Land that belongs to no one. The house and the plot are inseparable. That is, anyone can come to you

Not far from the New Hebrides and New Caledonia there is a piece of land surrounded on all sides by the waters of the Pacific Ocean. Its area is only twelve hectares, and its name is Mathew. Despite its small size, the island is included on all maps of the southern seas. This is not surprising: on the vast expanse of the ocean, any piece of land is usually marked. Another thing is surprising: in different atlases the country owner of the island is designated differently. On English-language maps the island is listed as France, on French maps it is listed as England, on others it depends. Deserted and inaccessible, Mathew Island apparently was of no interest to anyone during the fever of colonial conquests. And they just walked past him. For a long time, no one noticed the cartographic discrepancy.

Two people were the first to notice this fact: Australian Bob Pole and Frenchman Henri Martinet. Energetic people and not burdened with any permanent occupation, they decided to take control of the island into their own hands. Martinet had a sports plane, Pole owned a small schooner. Thus, the future island state had air and sea forces. Subsequently, it was planned to join the UN. But first of all we had to get to the island. What exactly the founding fathers were going to do on Mathew Island remained a mystery, because it soon became clear that they were sharing the skin of an unkilled bear.

To give legality to their actions, Pole and Martinet informed the co-rulers of the then Anglo-French condominium of the New Hebrides, each their own, of their intentions. The co-rulers heard for the first time that Matyu had no owner. Until now, both believed that the island had an owner.

“My friend,” said the British representative to Pole, “stop these jokes. Everyone knows that the island is ours.

And as proof he pulled out a French map.

Pole responded by producing a map of the British Admiralty. A similar scene played out at the French mission with Martinet.

The co-rulers did not know what to do: the annals of colonial history did not store such a case. Attempts to convince his companions to abandon the adventure failed. And although the condominium authorities had their hands full, the New Hebrides were soon to gain independence, they decided to send a warship to the shores of Mathieu. It seemed that the turbulent times of the division of the world came to life for a while, when everyone tried to seize by force everything that was in bad shape before their neighbor.

The British did not have a ship at their disposal, but the French had a cruiser. He was sent to the island of Tanna. There he took on board the police commissioner to repel amateur attempts to found a state.

But, as luck would have it, Mathew Island fell into the region of a cyclone; the strength of the wind did not allow the cruiser to land on the shore. The landing of the Marine squad and the raising of the flag had to be canceled. The only consolation was that other applicants would not get to the island. The cruiser returned to the port of Noumea in New Caledonia, and the commissioner flew home on the first plane to Tanna. Little by little, the whole story began to be forgotten.

Henri Martinet, who had become tired of the worries of founding a state, joined a trading company as an air taxi pilot. But Bob Pole continued his activities, although the British representative tirelessly dissuaded him. Meetings between the British and French on the island problem continued. Mutual steps and intrigues too.

Pole's stubbornness aroused suspicion among the authorities: why was he so stubborn? Since his adventurous inclinations and uncontrollable desire to make big money were well known, his co-rulers became convinced that he was working for someone standing behind him. It was not possible to find evidence of this, but still no one believed that he started all this fuss just like that. In addition, it was expensive to maintain a schooner that now did not carry out any trade orders. Apparently someone was paying the costs of the voyage back and forth to the shores of Mathieu.

Prudent officials on both sides decided to get ahead of Bob Pole at all costs. But at the same time, first of all, they tried to hinder each other. The French began to prepare the cruiser again. The British side, having learned about this, protested, claiming that they were the first to notice the ownerlessness of Mathew Island. That's why the island is theirs. The cruiser had to stay in Noumea.

However, the French representative managed to attract Henri Martinet to his side. For this purpose, he was lured away from the trading company and it was agreed that he would land from the air on a disputed piece of land. A special commission saw him off at the airport. Henri took the French flag with him.

Unfortunately, no one, including Martinet, really knows the coast of the island. Therefore, he landed in a very unfortunate place. The landing gear buried itself in the sand, the plane turned over several times and broke in half. Henri Martinet himself survived.

