Logoba/Moyo District | South Sudan Uganda |
|
Lunchinda-Pweto province | Zambia DR Congo |
|
Mayotte | France Comoros |
Under the 2009 referendum, the population supported becoming an overseas department of France, and so became one on March 31, 2011. |
Islands in Mbamba Bay, Lake Nyasa | Tanzania Malawi |
Lundo Is. and Mbambo Is. are claimed as part of the lake, as Malawi claims to the shore based on 1890 Anglo-German treaty. See Lake Malawi#Tanzania–Malawi dispute |
Mbañie Island, Cocotiers, and Congas Island | Gabon Equatorial Guinea |
|
Melilla | Spain Morocco |
|
Migingo Island vicinity, and, farther north, the vicinity of the islands of Lolwe, Oyasi, Remba, Ringiti and Sigulu, all a maritime rights dispute in Lake Victoria. | Kenya Uganda |
|
Several islands in the Ntem River | Cameroon Equatorial Guinea |
|
Several villages near the Okpara River | Benin Nigeria |
|
Orange River border line | Namibia South Africa |
Namibia claims the border lies along the middle of the river, while South Africa claims it lies along the north bank. |
Peñón de Alhucemas | Spain Morocco |
|
Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera | Spain Morocco |
|
Perejil Island | Spain Morocco |
After the 2002 incident, both countries agreed to return to the status quo previous to the incident. |
Ras Doumeira and Doumeira Island | Eritrea Djibouti |
|
The Rufunzo Valley and Sabanerwa | Rwanda Burundi |
|
Rukwanzi Island and the Semliki River valley | DR Congo Uganda |
|
Exclusive Economic Zone surrounding the Savage Islands | Portugal Spain |
|
Sindabezi Island | Zambia Zimbabwe |
|
Socotran Archipelago | Yemen Somalia |
Somalia, while not formally claiming the archipelago, asked for the United Nations to look into "the status" of the Socotran archipelago (i.e., whether or not it "should" belong to Yemen or rather Somalia). |
South East Algeria | Algeria Libya |
|
Tromelin Island | France Mauritius Seychelles |
|
Tsorona-Zalambessa | Ethiopia Eritrea |
|
Wadi Halfa Salient | Egypt Sudan |
|
Yenga (border hamlet), and left bank of the Makona and Moa rivers | Sierra Leone Guinea |
Asia and the Pacific
Territory | Claimants | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|
Aasal, Al-Qaa, Al-Qasr, Deir Al-Aashayer, Kfar Kouq and Tufail | Lebanon Syria |
||
Abu Musa | Iran United Arab Emirates |
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Part of Akrotiri Sovereign Base Area | United Kingdom Cyprus |
||
Azad Kashmir (part of Kashmir, see below) | Pakistan India |
||
Aksai Chin (part of Jammu and Kashmir, see below) | China (PRC) India |
Possibly also the ROC. | |
Arunachal Pradesh (part of India-controlled Arunachal Pradesh) | Republic of India China (PRC) Rep of China (Taiwan) |
Controlled by India but claimed by China and Taiwan who dispute the validity of the McMahon Line | |
Jammu and Kashmir | Pakistan India |
||
Bhutanese enclaves in Tibet, namely Cherkip Gompa, Dho, Dungmar, Gesur, Gezon, Itse Gompa, Khochar, Nyanri, Ringung, Sanmar, Tarchen and Zuthulphuk | China (PRC) Bhutan |
Possibly also the ROC. | |
Boraibari | Bangladesh India |
Boraibari falls under the adverse possession category with the map suggesting that it should be within Indian control. | |
Daikhata-Dumabari | India Bangladesh |
Daikhata-Dumabari fall under the adverse possession category with the map suggesting that it should be within Bangladeshi control. | |
Various areas: Dak Jerman/Dak Duyt, Dak Dang/Dak Huyt, the La Drang area and the islands of Baie/Koh Ta Kiev, Milieu/Koh Thmey, Eau/Koh Ses, Pic/Koh Thonsáy and the Northern Pirates/Koh Po | Cambodia Vietnam |
||
David Gareja monastery complex boundary dispute | Georgia Azerbaijan |
||
Demchok, Chumar, Kaurik, Shipki Pass, Jadh, and Lapthal | China (PRC) India Rep of China (Taiwan) |
Disputed areas located between Aksai Chin and Nepal, all administered by India except for most of the Demchok tract (administered by China.) | |
Part of Dhekelia Sovereign Base Area | United Kingdom Cyprus |
||
Doi Lang | Burma Thailand |
||
Durand Line/Federally Administered Tribal Areas | Pakistan Afghanistan |
Region part of Pakistan but, claimed by Afghanistan. | |
Fasht Ad Dibal and Qit'at Jaradeh | Bahrain Qatar |
These were not included in the 2001 International Court of Justice judgement, as low-tide elevations. | |
several areas in the Fergana Valley | Kyrgyzstan Tajikistan Uzbekistan |
||
Gilgit–Baltistan (Jammu and Kashmir) | Pakistan India |
||
Greater and Lesser Tunbs | Iran United Arab Emirates |
||
Hibernia Reef | Australia Indonesia |
||
Ieodo Island/Suyan Rock (aka Socotra Rock) | South Korea China (PRC) |
Dispute of continental shelf which in turn determines the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the respective countries. Also possibly claimed by Rep of China (Taiwan) and North Korea. | |
Indo-Bangladesh enclaves | India Bangladesh |
Controlled by India but claimed by Bangladesh. | |
Isfara Valley | Kyrgyzstan Tajikistan |
||
Kachatheevu Island | India Sri Lanka |
Given to Sri Lanka by India in 1974. | |
Karang Unarang | Indonesia Malaysia | ||
