Virgin Islands
none
Wake Island
claimed by Marshall Islands
Wallis and Futuna
none
West Bank
West Bank and Gaza Strip are Israeli-occupied with current
status subject to the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement -
permanent status to be determined through further negotiation
Western Sahara
Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, but
sovereignty remains unresolved; UN-administered cease-fire has
remained in effect since September 1991, but attempts to hold a
referendum have failed and parties have rejected other proposals;
Mauritanian claims to Western Sahara have been dormant in recent
years; Morocco allowed Spanish fishermen to fish temporarily off the
coast of Western Sahara after an oil spill soiled Spanish fishing
grounds
World
Globally, there are over 250,000 km of international land
boundaries that separate the world's 192 independent states, along
with 70 dependencies, areas of special sovereignty, and other
miscellaneous entities. Maritime states have claimed limits and have
so far established over 130 maritime boundaries and joint
development zones to allocate ocean resources and to provide for
their national security at sea. On land, ethnicity, culture, race,
religion, and language have divided states into separate political
entities as much as history, physical terrain, political fiat, or
conquest, resulting in sometimes arbitrary and imposed boundaries.
All of these factors have contributed to a wide array of boundary,
borderland, and territorial disagreements that vary in intensity
from unresolved or dormant to outright war. Territorial disputes may
evolve from historical and/or cultural animosities, or they may be
brought on by resource competition. Ethnic clashes continue to be
responsible for territorial fragmentation around the world.
Undemarcated, indefinite, porous, and unmanaged boundaries encourage
illegal cross-border activities, uncontrolled migration, and
political confrontation over boundary allocations. Other sources of
contention include the use of water and mineral (especially
petroleum) resources, fisheries, dams, and nuclear power plants.
Many islands or island groups are also disputed, including those at
sea and in streams. Nonetheless, many nations are actively
cooperating to clarify, delineate, and demarcate their international
borders. The tragic aspect of international discord is the impact on
the sustenance and welfare of populations caught in the conflict. It
is frequently left to members of the world community to cope with
enormous refugee situations, and the resultant hunger, disease, and
impoverishment that they create.
Yemen
Eritrea protests Yemeni fishing around the Hanish islands
awarded to Eritrea by the ICJ in 1999; nomadic groups in border
region with Saudi Arabia resist demarcation of boundary
Zambia
dormant dispute remains where Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, and
Zimbabwe boundaries converge
Zimbabwe
dormant dispute remains where Botswana, Namibia, Zambia,
and Zimbabwe boundaries converge
This page was last updated on 18 December, 2003