When the traveler did not return at the appointed time, a rescue expedition was organized. Tired and scratched, Henri was taken to Noumea. In order to avoid the intrigues of the insidious Albion, they tried not to mention the purpose of his flight either in newspapers or on the radio.

And soon Henri again, already on a government-issued plane with a mechanic, headed for the inhospitable shores of Mathew Island. It was planned to land on the island, hoisting the tricolor French flag, repair the first aircraft and return to Noumea in two planes.

It’s as if someone has enchanted the island of Mathew, which no one still needs! As soon as you tried to step on it, the elements seemed to break loose. This time, the hurricane threw the plane, and both members of the expedition ended up at sea. Both were saved by a passing yacht.

Henri Martinet had to come to terms with the loss of his air taxi. And Bob Pole abandoned his claims to the inaccessible Matthew, or his unknown employers became disillusioned with the idea.

That would have been the end of it, but the captains of the ships passing by the island paid attention to the wreckage of the plane sticking out of the sand on the shore, and each time they radioed to the nearest authorities that someone had apparently crashed on Matya.

The British demanded that the French clear the beach. There was nothing left to do but send the same cruiser from Noumea again. The Gordian knot was cut with ancient simplicity: with a salvo from three onboard guns, the fragments were smashed to dust.

England and France have lost interest in the island: there are no people there, and, apparently, no minerals either. In 1980, Anglo-French rule in the New Hebrides ended. But it turned out to be impossible to surrender Mathew Island to the government of the Republic of Vanuatu, proclaimed in the New Hebrides.

It didn’t belong to anyone, no one could give it to anyone..

Paradoxically, in the modern world there are more and more states, but fewer and fewer borders - the example of the Schengen zone has had a positive impact on other regions of the planet. However, most countries still try to guard their borders as vigilantly as possible, even if they are drawn very, very strangely. In this review we have collected 7 examples the most incredible modern border incidents from different parts of the world.

Parade of enclaves and exclaves on the border of Belgium and the Netherlands

A similar situation, however, on a much smaller scale, exists on the border of France and Spain, where the Spanish town of Llivia is located, completely surrounded by French territory.

Residents of India and Bangladesh find the European border incidents described above funny. Just think, 22 Belgian exclaves in the Netherlands! After all, there is no fence between these countries at all, something the mentioned Asian states cannot boast of.

There are many cities and small towns in the world separated by borders. Berlin was like that, but in 1989 the wall between its Western and Eastern parts fell and the nation united. But in Europe there is still a capital with a border running through the center. And not even a border, but a real line of combat contact between the warring parties.

Border between China and China

In 2014, American Jeremiah Heaton declared his sovereignty over the region and himself the first king of the independent state of North Sudan. He did this not for profit, but so that his daughter would turn into a real princess, which she dreams of so much.

: 10 greatest walls in history.

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Is there a place on Earth that does not belong to any state?

Yes, and there are two such places.

The first is Mary Byrd's land in western Antarctica. It is so far away that no government, apparently, needs it.

This vast strip stretches from the South Pole to the Antarctic coast and covers 1,610,000 square meters. km of the Earth's surface. It is larger than Iran or Mongolia, but it is also so inhospitable that it has only one permanent base - the American one. Mary Byrd Land is named after the wife of US Navy Rear Admiral Richard E. Byrd (1888–1957), who first explored it in 1929. The remote Antarctic research station inspired John Carpenter's cult horror film The Thing ") (1982).

The administration of the remaining territory of Antarctica is carried out by twelve states in accordance with the Antarctic Treaty signed in 1961, according to which the continent is declared a scientific reserve, and any military activity within its borders is strictly prohibited. The largest territories belong to the countries that were the first to explore the continent (Britain, Norway, France), and those located closest to Antarctica (New Zealand, Australia, Chile and Argentina). The ocean behind Mary Byrd's land extends all the way to the desert regions of the South Pacific region, where no country simply can lay claim to it, citing geographic proximity.

