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The vast majority of islands in the world are either a country in their own right or part of a larger country. This is a list of those few islands whose land is divided between two or more countries or territories by an international border. In many cases (e.g. Ireland, Cyprus, Timor) the division has been the source of much dispute.

Contents

Divided among three countries

Divided between two countries

Sea islands

Lake islands

River islands

Historically divided islands

See also

References

External link

Divided among three countries

★ Borneo - Among Indonesia (70%), Malaysia (25%), and Brunei (5%)

★ Cyprus - see below

★ Island in the Moselle River near Schengen: mostly in , the tip is in the Moselle condominium shared by and ^[1]

★ Treriksröset - the boundary cairn at the tripoint of , and is 10 metres from the shore of Lake Goldajärvi/Koltajauri, and hence arguably a tiny artificial island.

Divided between two countries

Sea islands

★ New Guinea - Between Indonesia (50%) and Papua New Guinea (50%)

★ Ireland - Between the Republic of Ireland (83%) and the United Kingdom (Northern Ireland; 17%)

★ Hispaniola - Between the Dominican Republic (67%) and Haiti (33%)

★ Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego - Between Chile (50%) and Argentina (50%)

★ Timor - Between Indonesia (53%) and East Timor (47%)

★ Cyprus - De jure between the Republic of Cyprus (97%) and the United Kingdom (controlling the UK sovereign bases of Akrotiri and Dhekelia; 3%)

★
★ de facto there is also the unrecognized Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus in the part of the island militarily occupied by Turkey (de facto 36%), together with a United Nations administered buffer zone (de facto 1%), separating the part controlled by the government of the Republic of Cyprus (de facto 61%) from the Turkish-occupied part. The remaining is occupied by the UK sovereign bases of Akrotiri and Dhekelia (de facto 2%)

★ Sebatik Island - Between Indonesia and Malaysia (also claimed by the Philippines)

★ two islands situated between Sir Creek and Kori Creek are divided between and

★ Usedom/Uznam - Between Germany (84%) and Poland (16%)

★ Saint Martin (Saint-Martin/Sint Maarten) - Between the Collectivity of Saint Martin (61%) and the Netherlands Antilles (an autonomous part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands; 39%)

★ Kataja (including Inakari) in the Gulf of Bothnia between and .^[2]

★ Artificial island on the King Fahd Causeway - between and .

★ Märket - Between the autonomous Finnish province of Åland (50%) and Sweden (50%). The world's smallest divided sea island.

Lake islands

★ Between and :

★
★ Province Island in Lake Memphremagog, between Quebec (91%) and Vermont (9%) ^[3]

★
★ Two islands in Boundary Lake, between North Dakota and Manitoba.

★ Between and :

★
★ Äikkäänniemi in Nuijamaanjärvi^[4]

★
★ Suursaari and a smaller island in Yla-Tirja^[5]

★
★ Tarraassiinsaari, Härkäsaari, and Kiteensaari in Melaselänjärvi^[6][7]

★
★ Rajasaari in Kokkojärvi^[8]

★
★ Kalmasaari in Vuokkijärvi^[9]

★
★ Varposaari in Hietajärvi^[10]

★
★ Parvajärvensaari in Parvajärvi^[11]

★
★ Keuhkosaari in Pukarijärvi / Ozero Pyukharin^[12][13]

★
★ Siiheojansuusaari and Tossensaari in Onkamojärvi / Ozero Onkamo^{[14] [15]}

★ Between and :

★
★ Island in Kivisarijärvi/Keđgisualuijävri^[16]

★
★ Island in lake SE of boundary marker 347A^[17]

★ Between and :^[18]

★
★ Hisön/Hisøya in Norra Kornsjön/Nordre Kornsjø^[19]

★
★ Kulleholmen/Kalholmen and Tagholm/Tåkeholmen in Södra Boksjön/Søndre Boksjø^[20]

★
★ Salholmen, Mosvikøya, and Trollön in Store Le^[21]

★
★ Island in Tannsjøen/Tannsjön^[22]

★
★ Linneholmene in Helgesjö^[23]

★
★ Jensøya in Holmsjøen^[24]

★
★ Storøya in Utgardsjøen^[25]

