List of territorial disputes
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This is a list of extant territorial disputes around the world. Bold indicates one claimant's full control; italics, one or more claimants' partial control .
- Bassas da India, Europa Island and Juan de Nova: France and Madagascar[1]
- Badme: Ethiopia and Eritrea[1]
- Banc du Geyser: Madagascar, France and the Comoros
- (former) Bogomerom archipelago (parts): Chad and Nigeria
- Bure: Ethiopia and Eritrea[2]
- Cabinda: Angola and Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Caprivi Strip boundary tripoints/quadripoint: Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe
- Ceuta: [3]Spain and Morocco
- Chagos Archipelago: United Kingdom (as British Indian Ocean Territory), Mauritius and the Seychelles
- Chirac pastures : Morocco and Algeria[4]
- part of Gicumbi District, North Province: Rwanda and Uganda
- Glorioso Islands: France, Madagascar, the Seychelles and the Comoros
- Hala'ib Triangle: Egypt and Sudan[5]
- Isla de Alborán: Spain and Morocco
- Isla Perejil: Spain and Morocco
- Islas Chafarinas: Spain and Morocco
- Ilemi Triangle: Kenya, Ethiopia and Sudan
- part of Kabale District: Uganda and Rwanda
- Kangawane Swazi homelands in parts of Mpumalanga and KwaZulu Natal: South Africa and Swaziland
- Kariba Power Station and Sindabezi Island: Zambia and Zimbabwe
- Kasikili/Sedudu: Botswana and Namibia[6]
- part of the Katemba region: Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Koualou village: Burkina Faso and Benin
- Lete Island and neighbouring islands: Benin and Niger (adjudicated by the ICJ in 2005)
- area near Logoba/Moyo District: Sudan and Uganda
- Lunchinda-Pweto province: Zambia and Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Mayotte: France and Comoros[1]
- Mbañie Island, Cocotiers, and Congas Island: Gabon and Equatorial Guinea[7]
- islands in Mbamba Bay, Lake Nyasa: Tanzania and Malawi
- Melilla[8]Spain and Morocco
- Migingo Island: Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania
- several islands in the River Ntem: Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea
- North West Niger (about 25,000 square km): Niger and Libya
- Ogaden: Ethiopia and Somalia
- several villages near the Okpara River: Benin and Niger
- Peñón de Alhucemas: Spain and Morocco
- Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera: Spain and Morocco
- Raheita: Djibouti and Eritrea
- Rukwanzi Island: Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda
- the Rufunzo Valley and Sabererwa: Rwanda and Burundi
- Savage Islands: Portugal and Spain NOTE:- the dispute seems mainly to be about the EEZ
- strip of land in Semliki river: Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda
- South East Algeria: Algeria and Libya
- Socotra: Yemen and Somalia
- triangular area of land south east of Toummo: Niger and Libya
- Tromelin: France, Mauritius and the Seychelles
- Tsorona-Zalambessa: Ethiopia and Eritrea [9]
- Wadi Haifa Salient: Egypt and Sudan
- Yenga (border hamlet), and left bank of the Makona and Moa rivers: Sierra Leone and Guinea
- Ankoko Island/Isla de Anacoco : Venezuela and Guyana
- Arroyo de la Invernada or Rincón de Artigas: Brazil and Uruguay.