Kalapani region, the smaller Susta River dispute and the smaller still Antudanda and Nawalparasi disputes | India Nepal |
All administered by India. | |
Karki exclave of Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic of Azerbaijan | Armenia Azerbaijan |
Armenia occupied this Azerbaijani exclave in January 1990 as part of the wider Nagorno-Karabakh War | |
Khuriya Muriya Islands | Oman Yemen |
||
Disputed Kurdish-Iraqi areas | Iraq Iraqi Kurdistan |
||
Korea | North Korea South Korea |
The Democratic People's Republic of Korea administers North Korea, but Article 1 of the Constitution of North Korea reads: "The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is an independent socialist State representing the interests of all the Korean people." The Republic of Korea administers South Korea, but Article 3 of the Constitution of South Korea reads: "The territory of the Republic of Korea shall consist of the Korean peninsula and its adjacent islands." | |
Kula Kangri and mountainous areas to the west of this peak, plus the western Haa District of Bhutan | China (PRC) Bhutan |
Possibly also the ROC. | |
South Kuril Islands (Northern Territories) | Russia Japan | ||
Lathitila | India Bangladesh |
Controlled by India but claimed by Bangladesh. | |
Liancourt Rocks | ' Japan South Korea | ||
Ligitan and Sipadan | Malaysia Indonesia |
The 2002 International Court of Justice ruling awarded both islands to Malaysia, but left unsettled the maritime boundary immediately southwest and west of the islands between Malaysia and Indonesia. | |
Macclesfield Bank | China (PRC) Rep of China (Taiwan) Vietnam |
||
Matthew and Hunter Islands | Vanuatu France |
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Minerva Reefs | Tonga Fiji |
Fiji claims that the entire reef is submerged at high tide, negating use of Minerva as a basis for any sovereignty or maritime EEZ claim by Tonga under the rules of UNCLOS. | |
Muhurichar river island | India Bangladesh |
Controlled by India but claimed by Bangladesh. | |
Certain islands in the Naf River | Bangladesh Burma |
||
Small areas of Oecusse District | Timor-Leste Indonesia |
||
Okinotorishima | Japan China (PRC) |
The PRC does not claim ownership of the islet; rather, it argues that it is not large enough to entitle Japan to the EEZ of the surrounding ocean. | |
Paracel Islands | China (PRC) Rep of China (Taiwan) Vietnam |
Entirely controlled by China but claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan | |
"Pedra Branca"; several islets at the eastern entrance to the Singapore Strait | Singapore Malaysia |
The International Court of Justice rendered its decision on 23 May 2008 that sovereignty over Pedra Branca belongs to Singapore; sovereignty over Middle Rocks belongs to Malaysia, and sovereignty over South Ledge belongs to the state in the territorial waters of which it is located. | |
"Point 20"; a small area of land reclaimed from the sea by Singapore | Singapore Malaysia |
Malaysia claims the land was reclaimed in its territorial waters | |
Part of Poipet commune | Thailand Cambodia |
||
Prachinburi area | Thailand Cambodia |
||
Preah Vihear Temple area (Khao Phra Wihan) | Thailand Cambodia |
Temple complex awarded to Cambodia by an International Court of Justice ruling in 1962, but Cambodian–Thai border dispute continues over areas immediately adjacent to the temple. | |
Pulau Batek/Fatu Sinai | Indonesia Timor-Leste |
Ceded by Timor-Leste to Indonesia in August 2004. | |
Pyrdiwah | India Bangladesh |
Controlled by India but claimed by Bangladesh. | |
Qarooh and Umm Al Maradim | Kuwait Saudi Arabia |
||
Sabah (North Borneo) | Malaysia Philippines |
Philippines lays a dormant claim on Sabah on the basis that it is a historical part of the Sulu Sultanate (see North Borneo dispute). | |
Scarborough Shoal | China Philippines Rep of China (Taiwan) |
Since the 2012 Scarborough Shoal standoff The Philippines has released a law that proclaims the islands as a "regime of islands". | |
Senkaku Islands (Diaoyu Tai) | Japan China (PRC) Rep of China (Taiwan) |
||
Shaksgam Valley | China (PRC) India |
Possibly also the ROC.Currently controlled by China. | |
Shatt al-Arab | Iran Iraq |
||
Siachen Glacier and Saltoro Ridge area | India Pakistan |
Taken over by India in 1984 and currently administered by India but claimed by Pakistan. | |
Sir Creek | India Pakistan |
A dispute over where in the estuary the line falls; no land, but significant maritime territory is involved. | |
South Talpatti/New Moore/Purbasha Island | India Bangladesh |
This former dispute over a small island never more than two meters above sea level was contested from the island's appearance in the 1970s to its disappearance in the first decade of the 2000s. While land disputes here no longer exist, the maritime boundary is yet to be defined. | |
Spratly Islands | Rep of China (Taiwan) China (PRC) Vietnam Philippines (part) Malaysia (part) Brunei (part) |
The Philippines has released a law that proclaims part of the islands as a "regime of islands". | |
Swains Island | United States Tokelau |
