| Territory |
Claimants |
Notes |
| Abyei |
Sudan
South Sudan |
Both Sudan and South Sudan claim the area. Controlled by Sudan after taking the area in May 2011. |
| Badme |
Ethiopia
Eritrea[1] |
Basis of the Eritrean-Ethiopian War which began in 1998. Currently controlled by Ethiopia. |
| Bakassi |
Cameroon
Nigeria |
This area was handed over by Nigeria to Cameroon following an International Court of Justice ruling and the Greentree Agreement. |
| Banc du Geyser |
Madagascar
Comoros
France |
France claims the reef as part of the Scattered Islands in the Indian Ocean, a district of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands. |
| Bassas da India, Europa Island and Juan de Nova Island |
France
Madagascar[1] |
De facto part of the French territory of French Southern and Antarctic Lands. |
| Bir Tawil |
None
Egypt-administered |
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] |
|
| Ceuta[3] |
Spain
Morocco |
Administered by Spain as the Autonomous City of Ceuta |
| Chagos Archipelago |
United Kingdom
Mauritius |
United Kingdom administers the archipelago as part of the British Indian Ocean Territory |
| Glorioso Islands |
France
Madagascar
Seychelles
Comoros |
De facto part of the French territory of French Southern and Antarctic Lands. |
| Hala'ib Triangle |
Egypt
Sudan[4] |
Previously under joint administration; Egypt now maintains full de facto control |
| Heglig |
Sudan
South Sudan |
Both Sudan and South Sudan claim the area. Controlled by South Sudan in mid-April 2012 (but retaken). Internationally viewed as part of Sudan. |
| Ilemi Triangle |
Ethiopia
Kenya
South Sudan |
|
| Islas Chafarinas |
Spain
Morocco |
|
| Jodha |
South Sudan
Sudan |
Both Sudan and South Sudan claim the area. |
| Part of Kabale District |
Uganda
Rwanda |
|
| Kafia Kingi |
South Sudan
Sudan |
Both Sudan and South Sudan claim the area. |
| Kaka |
South Sudan
Sudan |
Both Sudan and South Sudan claim the area. |
| KaNgwane |
South Africa
Swaziland |
Swaziland claims territories which it states were confiscated during colonial times.[5] The area claimed by Swaziland is the former bantustan of KaNgwane, which now forms the northern parts of Jozini and uMhlabuyalingana local municipalities in KwaZulu-Natal, and the southern part of Nkomazi, the southeastern part of Umjindi and the far eastern part of Albert Luthuli local municipalities in Mpumalanga. |
| Part of the Kahemba region |
Angola
Democratic Republic of Congo |
Following a March 2007 report on the disputed area on the joint border in the Kahemba region, the Congolese interior minister admitted the territory was in fact part of Angola and agreed to send a technical team to demarcate the border along colonial era lines.[6] The countries agreed to end the dispute in July 2007.[7] |
| Koualou village |
Burkina Faso
Benin |
|
| Kpeaba village area (near Sipilou (Siquita)) |
Ivory Coast
Guinea |
[8] |
| Area near Logoba/Moyo District |
South Sudan
Uganda |
|
| Lunchinda-Pweto Province |
Zambia
Democratic Republic of 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. |
| Islands in Mbamba Bay, Lake Nyasa |
Tanzania
Malawi |
Lundo Is. and Mbambo Is. are claimed as part of the lake, as Malawi claims to the shore based on 1890 Anglo-German treaty. See Lake Malawi#Tanzania–Malawi dispute |
| Mbañie Island, Cocotiers, and Congas Island |
Gabon
Equatorial Guinea[9] |
|
| Melilla[3] |
Spain
Morocco |
Administered by Spain as the Autonomous City of Melilla |
| 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 |
|
| Ogaden |
Ethiopia
Somalia |
Ogaden or West Somalia as referred to by locals, is exclusively inhabited by ethnic Somalis. Somalia claims the region as part of Greater Somalia and as a result have gone to war with Ethiopia twice in 1962 and 1977 see Ogaden War. The area is currently administered by Ethiopia. |
| Several islands in the Congo River |
Republic of the Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo |
|
| Several islands in the Ntem River |
Cameroon
Equatorial Guinea |
|
| Several villages near the Okpara River |
Benin
Nigeria |
|
| Orange River border line |
Namibia
South Africa |
Namibia claims the border lies along the middle of the river, while South Africa claims it lies along the north bank. |
| Peñón de Alhucemas |
Spain
Morocco |
|
| Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera |
Spain
Morocco |
|
| Perejil Island |
Spain
Morocco |
After the 2002 incident, both countries agreed to return to the status quo previous to the incident.[10] |
| Ras Doumeira and Doumeira Island |
Eritrea
Djibouti |
|
| The Rufunzo Valley and Sabanerwa |
