Unclaimed land is size of a small nation, but no government wants it

In the vast deserts of Africa, there lies a massive tract of land, almost the last unclaimed territory on Earth. This land, called Bir Tawil, is even larger than some Pacific island nations, European principalities, and city-states, yet no country is willing to claim sovereignty over it.

In an era of increasing population pressure and intensifying global resource competition, this 2,000-square-kilometer area has seen virtually no permanent human habitation for over a century. Its origins can be traced back to the height of the British Empire, when Britain exerted influence over the Egyptian government, with its troops controlling what is now Sudan.

In 1899, when British officials drew the political boundary between Egyptian and Sudanese territories, they placed Bir Tawil south of the modern Sudanese border, while assigning another area called the Hala'ib Triangle to Egypt. However, three years later, to appease local tribes, the British drew a new administrative boundary, placing Bir Tawil under Egyptian control and assigning the Hala'ib Triangle to Sudanese jurisdiction.

Since Britain controlled the affairs of both Egypt and Sudan for the following decades, no one challenged this. However, after Egypt's independence in 1956, a diplomatic dispute erupted when oil and gas deposits were discovered in the Hala'ib Triangle, while Bir Tawil remained virtually uninhabited. The Sudanese government claimed the second boundary drawn in 1902 proved they were the rightful owners of the Hala'ib Triangle, while Egypt insisted it was for administrative purposes only and the 1899 boundary should prevail.

This diplomatic stalemate means that if either side were to claim sovereignty over Bir Tawil, they would have to relinquish their rights to the more valuable Hala'ib Triangle. Rowan Nicholson, a senior lecturer in international law at Flinders University in Adelaide, stated that Egypt has exercised control over the Hala'ib Triangle since the early 1990s due to the weakened Sudanese government. But Bir Tawil remains a "grey area," a true no-man's land. He said, "If Egypt or Sudan were to investigate a crime there, it would look like the government was exercising power, as if they were claiming sovereignty. Both sides have an incentive not to enforce any laws there."

While no country wants Bir Tawil, some quirky adventurers have traveled long distances to claim ownership of the land. This includes Jeremiah Heaton, who came to Bir Tawil from the southeastern United States in 2014 and declared himself the ruler of the "Kingdom of North Sudan." He said he took over the land to fulfill his seven-year-old daughter's dream of becoming a princess. But Nicholson stated that Heaton's and other potential Bir Tawil rulers' claims have no basis in international law. "Claimants must meet four criteria: you need a territory; a population; a government that manages the territory; and independence from other countries. If you walk into the desert and plant a flag, it has no legal consequences."

The local tribal people around Bir Tawil are also skeptical of the claims made by Heaton and others. The adventure travel company "Young Pioneer Tours" has taken tourists there to experience this unusual destination. Founder Gareth Johnson stated that the local Ababda tribe insists Bir Tawil is their traditional territory. "When we first advertised this trip, my colleagues thought it was crazy, saying it was too niche or for travel geeks. But it turned out enough people shared my view." He estimates that thousands of people, mainly miners and their families, live there at any given time. "The Ababda tribe considers it their home and is very protective of it. They are very unwelcoming to people claiming ownership of their land."