A territorial dispute is a disagreement over the possession/control of land between two or more states, or over the possession/control of land by one state after it has conquered it from a former state no longer currently recognized by the occupying power. A state is an organized political community occupying a definite territory, having an organized government, and possessing internal and external sovereignty. ...

Context and definitions

These disputes are often related to the possession of natural resources such as rivers, fertile farmland, mineral or oil resources, although the disputes can also be driven by culture, religion and ethnic nationalism. In many cases territorial disputes result from vague and unclear language in a treaty that set up the original boundary. The Murray River in Australia. ... This article is about minerals in the geologic sense; for nutrient minerals see dietary mineral; for the band see Mineral (band). ... Oil is a generic term for organic liquids that are not miscible with water. ... Look up Culture in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Wikinews has news related to this article: Culture and entertainment Dictionary of the History of Ideas: Cultural Development in Antiquity Dictionary of the History of Ideas: Culture and Civilization in Modern Times Classificatory system for cultures and civilizations, by Dr. Sam Vaknin... Ethnic nationalism is the form of nationalism in which the state derives political legitimacy from historical cultural or hereditary groupings (ethnicities); the underlying assumption is that ethnicities should be politically distinct. ...

Territorial disputes are a major cause of wars and terrorism, as states often try to assert their real, or imagined, sovereignty over a territory through invasion, and non-state entities try to influence the actions of politicians through terrorism. International law does not support the use force by one state to annex the territory of another state. The UN Charter says: "All Members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, or in any other manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the United Nations." War is essentially the opposite of peace. ... Terrorism is the unconventional use of violence for political gain. ... Sovereignty is the exclusive right to exercise supreme authority over a geographic region, group of people or oneself. ...

In some cases such as the Aksai Chin, the Taiwan straits, and Kashmir, both sides will define a line of control that serves as a de-facto international border. Although these lines are often clearly demarcated, they do not have the legitimacy of an agreed international boundary. Aksai Chin (Simplified Chinese: 阿克赛钦; Traditional Chinese: 阿克賽欽; pinyin: ) is a region located at the junction of the Peoples Republic of China, Pakistan, and India. ... Categories: China geography stubs ... Shown in green is the Kashmiri region under Pakistani control. ... Map of the State of Jammu and Kasmir depicting the LOC and LAC. The Line of Control (LOC) is a line which demarcates the boundary between the territories controlled by two militaries or political entities. ...

• The term border dispute applies only to the many cases where a limit territory bordering more than one state (including an enclave in one state, e.g. Nagorno Karabach) is claimed by two or more, not the very existence of a whole state challenged (e.g. Taiwan claimed by the PRC to be a mere renegade province on the island of Formosa, and formally vice versa).
• The term occupied territories (see that article) in general refers to regions distinct from the recognized territory of a sovereign state but which it controls, especially with military forces. Even though a long-term occupation is general maintained as a means to act upon a territorial claim, this is not a prerequisite, as occupation may also be strategic (such as creating a buffer zone or a preventive move to prevent a rival power obtaining control) or a means of coercion (as a punishment, to impose some internal measures or for use as a bargaining chip).
  • Since the latter part of the 20th century, the unqualified term "occupied territories" has come in many contexts to refer specifically to the West Bank and Gaza strip, whose status is hotly disputed (see Palestinian territories).
• The term irredentism (see that article) applies to those border disputes and other territorial claims that one party justifies on the basis of former cultural or ethnic attachment.

C is As enclave and Bs exclave. ... ... The PRC contains a large variety of landscape. ... Formosa is a placename which comes from Latin formosa (*formous, meaning beautiful). Other Iberian Romance versions are hermosa. ... An occupied territory is a region that has been taken over by a sovereign power after a military conquest (see military occupation). ... A buffer zone is any area that serves the purpose of keeping two or more other areas distant from one another, for whatever reason. ... The West Bank The Gaza Strip The term Palestinian territories is used by many journalists as a collective name for the West Bank and the Gaza Strip — two territories in Israel or Palestine (currently a political disputed issue). ... Irredentism is a international relations term that involves advocating annexation of territories administered by another state on the grounds of common ethnicity and/or prior historical possession, actual or alleged. ...

Current territorial disputes

See List of territorial disputes and List of active autonomist and secessionist movements. This is a list of territorial disputes around the world. ... This is a list of currently active, autonomist and secessionist movements around the world. ...

See also

• Fait accompli
• Status quo ante bellum
• Ethnic cleansing
• Lebensraum
• Irredentism

Here are some examples of French words and phrases used by English speakers. ... The term status quo ante bellum comes from Latin meaning literally, as things were before the war. ... The term ethnic cleansing refers to various policies of forcibly removing people of one ethnic group. ... Lebensraum (from the German word for living space) is an idea that is most commonly known for being one of Nazi Germanys main justifications of its expansionist policies. ... Irredentism is a international relations term that involves advocating annexation of territories administered by another state on the grounds of common ethnicity and/or prior historical possession, actual or alleged. ...

Sources and References

• WorldStatesman - click on any state for the listing (after the chronological lists of statesmen) of Territorial Disputes it is party to
• Territorial disputes in CIA World Factbook
• Occupied or disputed territories? in Middle-East-Info.org - Concise information about all regimes and terrorism in the Middle East
• USState Department/ FloridaStateUniversity International Border Studies