Rwanda
Burundi |
|
| Rukwanzi Island and the Semliki River valley |
Democratic Republic of Congo
Uganda |
|
| Sindabezi Island |
Zambia
Zimbabwe[citation needed] |
|
| 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).[11] |
| South East Algeria |
Algeria
Libya |
|
| Tiran Island and Sanafir Island |
Egypt
Saudi Arabia |
|
| Tromelin Island |
France
Mauritius
Seychelles |
De facto part of the French territory of French Southern and Antarctic Lands. |
| Tsorona-Zalambessa |
Ethiopia
Eritrea[2] |
|
| Wadi Halfa Salient |
Egypt
Sudan |
|
| Territory |
Claimants |
Notes |
| Aarsal, Deir El Aachayer, Kfar Qouq, Qaa, Qasr and Tuffah |
Lebanon
Syria |
|
| Abu Musa |
Iran
United Arab Emirates |
|
| See Nagorno-Karabakh war |
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic
Armenia
Azerbaijan |
Soviet Azerbaijani territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, largely de facto controlled by the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic supported by Armenia. |
| Baekdu Mountain |
North Korea
People's Republic of China |
Also possibly claimed by the Republic of China (Taiwan)[note 1] and South Korea.[note 2] |
| 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] |
| Gilgit Baltistan |
Pakistan
India |
Administrated by Pakistan and claimed by India. It's part of Kashmir conflict. |
| Jammu and Kashmir |
Pakistan
India |
After the partition of India in 1947, the Hindu king of Jammu and Kashmir, Maharaja Hari Singh whose state was situated between the two new countries, could not decide which country to join and wanted to stay independent.But because Pakistani tribal intruders backed by Pakistani army from West and North-west areas entered the Kashmir and occupied areas till today's line of control, king who was virtually defenseless, signed the instrument of accession, acceding the Muslim majority state to India. The Indo-Pakistani War of 1947 continued till 1949 when UN asked for a ceasefire and asked for a plebiscite in Jammu & Kashmir regions after both countries totally withdraw armed forces from pre-1947 Kashmir area, so that the people can 'self-determine which country they want to join - or stay independent. India is, to-date refusing to hold the plebiscite as the Pakistan refuses to withdraw army from Pakistan Administered Kashmir (Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan) also, it has doubts about free and fair proceedings of plebiscite because of Pakistani interference in the region. Hence the UN resolution is pending. India and Pakistan have fought three wars over the region - 1947, 1965 and 1999. There was militant insurgency in Kashmir backed by Pakistan since 1990 since when hundreds of thousands of Pro-India Hindu Kashmiri Pandits have either been killed, converted to islam or forced to vacate their homes and take refuge in Jammu and other areas of rest of India. UN has removed Kashmir from their list of unresolved disputes in 2010. |
| Mainland China |
People's Republic of China
Republic of China |
The government of the Republic of China claims mainland China. |
| 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 |
Cambodia
Vietnam |
|
| David Gareja monastery complex boundary dispute |
Georgia
Azerbaijan |
|
| Demchok, Chumar, Kaurik, Shipki Pass, Jadh, and Lapthal |
India
People's Republic of China
Republic of China (Taiwan)[note 1] |
Disputed areas located between Aksai Chin and Nepal, all administered by the PRC. |
| 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 |
Kyrgyzstan: A tiny Kyrgyz village, Barak, in the Fergana Valley region (where Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan meet) is bordered on the north, west and south by Uzbekistan. Tajikistan: There are three Tajik exclaves, all of them in the Fergana Valley. One of them, the village of Sarvan, is surrounded by Uzbek territory, whereas the remaining two, the village of Vorukh and a small settlement near the Kyrgyz railway station of Kairagach, are each surrounded by Kyrgyz territory. Uzbekistan: There are four Uzbek exclaves, all inside Kyrgyz territory in the Fergana Valley. Two of them are the towns of Sokh and Shakhimardan and the other two the tiny territories of Chong-Kara and Dzhangail. There may be a fifth Uzbek exclave inside of Kyrgyzstan.[12] Most of the border in the area is still not demarcated. |
| Golan Heights |
Israel
Syria |
Syrian territory captured by Israel in 1967 (the Six-Day War), and annexed by Israel in 1981 (In 2008, a plenary session of the United Nations General Assembly voted by 161–1 in favor of a motion on the "occupied Syrian Golan" that reaffirmed support for UN Resolution 497; United Nations, December 5, 2008). |