This claim is unsupported by New Zealand, of whom Tokelau is a dependency. New Zealand formally recognises the USA's sovereignty over Swains Island. | |
Exclusive Economic Zone near the Tasman Sea | Australia Japan |
Japan continues to perform whaling operations in the area. For more info see Whaling in Japan | |
Parts of Three Pagodas Pass | Burma Thailand |
||
Trans-Karakoram Tract | China (PRC) India |
||
Tsushima Island |
Japan South Korea |
Claimed by Korea | |
The islands of Ukatny, Zhestky and the disputed 'island' of Malozhemchuzny | Russia Kazakhstan |
||
Vozrozhdeniya Island (now a peninsula) | Kazakhstan Uzbekistan |
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Wake Island | United States Marshall Islands |
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Golan Heights | Israel Syria |
Formerly Syrian territory captured by Israel in 1967 (the Six-Day War), and annexed by Israel in 1981. A small 10 mi wide strip along the northeast side of the Sea of Galilee (Lake Kinneret) was part of the former Palestine Mandate and was part of Israel until being captured by Syria in 1948. | |
Shebaa Farms | Israel Lebanon Syria |
||
Saudi Arabia–United Arab Emirates border dispute | United Arab Emirates Saudi Arabia |
Europe
Territory | Claimants | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|
Aegean dispute | Turkey Greece |
Broad number of delimitation disputes about a.o. national airspace, territorial waters and exclusive economic zones. Includes Imia/Kardak dispute. | |
Mont Blanc summit dispute | France Italy |
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Carlingford Lough boundary dispute | Ireland United Kingdom |
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Some areas by the Danube Parts of Osijek and Sombor districts |
Croatia Serbia |
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Ems estuary and Dollart Bay (western part) | Netherlands Germany |
Settled in 1960s (agreeing to disagree) Subject to treaty negotiations as a result of implications for the territorial sea north of the Dollart. | |
Gibraltar | United Kingdom Spain |
Spain claims territory under the Treaty of Utrecht conditions. | |
Gulf of Piran | Slovenia Croatia |
An agreement was signed (and ratified by Croatia's parliament on Nov. 20, 2009) to pursue binding arbitration to both the land and maritime portions of this ongoing dispute | |
Isthmus between Gibraltar and Spain | United Kingdom Spain |
Spain claims territory as illegally occupied since it was not included into the Treaty of Utrecht. | |
Imia/Kardak | Turkey Greece |
Part of Aegean dispute | |
Tuzla Island and Strait of Kerch; Sarych | Ukraine Russia |
The conflict arose in 2003 when the Russian authorities started to build a dam towards the island. Since then Ukraine established a border garrison on the island for a closer surveillance. The reason for the conflict is the fact that Tuzla island strategic location gives Ukraine full rights over the main channel in the Strait of Kerch and, thus, the access to the Sea of Azov. | |
Sarych | Ukraine Russia |
The conflict is based on the division of the Black Sea Fleet and a lease agreement of the Sevastopol Naval facilities. | |
Lake Constance | Austria Germany Switzerland |
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Lough Foyle boundary dispute | Ireland United Kingdom |
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An area near Montalmus peak | Andorra Spain |
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Olivenza (including the municipality of Táliga) | Spain Portugal |
In 1801, during the War of the Oranges, Spain, with French military support, occupied the territory of Olivenza (in Portuguese Olivença). By the Treaty of Vienna (1815), the signatory powers pledged to mediate in favor of Portugal, but, until today, Spain never returned the territory. | |
Prevlaka | Croatia Montenegro |
||
Rockall | United Kingdom Ireland Denmark Iceland |
Only the UK claims the rock itself. Ireland and Britain have agreed upon a demarcation of the surrounding sea-bed. Denmark and Iceland claim that the Rockall trough limits the Irish and British claims to the waters surrounding the rock and to the Rockall Bank. | |
Sastavci | Serbia Bosnia and Herzegovina | ||
Island of Šarengrad | Serbia Croatia |
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Military complex near Sveta Gera, in the area of Žumberak/Gorjanci | Slovenia Croatia |
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Veliki Školj and Mali Školj (near Neum) | Croatia Bosnia and Herzegovina |
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Island of Vukovar | Croatia Serbia |
North America
Territory | Claimants | Notes |
---|---|---|
Hans Island | Canada Denmark |
Claimed by both Canada and Denmark (on behalf of Greenland). |
Continental shelf in the eastern Gulf of Mexico beyond 200 nautical miles | Cuba Mexico United States |
