This is a list of ongoing territorial disputes around the world. Bold indicates one claimant's full control; italics, one or more claimants' partial control;
Contents |
| Territory | Claimants | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Abyei | Sudan South Sudan |
Both Sudan and South Sudan claim the area. Takeover by north May 2011 |
| Bassas da India, Europa Island and Juan de Nova Island | France Madagascar[1] |
|
| Badme | Ethiopia Eritrea[1] |
|
| Bakassi | Cameroon Nigeria |
This area was handed over by Nigeria to Cameroon following an International Court of Justice ruling, but the Senate of Nigeria has decreed the handover of territory was illegal. |
| Banc du Geyser | Madagascar Comoros France |
|
| Bir Tawil | None Egypt administrated |
De jure no man's land. Egypt and Sudan both claim different borders in which they would have the Hala'ib Triangle, leaving the Bir Tawil to the other. As both claim the Hala'ib Triangle, neither claims Bir Tawil. |
| Bure | Ethiopia Eritrea[2] |
|
| Caprivi Strip boundary tripoints/quadripoint | Botswana Namibia Zambia Zimbabwe |
|
| Ceuta[3] | Spain Morocco |
|
| Chagos Archipelago | United Kingdom Mauritius Seychelles |
United Kingdom administers as part of British Indian Ocean Territory |
| Part of Gicumbi District, Northern Province | Rwanda Uganda |
|
| Glorioso Islands | France Madagascar Seychelles Comoros |
|
| Hala'ib Triangle | Egypt Sudan[4] |
Previously under joint administration; Egypt now maintains full de facto control |
| Perejil Island | Spain Morocco |
After the 2002 incident, both countries agreed to return to the status quo previous to the incident.[5] |
| Islas Chafarinas | Spain Morocco |
|
| Ilemi Triangle | Kenya South Sudan |
|
| Part of Kabale District | Uganda Rwanda |
|
| Kafia Kingi | South Sudan Sudan |
Both Sudan and South Sudan claim the area.[6] |
| Kangawane Swazi homelands in parts of Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal | South Africa Swaziland |
|
| Sindabezi Island | Zambia Zimbabwe |
|
| Part of the Katemba region | Angola Democratic Republic of the Congo |
|
| Koualou village | Burkina Faso Benin |
|
| Area near Logoba/Moyo District | South Sudan Uganda |
|
| Lunchinda-Pweto province | Zambia Democratic Republic of the Congo |
|
| Mayotte | France Comoros[1] |
Under the 2009 referendum, the population supported becoming an overseas department of France, and so became one on March 31, 2011. |
| Mbañie Island, Cocotiers, and Congas Island | Gabon Equatorial Guinea[7] |
|
| Islands in Mbamba Bay, Lake Nyasa | Tanzania Malawi |
|
| Melilla[3] | Spain Morocco |
|
| Migingo Island vicinity, and, farther north, the vicinity of the islands of Lolwe, Oyasi, Remba, Ringiti and Sigulu, all a maritime rights dispute in Lake Victoria. | Kenya Uganda |
|
| Several islands in the Ntem River | Cameroon Equatorial Guinea |
|
| Several villages near the Okpara River | Benin Niger |
|
| Peñón de Alhucemas | Spain Morocco |
|
| Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera | Spain Morocco |
|
| Ras Doumeira and Doumeira Island | Eritrea Djibouti |
|
| Rukwanzi Island and the Semliki River valley | Democratic Republic of the Congo Uganda |
|
| the Rufunzo Valley and Sabererwa | Rwanda Burundi |
|
| Exclusive Economic Zone surrounding the Savage Islands | Portugal Spain |
|
| Socotran Archipelago | Yemen Somalia |
Somalia, while not formally claiming the archipelago, asked for the United Nations to look into "the status" of the Socotran archipelago (i.e., whether or not it "should" belong to Yemen or rather Somalia).[8] |
| South East Algeria | Algeria Libya |
|
| Tromelin Island | France Mauritius Seychelles |
|
| Tsorona-Zalambessa | Ethiopia Eritrea[2] |
|
| Wadi Halfa Salient | Egypt Sudan |
|
| Yenga (border hamlet), and left bank of the Makona and Moa rivers | Sierra Leone Guinea |
| Territory | Claimants | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Aasal, Al-Qaa, Al-Qasr, Deir Al-Aashayer, Kfar Kouq and Tufail | Lebanon Syria |
|
| Abu Musa | Iran United Arab Emirates |
|
| Part of Akrotiri Sovereign Base Area | United Kingdom Cyprus |
|
| Aksai Chin (part of Jammu and Kashmir, see below)[1] | People's Republic of China India |