| Greater and Lesser Tunbs |
Iran
United Arab Emirates |
|
| Hong Kong |
People's Republic of China
Republic of China[note 1]
|
Then-Taiwanese President Lee Teng-hui claimed that Hong Kong should have returned to the ROC instead of the PRC because the ROC government had the original manuscript of the Treaty of Nanking. It is now controlled by the PRC.[13]。 |
| Isfara Valley |
Kyrgyzstan
Tajikistan |
|
| Jiandao |
People's Republic of China
North Korea
South Korea[note 2] |
Also possibly claimed by the Republic of China.[note 1] |
| Karang Unarang |
Indonesia
Malaysia |
|
| Kalapani region, the smaller Susta River dispute and the smaller still Antudanda and Nawalparasi disputes |
India
Nepal |
All administered by India. See Territorial disputes of India and Nepal. |
| Artsvashen exclave of Gegharkunik province, de jure part of Armenia; Karki exclave of Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic, Yukhari Askipara and Barkhudarli, both exclaves of Qazakh Rayon de jure part of Azerbaijan; "Yaradullu" is controlled by Azerbaijan along with occupying the much larger de jure Armenian territory surrounding it. |
Armenia
Azerbaijan |
Azerbaijan and Armenia have controlled these areas as part of the wider Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict. |
| Khuriya Muriya Islands |
Oman
Yemen |
|
| Korean Peninsula (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 |
|
| Liancourt Rocks |
South Korea
Japan |
Controlled by South Korea since 1954 but claimed by Japan |
| Macclesfield Bank |
People's Republic of China
Republic of China (Taiwan)[note 1]
Vietnam |
|
| 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. |
| Mongolia |
Republic of China[note 1]
Mongolia |
The Taiwanese government does not recognize Mongolia's independence and claims it part of the Republic of China. |
| Muhurichar river island |
India
Bangladesh |
Controlled by India but claimed by Bangladesh. |
| Certain islands in the Naf River |
Bangladesh
Burma |
|
| Paracel Islands[1] |
People's Republic of China
Republic of China (Taiwan)[note 1]
Vietnam |
Entirely controlled by China but claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan |
| "Pedra Branca"; several islets at the eastern entrance to the Singapore Strait |
Singapore
Malaysia |
The International Court of Justice rendered its decision on 23 May 2008 that sovereignty over Pedra Branca belongs to Singapore; sovereignty over Middle Rocks belongs to Malaysia. It said sovereignty over South Ledge would remain disputed until the states could determine the ownership of the territorial waters in which it is located.[14] |
| "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 area (Khao Phra Wihan) |
Thailand
Cambodia |
Temple complex awarded to Cambodia by an International Court of Justice ruling in 1962; "promontory" measuring 0.3 km2 immediately adjacent to temple awarded to Cambodia by ICJ ruling in 2013; both countries acknowledge continuing dispute over an additional 4.3 km2 immediately northwest of the 2013 ruling's area. |
| Qarooh and Umm Al Maradim |
Kuwait
Saudi Arabia |
|
| Sabah (North Borneo) |
Malaysia
Philippines |
The Philippines retains a claim on the eastern part of Sabah on the basis that it is a historical part of the Sultanate of Sulu, to which the Philippines is the successor state (see North Borneo dispute).[1] |
| Saudi Arabia–United Arab Emirates border dispute |
United Arab Emirates
Saudi Arabia |
|
| Scarborough Shoal |
People's Republic of China
Philippines
Republic of China (Taiwan)[note 1] |
Controlled by the PRC since the 2012 Scarborough Shoal standoff. |
| Senkaku Islands (Diaoyu Tai or Diaoyu Dao)[1] |
Japan
People's Republic of China
Republic of China (Taiwan)[note 1] |
Controlled by Japan But claimed by the PRC and ROC |
| Shaksgam Valley |
India
People's Republic of China |
Possibly also the ROC.[note 1]Currently controlled by the PRC. |
| Shatt al-Arab |
Iran
Iraq |
|
| Shebaa Farms |
Israel
Lebanon
Syria |
|
| Siachen Glacier and Saltoro Ridge area |
India
Pakistan |
Taken over by India in 1984 and currently controlled by India but claimed by Pakistan. |
| Sir Creek |
India
Pakistan |
A dispute over where in the estuary the line falls; only small areas of marsh land are disputed, but significant maritime territory is involved. Entirely controlled by India and disputed by Pakistan. |
| Arunachal Pradesh |
India
People's Republic of China
Republic of China (Taiwan)[note 1] |
Controlled by India but claimed by the PRC and ROC who dispute the validity of the McMahon Line |
