LIST OF TERRITORIAL DISPUTES

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 .

Disputes involving states that recognize each other

In Africa and neighbouring seas

★ Bassas da India, Europa Island and Juan de Nova: 'France' and Madagascar^[1]

★ Badme: 'Ethiopia' and Eritrea

★ Banc du Geyser: Madagascar, France and the Comoros

★ (former) Bogomerom archipelago (parts): 'Chad' and 'Nigeria'

★ Bure: 'Ethiopia' and Eritrea

★ Cabinda: 'Angola' and Democratic Republic of the Congo

★ Caprivi Strip boundary tripoints/quadripoint: 'Botswana', 'Namibia', 'Zambia' and 'Zimbabwe'

★ Ceuta: ^[2]'Spain' and Morocco

★ Chagos Archipelago: 'United Kingdom' (as British Indian Ocean Territory), Mauritius and the Seychelles

★ Chirac pastures : 'Morocco' and Algeria

★ part of Gicumbi District, North Province: 'Rwanda' and Uganda

★ Glorioso Islands: 'France', Madagascar, the Seychelles and the Comoros

★ Hala'ib Triangle: 'Egypt' and Sudan

★ 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

★ 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

★ Mbanie Island, Cocotiers, and Congas: 'Gabon' and Equatorial Guinea^[3]

★ Melilla^[2]'Spain' and Morocco

★ 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'

★ 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'

★ Yenga (border hamlet), and left bank of the Makona and Moa rivers: 'Sierra Leone' and Guinea

In the Americas

★ 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

★ French Guiana west of the Marouini River: 'France' and Suriname

★ Green Island (Fortune), Newfoundland: 'Canada' and France (St Pierre and Miquelon) NOTE: Sovereignty undetermined

★ Guantanamo Bay: 'United States of America (lease-holder; naval base and detention center)' and Cuba

★ 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

★ area near Mejito De La Cruz: Costa Rica and Nicaragua

★ Navassa Island: 'United States of America (having possession)' and Haiti Dormant claims: Cuba, Colombia, Jamaica, Mexico and Honduras

★ Quita Sueño Bank: 'Colombia' and Nicaragua

★ Pacific Ocean Sea border: 'Chile' and Peru

★ 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

★ 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)

In Asia and the Pacific

In Europe

Territorial disputes in Europe (red: Disputes involving states that recognize each other, pink: Disputes involving parties that each have some territory under control but do not recognize each other)

★ 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'

★ Eastern coast of Narva river and Pechory region: 'Russia' and Estonia

★ 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

★ 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.

★ Mont Blanc: France and Italy

★ An area near Montalmus peak: 'Andorra' and 'Spain'

★ Olivenza: 'Spain' and Portugal

★ Pichvni: 'Georgia' and Russia

★ Prevlaka: 'Montenegro' and Croatia

★ 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

★ Taliga: 'Spain' and Portugal

★ 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

Disputes between a state and its subnational entities, or between subnational entities

★ 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 admininstration

Disputes involving parties that each have some territory under control but do not recognize each other

:''See also: List of unrecognized countries''

★ Abkhazia: 'Republic of Abkhazia' and Georgia

★ Eastern part of Bhutan: 'Bhutan' and Republic of China

★ 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

★ Moldovan-controlled area of Dubasari district: 'Moldova' and Transnistria

★ a small area of Gilgit-Baltistan: 'Pakistan' and Republic of China^[9]

★ 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

★
★ Western half: 'People's Republic of China' and Republic of China

★ Kachin State (north part west of Gaoligong Mountain () in western Yunnan, China), and the Division of Sagaing: 'Myanmar' and Republic of China

★ 106.40 square kilometres of formerly Chinese territory in Kazakhstan: 'Kazakhstan' 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

★ Pamir Mountains (west of Xinjiang, China):

★
★ Northern and central parts: 'Tajikstan' and Republic of China

★
★ Southern part: 'Afghanistan' and Republic of China

★ Palestinian Territories: 'Israel' and Palestine; 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

★ 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

★ 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."^[10] 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."^[11]

★ Tannu Uriankhai: ''Russia'', ''Mongolia'' and Republic of China

★ Transnistria: 'Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic' and Moldova

★ Tamil Eelam and Srilanka: 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.

Formally frozen dispute

:''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. 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, there are different opinions as to whether such a recognition is constitutional. On 26 November 1993, the Judicial Yuan 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.

Map of the Republic of China (now based in Taiwan) with various territorial disputes

Note

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.

Disputes between a state and a secessionist group with no territorial control

★ See List of active autonomist and secessionist movements

References

1. Field Listing - Disputes - international, CIA World Factbook
2. http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/01/31/news/spain.php
3. ''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.
4. http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/01/31/news/spain.php
5. 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 now overrides this provision.
6. The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) and the Republic of Korea (South Korea) do not recognize each other.
7. Status of Wrangel and Other Arctic Islands U.S. Department of State Fact Sheet on Wrangel Island
8. The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) and the Republic of Korea (South Korea) do not recognise each other.
9. Relinquished by the People's Republic of China but still claimed by the Republic of China.
10. '', Article 9, Section 2
11. '', Preamble

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