Overlap on the eastern gap of the Gulf of Mexico between an area of continental shelf extending beyond 200 nautical miles from Cuba, an area of continental shelf extending beyond 200 nautical miles from Mexico and an area of continental shelf extending beyond 200 nautical miles from the United States. (The case of the western gap was solved by a treaty between Mexico and the United States of America on the delimitation of the continental shelf in the western Gulf of Mexico beyond 200 nautical miles, of June 9, 2000.) |
Territory disputed between Canada and the United States
Main article: List of areas disputed by Canada and the United StatesTerritory | Canadian claimant | U.S. claimant |
---|---|---|
Machias Seal Island | New Brunswick | Maine |
North Rock | New Brunswick | Maine |
Strait of Juan de Fuca | British Columbia | Washington |
Dixon Entrance | British Columbia | Alaska |
Portland Canal | British Columbia | Alaska |
Beaufort Sea | Northwest Territories, Yukon | Alaska |
Northwest Passage and some other Arctic waters | Canadian territorial waters | U.S. claims navigation rights |
Central America and the Caribbean
Territory | Claimants | Notes |
---|---|---|
200 nmi of Barbados | Venezuela Barbados |
Venezuela claims the southern maritime seas of Barbados since 1990. Guyana/Barbados claim this area as their overlapping maritime area and both have since signed joint cooperation agreement over this area. It became subject to dispute when Barbados was issuing oil licenses in 2008 and Venezuela informed the United Nations that it considers that portion of seabed as belonging to Venezuela. |
Isla Aves | Venezuela Dominica |
Dominica abandoned the claim to the island in 2006, but continues to claim the adjacent seas, as do some neighboring states. |
Southern half of Belize | Belize Guatemala |
Guatemala formerly claiming all Belize. |
Bajo Nuevo Bank | Colombia Nicaragua United States Jamaica |
Honduras has recognised the sovereignty of Colombia; other claimants have not. |
Calero Island's northernmost part | Costa Rica Nicaragua |
|
Conejo Island | Honduras El Salvador |
|
Navassa Island | United States Haiti |
|
San Andrés and Providencia | Colombia Nicaragua |
Honduras de facto recognises Colombian claim. |
Sapodilla Cay | Belize Guatemala Honduras |
Guatemala formerly claiming all Belize. |
Serranilla Bank | Colombia Honduras Nicaragua United States |
Jamaica has recognised the sovereignty of Colombia; other claimants have not. |
South America
Territory | Claimants | Notes |
---|---|---|
Guayana Esequiba (Guyana west of the Essequibo River) | Guyana Venezuela |
Also forms part of the Venezuela–Barbados dispute, Venezuela claiming southern portion of Guyana/Barbados overlapping maritime area. Barbados and Guyana have since signed joint cooperation agreement over this area. |
Ankoko Island/Isla de Anacoco | Venezuela Guyana |
|
Arroyo de la Invernada or Rincón de Artigas and Vila Albornoz | Brazil Uruguay |
Dispute in the 235 km (91 sq mi) Invernada River region near Masoller, over which tributary represents the legitimate source of the Quaraí River/Cuareim River |
Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) | United Kingdom Argentina |
See Falkland Islands sovereignty dispute |
French Guiana west of the Marouini River | France Suriname |
|
Guaíra Falls/Sete Quedas | Brazil Paraguay |
The disputed islands were submerged by the reservoir of Itaipú. |
Guyana east of the Upper Courantyne River | Guyana Suriname |
|
Isla Brasilera/Ilha Brasileira | Brazil Uruguay |
Uruguayan officials claim that the island falls under their Artigas Department |
Isla Suárez/Ilha de Guajará-mirim | Bolivia Brazil |
|
Gulf of Venezuela Sea Border | Venezuela Colombia |
Colombia claims it has right to waters in this Gulf. |
Pacific Ocean Sea border | Chile Peru |
This arguably covers 19,000–35,000 square metres of sea extending westward from the border marker number one area on the coast. |
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands | United Kingdom Argentina |
Including Shag Rocks. See South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands sovereignty dispute |
Southern Patagonian Ice Field between Monte Fitz Roy and Cerro Murallón |
Argentina Chile |
Parts of the border still officially undefined. |
Disputes between recognized sovereign states and other states
See also: List of states with limited recognitionDisputes between a state and its subnational entities, or between subnational entities
Territory | Country | Internal Claimants | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Belgaum | India | Karnataka Maharashtra |
Disputed since 1956 when Belgaum district was not transferred to Maharashtra. |
Hogenakkal | India | Tamil Nadu Karnataka |
which is part of Tamil Nadu |
Lubicon traditional territory between the Peace River and Athabasca River and north of Lesser Slave Lake | Canada | Alberta Lubicon Lake Indian Nation (Cree) |
Northern Alberta |
Southern edge of Labrador | Canada | Newfoundland and Labrador Quebec |
This was formerly an international dispute between Canada, which includes Quebec, and the Dominion of Newfoundland, at the time a separate country. Although Canada accepted the current border, Quebec never did. |
