In military terms, a demilitarized zone (DMZ) is an area, usually the frontier or boundary between two or more military powers (or alliances), where military activity is not permitted, usually by peace treaty, armistice or other bilateral or multilateral agreement. Often the demilitarized zone lies upon a line of control and forms a de-facto international border. Single European Act A treaty is a binding agreement under international law entered into by actors in international law, namely states and international organizations. ... A white flag is traditionally used to represent a truce. ... Indian map of Kasmir depicting the LOC and LAC. Note the term Pakistan Occupied Kashmir to indicate the part of Kashmir under Pakistani administration. ...

Several demilitarized zones have also unintentionally become wildlife preserves, as they cause the land which they sit on to be too dangerous for construction and less exposed to human disturbance or hunting. See Korean Demilitarized Zone. Map of the Korean DMZ. The DMZ is given in red. ...

Generally, "demilitarized" means converted to non-military use or purpose, returned to a civilian field. In such meaning the term is often used in former Soviet countries both in Western and local (transliterated) languages. In times of armed conflict a civilian is any person who is not a combatant. ... Motto: Пролетарии всех стран, соединяйтесь! (Transliterated: Proletarii vsekh stran, soedinyaytes!) Translation: Workers of the world, unite!) Anthem: The Internationale (1922-1944) Hymn of the Soviet Union (1944-1991) Capital (and largest city) Moscow None; Russian de facto Government Socialist Republic/Federation of Soviet Republics  - Last President Mikhail Gorbachev  - Last Premier Ivan Silayev Establishment October...

• Although many demilitarized zones are also neutral territory, since neither side is allowed to control it even for civilian administration, there are cases where a zone remains demilitarized after an agreement awarding full control to one state, which relinquished the normal right to establish any military forces or installations there.

It is also possible for powers to agree on the demilitarization of a zone without formally settling their still conflicting territorial claims, implying these are only to be pursued by peaceful means (such as diplomatic dialogue or an international court), or even frozen. A Neutral territory is a territory (not a sovereign state) that is not an integral part of any state (neither independent, nor dependent on a single state, nor colonized or under protectorate, nor a concession (territory)) ...), nor under joint rule (unlike a condominium), and yet is not terra nullius, but...

Current Demilitarized (mostly Neutral) Zones

Africa

• Between northern Morocco and the Spanish-controlled cities of Ceuta and Melilla lies a demilitarized zone. Morocco has never recognized Ceuta and Melilla as part of Spain.

See: Ceuta border fence and Melilla border fence. A world map showing the continent of Africa. ... Area  â€“ Total   28 km² Population  â€“ Total (2005)  â€“ Density  75,276  2688. ... Area  â€“ Total    20 km² (8 mi²) Population  â€“ Total (2005)  â€“ Density  65,488  3274. ... The Ceuta border fence is a separation barrier between Morocco and the Autonomous City of Ceuta, in Spain. ... The Melilla border fence is a separation barrier between Morocco and Melillas city, in Spain. ...

Europe

• The Cypriot demilitarized zone separates the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus from the Republic of Cyprus. It was created by the United Nations in 1974 after Turkey sent its forces to prevent the former being reabsorbed by the latter).

• Åland (Ahvenanmaa in Finnish) is an autonomous island region on the coast of Finland (in the Gulf of Bothnia). It was made a demilitarized zone in 1921 by the League of Nations, after the Åland crisis from 1920 to 1922.

• A neutral territory exists between the British crown colony of Gibraltar (an enclave, entirely claimed by its only neighbour) and Spain. A strip of land of width "600 toises, being more than 2 cannon shots distance between the British guns and the Spanish guns" would be considered "the neutral ground" stipulated by the Treaty of Seville in 1729. In 1908 the British constructed a fence at the British side of the neutral territory. In order not to offend the Spanish, the fence was actually 1 metre inside British territory. Even though both the United Kingdom and Spain are part of the European Union, the border fence is still relevant today since Gibraltar maintains its tax haven status. The border crossing is open 24 hours a day to facilitate customs collection by Spain.

• Svalbard: The Svalbard Treaty of 9 February 1920 recognized Norwegian sovereignty (so it is not a neutral territory), ending the territorial claims of all other signatories, and designated the area as demilitarized.