The legal term for territory not under the sovereignty of any state is Terra nullius, literally: "no man's land." And while Mary Baird's land represents the largest remaining example of a "no-man's" property, there is another site in Africa that could lay claim to the same status.

The Bir Tawil triangle lies between two states, Egypt and Sudan, and does not belong to either of them. In 1899, when the area was under British control, Britain established the border between the two countries by drawing a straight line on a map of the desert. So the Bir Tawil region fell into Sudan, and Egypt got the neighboring piece - the Halaib triangle. In 1902, the border was redrawn (by a curved line), and Bir Tawil (translated from Arabic as “well”, “source of water”) went to Egypt, and the Halaib Triangle to Sudan.

In size, Bir Tawil is not inferior to the county of Buckinghamshire (2000 sq. km), and it is quite possible to assume that both countries simply had to get involved in a bloody conflict over it, but this is not so. Both sides need Halayb - fertile, populated. It is located on the Red Sea coast and is ten times larger than the rock and sand covered Bir Tawil. The area is currently controlled by Egypt, citing the 1899 border; Sudan disputes the Egyptian claims, citing the 1902 amendment. Both countries refuse Bir Tawil for the same reason.

The most disputed territory in the world is the Spratly Islands. The archipelago of 750 uninhabited islets in the South China Sea is four square kilometers of land spread across a maritime area of ​​425,000 square meters. km. A rich fishing area and a potential center for oil and gas production, the Spratly Islands are not without reason disputed by six states: Vietnam, China, Taiwan, Malaysia, the Philippines and Brunei. Apart from Brunei, all the others maintain a military presence in the region. To strengthen its claims, the Philippines sponsors a group of government officials to live on one of the islands. But even with a “rotational” work schedule, a business trip to the Spratlys does not cause much delight: the charm of a tropical rock that can be walked around in thirty minutes quickly fades.

Antarctica (not to be confused with Atlantis) is a continent that does not belong to any state in the world. It was proclaimed the continent of peace and science. And why all?

Where is Antarctica

The fact that this is the coldest is no secret even to a schoolchild. It is also known from the curriculum in which hemisphere Antarctica is located. Our planet is divided into two parts by the equator, and in its southern part there is this majestic kingdom of ice.

Southern white land

It is not like any continent on our planet. Endless desert lands covered with a huge layer of ice, with raging winds and eternal snow. It would seem, in which hemisphere is Antarctica located? In South. But for a person from northern latitudes, the south is certainly associated with warmth and sun. Here everything is the other way around. Interestingly, the sunrise can only be seen in this part of the world once a year. In summer, it constantly illuminates desert glaciers, only along the edges inhabited by penguins, seals and birds that can survive in those conditions. During the winter months, the polar night occurs on the mainland, which lasts 176 days. Don’t think that only the above-mentioned animals live there, because there is even room for plants. Yes, mosses and lichens grow here, a total of more than 380 species, and some types of mushrooms. There are beetles and worms, crustaceans. The waters are home to fish, which are the main food for penguins and seals. In general, the fauna and flora are very diverse for such harsh conditions.

Antarctica is located at the south pole and, together with all the islands that are scattered around it up to 50° -60° south latitude, occupies the region called Antarctica. The prefix “anti” means “against”, which means “against the Arctic”. This name was given based on what hemisphere Antarctica is in relative to the previously named other cold part of the world located on Although long before Antarctica was discovered, humanity suspected that there was a continent somewhere in the extreme south of the Earth. However, for some reason they hoped that there were huge deposits of gold there, and they even gave it a name - the Unknown Southern Land. Already now, after hundreds of years of research, it is clear that there are no gold reserves there in huge quantities, unless you consider a huge amount of frozen fresh water as a treasure.