Songling District and Jiagedaqi District | People's Republic of China | Inner Mongolia Heilongjiang |
|
A wide section from the 35th parallel north to one-mile south. | United States | Tennessee Georgia |
Due to an inaccurate measurement in 1818, Georgia claims the correct 35th latitude north, and does so in a chance of a drought, it would have access to the Tennessee River. |
Antarctica
Further information: Territorial claims of AntarcticaThe Antarctic Treaty System, formed on 1 December 1959 and entered into force on 23 June 1961, establishes the legal framework for the management of Antarctica and provides administration for the continent, which is carried out through consultative member meetings. It freezes the territorial claims of all signatories (all claimants have acceded) for as long as the treaty is in force. However, it is not a final settlement; parties can choose to withdraw from the System at any time. Furthermore, only a minority of states have signed it, and it is not formally sanctioned by the United Nations. Thus, Antarctica remains the only part of the planet any (non-signatory) state can still lay claim to as terra nullius (on the grounds of it not having been part of any existing state's legal and effective territory).
Territory | Claimants | Antarctic territory |
---|---|---|
Area between 25°W and 53°W | United Kingdom Argentina |
British Antarctic Territory Argentine Antarctica |
Area between 53°W and 74°W | United Kingdom Argentina Chile |
British Antarctic Territory Argentine Antarctica Antártica Chilena Province |
Area between 74°W and 80°W | United Kingdom Chile |
British Antarctic Territory Antártica Chilena Province |
Historical disputes, subsequently settled
Asia and Pacific
Territory | Former claimants | Dispute started | Dispute settled | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Sakhalin Island | Russian Empire Empire of Japan |
1845 | 1875 | Japan unilaterally proclaimed sovereignty over the whole island in 1845, but its claims were ignored by the Russian Empire. The 1855 Treaty of Shimoda acknowledged that both Russia and Japan had joint rights of occupation to Sakhalin, without setting a definite territorial demarcation. As the island became settled in the 1860s and 1870s, this ambiguity led to increasing friction between settlers. Attempts by the Tokugawa shogunate to purchase the entire island from the Russian Empire failed, and the new Meiji government was unable to negotiate a partition of the island into separate territories.
In the Treaty of Saint Petersburg (1875), Japan agreed to give up its claims on Sakhalin in exchange for undisputed ownership of the Kuril Islands. |
Pamir Mountains | Tajikistan People's Republic of China |
1877 | 2011 | The PRC relinquished its claim over this territory in January 2011 with final ratification of a treaty ceding 1,158 square kilometres (447 sq mi) to it by the Tajik government. |
Palmas Island (modern day Miangas Island) | United States Dutch East Indies |
1906 | 1928 | Dispute between the United States and the Netherlands over the Palmas island located south of the Philippines, which was then American territory. The Netherlands believed that the islands were part of the Dutch East Indies. The territorial dispute was solved through the Island of Palmas case which decided that the Palmas Island belongs to the Netherlands. Palmas Island, now Miangas Island, is currently a part of modern Indonesia. |
Yalu River (disputed sovereignty of certain islands) | People's Republic of China North Korea South Korea |
1949 | 2005 | The allocation to North Korea of all of the large islands in the lower Yalu River, including Pidan and Sindo at the mouth, is now clear. The river's maritime rights remain shared between the two nations. |
Shaksgam Valley | Pakistan (still claimed by: India People's Republic of China) |
1947 | 1963 | Pakistan relinquished its claim to China; India did not. |
Sinai Peninsula | Israel Egypt |
1967 | 1982 | During the Six-Day War Israel claimed Sinai. It was returned in 1982 under the terms of the 1979 Egypt–Israel Peace Treaty. |
West Bank and East Jerusalem | Israel Jordan |
1967 | 1988 | During the Six-Day War Israel conquered these territories from Jordan. Jordan later renounced the claim on the territory, supporting instead its inclusion in a future Palestine. |
Hawar Islands | Qatar Bahrain |
1971 | 2001 | Formerly disputed between Qatar and Bahrain, it was settled by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague. In the June 2001 decision, Bahrain kept the Hawar Islands and Qit'at Jaradah but dropped claims to Janan Island and Zubarah on mainland Qatar, while Qatar retained significant maritime areas and their resources. The agreement has furthered the goal of definitively establishing the border with Saudi Arabia and Saudi-led mediation efforts continue. |
Timor Sea | Australia East Timor |