- Atacama corridor: Chile and Bolivia
- Southern half of Belize: Belize and Guatemala
- Bajo Nuevo Bank (Petrel Islands): Colombia, United States, Jamaica (the only three active claims) and possibly Honduras
- Bird Island (Isla Aves): Venezuela and Dominica
- Conejo Island: Honduras and El Salvador
- Falkland Islands/Islas Malvinas: United Kingdom and Argentina[1]
- French Guiana west of the Marouini River: France and Suriname
- Guantanamo Bay: United States of America (lease-holder; naval base and detention center) and Cuba[1]
- Guaira Falls/Sete Quedas: Brazil and Paraguay
- Guyana east of the Upper Courantyne River: Guyana and Suriname
- Guyana west of the Essequibo River (Guayana Esequiba): Guyana and Venezuela
- Hans Island: Denmark (Greenland) and Canada
- Isla Brasilera/Ilha Brasileira : Brazil and Uruguay. Argentina (only the surrounding waters)
- Isla Suárez/Ilha de Guajará-mirim: Bolivia and Brazil
- Los Monjes archipelago: Venezuela and Colombia[1]
- area near Mejito De La Cruz: Costa Rica and Nicaragua
- Navassa Island: United States of America (having possession) and Haiti[1] Dormant claims: Cuba, Colombia, Jamaica, Mexico and Honduras
- Quita Sueño Bank: Colombia and Nicaragua
- Pacific Ocean Sea border: Chile and Peru (note this arguably covers 19,000-35,000 square metres of land near border marker number one)
- San Andrés and Providencia: Colombia and Nicaragua; Honduras de facto recognizes Colombian claim
- Sapodilla Cays: Belize, Guatemala (formerly claiming all Belize) and Honduras
- Sea Otter Rocks, Sea Lion Rock and Copper Island (Medny Island): Russia and United States of America. NOTE: Sovereignty undetermined; agreement to cede these areas to Russia has not been ratified by the Duma
- Serranilla Bank : Colombia, United States, Nicaragua and possibly Honduras
- South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands & Shag Rocks: United Kingdom and Argentina[1]
- Southern Patagonian Ice Field between Mount Fitzroy and Cerro Daudet: Argentina and Chile (parts of the border still officially undefined)
- List of areas disputed by the United States (state mentioned first) and Canada (province or territory mentioned second)
- Machias Seal Island (Maine / New Brunswick)
- North Rock (Maine / New Brunswick)
- Strait of Juan de Fuca (Washington / British Columbia)
- Dixon Entrance (Alaska / British Columbia)
- Portland Canal (Alaska / British Columbia)
- Beaufort Sea (Alaska / Yukon)
- Northwest Passage and other Arctic waters (Claimed by U.S. to be international waters/Claimed by Canada to be territorial waters)
- Aasal, Al-Qaa, Al-Qasr, Deir Al-Aashayer, Kfar Kouq and Tufail: Lebanon and Syria
- Abu Musa: Iran and the United Arab Emirates
- Aksai Chin: People's Republic of China, India and Republic of China[1][10]
- Arunachal Pradesh (South Tibet): India, People's Republic of China and Republic of China[10]
- Banaba Island: Kiribati and Fiji
- Bagys and Hazrat-e Turkestan: Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan
- Bhutanese enclaves in Tibet, namely Cherkip Gompa, Dho, Dungmar, Gesur, Gezon, Itse Gompa, Khochar, Nyanri, Ringung, Sanmar, Tarchen and Zuthulphuk : People's Republic of China and Bhutan, also the Republic of China, unrecognized by either aforementioned state[10]
- part of the area between the Blue Line and the UNIFIL zone boundary : Lebanon and Israel
- Boraibari: Bangladesh and India
- Bougainville : Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands
- Chumbi and Dobta: People's Republic of China, India and the Republic of China, unrecognized by either aforementioned state[10]
- 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 Tonsay and the Northern Pirates/Koh Po : Cambodia and Vietnam
- Doi Lang: Myanmar and Thailand
- al-Duwaima Island: Yemen and Saudi Arabia Settled by the Treaty of Yemen 12 June 2000.
- 48 square miles (124 km²) of territory: Syria and Jordan
- several areas in the Fergana Valley: Kyrgyzstan, Tajikstan and Uzbekistan
- Fasht Ad Dibal and Qit'at Jaradeh: Bahrain and Qatar (these were not included in the 2001 ICJ judgement, as low-tide elevations.
