There are three territories on Earth that no country wants to claim. Why is that?

How much of the Earth's surface belongs to no one? If oceans are included, quite a lot: about 43% of the planet's surface is international waters, over which no state exercises sovereignty.

But with land, it's different. Almost all of it is divided among countries, but there are a few exceptions. For such territories, there is a Latin term terra nullius — "no man's land".

In the past, this concept was also used to justify colonial conquests. Europeans declared lands inhabited by indigenous peoples as unclaimed, even though states, in the European understanding, did not exist there.

Today, only a few isolated territories remain that no state claims. And each of them has its own history.

Marie Byrd Land

The largest area of land in the world not claimed by any state is in Antarctica. This is Marie Byrd Land, covering over 1.6 million square kilometers — almost eight times the territory of Belarus. It is named after the wife of American polar explorer Richard Byrd, who studied Antarctica about a hundred years ago.

At one time, seven countries — Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, New Zealand, Norway, and the United Kingdom — asserted their rights to various parts of the continent. However, Marie Byrd Land did not interest any of them.

Павялічыць

In 1959, the Antarctic Treaty was signed, which froze existing territorial claims and prohibited new ones as long as it is in force. The USA and Russia, however, reserved the right to make their claims in the future.

The main reason Marie Byrd Land remained unclaimed is its extreme inaccessibility. The region is far from other continents, and reaching it is difficult even by Antarctic standards.

However, if valuable natural resources are found there, or if melting ice makes these lands more accessible, interest in them could increase.

Bir Tawil

Bir Tawil has a completely different story — a desert territory on the border of Egypt and Sudan. Here, the land remained unclaimed not due to inaccessibility, but because of a border dispute that has lasted for over a century.

It all began during British rule, when the authorities drew the border between these countries twice. In 1899, it was a straight line, and in 1902, it was changed to account for the administrative peculiarities of the region. The border became an S-shaped curve that first dips and then rises.

Павялічыць

As a result, two territories emerged, whose ownership depends on which border is considered valid: the desert Bir Tawil and the much more valuable Hala'ib Triangle, which has access to the Red Sea.

Egypt recognizes the 1899 border, while Sudan recognizes the 1902 border. Both countries claim Hala'ib, but neither wants to claim Bir Tawil. The point is that recognizing their rights to Bir Tawil would mean recognizing the border line according to which Hala'ib belongs to the neighboring state.

In 2014, an American named Jeremiah Heaton tried to take advantage of this unusual situation. He traveled to Bir Tawil, planted a flag there, and declared the territory his own kingdom. The man wanted to fulfill his daughter's dream of becoming a real princess. However, no state recognized his kingdom.

Gornja Siga

Another unclaimed territory is in Europe, on the border of Croatia and Serbia. This is Gornja Siga — a small plot of land about seven square kilometers on the bank of the Danube. As with Bir Tawil, the reason for its unusual status is a border dispute. Only here, it all began with a change in the riverbed.

Павялічыць

In the 19th and early 20th centuries, the Danube in this region was straightened to facilitate navigation. As a result, its new course ceased to coincide with the borders marked on old maps.

Croatia insists that the border should follow historical maps, while Serbia considers the modern course of the Danube as the border. However, recognizing Gornja Siga as its territory could weaken Croatian claims to other, larger plots of land. Therefore, neither of the two countries considers Gornja Siga their own.

In 2015, Czech politician Vít Jedlička took advantage of this situation, declaring an independent state called Liberland here, and himself its president.

The new "country" gained supporters in various parts of the world. Liberland offers its own citizenship for approximately $10,000 and attempts to achieve international recognition. However, so far without success.

It also fails to establish a full-fledged settlement. Croatian border guards control access to the territory and prevent the construction of permanent structures. As a result, Liberland currently exists mainly online, and Gornja Siga, despite all attempts to declare it an independent state, remains a no man's land.

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