1970s | 2002 | Disputed since the 1970s when petroleum was discovered of the sea more specifically the Timor Gap which is just outside the territorial boundaries of Australia and East Timor though a temporary solution was reached with the Timor Gap Treaty. However, when East Timorese voted for independence in 1999 that was abandoned. The Timor Sea Treaty was signed in 2002 by the Head of State of both countries ended the dispute and was later extended to 2057. |
Americas
Territory | Former Claimants | Dispute Started | Dispute Settled | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Various Massachusetts boundary disputes | Massachusetts New York New Hampshire Rhode Island Connecticut |
1641 | 1865 | The dispute lasted from when these areas were colonies of Great Britain to states of the United States. |
Alaska Boundary Dispute | United States Canada |
1821 | 1903 | Disputed between the United States and Canada (then a British Dominion with its foreign affairs controlled from London). The dispute had been going on between the Russian and British Empires since 1821, and was inherited by the United States as a consequence of the Alaska Purchase in 1867. It was resolved by arbitration in 1903 with a delegation that included 3 Americans, 2 Canadians, and 1 British delegate that became the swing vote. By a 4 to 2 vote, the final resolution favored the American position. Canada did not get an outlet from the Yukon gold fields to the sea. The disappointment and anger in Canada was directed less at the United States, and more at the British government for betraying Canadian interests in pursuit of a friendly relationship between Britain and the United States. |
Aroostook War | United States British North America |
1838 | 1842 | Disputed border between the state of Maine and the provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec. |
Isla Martín García | Argentina Uruguay |
1879 | 1973 | After the Conquest of the Desert was formally launched in 1879, many indigenous leaders captured were confined there. The island was transferred to Argentine Navy jurisdiction in 1886. The island's distance from the Uruguayan territory is less than two miles, and its jurisdictional status was formally established by the Treaty of Río de la Plata between Uruguay and Argentina on November 19, 1973. |
Puna de Atacama dispute | Argentina Chile |
1889 | 1898 | |
Clipperton Island | Mexico France |
1897 | 1931 | Disputed between France and Mexico. On January 28, 1931, King Victor Emanuel, selected as a neutral arbitrator, finally declared Clipperton to be a French possession, and it has remained relatively undisputed ever since. |
Beagle conflict | Argentina Chile |
1898 | 1982 | |
Laguna del Desierto | Argentina Chile |
1949 | 1994 |
Europe
Territory | Former Claimants | Dispute Started | Dispute Settled | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Bregovo | Bulgaria Kingdom of Serbia |
1885 | 1886 | Bulgaria And Serbia briefly had a war over a small border village called Bregovo and this has been the recognized border ever since then. |
Åland Islands | Finland Sweden |
1917 | 1920 | Sweden and Finland argued over the control of the Åland Islands (located between Sweden and Finland). The Åland movement (Ålandsrörelsen) wanted Åland to reunite with its old mother country Sweden (Finland and Åland belonged to Sweden before 1809). The movement gathered signatures from over 7000 inhabitants of legal age at the Åland Islands in 1917 (that was about 96% of the population) - they all supported a union with Sweden. When Finland became independent (December 6, 1917) Sweden wanted a plebiscite about the future of the Åland Islands to solve the problem. Finland refused and argued that the Åland Islands had always been a natural part of Finland - even when Finland was under Swedish rule. Sweden appealed to the League of Nations referring to the right of the population to determine which country they should belong to. After studying the matter closely the League of Nations decided Finland should retain sovereignty over the province but that the Åland Islands should be made an autonomous territory. The Swedish Prime Minister said he didn’t accept the verdict but he also said that Sweden was not going to use military force to get their claims. |
Bozcaada | Turkey Greece |
1920 | 1923 | On 11 August 1920, following World War I, the Treaty of Sèvres with the defeated Ottoman Empire granted the island to Greece, who joined the war in Allies' side in May 1917. The new Turkish Government of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, based in Ankara, which was not party to the treaty, overthrew the Ottoman government, which signed but did not ratify the treaty. After the Turkish War of Independence ended in Greek defeat in Anatolia, and the fall of Lloyd George and his Middle Eastern policies, the western powers agreed to the Treaty of Lausanne with the new Turkish Republic, in 1923. This treaty made Tenedos and Imbros part of Turkey, and it guaranteed a special autonomous administrative status there to accommodate the Greeks. |
Northern Ireland | United Kingdom Ireland |