World map showing Europe A satellite composite image of Europe Europe is one of the seven traditional continents of the Earth. ... Anthem: Ä°stiklâl Marşı  (Turkish) Independence March Capital LefkoÅŸa (Nicosia) Official languages Turkish Government Representative democratic republic[1]  - President Mehmet Ali Talat  - Prime Minister Ferdi Sabit Soyer Sovereignty from Republic of Cyprus (de facto)   - Proclaimed November 15, 1983   - Recognition Only by Turkey and OIC  Area  - Total 3,355 km... The United Nations (UN) is an international organization whose stated aims are to facilitate co-operation in international law, international security, economic development, and social equity. ... 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... Motto: none Anthem: Ã…länningens sÃ¥ng Capital (and largest city) Mariehamn Swedish Government Autonomous province  - Governor Peter Lindbäck1  - Premier Roger Nordlund Autonomy    - Declared 1920   - Recognized 19212  Accession to EU January 1, 19953 Area  - Total 13,517 km² (n/a) 5,267 sq mi   - Water (%) 89 Population  - 2005 estimate... The Åland Islands, or Landskapet Åland in Swedish, are an autonomous, demilitarised and monolingually Swedish province of Finland, consisting of more than 6,500 islands and skerries. ... The Baltic Sea The Gulf of Bothnia (Fin. ... Year 1921 (MCMXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for full calendar). ... The League of Nations was an international organization founded after the Paris Peace Conference, 1919. ... The Ã…land crisis was one of the first issues the new League of Nations had to arbitrate. ... Year 1920 (MCMXX) was a leap year starting on Thursday. ... 1922 (MCMXXII) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Mesures usuelles (French for customary measurements) were a system of measurement introduced to act as compromise between metric system and traditional measurements. ... The Treaty of Seville was between England, France and Spain, and signed in 1729. ... Events July 30 - Baltimore, Maryland is founded. ... 1908 (MCMVIII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... A tax haven is a place where certain taxes are levied at a low rate or not at all. ... Customs duty is a tariff or tax on the import or export of goods. ... The Traité concernant le Spitsberg of February 1920 placed the arctic islands of Spitsbergen as an overseas part of Kingdom of Norway (article I). ... Year 1920 (MCMXX) was a leap year starting on Thursday. ...

Asia

• Kuwait/Iraq Separation barrier
• The Korean Demilitarized Zone separates North Korea and South Korea. It was created by the United Nations in 1953 allowing cease fire to the Korean War.
• UNDOF Zone between Golan Heights and Syria

World map showing the location of Asia. ... The Kuwait/Iraq separation barrier is a 120 mile separation barrier extending six miles into Iraq, three miles into Kuwait, and across the full length of their mutual border from Saudi Arabia to the Persian Gulf. ... Map of the Korean DMZ. The DMZ is given in red. ... The United Nations (UN) is an international organization whose stated aims are to facilitate co-operation in international law, international security, economic development, and social equity. ... 1953 (MCMLIII) was a common year starting on Thursday. ... An armistice is the effective end of a war, when the warring parties agree to stop fighting. ... Combatants United Nations: Republic of Korea  Australia  Belgium Canada  Colombia Ethiopia  France Greece  Netherlands  New Zealand  Philippines South Africa  Thailand  Turkey  United Kingdom United States Medical staff:  Denmark  India  Italy  Norway  Sweden Communist states: Democratic People’s Republic of Korea People’s Republic of China  Soviet Union Commanders Syngman Rhee... The United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) Zone was established by the United Nations after the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 350 [1] on the same day the Agreement on Disengagement (S/11302/Add. ... Sites on the Golan in blue are Israeli settlement communities. ...

Antarctica

Article 1 of the main Antarctic Treaty forbids military activity in Antarctica, though military personnel and equipment may be used for peaceful purposes. The Antarctic Treaty and related agreements, collectively called the Antarctic Treaty System or ATS, regulate the international relations with respect to Antarctica, Earths only uninhabited continent. ...

Famous former demilitarized zones

• The German Rhineland was made a demilitarized zone after World War I by the Treaty of Versailles in 1919. Rheinland was re-occupied and re-militarized in 1936 by Nazi Germany.

• Israel and Syria: Following Israel's 1948 War of Independence, 3 DMZs were created by the 1949 Armistice Agreements between Israel and Syria, as indicated on this map.

• Israel and Egypt: Following Israel's 1948 War of Independence, a DMZ was created by the 1949 Armistice Agreements between Israel and Egypt, on both sides of the border around 'Uja al-Hafeer.

• Israel and Jordan: Following Israel's 1948 War of Independence, the Israeli enclave in Mt. Scopus was designated as a DMZ.

• China: Japanese forces conquered Manchuria between September 1931 and February 1932, when they proclaimed the region to be the puppet state of Manchukuo. In May of 1933, the Tanggu Truce between China and Japan was concluded, which established a demilitarized zone between Manchukuo and China proper.

• Vietnam: The demilitarized zone between North and South Vietnam was established in April, 1954 as a result of the Geneva Conference ending the war between the Viet Minh and the French. The DMZ in Vietnam lay at the 17th parallel. In reality, the DMZ extended about a mile on either side of the Ben Hai River and west to east from the Lao border to the South China Sea.