| Spratly Islands |
Republic of China (Taiwan)[note 1]
People's Republic of China
Vietnam
Philippines (part)
Malaysia (part)
Brunei (part) |
Each of the claimant countries except Brunei controls one or more of the individual islands. |
| 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.[15][clarification needed] |
| Taiwan |
Republic of China
People's Republic of China |
The government of the People's Republic of China claims the entire island of Taiwan, as well as a number of minor islands, such as Penghu, Kinmen, and Matsu, that are controlled by the Republic of China). |
| Parts of Three Pagodas Pass |
Burma
Thailand |
|
| The islands of Ukatny, Zhestky and the disputed 'island' of Malozhemchuzny[16] |
Russia
Kazakhstan |
|
| Vozrozhdeniya Island (now a peninsula) |
Kazakhstan
Uzbekistan |
|
| Wake Island[1] |
United States
Marshall Islands |
|
| Territory |
Claimants |
Notes |
| Sea of Azov |
Russia
Ukraine |
("Mutual jurisdiction")[17] |
| Aegean dispute, Imia/Kardak |
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 |
|
| Crimean Peninsula |
Russia
Ukraine |
See 2014 Crimean crisis and political status of Crimea |
| Gibraltar |
United Kingdom
Spain[1] |
Spain claims territory under the Treaty of Utrecht conditions. |
| Russia-Ukraine border |
Russia
Ukraine |
Russia delays establishment of border with Ukraine.[18] |
| Tuzla Island and Strait of Kerch; Sarych |
Russia
Ukraine |
The conflict arose in 2003 when the Russian authorities started to build a dam towards the island. Since then Ukraine established a border garrison on the island for a closer surveillance. The reason for the conflict is the fact that Tuzla island strategic location gives Ukraine full rights over the main channel in the Strait of Kerch and, thus, the access to the Sea of Azov. The conflict is based on the division of the Black Sea Fleet and a lease agreement of the Sevastopol Naval facilities. |
| Lake Constance |
Austria
Germany
Switzerland |
There is no actual dispute or conflict, but there isn't a defined border. |
| Lough Foyle boundary dispute |
Ireland
United Kingdom |
|
| An area near Montmalús peak |
Andorra
Spain[citation needed] |
|
| 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). During the Treaty of Vienna (1815), the signatory powers pledged to mediate in favor of Portugal, but, in 1816 Portugal invaded what is now Uruguay and as a response Spain decided not to return the territory. |
| Croatia-Serbia border dispute |
Croatia
Serbia |
Limited areas along the Danube
Parts of Osijek-Baranja and Vukovar-Syrmia Counties and West and South Bačka Districts |
| Gulf of Piran |
Slovenia
Croatia |
An agreement was signed (and ratified by Croatia's parliament on 20 November 2009) to pursue binding arbitration to both the land and maritime portions of this continuing dispute |
| Prevlaka |
Croatia
Montenegro |
|
| Sastavci |
Serbia
Bosnia and Herzegovina |
|
| Sutorina |
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Montenegro |
See Sutorina dispute. |
| Island of Šarengrad |
Serbia
Croatia |
|
| Military complex near Sveta Gera, in the area of Žumberak/Gorjanci |
Slovenia
Croatia |
|
| Veliki Školj and Mali Školj (near Neum) |
Croatia
Bosnia and Herzegovina |
|
| Island of Vukovar |
Croatia
Serbia |
|
| Macedonia (region) |
Macedonia
Greece
Bulgaria
Albania |
See United Macedonia |
| Territory |
Claimants |
Notes |
| Abkhazia |
Republic of Abkhazia
Georgia |
|
| Village of Aibga and surrounding area[21][22] |
Republic of Abkhazia
Russia |
|
| Eastern part of Bhutan |
Bhutan
Republic of China (Taiwan)[note 1] |
|
| North Cyprus |
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus
Cyprus |
Republic of Cyprus claims the whole island. Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (self declared state) claims the northern part of the island |
| Mainland China, Hainan, and other islands controlled by the PRC. |
People's Republic of China
Republic of China[note 1] |
|
| Moldovan-controlled area of Dubăsari district |
Moldova
Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic |
| A small area of Gilgit-Baltistan |
Pakistan
Republic of China (Taiwan)[note 1][note 3] |
|
| 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. |
| Gaza Strip |
Israel
State of Palestine
Hamas Government of Gaza |
Heixiazi / Bolshoy Ussuriysky Island
(eastern half) |
Russia
Republic of China (Taiwan)[note 1][note 3] |
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] |
Split by the People's Republic of China and Russia in 2004 |
| Kachin State |
Myanmar
Republic of China (Taiwan)[note 1][note 3] |