- Golan Heights: Israel and Syria
- Shebaa Farms: Israel, Syria, and Lebanon
- Greater and Lesser Tunbs: Iran and the United Arab Emirates
- Hatay: Turkey and Syria
- Hibernia Reef: Australia and Indonesia
- Indo-Bangladesh enclaves: India and Bangladesh
- Isfara Valley: Kyrgyzstan and Tajikstan
- former Princely State of Junagadh: India and Pakistan
- Karang Unarang: Indonesia and Malaysia
- Kashmir: India and Pakistan[1] (a small area is also claimed by Afghanistan, see Pakistan/Afghanistan dispute below)
- Kalapani region (Kalapani River), also Susta region (part), and Antudanda area: India and Nepal
- KTM railway station in Tanjong Pagar: Malaysia and Singapore
- Khuriya Muriya Islands: Oman and Yemen
- Korea: North Korea and South Korea[11]
- Lower Kurile Islands: Russia and Japan[1]
- Kula Kangri: Bhutan and the People's Republic of China, also the Republic of China, unrecognized by either state[10]
- Leodo Island/Suyan Rock (aka Socotra Rock): South Korea and People's Republic of China, also possibly Republic of China and North Korea[10][12]
- Liancourt Rocks (Dokdo in Korean, Takeshima in Japanese): South Korea, (North Korea on behalf of Korea in General) and Japan[12] (Japan does not recognize the statehood of North Korea.)[1]
- Ligitan and Sipadan: Malaysia and Indonesia
- Limbang area: Brunei and Malaysia
- Macclesfield Bank: People's Republic of China, Republic of China and Vietnam[10]
- Matthew and Hunter Islands: Vanuatu and France[1]
- Minerva Reefs: Tonga and Fiji
- Minicoy Island: India and the Maldives
- Muhurichar river island: India and Bangladesh
- certain islands in the Naf River: Bangladesh and Myanmar
- Natuna Islands: Indonesia and the People's Republic of China, and possibly the Republic of China
- Nawalparasi region: Nepal and India
- South Talpatti/New Moore/Purbasha Island: India and Bangladesh
- parts of North West Frontier Province, Federally Administered Tribal Areas and Balochistan: Pakistan and Afghanistan
- small areas of Oecussi-Ambeno: East Timor and Indonesia
- Okinotorishima: Japan and the People's Republic of China, also the Republic of China
- Qarah and Umm Al Maradim: Kuwait and Saudi Arabia
- Pulau Batek/Fatu Sinai: Indonesia and East Timor
- Paracel Islands: People's Republic of China, Republic of China and Vietnam[1][10]
- Pedra Branca/Pulau Batu Puteh, Middle Rocks and South Ledge: Singapore and Malaysia
- part of Poipet commune: Thailand and Cambodia
- Prachin Buri area: Thailand and Cambodia
- Pyrdiwah: India and Bangladesh
- Sabah (North Borneo): Malaysia and Philippines
- Sakhalin (southern): Russia (Japan has renounced Sakhalin pursuant to the San Francisco Peace Treaty without recognizing the Russian claim.)
- former Saudi-Iraqi neutral zone: Iraq and Saudi Arabia
- Scarborough Shoal: Philippines, People's Republic of China and Republic of China[10]
- Senkaku Islands (Diaoyu Tai): Japan, People's Republic of China and Republic of China[1][10]
- Shaksgam Valley: People's Republic of China and India, and possibly the Republic of China
- Shatt Al-Arab: Iran and Iraq
- Siachen Glacier: India and Pakistan
- Sir Creek: India and Pakistan
- Spratly Islands: People's Republic of China, Republic of China, Vietnam, Philippines (part), Malaysia (part) and Brunei (part)[1][10]
- Swains Island: United States and Tokelau
- parts of Three Pagodas Pass: Myanmar and Thailand
- Teraina, Tabuaerean, Butaritari and Makin Meang: Kiribati and the United States of America
- Tumen River (disputed sovereignty of certain islands): People's Republic of China, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Republic of Korea and the Republic of China[1][10][12]
- the islands of Ukatny, Zhestky and the disputed 'island' of Malozhemchuzny: Russia and Kazakhstan
- Vozrozhdeniya Island (now a peninsula): Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan
- Wake Island: United States and Marshall Islands[1]
- a small part of Xinjiang: the People's Republic of China, India and also the Republic of China, unrecognized by either state[10]
- Wrangel Island, Herald Island and the De Long Islands: Russia and the State of Alaska. NOTE While a 1994 judgment by the State Court of Alaska claimed these areas to be illegally occupied Russian territory,[citation needed] the United States has never asserted a territorial claim to the islands[13]
- Yalu River (disputed sovereignty of certain islands): People's Republic of China, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Republic of Korea and the Republic of China[1][10][12] includes the islands of Pidan and Shindo
- Zarrara oilfield and Khor al-Odaid areas: the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia[1]
- Akrotiri Sovereign Base Area (part of): United Kingdom and Cyprus
- Barents Sea boundary dispute: Russia and Norway
- Baltic Sea boundary dispute near Bornholm: Poland and Denmark
- David Gareja monastery complex boundary dispute: Georgia and Azerbaijan
- some areas by the Danube, parts of Osijek and Sombor districts: Croatia and Serbia
- Eastern coast of Narva river and Pechory region: Russia and Estonia
- Dhekelia Sovereign Base Area (part of): United Kingdom, Cyprus and possibly the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus
- Eastern Anatolia: Turkey and Armenia
- Ems estuary and Dollart Bay (western part): Netherlands and Germany (settled in 1960s)
- Ferdinandea: Italy, United Kingdom, France, Spain and possibly Malta, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Morocco
- Gibraltar: United Kingdom (as a UK Overseas Territory) and Spain[1]
- Gulf of Piran, also hamlets of Bozini, Mlini, Škodelin and Škrile and much of the border area: Slovenia and Croatia
- Isthmus between Gibraltar and Spain: United Kingdom and Spain
- Imia/Kardak: Greece and Turkey
- Kosa Tuzla Island: Ukraine and Russia
- The areas of Debellde, Viti and the Sharr Triangle: Serbia, the Republic of Macedonia and the UN-administered territory of Kosovo.
