Throughout human history, wars are fought for foreign territories (or in order to return their own). For thousands of years, people have been dividing our Earth, looking for undeveloped, drawn-houses to occupy them. It seems that there is not a single centimeter of undivided land, but this is not so. In the world there are still not only uninhabited corners (which are usually located on the territory of any state), but also free from the owners of the territory. True, the "nobody" of some of them is strictly monitored by the world community.
Territories without owners:
- Antarctica, Mary Baird Land
- Bir Tawil
- Gornha Siga
- Western Sahara
- Scarborough Reef.
Some of them are really useless to anyone and will only be a burden to the state. Others, on the contrary, are needed by several states at once, and the dispute over them is not yet over.
Territories where no one has taken a step
Bir Tawil is a piece of barren desert on the border of Egypt and Sudan. Both states at one time were part of the British Empire. After the proclamation of their independence, the British authorities finally divided the neighboring states with a border, while historically the Egyptian section - the Halaib triangle - was given to Sudan. But the former Sudanese useless Bir Tawil was on the territory of Egypt.
This marked the beginning of a long-term conflict between the two countries. The Halaib triangle was famous for its fertile lands, and most importantly, there was oil. The Egyptians abandoned Bir Tawil, argued for a long time, and then attacked Sudan and regained their territory. Sudan still does not agree with this method of redistribution, but they do not need Bir Tawil either. So the territory of 2060 km2 was ownerless.
Gornja Siga,a plot of land between Serbia and Croatia overgrown with forest, proved to be a draw after the collapse of the SFRY, the Republic of Yugoslavia. Both states do not agree with the borders that arose after the collapse of the federation. There are several disputed territories, of which Gornja Siga (7 km2)is the smallest and most catchy. No one wants to take it for themselves, so that it does not look like they have already received theirs. The forest would not have bothered anyone in any case, but other, coveted areas are at stake.
Territories that many want to privatize but can't
Mary Baird Land in Antarctica, like all other lands on this continent, officially does not belong to anyone. The world community views Antarctica as a treasure trove, an inviolable supply of fresh water and minerals for future generations.
Antarctica belongs to everyone and no one. Any military and industrial activity is prohibited here, only scientific research is encouraged. For the convenience of research, developed countries have divided the continent into spheres of scientific influence. States that have allocated funds for Antarctic research have built research stations within their zone of influence, and gradually these territories have become associated with a particular state. And as soon as the ban on the division of territories is lifted, they will be able to claim them.
In the 50s of the XX century, the Japanese authorities abandoned their scientific Antarctic territory. This was Mary Baird Land. Americans and Russians don't mind expanding their spheres of influence on the icy continent to Mary Baird. Those and others in this area conducted research, leaving there spent stations. And the stations in Antarctica are an analogue of settlements.
Western Sahara was left without a master as a result of the collapse of another empire, these were the Spanish colonies. If the British incorrectly divided the territories of Egypt and Sudan, the Spaniards did not determine the status of Western Sahara at all, leaving the new independent states to solve the problem. The vast desert area of Western Sahara (more than 250,000km2)is rich not only in sand, but also in oil, metals and other minerals.
The main battle for this territory is between Morocco, Algeria and the not all recognized Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR). The SADR has arbitrarily broken away from Morocco and Mauritania, controls only a small area in Eastern Sahara, but has officially included Western Sahara in its list of territories. So far, unsuccessfully.
In the South China Sea there are 2 uninhabited islands that do not have a legal owner - Scarborough Reef,a tidbit for several countries at once. They do not have a host, but oil and gas are available, so the islands are vital for countries that have access to this sea:
- Brunei
- Vietnam
- China
- Malaysia
- Taiwan
- Philippines.
China, flexing its muscles, decided that it was the main one here, especially since these islands were discovered by the Chinese (as they believe). Despite the protests of neighbors, the waters near Scarborough are patrolled by Chinese military vessels, not allowing opponents to approach them.
Check out information about colleges in Scarborough.