The Halaib Triangle is an area of land measuring 20,580 square kilometers 0r 7,950 square miles claimed by both Egypt and Sudan. But there is also a second, smaller, and more curious triangle called the Bir Tawil triangle that is not claimed by anyone.
The Bir Tawil triangle sits out in the mighty Sahara Desert. The land here is very inhospitable and no one lives there. Pictures of sandstorms in the Sahara show just how intense the Sahara Desert can really be.
The Origin of The Dispute
This is one of the world's major territorial disputes. It results from two British Empire-era boundaries set between the two countries.
At the time there was the Egyptian Condominium where both the British and Egypt had sovereignty and administration over what is today Sudan to the south. So at the time, Sudan was semi-part of Egypt.
Two borders were established. One was the 1899 Anglo-Egyptian Condominium "political boundary" that runs along the 22nd parallel north. The other was the 1902 "administrative boundary" that the British. The 1902 administrative boundary gave administrative responsibility for the area of land north of the line to Sudan (at the time an Anglo-Egyptian client state).
- 1899 "Political Boundary: Claimed By Egpyt - Runs Along the 22nd Parallel North
- 1902 "Administrative Boundary: Claimed By Sudan - Cuts Through the 22nd Parallel Creating Two "Triangles"
None of this really mattered until 1956 when Sudan gained independence from the British and Egyptians. On independence, Sudan claimed sovereignty over the area and it was administered by Sudan after independence for a while.
But in 1994, Egypt moved in and took control of the area. Today it is governed and controlled by Egypt. Egypt has refused to go to international arbitration or negotiate over the area.
- Halaib Triangle: Controlled By Egypt, Claimed By Sudan
- Bir Tawil Triangle: Unclaimed
The Status Quo
With the two countries claiming two different boundaries a very odd situation has arisen. According to the 1899 "political boundary", the (populated) Halaib Triangle is within Egyptian territory while the (unpopulated) Bir Tawil Triangle in the Sahara desert is in Sudanese territory.
Tip: The Two Borders Can Be Seen On Most Maps, With Most International Maps Choosing to Show Both Claims
But according to Sudan, the opposite is true. As the "administrative boundary" kind of zigzags its way through the 22nd parallel the Halaib Triangle is in Sudan, while the Bir Tawil Triangle is in Egypt.
Of these two triangles, the largest (and populated one) is the Halaib Triangle. But neither country can claim the Halaib Triangle while also claiming the Bir Tawil triangle. The end result is that the Bir Tawil Triangle is left unclaimed as both nations consider it to be the territory of the other nation.
The Unclaimed Bir Tawil Triangle
The Bir Tawil Triangle is a 2,060 square kilometer or 795 square mile area of land that is actually more quadrilateral in shape.
- Name: The Name Means "Tall Water Well"
Today it is a very rare example of "terra nullius" - the legal Latin expression for "nobody's land". It is regarded as the largest piece of habitable land on earth that is not claimed by anyone.
- Antarctica: Antarctica Also has A Large Part of Land That is Unclaimed, Most Countries Claims to The Frozen Continent are Not Recognized By Most Other Nations
The reason why the British included it in their "administrative boundary" was that that boundary was supposed to reflect the actual use of the land by the tribes in the region (instead of a simplistic 22nd parallel boundary cutting straight through communities).
The land of the Bir Tawil was grazing land used by the Ababda tribe who were based near Aswan in Egypt proper. And so the British thought it would be better to have it administered by Egypt.
- Grazing Land: Bir Tawil Was Grazing Land Used by The Egypt-Based Ababda Tribe
The people in the Halaib Triangle are culturally more similar to the people of the Sudan and so the British thought it would be better for them to be administered from Sudan.
- Population: Zero (Permanent Settlements)
- Length: Varies From 95 Kilometers or 59 Miles and 46 Kilometers or 29 Miles
- Climate: Very Hot Desert Climate According To The Koppen Climate Classification System
Today it remains de jure unclaimed territory. That has promoted a number of individuals and organizations to attempt to claim Bir Tawil and establish their own little microstate. These declarations have been much like the declaration that"established" the micronation of Nirivia in Lake Superior between Canada and the USA on formerly unclaimed land between the two neighbors.
None of these attempts have been taken seriously by the international community and nothing has been recognized.
But unlike Nirivia, the territory is also so remote and hostile that the vast majority of the claims have been online declarations from other locations.