- Lake Constance: Austria, Germany and Switzerland
- Mont Blanc: France and Italy
- An area near Montalmus peak: Andorra and Spain
- Olivenza (including the municipality of Taliga): Spain and Portugal
- Pichvni: Georgia and Russia
- Prevlaka: Croatia and Montenegro
- Pytalovsky District of the Pskov Oblast/Abrene region: Russia and Latvia
- Rockall: United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, Denmark and Iceland
- Sastavci: Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Šarengradska Ada: Serbia and Croatia
- Sarych: Ukraine and Russia
- Snake Island: Ukraine and Romania
- Military complex near Sveta Gera, in the area of Žumberak/Gorjanci: Slovenia and Croatia
- Small 3m-by-60m strip along the Passetto di Borgo in the vicinity of the Vatican City: the Holy See and Italy
- Veliki and Mali Škoj (near Neum): Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Vukovar: Serbia and Croatia
- Belgaum: Maharashtra and Karnataka in India
- Black Hills: United States government and the Lakota Nation
- Ceara and Piaui in Brazil
- Lubicon traditional territory between the Peace River and Athabasca River and north of Lesser Slave Lake between the Lubicon Cree Nation and the Government of Canada
- Southern edge of Labrador: Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador
- Seavey Island, including Portsmouth Naval Shipyard: Maine and New Hampshire
- Large area of Yucatán Peninsula: Mexican states of Campeche and Quintana Roo
- Hawaii: United States government and Hawaiian sovereignty movement
- Kosovo: formally an autonomous province of Serbia but under interim UN administration
- See also: List of unrecognized countries
- Abkhazia: Republic of Abkhazia and Georgia
- Eastern part of Bhutan: Bhutan and Republic of China[10]
- Northern Cyprus: Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and the Republic of Cyprus
- Mainland China (including Tibet and Xinjiang): People's Republic of China and Republic of China[10]
- Moldovan-controlled area of Dubasari district: Moldova and Transnistria
- a small area of Gilgit-Baltistan: Pakistan and Republic of China[10][14]
- Erenkoy/Kokkina: Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and the Republic of Cyprus. Note that this area is separated from the rest of the land held by the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus by land controlled by the Republic of Cyprus
- Heixiazi / Bolshoy Ussuriyskiy (split by the People's Republic of China and Russia in 2004):
- Eastern half: Russia and Republic of China[10][14]
- Western half: People's Republic of China and Republic of China
- Kachin State (north part west of Gaoligong Mountain (zh:高黎贡山) in western Yunnan, China), and the Division of Sagaing (called Jiangxinpo (zh:江心坡) and Nankan (南坎) in Chinese): Myanmar and Republic of China[10][14]
- 106.40 square kilometres of formerly Chinese territory in Kazakhstan: Kazakhstan and the Republic of China
- Kutsuzov island: Russia and the Republic of China
- Lachin corridor: Nagorno-Karabakh Republic and Azerbaijan
- Nagorno-Karabakh: Nagorno-Karabakh Republic and Azerbaijan
- Outer Mongolia: Mongolia and Republic of China[10] (see also the section Outer_Mongolia below for further information)
- Pamir Mountains (west of Xinjiang, China):[10][14]
- Northern and central parts: Tajikstan and Republic of China
- Southern part: Afghanistan and Republic of China
- Judea and Samaria: Israel and Palestinian Authority; see Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
- Puntland: Puntland and Somalia
- part of Rason administrative division, Democratic People's Republic of Korea: Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the Republic of China[10]
- HM Roughs Tower: the 'Principality' of Sealand and the United Kingdom
- Sanaag and Sool: Somaliland, Puntland and Somalia
- Sikkim: India and The Republic of China NOTE: Not claimed by the PRC.
