Equatorial Guineain 2002, ICJ ruled on an equidistance settlementof Cameroon-Equatorial Guinea-Nigeria maritime boundary in the Gulfof Guinea, but a dispute between Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon overan island at the mouth of the Ntem River, imprecisely definedmaritime coordinates in the ICJ decision, and the unresolved Bakasiallocation contribute to the delay in implementation; UN has beenpressing Equatorial Guinea and Gabon to pledge to resolve thesovereignty dispute over Gabon-occupied Mbane Island and create amaritime boundary in the hydrocarbon-rich Corisco Bay
EritreaEritrea and Ethiopia agreed to abide by 2002Ethiopia-Eritrea Boundary Commission's (EEBC) delimitation decision,but despite international intervention, mutual animosities,accusations and armed posturing prevail, preventing demarcation;Ethiopia refuses to withdraw to the delimited boundary untiltechnical errors made by the EEBC that ignored "human geography" areaddressed, including the award of Badme, the focus of the 1998-2000war; Eritrea insists that the EEBC decision be implementedimmediately without modifications; since 2000, the UN PeacekeepingMission to Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) monitors the 25km-wideTemporary Security Zone in Eritrea until the demarcation; Sudanaccuses Eritrea of supporting Sudanese rebel groups; Eritreaprotests Yemeni fishing around the Hanish Islands awarded to Eritreaby the ICJ in 1999
Estoniain 1996, the Estonia-Russia technical border agreement wasinitialed but both states have been hesitant to sign and ratify it,with Russia asserting that Estonia needs to better assimilateRussian-speakers and Estonian groups pressing for realignment of theboundary based more closely on the 1920 Tartu Peace Treaty thatwould bring the now divided ethnic Setu people and parts of theNarva region within Estonia; as a member state that forms part ofthe EU's external border, Estonia must implement the strict Schengenborder rules
EthiopiaEritrea and Ethiopia agreed to abide by the 2002Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission's (EEBC) delimitation decision,but despite international intervention, mutual animosities,accusations and armed posturing prevail, preventing demarcation;Ethiopia refuses to withdraw to the delimited boundary untiltechnical errors made by the EEBC that ignored "human geography" areaddressed, including the award of Badme, the focus of the 1998-2000war; Eritrea insists that the EEBC decision be implementedimmediately without modifications; Ethiopia has only anadministrative line and no international border with the Oromoregion of southern Somalia where it maintains alliances with localclans in opposition to the unrecognized Somali Interim Government inMogadishu; "Somaliland" secessionists provide port facilities andtrade ties to landlocked Ethiopia; the UNHCR expects most of theremaining 23,000 Somali refugees in Ethiopia to be repatriated in2005; efforts to demarcate the porous boundary with Sudan have beendelayed by civil war
Europa Islandclaimed by Madagascar
European Unionthe EU has no border disputes with neighboringcountries; it has set up a Schengen area - consisting of 13 EUmember states that have signed the convention implementing theSchengen agreements (1985 and 1990) on the free movement of personsand the harmonization of border controls in Europe; the Schengenagreements ("acquis") became incorporated into EU law with theimplementation of the 1997 Treaty of Amsterdam on 1 May 1999; memberstates are: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany,Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden;in addition, non-EU states Iceland and Norway (as part of the NordicUnion) have been included in the Schengen area since 1996 (fullmembers in 2001), bringing the total current membership to 15; theUK (since 2000) and Ireland (since 2002) take part in some aspectsof the Schengen area, especially with respect to police and criminalmatters; the 10 new member states that joined the EU in 2004eventually are expected to participate in Schengen, following atransition period to upgrade their border controls and procedures
Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)Argentina, which claims theislands in its constitution and briefly occupied the islands byforce in 1982, agreed in 1995 to no longer seek settlement by force;UK continues to reject Argentine requests for sovereignty talks