• Saudi-Iraqi neutral zone

• Saudi-Kuwaiti neutral zone

The Rhineland (Rheinland in German) is the general name for the land on both sides of the river Rhine in the west of Germany. ... Combatants Allied Powers: Russian Empire France British Empire Italy United States Central Powers: Austria-Hungary German Empire Ottoman Empire Bulgaria Commanders Nicholas II Aleksei Brusilov Georges Clemenceau Joseph Joffre Ferdinand Foch Herbert Henry Asquith Douglas Haig John Jellicoe Victor Emmanuel III Luigi Cadorna Armando Diaz Woodrow Wilson John Pershing Franz... The Treaty of Versailles (1919) was the peace treaty which officially ended World War I between the Allied and Central Powers and the German Empire. ... Year 1919 (MCMXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar). ... The Remilitarization of the Rhineland by the German Army took place on 7 March, 1936 when German forces entered the Rhineland. ... 1936 (MCMXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Nazi Germany, or the Third Reich, commonly refers to Germany in the years 1933–1945, when it was under the firm control of the totalitarian and fascist ideology of the Nazi Party, with the Führer Adolf Hitler as dictator. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The 1948 Arab-Israeli War, called the War of Independence by Israelis and al Nakba the catastrophe by Arabs, was the first in a series of wars in the Arab-Israeli conflict. ... The 1949 Armistice Agreements are a set of agreements signed during 1949 between Israel and its neighbors Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The 1948 Arab-Israeli War, called the War of Independence by Israelis and al Nakba the catastrophe by Arabs, was the first in a series of wars in the Arab-Israeli conflict. ... The 1949 Armistice Agreements are a set of agreements signed during 1949 between Israel and its neighbors Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The 1948 Arab-Israeli War, called the War of Independence by Israelis and al Nakba the catastrophe by Arabs, was the first in a series of wars in the Arab-Israeli conflict. ... Mount Scopus (הר הצופים, Standard Hebrew Har haẒofim, Tiberian Hebrew Har haṣṢôp̄îm; Arabic جبل المشارف Jabal al-Mašārif, جبل المش&#1607... Manchuria (Manchu: Manju; Traditional Chinese: 滿洲; Simplified Chinese: 满洲; pinyin: MÇŽnzhōu, Russian: ) is a vast territorial region in northeast Asia. ... Year 1931 (MCMXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link is to a full 1931 calendar). ... 1932 (MCMXXXII) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link will take you to a full 1932 calendar). ... Manchukuo (1932–1945), Manchu country, was a former state in Manchuria and eastern Inner Mongolia created by former Qing Dynasty officials and Imperial Japan in 1932. ... Year 1933 (MCMXXXIII) was a common year starting on Sunday. ... The Tanggu Truce (also sometimes called the Tangku Truce) was a cease-fire signed between China and Japan on May 31, 1933, which formally ended the Japanese conquest of Manchuria which had begun two years earlier. ... The Vietnamese Demilitarized Zone was established as a dividing line between North and South Vietnam as a result of the First Indochina War. ... The Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRVN), or less commonly, Vietnamese Democratic Republic (Vietnamese: Việt Nam Dân Chủ Cá»™ng Hòa), also known as North Vietnam, was proclaimed by Ho Chi Minh in Hanoi, September 2nd1945 and was recognized by the Peoples Republic of China and the... Official language Vietnamese Capital Saigon Last President Duong Van Minh Last Prime Minister Vu Van Mau Area  - Total  - % water 173,809 km² N/A Population  - Total  - Density 19,370,000 (1973 est. ... The Geneva Conference (April 26 - July 21, 1954) was a conference between many countries that agreed to end hostilities and restore peace in French Indochina and Korea. ... The Viet Minh (abbreviated from Việt Nam ộc Lập ồng Minh Hội, League for the Independence of Vietnam) was formed by Ho Ngoc Lam and Nguyen Hai Than in 1941 to seek independence for Vietnam from France. ... The South China Sea, showing surrounding countries and neighbouring seas and oceans The South China Sea is a marginal sea south of China. ... The Iraq-Saudi Arabia Neutral Zone The Saudi-Iraqi neutral zone was an area on the border between Saudi Arabia and Iraq, established by a treaty negotiated in the 1920s defining the borders between them. ... The Saudi-Kuwaiti neutral zone, also known as the Divided Zone, is an area of 5,770 km² between the borders of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait that was left undefined when the border was established by the Uqair Convention of December 2, 1922. ...

See also

• Nicosia, Cyprus
• Rhineland
• Korean Demilitarized Zone
• Foreign relations of North Korea
• UNIKOM
• Vietnam War
• Vietnamese Demilitarized Zone