1920 | 1999 | Formerly disputed between Ireland and the United Kingdom since partition on 23 December 1920, it was settled by the Good Friday Agreement in 1999, when Ireland renounced its claim. However, both countries acknowledged that the territory can rejoin the rest of Ireland if separate referendums in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland approve of the former's cession. |
Pytalovo (Abrene in Latvia) | Russia Latvia |
1991 | 2007 | Pytalovo was part of independent Latvia as Abrene until Latvia was occupied and annexed by the Soviet Union and Abrene was attached to Russian SSR in 1948. Latvia disputed Russian jurisdiction over the region until giving it up in a border treaty with Russia in 2007. |
Sevastopol | Ukraine Russia |
1993 | 1997 | On July 28, 1993, one of the leaders of the Russian Society of Crimea, Viktor Prusakov, stated that his organisation was ready for an armed mutiny and establishment of the Russian administration in Sevastopol. In May 1997, Russia and Ukraine signed the Peace and Friendship Treaty, ruling out Moscow's territorial claims to Ukraine. |
Black Sea and Snake Island | Ukraine Romania |
2004 | 2009 | In 2004 Romania filed a case to International Court of Justice claiming the Snake Island is an uninhibited rock. During the Soviet times the island was a small naval station with a lighthouse. In 2007 the Ukrainian parliament approved an establishment of a small hamlet (settlement) Bile as part of Vylkove city Odessa Region. |
Vilnius Region | Lithuania Poland |
1920 | 1945 | During the Polish-Soviet War Polish armies entered the Vilnius Region which was at the time part of the Soviet Lithuanian-Belorussian Soviet Socialist Republic. In 1920, Polish General Lucjan Zeligowski lead a coup and established the Republic of Central Lithuania which was annexed to the Second Polish Republic after the war as part of the historic Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and due to ethnic Poles in the region. Lithuania moved its capital to Kaunas while never giving up its claim to Vilnius. The Lithuanians found support in the Soviet Union for their cause signing the Soviet-Lithuanian Mutual Assistance Treaty in 1939. Following the Soviet invasion of Poland, the region came under Soviet control and became part of the Lithuanian SSR after WWII which was followed by a large number of ethnic Poles beginning deported two times. Following the fall of the Soviet Union and Act of the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithuania the Vilnius region became part of Lithuania again. |
Passetto di Borgo in the vicinity of the Vatican City | Italy Holy See |
1870 | 1991 | Pope John Paul II recognized the sovereignty of Italy over the Passetto on May 18, 1991. |
Antarctica
Territory | Former Claimants | Dispute Started | Dispute Settled | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Bouvet Island | Norway United Kingdom |
1927 | 1929 | The United Kingdom claimed this Antarctic island as Lindsay/Liverpool Island based on sightings going back to 1808, but Norway landed there in 1927. In November 1929, Britain renounced its claim to the island. |
Notes
- ^ The Republic of China (ROC), now based in Taiwan, is involved in territorial disputes with many governments bordering China. Due to the One-China policy, it has no formal diplomatic relations with any of these states. The ROC recognises neither the People's Republic of China (PRC) nor its border agreements or treaties with any other countries. Article 4 of the Constitution of the Republic of China states that "The territory of the Republic of China according to its existing national boundaries shall not be altered except by resolution of the National Assembly." Section 5 of Article 4 of the Additional Articles of the Constitution of the Republic of China now overrides this provision, with the power of the National Assembly to alter transferred to the Legislative Yuan and the electorate.
- ^ The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) and the Republic of Korea (South Korea) do not recognize each other.
- ^ . Relinquished by the People's Republic of China but still claimed by the Republic of China.
See also
- Demilitarized zone
- Dependent territory
- List of border conflicts
- List of countries and territories by land and maritime borders
- List of sovereign states
- Lists of active separatist movements
- Neutral territory
- Table of administrative divisions by country
- Territorial claims in the Arctic
- Territorial disputes in the Persian Gulf
References
- ^ Field Listing - Disputes - international, The World Factbook
- ^ African Affairs - Sign In Page
- ^ Zapatero stirs anger of Morocco - International Herald Tribune
- "Why are Egypt and Sudan in dispute over the Hala'ib Triangle?(Quizzical)(Brief Article)".
{{cite news}}
: Text "Find Articles at BNET.com" ignored (help); Text "Geographical" ignored (help) - "SWAZILAND: Land claim falls on deaf SA ears". IRIN. June 16, 2003. Retrieved March 7, 2012.
- "Congo Acknowledges Disputed Border Area Is In Angola Origin". Embassy Kinshasa cable. March 16, 2007. Retrieved 19 July 2012.
- "Angola, DR Congo end border row". BBC. 31 Jul, 2007. Retrieved 19 July 2012.