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 |
Republic of Kosovo
Serbia |
Kosovo is the subject of a territorial dispute between the Republic of Serbia and the self-proclaimed Republic of Kosovo. The latter declared independence on 17 February 2008, while Serbia claims it as part of its own sovereign territory. Its independence is recognised by 108 UN member states. |
| Kutuzov Island |
Russia
Republic of China (Taiwan) |
|
| Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent districts |
Nagorno-Karabakh
Azerbaijan |
Much of the former Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast and some surrounding territory is under the control of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, which is claimed by Azerbaijan.[1] |
| 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. |
| 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 3] |
|
| 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[23]
People's Republic of China[24] |
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 Palestinian territories |
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. De iure is of Spain |
| Territory |
Country |
Internal Claimants |
Notes |
| Belgaum |
India |
Karnataka
Maharashtra |
Disputed since 1956 when Belgaum district was not transferred to Maharashtra. |
| As much as a 2821 km2-wide area in and around the Ibiapaba mountain range |
Brazil |
Ceará
Piauí |
This dispute originated in an 1880 imperial decree. In 1920 a solution to the dispute was arbitrated but in practice it was never carried out. In 2008 there were new attempted negotiations, but they broke down in 2011, and as of 2013 it is pending either a supreme court decision, a referendum or a possible mutual agreement.[25] |
| Hogenakkal |
India |
Tamil Nadu
Karnataka |
Currently administered by Tamil Nadu |
| Disputed territories of Northern Iraq |
Iraq |
Iraq proper
Iraqi Kurdistan |
Iraq's autonomous region of Iraqi Kurdistan claims and controls parts of the governorates of Nineveh, Arbil, Kirkuk and Diyala. |
| 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. |
| Songling District and Jiagedaqi District |
People's Republic of China |
Inner Mongolia
Heilongjiang |
The two districts are owned by Inner Mongolia, but Jiagedaqi District(urban) was established as capital of Daxinganling Prefecture, Heilongjiang Province, resulting it and adjacent Songling District under effective control of Heilongjiang Province. Hulunbuir City(Prefecture), Inner Mongolia actively disputes these two districts, as they formerly belongs to Oroqen Autonomous Banner, Hulunbuir. |
| Belén de Bajirá |
Colombia |
Antioquia
Chocó |
Disputed since 2000, both Departments of Antioquia and Chocó have claimed the corregimiento as part of their own respective municipalities. In 2014, amidst a rise of tensions between the claimants, the National Government under the Geographic Institute Agustín Codazzi formally started a process to find a solution for the dispute.[26] |
| 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.[27] See Tennessee River#Water rights and border dispute with Georgia. |
| parts of Fort Bonifacio |
Philippines |
Makati
Taguig
Pateros |
Disputed since 1983, Taguig claims more than 729 hectares of land in Fort Bonifacio, an area administered by Makati. On August 5, 2013, The Court of Appeals Sixth Division ruled that Makati has legal jurisdiction over the area thus invalidating Taguig's claim.[28] Taguig has not abandoned its claims and will appeal to the Court of Appeals to revoke the decision.[29] Pateros also claims the area and has filed a petition before the Taguig Regional Court Branch 271 in 2012 concerning its claim. Pateros reiterated its claims in 2013 following the decision of the Court of Appeals awarding Makati jurisdiction over the area.[30][31] |
| Fiat Auto Poland factory and nearest areas |
Poland |
Tychy
Bieruń |
The territory has historically been a part of the town of Bieruń. In years 1975–1991 Bieruń was a part of Tychy. The Fiat Auto Poland (formerly FSM factory remaining in Tychy was a condition of Bieruń’s separation. In the 90s, Bieruń has regained the Homera osiedle which was part of the disputed area.[32] |
| Territory |
Former claimants |
Dispute started |
Dispute settled |
Notes |
| Bay of Bengal Maritime Boundary between Bangladesh and India |
India
Bangladesh |
1974 |
2014 |
India and Bangladesh had engaged in eight rounds of bilateral negotiations starting 1974 but it remained inconclusive till 2009. In October 2009, Bangladesh served India with notice of arbitration proceedings under the UNCLOS .