Possibly also the ROC.[note 1] |
| Arunachal Pradesh (South Tibet) | People's Republic of China India Republic of China (Taiwan)[note 1] |
|
| 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 Bhutan |
Possibly also the ROC.[note 1] |
| Boraibari | Bangladesh India |
Boraibari falls under the adverse possession category with the map suggesting that it should be within India but it was being controlled by Bangladesh authority since 1971. |
| Daikhata-Dumabari | India Bangladesh |
|
| 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 Thonsáy and the Northern Pirates/Koh Po | Cambodia Vietnam |
|
| David Gareja monastery complex boundary dispute | Georgia Azerbaijan |
|
| Demchok, Chumar, Kaurik, Shipki Pass, Jadh, and Lapthal | People's Republic of China India Republic of China (Taiwan)[note 1] |
Disputed areas located between Aksai Chin and Nepal, all occupied by India except for most of the Demchok parcel. |
| Part of Dhekelia Sovereign Base Area | United Kingdom Cyprus |
|
| Doi Lang | Burma Thailand |
|
| Fasht Ad Dibal and Qit'at Jaradeh | Bahrain Qatar |
These were not included, in the 2001 International Court of Justice judgement, as low-tide elevations. |
| several areas in the Fergana Valley | Kyrgyzstan Tajikistan Uzbekistan |
|
| Greater and Lesser Tunbs | Iran United Arab Emirates |
|
| Hibernia Reef | Australia Indonesia |
|
| Ieodo Island/Suyan Rock (aka Socotra Rock) | South Korea People's Republic of China |
Also possibly claimed by: Republic of China (Taiwan)[note 1] North Korea[note 2] |
| Imia/Kardak | Greece Turkey |
|
| Indo-Bangladesh enclaves | India Bangladesh |
|
| Isfara Valley | Kyrgyzstan Tajikistan |
|
| Kachatheevu Island | India Sri Lanka |
Given to Sri Lanka by India in 1974. |
| Karang Unarang | Indonesia Malaysia |
|
| Jammu and Kashmir[1] | India Pakistan |
Some areas are controlled by the People's Republic of China (see "Aksai Chin" above and "Trans-Karakoram Tract" below). |
| Kalapani region, the smaller Susta River dispute and the smaller still Antudanda and Nawalparasi disputes | India Nepal |
|
| Khuriya Muriya Islands | Oman Yemen |
|
| Korea | North Korea South Korea |
The Democratic People's Republic of Korea administers North Korea, but Article 1 of the Constitution of North Korea 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 Constitution of South Korea reads: "The territory of the Republic of Korea shall consist of the Korean peninsula and its adjacent islands." |
| Kula Kangri and mountainous areas to the west of this peak, plus the western Haa District of Bhutan | People's Republic of China Bhutan |
Possibly also the ROC.[note 1] |
| South Kuril Islands (Northern Territories)[1] | Russia Japan |
|
| Lathitila | India Bangladesh |
|
| Liancourt Rocks (Dokdo in Korean, Takeshima in Japanese)[1][note 2][note 3] | South Korea North Korea Japan |
|
| Ligitan and Sipadan | Malaysia Indonesia |
The 2002 International Court of Justice ruling awarded both islands to Malaysia, but left unsettled the maritime boundary immediately southwest and west of the islands between Malaysia and Indonesia. |
| Macclesfield Bank | People's Republic of China Republic of China (Taiwan)[note 1] Vietnam Philippines |
|
| Matthew and Hunter Islands[1] | Vanuatu France |
|
| Minerva Reefs | Tonga Fiji |
Fiji claims that the entire reef is submerged at high tide, negating use of Minerva as a basis for any sovereignty or maritime EEZ claim by Tonga under the rules of UNCLOS. |
| Muhurichar river island | India Bangladesh |
|
| Certain islands in the Naf River | Bangladesh Burma |
|
| Small areas of Oecusse District | East Timor Indonesia |
|
| Okinotorishima | Japan People's Republic of China |
The PRC does not claim ownership of the islet; rather, it argues that it is not large enough to entitle Japan to the EEZ of the surrounding ocean. |
| Paracel Islands[1] | People's Republic of China Republic of China (Taiwan)[note 1] Vietnam |
|
| "Point 20"; a small area of land reclaimed from the sea by Singapore | Singapore Malaysia |
Malaysia claims the land was reclaimed in its territorial waters |
| Part of Poipet commune | Thailand Cambodia |
|