Russians and Antarctica

The hemisphere in which Antarctica is located played an important role in its research, especially by Russian scientists. The vast experience in working at the North Pole had an impact, and it was the Russians who first discovered the continent. It was the Russians who were able to quickly build many research stations in the last century in harsh conditions. There is even an Orthodox Church of the Holy Trinity. By the way, the first wedding has already taken place there between a Russian woman and a Chilean, who work together in these cold, mysterious lands.

Many names of Russian explorers are immortalized on these lands, and a large number of places bear Russian names.

So why does Antarctica not belong to any state?

This decision was made on December 1, 1959 due to how important this continent is for the planet. If suddenly all the ice that exists in this area melts, then life in other parts of the world will change dramatically. Sea level will rise by 60 meters, and this is fraught with the disappearance of many countries or parts of them from the face of the Earth. Thus, the state of Florida, Venice, the countries of Denmark, and the Baltic states will go under water. Crimea will become an island, much smaller than it is now, and Australia will completely become a sea. What can we say about the climate, in the creation of which Antarctica plays a role commensurate with the Gulf Stream. Therefore, it is better not to violate the structure and integrity of the continent.

The place where Antarctica is located is invaluable for scientific and research activities, including the study of space and the influence of the Sun on our planet. Different states conduct only scientific work on the continent and share their experience with each other, which the Madrid Protocol of 1991 obliged them to do. Where Antarctica is located, people do not live permanently. Scientists spend no more than a year in these places, and then they are replaced by others. And the pole at which Antarctica is located should not be misleading: this is far from a nice, warm southern country.

The era of great geographical discoveries, unfortunately, has already ended. There is no longer any land on the surface of the Earth that has not yet been discovered. However, all is not lost. For example, a new island may appear in the World Ocean as a result of volcanic activity. If it is located outside someone’s territorial waters and economic zone, then it is quite possible to lay claim to it. On such an island you can create, for example, a military base. Therefore, some states, primarily the United States, closely monitor the processes of the natural emergence of such islands.

A separate issue is artificial land. If it occurs within territorial waters, its owner is predetermined. For example, the Ganges delta increases by two hundred meters every year. This new landmass falls under the jurisdiction of India. The same applies to the Netherlands. Artificial islands are being built in Dubai. They are also close to the shore and originally belong to the person who created them.

A separate issue is the creation of artificial islands by China. This is where questions arise, since the Chinese are thus creating the basis for their territory far from their coast. And such land implies the existence of rights to economic activity around it, and at a distance of two hundred nautical miles. Quite a large area, you will agree. And we are talking about areas potentially rich in oil and gas.

We can also mention Antarctica. Some states lay claim to sectors there. Others, including Russia and the United States, do not recognize these claims. In 1961, the Antarctic Treaty was concluded, which “froze” these claims. In general, no one in the world has yet challenged this agreement. Although it should not formally create obligations for states that do not participate in it. If you try to start settling some areas of Antarctica, both those who put forward the claims and those who disagree with them will immediately object.

You will laugh, but formally the question of populating the ice expanses of the Arctic has not yet been resolved. Ice, of course, is not land. But at the beginning of the twentieth century, the tsarist government of Russia sent a note to other countries, where it indicated that it laid claim to all lands, both discovered and not yet discovered, within the sector in the Arctic. The Soviet government went further and in 1926 slightly changed the text of this note. As a result, the USSR began to lay claim not only to land, but also to ice, and on Soviet maps a designation of the boundaries of Soviet polar possessions appeared, very similar to the state border. If in the future it turned out that the ice in the Arctic is motionless, then it would most likely be considered as land. But it turned out that this was not the case. Now these Soviet claims have not yet been formally withdrawn, but they are greatly undermined by existing practice, especially the delimitation of maritime spaces in the Bering and Barents Seas. The 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea dealt a certain blow to this concept.

In the nineteenth century, a concept was formed in which cases it can be considered that a state lays claim to no man's land. This requires a soldier, a flag and a formal claim. That is, it is necessary not only to lay claim to the land, but also to ensure its effective occupation. It is in development of this concept that flags are planted on the seabed and on the Moon. Such flags or pennants are not just random symbols.