Faroe Islandsbecause anticipated offshore hydrocarbon resourceshave not been realized, earlier Faroese proposals for fullindependence have been deferred; Iceland disputes the Faroe Islands'fisheries median line boundary; Iceland, the UK, and Ireland disputeDenmark's claim that the Faroe Islands' continental shelf extendsbeyond 200 nm
Fijinone
Finlandvarious groups in Finland advocate restoration of Kareliaand other areas ceded to the Soviet Union, but the FinnishGovernment asserts no territorial demands
FranceMadagascar claims Bassas da India, Europa Island, GloriosoIslands, and Juan de Nova Island; Comoros claims Mayotte; Mauritiusclaims Tromelin Island; territorial dispute between Suriname and theFrench overseas department of French Guiana; France asserts aterritorial claim in Antarctica (Adelie Land); France and Vanuatuclaim Matthew and Hunter Islands, east of New Caledonia
French GuianaSuriname claims area between Riviere Litani andRiviere Marouini (both headwaters of the Lawa) in French Guiana
French Polynesianone
French Southern and Antarctic LandsFrench claim to "Adelie Land" inAntarctica is not recognized by the United States
GabonUN presses Equatorial Guinea and Gabon to resolve thesovereignty dispute over Gabon-occupied Mbane Island and toestablish a maritime boundary in hydrocarbon-rich Corisco Bay; onlya few hundred out of the 20,000 Republic of the Congo refugees whofled militia fighting in 2000 remain in Gabon
Gambia, Theattempts to stem refugees, cross-border raids, armssmuggling, and other illegal activities by separatists from southernSenegal's Casamance region as well as from conflicts in other westAfrican states
Gaza StripWest Bank and Gaza Strip are Israeli-occupied withcurrent status subject to the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement- permanent status to be determined through further negotiation;Israel announced its intention to pull out settlers and withdrawfrom the Gaza Strip in 2005
GeorgiaRussia and Georgia agree on delimiting 80% of their commonborder, leaving certain small, strategic segments and the maritimeboundary unresolved; OSCE observers monitor volatile areas such asthe Pankisi Gorge in the Akhmeti region and the Argun Gorge inAbkhazia; UN Observer Mission in Georgia has maintained apeacekeeping force in Georgia since 1993; Meshkheti Turks scatteredthroughout the former Soviet Union seek to return to Georgia;boundary with Armenia remains undemarcated; ethnic Armenian groupsin Javakheti region of Georgia seek greater autonomy from theGeorgian government; Azerbaijan and Georgia cannot resolve thealignment of their boundary at certain crossing areas
Germanynone
GhanaGhana struggles to accommodate returning nationals who workedin the cocoa plantations and escaped rebel fighting in Cote d'Ivoire
Gibraltarin 2003, Gibraltar residents voted overwhelmingly byreferendum to remain a British colony and against a "total sharedsovereignty" arrangement while demanding participation in talksbetween the UK and Spain; Spain disapproves of UK plans to grantGibraltar even greater autonomy
Glorioso Islandsclaimed by Madagascar
GreeceGreece and Turkey continue discussions to resolve theircomplex maritime, air, territorial, and boundary disputes in theAegean Sea; Cyprus question with Turkey; Greece rejects the use ofthe name Macedonia or Republic of Macedonia
Greenlanduncontested dispute between Canada and Denmark over HansIsland in the Kennedy Channel between Canada's Ellesmere Island andGreenland
Grenadanone
Guadeloupenone
Guamnone
GuatemalaGuatemalan squatters continue to settle in the rainforests of Belize's border region; OAS is attempting to revive the2002 failed Differendum that created a small adjustment to landboundary, a Guatemalan maritime corridor in Caribbean, a jointecological park for the disputed Sapodilla Cays, and a substantialUS-UK financial package; Guatemalans enter Mexico illegally seekingwork or transit to the US
Guernseynone
Guineaconflicts among rebel groups, warlords, and youth gangs inneighboring states has spilled over into Guinea, resulting indomestic instability; Sierra Leone pressures Guinea to remove itsforces from the town of Yenga occupied since 1998
Guinea-Bissauattempts to stem refugees and cross-border raids, armssmuggling, and political instability from a separatist movement inSenegal's Casamance region
