Disputed Small Islands

... or the Geography of No One Cares! There seems to be something with small, insignificant islands which make them the hot point of international disputes. Some are near-humorous, some seem pointless, and some have nearly caused wars.

Nymark: A recent glacial retreat has unveiled several new small islands in the Barents Sea well north of the Arctic Circle. British artist Alex Hartley has claimed one of these small islands as his own and named it Nymark. He states he wishes to create a democratic republic and has even petitioned the United Nations for recognition. Norway, which has been given land in this region by international treaty, has told Hartley to bugger off. Norway claims many people have claimed small islands in this part but no claims are valid expect for Norway's.

Hans Island: You think two progressive countries like Canada and Denmark would get along. You think that these two countries would have nothing to argue about. You think wrong. Hans Island is a small island right in between Canadian artic territory and Greenland. It is a small rock right on the border line in the Kennedy Channel. Both Canada and Denmark have been jerks with the issue sending troops to place flags and have Coast Guard-like ships encircle the island every so often. Canadian Geographic has created a website dealing with the Hans Island debate.

On an interesting side note: Canada claims land and sea extending all the way to the North Pole; a claim not recognized by the United States.

Perejil: Isla Perejil is a small island off the coast of Morocco governed by Spain since 1668. Morocco, already upset about Spanish ownership of Ceuta and Melilla, invaded the island to test Spanish resolve. Spain's response to the first invasion of a Western European country since World War II was to send in Spanish troops. The Spaniards peacefully evicted the Moroccan soldiers. The United States was able to negotiate a return to the status quo and to this day Perejil's population consists of a few goats.

Category: Geopolitics