| Prachinburi area | Thailand Cambodia |
|
| Preah Vihear Temple (Khao Phra Wihan) and adjacent ruins | Thailand Cambodia |
Temple complex awarded to Cambodia by an International Court of Justice ruling in 1962, but Cambodian–Thai border dispute continues over areas immediately adjacent to the temple. |
| Pulau Batek/Fatu Sinai | Indonesia East Timor |
Ceded by Timor-Leste to Indonesia in August 2004. |
| Pyrdiwah | India Bangladesh |
|
| Qarooh and Umm Al Maradim | Kuwait Saudi Arabia |
|
| Sabah (North Borneo) | Malaysia Philippines |
Philippines lays a dormant claim on Sabah on the basis that it is a historical part of the Sulu Sultanate (see North Borneo dispute). |
| Scarborough Shoal | Philippines People's Republic of China Republic of China (Taiwan)[note 1] |
Philippines defends the atoll with naval activity; tensions continue over sovereignty of the atoll, fishing rights in surrounding waters, placement of a survey marker by China, etc.
Philippines |
| Senkaku Islands (Diaoyu Tai)[1] | Japan People's Republic of China Republic of China (Taiwan)[note 1] |
|
| Shaksgam Valley | People's Republic of China India |
Possibly also the ROC.[note 1] |
| Shatt al-Arab | Iran Iraq |
|
| Siachen Glacier and Saltoro Ridge area | India Pakistan |
|
| Sir Creek | India Pakistan |
|
| South Talpatti/New Moore/Purbasha Island | India Bangladesh |
This former dispute over a small island never more than two meters above sea level was contested from the island's appearance in the 1970s to its disappearance in the first decade of the 2000s. While land disputes here no longer exist, the maritime boundary is yet to be defined.[9] |
| Spratly Islands | Republic of China (Taiwan)[note 1] People's Republic of China Vietnam Philippines (part) Malaysia (part) Brunei (part) |
Philippines has released a law that proclaims the islands as a "regime of islands".[1] |
| Swains Island[1] | United States Tokelau |
This claim is unsupported by New Zealand, of whom Tokelau is a dependency. New Zealand formally recognises the USA's sovereignty over Swains Island.[10] |
| Exclusive Economic Zone near the Tasman Sea | Australia Japan |
Japan continues to do whaling operations in the area. For more info see Whaling in Japan |
| Parts of Three Pagodas Pass | Burma Thailand |
|
| Trans-Karakoram Tract | People's Republic of China India |
|
| Tumen River (disputed sovereignty of certain islands)[1][note 2] Possibly also the ROC.[note 1] |
People's Republic of China North Korea South Korea |
|
| The islands of Ukatny, Zhestky and the disputed 'island' of Malozhemchuzny[11] | Russia Kazakhstan |
|
| Vozrozhdeniya Island (now a peninsula) | Kazakhstan Uzbekistan |
|
| Wake Island[1] | United States Marshall Islands |
|
| Yalu River (disputed sovereignty of certain islands)[1][note 2] | People's Republic of China North Korea South Korea |
The allocation to North Korea of all of the large islands in the lower Yalu River, including Pidan and Sindo at the mouth, is now clear.[12] The river's maritime rights remain shared between the two nations. |
| Golan Heights | Israel Syria |
Syrian territory occupied by Israel since 1967 (the Six-Day War.) This includes a 10 mi wide strip along the northeast side of the Sea of Galilee (Lake Kinneret). |
| Shebaa Farms | Israel Lebanon |
|
| Saudi Arabia – United Arab Emirates border dispute | United Arab Emirates Saudi Arabia |
| Territory | Claimants | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Aegean dispute | Greece Turkey |
Broad number of delimitation disputes about a.o. national airspace, territorial waters and exclusive economic zones. Includes Imia/Kardak dispute. |
| Mont Blanc summit dispute | France Italy |
|
| Carlingford Lough boundary dispute | Ireland United Kingdom |
|
| Some areas by the Danube Parts of Osijek and Sombor districts |
Croatia Serbia |
|
| Eastern coast of Narva river and Petseri County | Russia Estonia |
Russia recognized them as a part of Estonia with Treaty of Tartu, 1920. After the fall of the Soviet Union, Russia continued administering it. |
| Ems estuary and Dollart Bay (western part) | Netherlands Germany |
Settled in 1960s (agreeing to disagree) |
| Gibraltar | United Kingdom Spain[1] |