★
★ Fallsjøholmen in Fallsjøen (Nordre Røgden)^[26]

★
★ Island in Kroksjøen^[27]

★
★ Island in Vonsjøen^[28]

★
★ Island in Skurdalssjøen/Kruehkiejaevrie^[29]

★
★ Island in a lake at altitude 710m on the Gihcijoka river^[30]

★
★ Three islands in Čoarvejávri^[31]

★ Between and :

★
★ Sosnovec and another nameless island in Lake Drūkšiai^{[32][33][34][35]}

★ Between and :

★
★ Pollatawny in Lough Vearty.^[36]

★ Between and :

★
★ Island off Cape Aleilou in Lake Abbe^[37]

★ The border between and cuts across the Neusiedler See/Fertő tó, where the water level fluctuates, sometimes exposing island flats which straddle the border.

River islands

★ Heixiazi/Bolshoy Ussuriyskiy at the confluence of the Ussuri and Amur rivers, between and

★ Corocoro Island in the delta of the Barima River: split between Venezuela and Guyana^[38]

★ San Jose Island, Rio Negro: between and . ^[39]

★ The lower reaches of the Ganges^[40], Teesta^[41], and Brahmaputra^[42] Rivers, approaching the Ganges Delta, are braided and contain numerous sand islands called chars^[43]. These can be large and inhabited but are impermanent. At any given time, several are likely to straddle the border between (Assam and West Bengal) and , though this border is not fully specified.

★ An island labelled 'Q' in the Maritsa River, between and .^[44]

★ An islet in the Uutuanjoki, between and .^[45]

★ An islet in the Vadet near Tunnsjø, between and .^[46]

★ An islet on the western side of the golf course that straddles the municpalities of Tornio in , and Haparanda in is crossed by the international border.

★ Sarengradska Ada at 45.15', 19.15' is, according to the United Nations, divided between and . This is approximately 5 kilometres north-west of Sarengrad.^[47]

Historically divided islands

★ Other islands have been divided by an international border in the past but are now unified. Notable examples include:

★
★ Saaremaa and Hiiumaa - Divided between the Livonian Order and the Bishopric of Ösel-Wiek during the Middle Ages

★
★ Great Britain - Divided prior to 1707, when England and Scotland passed the Acts of Union; since then part of the Kingdom of Great Britain/United Kingdom.

★
★ Newfoundland - Divided between England/Great Britain and France until the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713; subsequently British/independent/Canadian

★
★ Saint Kitts - Divided between England/Great Britain and France from 1626 to the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713; subsequently British/Saint Kitts and Nevis. (Both France and Britain occupied the entire island during various wars before and after 1713.)

★
★ Sakhalin - Divided between Imperial Russia/Soviet Union and the Empire of Japan from the Treaty of Portsmouth in 1905 to the Surrender of Japan in 1945; subsequently wholly part of the Soviet Union/Russian Federation. Japan still regards the sovereignty of this island as undetermined, and it is frequently shown on Japanese maps as 'no man's land'.

★
★ Ankoko Island in the Cuyuni River on the border between Venezuela and British Guiana (now Guyana) was shared until Venezuela annexed the eastern half in 1966 as part of an ongoing border dispute.

★
★ Zhongchan Dao in the Pearl River Delta was divided between China and Macau from the Treaty of Tientsin in 1862 until Macao reverted to China in 1999.

★ A few former islands have disappeared:

★
★ Vozrozhdeniya Island in the Aral Sea is split between and , whose border became an international frontier in 1991 with the dissolution of the Soviet Union. By 2002, the island had become a peninsula owing to the falling water-level in the Aral Sea.

★
★ The Bogomerom archipelago in Lake Chad was split between and ^[48]. The water level has always varied, but has now fallen such that this land is now permanently above the shoreline.

See also

★ Condominium (international law) - land jointly administered by two states, rather than divided between them.

★ List of territorial disputes - includes many islands claimed by multiple countries, but administered by one.

★ Green Island (Fortune), Newfoundland - island whose sovereignty is uncertain between (administering) and (through Saint-Pierre and Miquelon).