Guyanaall of the area west of the Essequibo (river) is claimed byVenezuela preventing any discussion of a maritime boundary; Guyanahas expressed its intention to join Barbados in asserting claimsbefore UNCLOS that Trinidad and Tobago's maritime boundary withVenezuela extends into their waters; Suriname claims a triangle ofland between the New and Kutari/Koetari rivers in a historic disputeover the headwaters of the Courantyne; Guyana seeks UNCLOSarbitration to resolve the long-standing dispute with Suriname overthe axis of the territorial sea boundary in potentially oil-richwaters
Haitisince 2004, about 8,000 peacekeepers from the UN StabilizationMission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) maintain civil order in Haiti; despiteefforts to control illegal migration, Haitians fleeing economicprivation and civil unrest continue to cross into Dominican Republicand to sail to neighboring countries; Haiti claims US-administeredNavassa Island
Heard Island and McDonald Islandsnone
Holy See (Vatican City)none
Hondurasin 1992, ICJ ruled on the delimitation of "bolsones"(disputed areas) along the El Salvador-Honduras border, but despiteOAS intervention and a further ICJ ruling in 2003, full demarcationof the border remains stalled; the 1992 ICJ ruling advised atripartite resolution to a maritime boundary in the Gulf of Fonsecawith consideration of Honduran access to the Pacific; El Salvadorcontinues to claim tiny Conejo Island, not mentioned in the ICJruling, off Honduras in the Gulf of Fonseca; Honduras claimsSapodilla Cays off the coast of Belize, but agreed to creation of ajoint ecological park and Guatemalan corridor in the Caribbean inthe failed 2002 Belize-Guatemala Differendum, which the OAS isattempting to revive; Nicaragua filed a claim against Honduras in1999 and against Colombia in 2001 at the ICJ over a complex disputeover islands and maritime boundaries in the Caribbean Sea
Hong Kongnone
Howland Islandnone
Hungaryin 2004, Hungary amended the status law extending specialsocial and cultural benefits and voted down a referendum to extenddual citizenship to ethnic Hungarians living in neighboring states,which have objected to such measures; consultations continue betweenSlovakia and Hungary over Hungary's completion of its portion theGabcikovo-Nagymaros hydroelectric dam project along the Danube; as amember state that forms part of the EU's external border, Hungarymust implement the strict Schengen border rules
IcelandIceland disputes Denmark's alignment of the Faroe Islands'fisheries median line; Iceland, the UK, and Ireland disputeDenmark's claim that the Faroe Islands' continental shelf extendsbeyond 200 nm
IndiaChina and India launched a security and foreign policydialogue in 2005, consolidating discussions related to the disputeover most of their rugged, militarized boundary, regional nuclearproliferation, Indian claims that China transferred missiles toPakistan, and other matters; recent talks and confidence-buildingmeasures have begun to defuse tensions over Kashmir, site of theworld's largest and most militarized territorial dispute withportions under the de facto administration of China (Aksai Chin),India (Jammu and Kashmir), and Pakistan (Azad Kashmir and NorthernAreas); in 2004, India and Pakistan instituted a cease fire in theKashmir and in 2005, restored bus service across the highlymilitarized Line of Control; Pakistan has taken its dispute on theimpact and benefits of India's building the Baglihar dam on theChenab River in Jammu and Kashmir to the World Bank for arbitration;UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) hasmaintained a small group of peacekeepers since 1949; India does notrecognize Pakistan's ceding historic Kashmir lands to China in 1964;disputes persist with Pakistan over Indus River water sharing; todefuse tensions and prepare for discussions on a maritime boundary,in 2004, India and Pakistan resurveyed a portion of the disputedboundary in Sir Creek estuary at the mouth of the Rann of Kutch;Pakistani maps continue to show Junagadh claim in Indian GujaratState; discussions with Bangladesh remain stalled to delimit a smallsection of river boundary, to exchange 162 miniscule enclaves inboth countries, to allocate divided villages, and to stop illegalcross-border trade, migration, violence, and transit of terroriststhrough the porous border; Bangladesh protests India's attempts tofence off high-traffic sections; dispute with Bangladesh over NewMoore/South Talpatty/Purbasha Island in the Bay of Bengal detersmaritime boundary delimitation; India seeks cooperation from Bhutanand Burma to keep Indian Nagaland and Assam separatists from hidingin remote areas along the borders; Joint Border Committee with Nepalcontinues to demarcate minor disputed boundary sections; India hasinstituted a stricter border regime to keep out Maoist insurgentsand control illegal cross-border activities from Nepal
