Terra nullius – Places that nobody claims (2017)

Milhaud 2023-05-03
Terra Nullius - Places that no one claims (2017)

This map, created by Abel Gil Lobo for the website El Orden Mundial, represents areas of the world not claimed by any country.

Terra nullius, as its Latin translation indicates, refers to no man's land. Throughout history, this concept has been used to justify appropriation. legally of territories not occupied by other nations, especially during the colonial era.

Currently, there are only three terra nullius in the world:

  • Marie Byrd Land: This is the only part of Antarctica that has not yet been claimed by any state, as can be clearly seen on this map of international claims in Antarctica.
  • Gornja Siga: This is a small territory on the Danube, between Serbia and Croatia, which is the result of a long territorial dispute. In 2015, this small territory was proclaimed independent under the name Free Republic of Liberland by Czech activist Vít Jedlička.
  • Bir Tawil: This is a territory in the Sahara that came into being as a result of a change in the colonial border between the protectorates of Egypt and Sudan in 1902. Sudan recognises the change, but Egypt claims the parallel border in order to also annex the Halayeb Triangle, leaving Bir Tawil in no man's land.

Sources

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