Spain claims territory under the Treaty of Utrecht conditions. |
| Gulf of Piran | Slovenia Croatia |
An agreement was signed (and ratified by Croatia's parliament on Nov. 20, 2009) to pursue binding arbitration to both the land and maritime portions of this ongoing dispute |
| Isthmus between Gibraltar and Spain | United Kingdom Spain |
Spain claims territory as illegally occupied since it was not included into the Treaty of Utrecht. |
| Imia/Kardak | Greece Turkey |
Part of Aegean dispute |
| Tuzla Island | Ukraine Russia |
|
| Karki exclave of Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic of Azerbaijan | Armenia Azerbaijan |
Armenia occupied this Azerbaijani exclave in January 1990 as part of the wider Nagorno-Karabakh (NK) conflict, although Karki is not in the vicinity of the NK. |
| Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent districts | Armenia Azerbaijan |
The Azerbaijani districts adjacent to NK that are also occupied by Armenia are: Aghdam, Fizuli, Lachin, Kelbajar, Qubatli, Jabrayil and Zangilan. Armenian land border with Turkey remains closed over this occupation since 1993[1] |
| Lake Constance | Austria Germany Switzerland |
|
| Lough Foyle boundary dispute | Ireland United Kingdom |
|
| An area near Montalmus peak | Andorra Spain |
|
| Olivenza (including the municipality of Táliga) | Spain Portugal |
In 1801, during the War of the Oranges, Spain, with French military support, occupied the territory of Olivenza (in Portuguese Olivença). By the Treaty of Vienna (1815), Spain should return the territory to Portugal but, until today, it never complied with the terms of the agreement. |
| Pichvni [13] | Georgia Russia |
|
| Prevlaka | Croatia Montenegro |
|
| Maritime border in the Adriatic | Croatia Montenegro |
|
| Rockall | United Kingdom Ireland Denmark Iceland |
Only the UK claims the rock itself. Ireland and Britain have agreed upon a demarcation of the surrounding sea-bed. Denmark and Iceland claim that the Rockall trough limits the Irish and British claims to the waters surrounding the rock and to the Rockall Bank. |
| Sastavci | Serbia Bosnia and Herzegovina |
|
| Island of Šarengrad | Serbia Croatia |
|
| Military complex near Sveta Gera, in the area of Žumberak/Gorjanci | Slovenia Croatia |
|
| Maritime border with Poland Foreign relations of Denmark#International disputes | Denmark Poland |
|
| Small 3m-by-60m strip along the Passetto di Borgo in the vicinity of the Vatican City | Holy See Italy |
|
| Veliki Školj and Mali Školj (near Neum) | Croatia Bosnia and Herzegovina |
|
| Island of Vukovar | Croatia Serbia |
| Territory | Claimants | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Hans Island | Canada Denmark |
Claimed by both Canada and Denmark (on behalf of Greenland). |
| Continental shelf in the eastern Gulf of Mexico beyond 200 nautical miles | Cuba Mexico United States |
Overlap on the eastern gap of the Gulf of Mexico between an area of continental shelf extending beyond 200 nautical miles from Cuba, an area of continental shelf extending beyond 200 nautical miles from Mexico and an area of continental shelf extending beyond 200 nautical miles from the United States. (The case of the western gap was solved by a treaty between Mexico and the United States of America on the delimitation of the continental shelf in the western Gulf of Mexico beyond 200 nautical miles, of June 9, 2000.)[14] |
| Territory | Canadian Claimant | U.S. Claimant |
|---|---|---|
| Machias Seal Island | New Brunswick | Maine |
| North Rock | New Brunswick | Maine |
| Strait of Juan de Fuca | British Columbia | Washington |
| Dixon Entrance | British Columbia | Alaska |
| Portland Canal | British Columbia | Alaska |
| Beaufort Sea | Yukon | Alaska |
| Northwest Passage and some other Arctic waters | Canadian territorial waters | U.S. claims navigation rights |
| Territory | Claimants | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Isla Aves | Venezuela Dominica |
Dominica abandoned the claim to the island in 2006, but continues to claim the adjacent seas. |
| Southern half of Belize | Belize Guatemala |
Guatemala formerly claiming all Belize. |