The Arbitration Tribunal delivered the ruling on 7 July 2014 and settled the dispute.[34]
|
| Indo-Bangladesh enclaves, adverse possessions and undemarcated land boundaries |
India
Bangladesh |
1947 |
2015 |
Following Partition of Bengal (1947), the issues of adverse possessions, enclaves and unmarked boundary arose. Inside the main part of Bangladesh, there were 111 Indian enclaves (17,160.63 acres), while inside the main part of India, there were 51 Bangladeshi enclaves (7,110.02 acres). In 1974 Bangladesh approved a proposed treaty, Land Boundary Agreement, to exchange all enclaves within each other's territories, but India did not ratified it. Another agreement was agreed upon in 2011 to exchange enclaves and adverse possessions. In respect of adverse possessions, India received 2,777.038 acres of land and transferred 2,267.682 acres to Bangladesh. India ratified the agreement by constitutional amendment in May 2015.[35] |
| South Talpatti/New Moore/Purbasha Island |
India
Bangladesh |
c. 1975 |
2010 |
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, likely due to climate change,[36] in the first decade of the 2000s. Though land disputes no longer exist, the maritime boundary did not settled until 2014.[34][37][38][39] |
| 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 1875 by the Treaty of Saint Petersburg, Japan agreed to give up its claims on Sakhalin in exchange for undisputed ownership of the Kuril Islands. In 1905 under the Treaty of Portsmouth Japan gained Sakhalin to the 60th parallel, but lost it again in 1945.
|
| Pamir Mountains |
Tajikistan
People's Republic of China |
1877 |
2011 |
The Tajik Government relinquished its claim over this territory in January 2011 with final ratification of a treaty ceding 1,158 square kilometres (447 sq mi) to the PRC.[40] |
| Palmas Island (modern day Miangas Island) |
Philippine Islands
Dutch East Indies |
1906 |
1928 |
Dispute between the United States and the Netherlands over the Palmas island located south of the Philippines, which was then American territory. The Netherlands believed that the islands were part of the Dutch East Indies. The territorial dispute was solved through the Island of Palmas case which decided that the Palmas Island belongs to the Netherlands. Palmas Island, now Miangas Island, is currently a part of modern Indonesia. |
| Hatay Province |
Turkey
Syria |
1938 |
2004 |
Territory ceded from Syria to Turkey during the French Mandate of Syria, never formally recognized by Syria, but gave it up in 2004. |
| Yalu River (disputed sovereignty of certain islands)[1][note 2] |
People's Republic of China
North Korea
South Korea |
1949 |
2005 |
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.[41] The river's maritime rights remain shared between the two nations. |
| Shaksgam Valley |
Pakistan
(still claimed by:
India
People's Republic of China) |
1947 |
1963 |
Pakistan relinquished its claim to China; India did not. |
| 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. |
| Taba |
Israel
Egypt |
1979 |
1989 |
When Egypt and Israel were negotiating the exact position of the border in preparation for the 1979 peace treaty, Israel claimed that Taba had been on the Ottoman side of a border agreed between the Ottomans and British Egypt in 1906 and had, therefore, been in error in its two previous agreements. Although most of Sinai was returned to Egypt in 1982, Taba was the last portion to be returned. The issue was submitted to an international commission. In 1988, the commission ruled in Egypt's favour, and Israel returned Taba to Egypt in 1989. |
| Turtle Islands |
Philippine Islands
North Borneo |
|
1930 |
Dispute between the United States and the United Kingdom over the Turtle Islands located south of the Philippines, which was then American territory. In a 1930 treaty the United Kingdom acknowledge American sovereignty over the islands and was agreed upon that the British would remain administering the island until the United States express interest to take over control over the islands after a one-year notice. When the Philippines gained full independence from the United States in 1946, the Philippines invoked the treaty and the British turned over the islands to the Philippines in 1947. |
| West Bank, including 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. |
| Ligitan and Sipadan |
Malaysia
Indonesia |
1969 |
2002 |
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. |
| Hawar Islands |
Qatar
Bahrain |
1971 |
2001 |
Formerly 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. |
| Pulau Batek/Fatu Sinai |
Indonesia
East Timor |
2002 |
2004 |
Ceded by Timor-Leste to Indonesia in August 2004. |
| Territory |
Former Claimants |
Dispute Started |
Dispute Settled |