{{cite news}}
: Check date values in:|date=
(help) - "ICoast, Guinea vow peaceful resolution to border dispute". AFP.
- Compte rendu du déplacement d'une délégation du groupe interparlementaire France-Afrique centrale au Gabon, en Guinée équatoriale et à Sao Tomé-et-Principe, parliamentary report of the Senate of France, 2003.
- Comunicados y notas de prensa de la OID
- http://www.hiiraan.com/news2/2010/oct/for_first_time_in_history_somalia_claims_socotra_as_its_own.aspx
- PAKISTAN-AFGHANISTAN RELATIONS IN THE POST-9/11 ERA, October 2006, Frédéric Grare
- Cite error: The named reference
Dawn
was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - Grare, Frédéric (October 2006). "Carnegie Papers - Pakistan-Afghanistan Relations in the Post-9/11 Era" (PDF). Retrieved 2011-02-11.
- End of Imaginary Durrand Line: North Pakistan belongs to Afghanistan by Wahid Momand
- Cite error: The named reference
AO
was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - Cite error: The named reference
A
was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - Pedra Branca case, operative clause; Sovereignty over Pedra Branca/Pulau Batu Puteh, Middle Rocks and South Ledge (Malaysia/Singapore), International Court of Justice, 23 May 2008. See also ICJ awards Pedra Branca's sovereignty to Singapore, Channel NewsAsia, 23 May 2008, retrieved 23 May 2008; Court awards islet to Singapore, BBC News, 23 May 2008.
- "Chinese 'occupation' of Bajo de Masinloc could reduce PH territorial waters by 38 percent". Malaya Business News Online. January 21, 2013. Retrieved January 23, 2013.
- ^ "REPUBLIC ACT NO. 9522 : AN ACT TO AMEND CERTAIN PROVISIONS OF REPUBLIC ACT NO. 3046, AS AMENDED BY REPUBLIC ACT NO. 5446, TO DEFINE THE ARCHIPELAGIC BASELINE OF THE PHILIPPINES AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES". Chan Robles Law Library. March 10, 200; "United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea of 10 December 1982". The United Nations. Part VIII : Article 121.
- "Bay of Bengal island 'disappears'". BBC News. 2010-03-24.
- "Treaty on the delimitation of the maritime boundary between Tokelau and the United States of America (with map). Signed at Atafu on 2 December 1980. Authentic texts: English and Tokelauan. Registered by the United States on 25 July 1991" (PDF) (in English and Tokelauan). July 25, 1991. Retrieved August 28, 2011.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link) - КАСПИЙСКИЙ САММИТ НЕ СОСТОЯЛСЯ
- "Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf". http://www.un.org/depts/los/clcs_new/submissions_files/submission_cub_51_2009.htm
- Acuerdo para precisar el recorrido del Límite desde el Monte Fitz Roy hasta el Cerro Daudet
- "Moscow, Sokhumi Dispute Village in 'Border Talks'". Civil.ge. 2 April 2011.
- "Russia e Abkhazia litigano per i confini". AgoraVox Italia. 23 May 2011.
- Additional Articles of the Constitution of the Republic of China, Article 9, Section 2
- Constitution of the People's Republic of China, Preamble
- Shaila Dewan, Georgia Claims a Sliver of the Tennessee River, The New York Times, February 22, 2008
- "China's area increases by 1000 sq km". Times of India. 12 January 2011.
- Even official Chinese maps award these islands to North Korea, such as the provincial map on p. 41 in the 2005 Chinese atlas “Zhonghua Renmin Gongheguo Jiaotong Dituji” ISBN 7-80104-652-8, (www.starmap.com.cn)
- Richard Baker (21 April 2007). "New Timor treaty 'a failure'". Theage.com.au. The Age Company Ltd. Retrieved 3 January 2010.
- "Timor Sea Treaty between the Government of East Timor and the Government of Australia". Australasian Legal Information Institute - Australian Treaty Series. 2003. Retrieved 2008-10-20.
- Robert J. King, Certain Maritime Arrangements in the Timor Sea, the Timor Sea Treaty and the Timor Gap, 1972-2007, Submission to the Australian Parliament’s Joint Standing Committee on Treaties’ Inquiry into the Treaty on Certain Maritime Arrangements in the Timor Sea, March 2007, p.70.
- http://www.macgregorishistory.com/english/ib/League%20of%20Nations/lon1920.html
- "Review of Ukraine base lease 'fatal,' Russia warns". People's Daily. Beijing, China. 28 December 2005. Archived from the original on 17 January 2006.
{{cite news}}
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suggested) (help) - Hemeroteca ABC
- Catholic Herald
- Barr, Susan (1987). Norway's Polar Territories. Oslo: Aschehoug. p. 63. ISBN 82-03-15689-4.
External links
- "Government Statistics: Transnational Issues: Disputes: International (most recent) by country". Nation Master.
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