| Bajo Nuevo Bank | Colombia Nicaragua United States Jamaica |
Honduras has recognised the sovereignty of Colombia; other claimants have not. |
| Calero Island | Costa Rica Nicaragua |
|
| Conejo Island | Honduras El Salvador |
|
| Navassa Island [1] | United States Haiti |
|
| San Andrés and Providencia | Colombia Nicaragua |
Honduras de facto recognises Colombian claim. |
| Sapodilla Cay | Belize Guatemala Honduras |
Guatemala formerly claiming all Belize. |
| Serranilla Bank | Colombia Honduras Nicaragua United States |
Jamaica has recognised the sovereignty of Colombia; other claimants have not. |
| Territory | Claimants | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Not specified | Chile Bolivia |
Bolivia claims and demands sovereign sea access, lost during the War of the Pacific 1879. |
| Ankoko Island/Isla de Anacoco | Venezuela Guyana |
|
| Arroyo de la Invernada or Rincón de Artigas and Vila Albornoz | Brazil Uruguay |
Dispute in the 235 km2 (91 sq mi) Invernada River region near Masoller, over which tributary represents the legitimate source of the Quaraí River/Cuareim River |
| Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)[1] | United Kingdom Argentina |
See Falkland Islands sovereignty dispute |
| French Guiana west of the Marouini River | France Suriname |
|
| Guaíra Falls/Sete Quedas | Brazil Paraguay |
The disputed islands were submerged by the reservoir of Itaipú. |
| Guyana east of the Upper Courantyne River | Guyana Suriname |
|
| Guyana west of the Essequibo River (Guayana Esequiba) | Guyana Venezuela |
|
| Isla Brasilera/Ilha Brasileira | Brazil Uruguay |
Uruguayan officials claim that the island falls under their Artigas Department |
| Isla Suárez/Ilha de Guajará-mirim | Bolivia Brazil |
|
| Los Monjes Archipelago[1] | Venezuela Colombia |
Colombia no longer claims the islands, only the surrounding waters. |
| Pacific Ocean Sea border | Chile Peru |
This arguably covers 19,000–35,000 square metres of sea near border marker number one. |
| South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands[1] | United Kingdom Argentina |
Including Shag Rocks. See South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands sovereignty dispute |
| Southern Patagonian Ice Field between Monte Fitz Roy and Cerro Daudet |
Argentina Chile |
Parts of the border still officially undefined. |
| Territory | Claimants | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Abkhazia | Republic of Abkhazia Georgia |
|
| Village of Aigba and surrounding area[15][16] | Republic of Abkhazia Russia |
|
| Eastern part of Bhutan | Bhutan Republic of China (Taiwan)[note 1] |
|
| North Cyprus | Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus Cyprus |
|
| Mainland China, Hainan, and other islands controlled by the PRC. | People's Republic of China Republic of China (Taiwan)[note 1] |
|
| Moldovan-controlled area of Dubăsari district | Moldova Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic |
|
| East Jerusalem | Israel Palestinian Authority |
|
| A small area of Gilgit-Baltistan | Pakistan Republic of China (Taiwan)[note 1][note 4] |
|
| Kokkina/Erenköy exclave | Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus Cyprus |
This area is separated from the rest of the land controlled by North Cyprus by land controlled by the Republic of Cyprus. |
| Heixiazi / Bolshoy Ussuriysky Island (eastern half) |
Russia Republic of China (Taiwan)[note 1][note 4] |
Split by the People's Republic of China and Russia in 2004 |
| Heixiazi / Bolshoy Ussuriysky Island (western half) |
People's Republic of China Republic of China (Taiwan)[note 1][note 4] |
Split by the People's Republic of China and Russia in 2004 |
| Kachin State | Myanmar Republic of China (Taiwan)[note 1][note 4] |
North part west of the Gaoligong Mountains (高黎貢山) in western Yunnan, China, and the Division of Sagaing: Jiangxinpo (江心坡) and Nankan (南坎). |
| 106.40 square kilometres of formerly Chinese territory in Kazakhstan | Kazakhstan Republic of China (Taiwan) |
|
| Kosovo | Serbia Kosovo |
Pursuant to United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244, Kosovo is formally under the administration of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo. |