Notes |
| 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. |
| Aroostook War |
United States
British North America |
1838 |
1842 |
Disputed border between the state of Maine and the provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec. |
| Atacama border dispute |
Bolivia
Chile |
1879 |
1904 |
|
| Chamizal dispute |
United States
Mexico |
1898 |
1963 |
Disputed border within the El Paso/Ciudad Juárez region. |
| Delaware Wedge |
Delaware
Maryland
Pennsylvania |
1750s |
1921 |
A gore created when the borders of the colonies Maryland, Delaware, and Pennsylvania were defined. Dispute over the borders between the three colonies dates to the foundation of each during the middle 17th century. A series of defined lines and arcs were laid out by statute to settle the disputes, the most famous of which was the Mason–Dixon line. The Wedge was left out of all three colonies (and later U.S. states), and remained a matter of dispute until it was formally resolved to assign the Wedge to Delaware in 1921. |
| Eastern shore of the Narragansett Bay |
Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations
Plymouth Colony (to 1691)
Province of Massachusetts Bay (from 1691) |
1636 |
1898 |
Claimed by both Rhode Island and Plymouth Colony. Plymouth's claim was inherited by the newly created Province of Massachusetts Bay when the latter was created in 1691 from the merger of earlier Massachusetts Bay and Plymouth Colonies. A royal decree in 1746 assigned the land to Rhode Island, but Massachusetts continued to press its claim until 1898. |
| 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. |
| Cordillera del Cóndor-Cenepa River |
Peru
Ecuador |
1828 |
1998 |
|
| Cordillera of the Andes Boundary Case |
Argentina
Chile |
1881 |
1902 |
After the signature of the Boundary treaty of 1881 between Chile and Argentina differing interpretations on whether the highest Andean peaks (favouring Argentina) or the continental divide (favouring Chile) was to be considered the boundary. |
| Puna de Atacama dispute |
Argentina
Chile |
1889 |
1898 |
|
| Clipperton Island |
Mexico
France |
1897 |
1931 |
Disputed between France and Mexico. On January 28, 1931, King Victor Emanuel, selected as a neutral arbitrator, finally declared Clipperton to be a French possession, and it has remained relatively undisputed ever since. |
| Beagle conflict |
Argentina
Chile |
1898 |
1982 |
|
| Río Encuentro-Alto Palena dispute |
Argentina
Chile |
1913 |
1966 |
|
| Laguna del Desierto |
Argentina
Chile |
1949 |
1994 |
|
| Border of New Hampshire and Canada |
United States
United Kingdom |
1783 |
1842 |
Ill-defined terms of the Treaty of Paris at the end of the Revolutionary War left the boundary of the state of New Hampshire and Canada in doubt. The lack of a precise definition of the "northwesternmost head of the Connecticut River" as defined by the Treaty of Paris left a tract of land in what is now the town of Pittsburg, New Hampshire outside of the jurisdiction of both the United States and Canada. In the 1830s, land speculators established a short-lived independent republic in the area; the minuscule population of the putative nation never exceeded about 300. The boundary was finally settled definitively by the Webster–Ashburton Treaty of 1842. |
| San Andrés and Providencia |
Colombia
Nicaragua |
1928 |
2012[42] |
|
| Tacna–Arica compromise |
Chile
Peru |
1883 |
1929 |
|
| Pacific Ocean Sea border |
Chile
Peru |
1985 |
2014[43] |
|
| Erik the Red's Land |
Denmark
Norway |
1931 |
1933[44] |
|
| Territory |
Former Claimants |
Dispute Started |
Dispute Settled |
Notes |
| Bregovo |
Bulgaria
Kingdom of Serbia |
1885 |
1886 |
Bulgaria And Serbia briefly had a war over a small border village called Bregovo and this has been the recognized border ever since then. |
| Åland Islands |
Finland
Sweden |
1917 |
1920 |
Sweden and Finland argued over the control of the Åland Islands (located between Sweden and Finland). The Åland movement (Ålandsrörelsen) wanted Åland to reunite with its old mother country Sweden (Finland and Åland belonged to Sweden before 1809). The movement gathered signatures from over 7000 inhabitants of legal age at the Åland Islands in 1917 (that was about 96% of the population) - they all supported a union with Sweden. When Finland became independent (December 6, 1917) Sweden wanted a plebiscite about the future of the Åland Islands to solve the problem. Finland refused and argued that the Åland Islands had always been a natural part of Finland - even when Finland was under Swedish rule. Sweden appealed to the League of Nations referring to the right of the population to determine which country they should belong to. After studying the matter closely the League of Nations decided Finland should retain sovereignty over the province but that the Åland Islands should be made an autonomous territory. The Swedish Prime Minister said he didn’t accept the verdict but he also said that Sweden was not going to use military force to get their claims.[45] |
