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.

The Croatia–Serbia border dispute in the Bačka and Baranja area. The Croatian claim corresponds to the red line, while the Serbian claim corresponds to the course of the Danube.

  Under Serbian control, claimed by Croatia

  Under de facto Croatian control, although not claimed by either Croatia or Serbia

Territorial claims in Antarctica. The area in white is unclaimed territory, or terra nullius

Rule over terra nullius can be obtained by occupying the territory.^[1] There are various legal problems relating to this concept, but in practice it is often the business of neighbouring 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.