| Kutuzov Island | Russia Republic of China (Taiwan) |
|
| Outer Mongolia | Mongolia Republic of China (Taiwan)[note 1] |
Outer Mongolia has been excluded from Enforcement Rules for the Act Governing Relations between Peoples of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area since 2002. However, Outer Mongolia remains part of the ROC in the Constitution of the Republic of China. |
| Pamir Mountains (west of Xinjiang)[note 1] (Northern and central parts) |
Tajikistan Republic of China (Taiwan) |
The PRC relinquished its claim over this territory in January 2011, after 1,158 square kilometres (447 sq mi) was ceded to it by the Tajik government.[17][note 4] |
| Pamir Mountains (west of Xinjiang)[note 1][note 4] (Southern part) |
Afghanistan Republic of China (Taiwan) |
|
| Part of the Rasŏn administrative division | North Korea Republic of China (Taiwan)[note 1] |
|
| Sixty-Four Villages East of the Heilongjiang River | Russia Republic of China (Taiwan)[note 4] |
|
| Somaliland | Somaliland Somalia |
|
| South Ossetia | Republic of South Ossetia Georgia |
|
| 'Border' checkpoint near Strovilia | United Kingdom Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus |
UK's claim in regard to its Sovereign Base Areas Technically, of course, this also involves Cyprus; the checkpoint is partially on UN-administered land, and Cyprus claims all of the island. (See: Europe) |
| Taiwan Penghu Jinmen Matsu Islands Pratas Islands |
Republic of China (Taiwan)[18] People's Republic of China[19] |
See also: Anti-Secession Law Legal status of Taiwan |
| Transnistria | Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic Moldova |
|
| Tuva | Russia Republic of China (Taiwan)[note 1] |
|
| Varnita, Copanca and Bendery (also known as Tighina or Bender) | Moldova Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic |
|
| The West Bank (called Judea and Samaria in Israel) | Israel Palestinian Authority |
See Israeli–Palestinian conflict |
| Western Sahara | Morocco Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic |
The United Nations keeps the Western Sahara in its list of Non-Self-Governing Territories and considers the sovereignty issue as unresolved pending a final solution. To that end, the UN sent a mission in the territory to oversee a referendum on self-determination in 1991, but it never happened. Administration was relinquished by Spain in 1976. |
| Territory | Country | Internal Claimants | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belgaum | India | Karnataka Maharashtra |
|
| Kasaragod | India | Kerala Karnataka |
|
| Lubicon traditional territory between the Peace River and Athabasca River and north of Lesser Slave Lake | Canada | Alberta Lubicon Lake Indian Nation (Cree) |
Northern Alberta |
| Southern edge of Labrador | Canada | Newfoundland and Labrador Quebec |
This was formerly an international dispute between Canada, which includes Quebec, and the Dominion of Newfoundland, at the time a separate country. Although Canada accepted the current border, Quebec never did. |
| A wide section from the 35th parallel north to one-mile south. | United States | Tennessee Georgia |
Due to an inaccurate measurement in 1818, Georgia claims the correct 35th latitude north, and does so in a chance of a drought, it would have access to the Tennessee River.[20][21] |
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).
| Territory | Former Claimants | Dispute Started | Dispute Settled | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sakhalin Island | Russian Empire Empire of Japan |
1845 | 1875 | Japan unilaterally proclaimed sovereignty over the whole island in 1845, but its claims were ignored by the Russian Empire. The 1855 Treaty of Shimoda acknowledged that both Russia and Japan had joint rights of occupation to Sakhalin, without setting a definite territorial demarcation. As the island became settled in the 1860s and 1870s, this ambiguity led to increasing friction between settlers. Attempts by the Tokugawa shogunate to purchase the entire island from the Russian Empire failed, and the new Meiji government was unable to negotiate a partition of the island into separate territories.