- Sixty-Four Villages East of the Heilongjiang River: Russia and Republic of China[14]
- Somaliland: Somaliland and Somalia
- South Ossetia: Republic of South Ossetia and Georgia
- Northern and eastern Sri Lanka: Sri Lanka and Tamil Eelam
- 'border' checkpoint near Strovilia: The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and the United Kingdom (in regard to its' Sovereign Base Areas). NOTE: Technically, of course, this also involves Cyprus; the checkpoint is partially on UN-administered land, and Cyprus claims all of the island.
- Taiwan, the Pescadores, Quemoy, Matsu Islands, Pratas Islands: Republic of China and People's Republic of China. The ROC's constitution states that "The modifications of the functions, operations, and organization of the Taiwan Provincial Government may be specified by law."[15] The PRC's constitution states "Taiwan is part of the sacred territory of the People's Republic of China. It is the lofty duty of the entire Chinese people, including our compatriots in Taiwan, to accomplish the great task of reunifying the motherland."[16]
- Tannu Uriankhai: Russia, Mongolia and Republic of China[10]
- Transnistria: Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic and Moldova
- Tamil Eelam and Sri Lanka: Some areas of Tamil Eelam is under Srilankan Government control. -*Jaffna
- Varnita, Copanca and Tighina: Moldova and Transnistria
- Western Sahara: Morocco and the Polisario Front. The United Nations considers the sovereignty issue as unresolved pending a final solution, and to that end, has a mission in the territory to oversee a referendum on self-determination. Sovereignty was relinquished by Spain in 1976. Mauritania's claim is dormant.
- See also demilitarized zone
The 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).
When the Constitution of the Republic of China was adopted on 25 December 1947, the Republic of China did recognize the statehood of the Mongolian People's Republic with Soviet pressure. After the UN General Assembly Resolution 505 was passed in 1952, the Republic of China withdrew such a recognition in 1953 and therefore claimed Greater Mongolia including Outer Mongolia.
On 26 November 1993, the Judicial Yuan of the Republic of China in its Interpretation 328 called the constitutional territory beyond the reach of judicial review and thus avoided the question as whether Mongolia should be considered the constitutional territory of the Republic of China.[17]
The Republic of China has once again recognized the statehood of Mongolia in 2002 (but still claiming Tannu Uriankhai administered by Russia), thus freezing the territorial claim, but as the Constitution of the Republic of China still mentions Mongolia in Article 119 that has not been superseded by the Additional Articles of the Constitution of the Republic of China, there are different opinions as to whether such a recognition is constitutional. Despite these, the Yearbook of the Republic of China 2003 Version published by the Government Information Office does claim Outer Mongolia.[18]
Over 1.5% of the world's population live in an area disputed by two (or more) countries that are members of the United Nations. This rises to around 25% when the areas and regions where territorial claims are made by two or more parties that do not recognize each other is included, although much of this comes from the Republic of China's claim to mainland China.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u Field Listing - Disputes - international, CIA World Factbook
- ^ http://afraf.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/reprint/97/389/551
- ^ http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/01/31/news/spain.php
- ^ http://www.middle-east-info.org/league/algeria/algeria.htm
- ^ http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb3120/is_200407/ai_n7779206
- ^ http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_pwwi/is_199912/ai_mark07990948
- ^ 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 French Senate, 2003.
- ^ http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/01/31/news/spain.php
- ^ http://afraf.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/reprint/97/389/551
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w The Republic of China (ROC) now based in Taiwan is involved in territorial disputes with many countries near China while not recognized by any of them due to having no diplomatic relations. The ROC recognizes neither the People's Republic of China (PRC) nor its border agreements or treaties with any other countries while 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.
- ^ The Democratic People's Republic of Korea administers North Korea, but Article 1 of the [[s:Constitution of North Korea (1972)|]] 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 [[s:Constitution of South Korea|]]reads : "The territory of the Republic of Korea shall consist of the Korean peninsula and its adjacent islands."
- ^ a b c d The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) and the Republic of Korea (South Korea) do not recognize each other.
- ^ Status of Wrangel and Other Arctic Islands U.S. Department of State Fact Sheet on Wrangel Island
- ^ a b c d e Relinquished by the People's Republic of China but still claimed by the Republic of China.
- ^ Additional Articles of the Constitution of the Republic of China, Article 9, Section 2
- ^ Constitution of the People's Republic of China, Preamble
- ^ Judicial Yuan Interpretation 328 translated by Professor J. P. Fa
- ^ (Chinese) Yearbook of the Republic of China 2003 Version (中華民國年鑑『 九十二年版 』): The land of the Mainland Area