| Graham Island |
Two Sicilies
Malta
France
Spain |
1831 |
1831 |
A dispute between the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, the British Crown Colony of Malta, the Kingdom of France and the Kingdom of Spain occurred after the volcanic island appeared in 1831. The British were the first to claim the island as part of Malta, and they were followed by the Two Sicilies and France, while Spain expressed their ambitions to control the island. The island disappeared by December 1831 and the dispute stopped. A Sicilian flag was lowered over the now submerged island in 2000 to show Italian claims to the area. It is no longer disputed by Britain, France, Spain or Malta. |
| Lampedusa |
Sicily
Malta |
1800 |
1814 |
The island was controlled by British troops as a de facto part of Malta Protectorate from 1800 onwards. After a British royal commission was sent there in 1812, the new Governor of Malta Sir Thomas Maitland withdrew British troops and the island was returned to Sicily. |
| Tenedos |
Turkey
Greece |
1920 |
1923 |
On 11 August 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. |
| Northern Ireland |
United Kingdom
Ireland |
1920 |
1999 |
Formerly disputed between Ireland and the United Kingdom since partition on 23 December 1920, it was settled by the Good Friday Agreement in 1999, when Ireland amended its constitutional claim. 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. |
| Pytalovo (Abrene in Latvia) |
Russia
Latvia |
1991 |
2007 |
Pytalovo was part of independent Latvia as Abrene until Latvia was occupied and annexed by the Soviet Union and Abrene was attached to Russian SSR in 1948. Latvia disputed Russian jurisdiction over the region until giving it up in a border treaty with Russia in 2007. |
| Ivangorod and Pechorsky District |
Russia
Estonia |
1991 |
2007 |
Russia recognized them as a part of Estonia with Treaty of Tartu, 1920. After the fall of the Soviet Union, Russia continued administering it. Some sources argue Estonia has claims in the area.[46][47] |
| Sevastopol |
Russia
Ukraine |
1993 |
1997 |
On July 28, 1993, one of the leaders of the Russian Society of Crimea, Viktor Prusakov, stated that his organisation was ready for an armed mutiny and establishment of the Russian administration in Sevastopol. In May 1997, Russia and Ukraine signed the Peace and Friendship Treaty, ruling out Moscow's territorial claims to Ukraine.[48] |
| Black Sea and Snake Island |
Ukraine
Romania |
2004 |
2009 |
In 2004 Romania filed a case to International Court of Justice claiming that Ukraine's Snake Island was an uninhabitable rock under UNCLOS standards and thus not eligible to carry influence over determination of the maritime boundary between the two states. During the Soviet times the island was a small naval station with a lighthouse. In 2007 the Ukrainian parliament approved an establishment of a small hamlet (settlement) there, Bile, as part of Vylkove city Odessa Region. The maritime boundary issue was settled by the International Court of Justice in 2009. |
| Vilnius Region |
Lithuania
Poland |
1920 |
1945 |
During the Polish-Soviet War Polish armies entered the Vilnius Region which was at the time part of the Soviet Lithuanian-Belorussian Soviet Socialist Republic. In 1920, Polish General Lucjan Zeligowski led a coup and established the Republic of Central Lithuania which was annexed to the Second Polish Republic after the war as part of the historic Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and due to ethnic Poles in the region. Lithuania moved its capital to Kaunas while never giving up its claim to Vilnius. The Lithuanians found support in the Soviet Union for their cause signing the Soviet-Lithuanian Mutual Assistance Treaty in 1939. Following the Soviet invasion of Poland, the region came under Soviet control and became part of the Lithuanian SSR after World War II which was followed by a large number of ethnic Poles being deported two times. Following the fall of the Soviet Union and Act of the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithuania the Vilnius region became part of Lithuania again. |
| Passetto di Borgo in the vicinity of the Vatican City |
Italy
Holy See |
1870 |
1991 |
Pope John Paul II recognized the sovereignty of Italy over the Passetto on May 18, 1991.[49][50] |
| Ems estuary and Dollart Bay (western part) |
Netherlands
Germany |
1400s[51] |
2014 |
Settled in the 1960s (agreeing to disagree). Finally solved in 2014.[52] |