In the Treaty of Saint Petersburg (1875), Japan agreed to give up its claims on Sakhalin in exchange for undisputed ownership of the Kuril Islands. |
| Alaska Boundary Dispute | United States Canada |
1821 | 1903 | Disputed between the United States and Canada (then a British Dominion with its foreign affairs controlled from London). The dispute had been going on between the Russian and British Empires since 1821, and was inherited by the United States as a consequence of the Alaska Purchase in 1867. It was resolved by arbitration in 1903 with a delegation that included 3 Americans, 2 Canadians, and 1 British delegate that became the swing vote. By a 4 to 2 vote, the final resolution favored the American position. Canada did not get an outlet from the Yukon gold fields to the sea. The disappointment and anger in Canada was directed less at the United States, and more at the British government for betraying Canadian interests in pursuit of a friendly relationship between Britain and the United States. |
| Isla Martín García | Argentina Uruguay |
1879 | 1973 | After the Conquest of the Desert was formally launched in 1879, many indigenous leaders captured were confined there. The island was transferred to Argentine Navy jurisdiction in 1886. The island's distance from the Uruguayan territory is less than two miles, and its jurisdictional status was formally established by the Treaty of Río de la Plata between Uruguay and Argentina on November 19, 1973. |
| Tenedos | Greece Turkey |
1920 | 1923 | In 1920, following World War I, the Treaty of Sèvres with the defeated Ottoman Empire granted the island to Greece, who joined the war in Allies' side in May 1917. The new Turkish Government of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, based in Ankara, which was not party to the treaty, overthrew the Ottoman government, which signed but did not ratify the treaty. After the Turkish War of Independence ended in Greek defeat in Anatolia, and the fall of Lloyd George and his Middle Eastern policies, the western powers agreed to the Treaty of Lausanne with the new Turkish Republic, in 1923. This treaty made Tenedos and Imbros part of Turkey, and it guaranteed a special autonomous administrative status there to accommodate the Greeks. |
| Clipperton Island | Mexico France |
1897 | 1931 | Disputed between France and Mexico. On January 28, 1931, King Victor Emanuel finally declared Clipperton to be a French possession, and has remained relatively undisputed ever since. |
| Shaksgam Valley | Pakistan (still claimed by: India People's Republic of China) |
1947 | 1963 | Pakistan gave its claim to China (PRC), and possibly claimed by the ROC. |
| Sinai Peninsula | Israel Egypt |
1967 | 1982 | During the Six-Day War Israel claimed Sinai. It was returned in 1982 under the terms of the 1979 Egypt–Israel Peace Treaty. |
| West Bank and East Jerusalem | Israel Jordan |
1967 | 1988 | During the Six-Day War Israel conquered these territories from Jordan. Jordan later renounced the claim on the territory, supporting instead its inclusion in a future Palestine. |
| Northern Ireland | Ireland United Kingdom |
1920 | 1999 | Formerly disputed between Ireland and the United Kingdom since partition in 1920, it was settled by the Good Friday Agreement in 1999, when Ireland renounced its claim. However, both countries acknowledged that the territory can rejoin the rest of Ireland if separate referendums in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland approve of the former's cession. |
| Hawar Islands | Qatar Bahrain |
1971 | 2001 | Formely disputed between Qatar and Bahrain, it was settled by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague. In the June 2001 decision, Bahrain kept the Hawar Islands and Qit'at Jaradah but dropped claims to Janan Island and Zubarah on mainland Qatar, while Qatar retained significant maritime areas and their resources. The agreement has furthered the goal of definitively establishing the border with Saudi Arabia and Saudi-led mediation efforts continue. |
| Pytalovo (Abrene in Latvia) | Latvia Russia |
1991 | 2007 | Pytalovo was part of independent Latvia as Abrene until Latvia was occupied and annexed by the Soviet Union. Latvia disputed Russian jurisdiction over the region until signing a border treaty with Russia in 2007. |