★ Guantanamo Bay Naval Base - leased indefinitely by but with sovereignty retained by

References

1. Map of Commune of Schengen . Coordinates:
2. Map of Inakari, the Finnish part of Kataja
3. Province Island Jacques Boisvert
4. Portion of Nuijamaanjärvi with Äikkäänniemi marked from Citizen's Mapsite of Finland.
5. Portion of Yla-Tirja with divided islands at markers 93 (Suursaari) and 94 (smaller island) from Citizen's Mapsite of Finland.
6. Portion of Melaselänjärvi showing Tarraassiinsaari and Härkäsaari from Citizen's Mapsite of Finland.
7. Portion of Melaselänjärvi showing Kiteensaari from Citizen's Mapsite of Finland.
8. Portion of Kokkojärvi showing Rajasaari from Citizen's Mapsite of Finland.
9. Portion of Vuokkijärvi showing Kalmasaari from Citizen's Mapsite of Finland.
10. Portion of Hietajärvi showing Varposaari from Citizen's Mapsite of Finland.
11. Portion of Parvajärvi showing Parvajärvensaari from Citizen's Mapsite of Finland.
12. International Boundary Study No. 74: Finland - U.S.S.R. boundary, Office of the Geographer, Bureau of Intelligence and Research, , , United States Department of State, ,
13. Portion of Pukarijärvi with Keuhkosaari marked from Citizen's Mapsite of Finland.
14. International Boundary Study No. 74, page 22. ""The frontier follows the creek down to Lake Onkamojarvi, intersects the small island of Siiheojansuusaai and proceeds in a straight line to the small island of Tossensaari."
15. Portion of Onkamojärvi from Citizen's Mapsite of Finland (Siiheojansuusaari is IV/179; Tossonsaari is IV/180)
16. Portion of Kivisarijärvi with divided island marked from Citizen's Mapsite of Finland.
17. Neighborhood of boundary marker 347A, with divided island marked from Citizen's Mapsite of Finland.
18. Verified at Norwegian state cartographic agency website
19. Hisøya:
20. Søndre Boksjø:
21. Salholmen: ; Mosvikøya: ; Trollön:
22. Tannsjøen Island ("Nr 54" on Norwegian map):
23. Linneholmene:
24. Jensøya:
25. Storøya:
26. Fallsjøholmen:
27. Kroksjøen's island:
28. Vonsjøen's island:
29. Skurdalssjøen's island:
30. Gihcijoka island:
31. Čoarvejávri's islands: largest:; middle:; southern:
32. Lake Druksiai The international border is marked on the map.
33. World Lakes Database: LAKE DRUKSIAI
34. Bathymetric map of Lake Drūkšiai Sosnovec is named on this map.
35. Coordinates of Lake Drūkšiai:
36. Verified against Ordnance Survey of Ireland 6-inch map of the townland of Tober, County Donegal; surveyed 1905-05-05. Coordinates: Irish national grid reference system: G996663
37. International Boundary Study No. No. 154 – Djibouti – Ethiopia Boundary, Office of the Geographer, Bureau of Intelligence and Research, , , United States Department of State, ,
38. The northern shore of Corocoro is on the open ocean, but it is not truly a sea island as the southern boundary is a freshwater channel. The island is claimed in its entirety by Venezuela.
39. International Boundary Study No. 174: Brazil - Colombia boundary, Office of the Geographer, Bureau of Intelligence and Research, , , United States Department of State, , Co-ordinates:
40. See map of Nawabganj District, map of Rajshahi District, and map of Daulatpur upazila of Kushtia District, all in Bangladesh.
41. See map of Dilma upazila in Nilphamari District, Bangladesh.
42. See map of Kurigram district, Bangladesh.
43. Banglapedia: "Char" Asiatic Society of Bangladesh
44. International Boundary Study No. 41: Greece - Turkey boundary, Office of the Geographer, Bureau of Intelligence and Research, , , United States Department of State, ,
45. Map highlighting the islet in the Uutuanjoki from the Citizen's Map Site of Finland
46. Islet in the Vadet near Tunnsjø:
47. http://www.un.org/Depts/Cartographic/map/profile/eastcroa.pdf
48. Chad-Nigeria boundary Office of the Geographer

External link

★ Islands divided by International Borders