Terra nullius

In international law, terra nullius or unclaimed territory is land which does not (at present) belong to any state.   The term comes from the Latin, meaning nobody's land; but in current usage it is distinct from no man's land, which does not have a formal legal meaning.

Rule over terra nullius can be obtained by occupying the territory. There are various legal problems relating to this concept, but in practice it is often the business of neighboring states to decide by negotiation. Diplomacy may sometimes be replaced by warfare.

Two territories that are currently terra nullius are Bir Tawil between Egypt and Sudan, and Marie Byrd Land, in Antarctica.

References

Category:Legal terms
Category:Property