Indian Oceansome maritime disputes (see littoral states)
IndonesiaEast Timor-Indonesia Boundary Committee continues to meet,survey and delimit land boundary, but several sections of theboundary remain unresolved; Indonesia and East Timor contest thesovereignty of the uninhabited coral island of Palau Batek/FatuSinai, which hinders a decision on a northern maritime boundary; a1997 treaty between Indonesia and Australia settled some parts oftheir maritime boundary but outstanding issues remain; ICJ's awardof Sipadan and Ligitan islands to Malaysia in 2002 left maritimeboundary in the hydrocarbon-rich Celebes Sea in dispute, culminatingin hostile confrontations in March 2005 over concessions to theAmbalat oil block; the ICJ decision has prompted Indonesia to assertclaims to and to establish a presence on its smaller outer islands;Indonesia and Singapore pledged in 2005 to finalize their 1973maritime boundary agreement by defining unresolved areas north ofBatam Island; Indonesian secessionists, squatters, and illegalmigrants create repatriation problems for Papua New Guinea; piracyremains a problem in the Malacca Strait
IranIran protests Afghanistan's limiting flow of dammed tributariesto the Helmand River in periods of drought; Iraq's lack of amaritime boundary with Iran prompts jurisdiction disputes beyond themouth of the Shatt al Arab in the Persian Gulf; Iran and UAE engagein direct talks and solicit Arab League support to resolve disputesover Iran's occupation of Tunb Islands and Abu Musa Island; Iranstands alone among littoral states in insisting upon a division ofthe Caspian Sea into five equal sectors
Iraqcoalition forces assist Iraqis in monitoring boundary security;Iraq's lack of a maritime boundary with Iran prompts jurisdictiondisputes beyond the mouth of the Shatt al Arab in the Persian Gulf;Turkey has expressed concern over the status of Kurds in Iraq
IrelandIreland, Iceland, and the UK dispute Denmark's claim thatthe Faroe Islands' continental shelf extends beyond 200 nm
IsraelWest Bank and Gaza Strip are Israeli-occupied with currentstatus subject to the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement -permanent status to be determined through further negotiation;Israel continues construction of a "seam line" separation barrieralong parts of the Green Line and within the West Bank; Israelannounced its intention to pull out Israeli settlers and withdrawfrom the Gaza Strip and four settlements in the northern West Bankin 2005; Golan Heights is Israeli-occupied (Lebanon claims theShab'a Farms area of Golan Heights); since 1948, about 350peacekeepers from the UN Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO)headquartered in Jerusalem monitor ceasefires, supervise armisticeagreements, prevent isolated incidents from escalating, and assistother UN personnel in the region
ItalyItaly's long coastline and developed economy entices tens ofthousands of illegal immigrants from southeastern Europe andnorthern Africa
Jamaicanone
Jan Mayennone
Japanthe sovereignty dispute over the islands of Etorofu,Kunashiri, and Shikotan, and the Habomai group, known in Japan asthe "Northern Territories" and in Russia as the "Southern KurilIslands", occupied by the Soviet Union in 1945, now administered byRussia and claimed by Japan, remains the primary sticking point tosigning a peace treaty formally ending World War II hostilities;Japan and South Korea claim Liancourt Rocks (Take-shima/Tok-do),occupied by South Korea since 1954; China and Taiwan dispute bothJapan's claims to the uninhabited islands of the Senkaku-shoto(Diaoyu Tai) and Japan's unilaterally declared exclusive economiczone in the East China Sea, the site of intensive hydrocarbonprospecting
Jarvis Islandnone
Jerseynone
Johnston Atollnone
Jordan2004 Agreement settles border dispute with Syria pendingdemarcation
Juan de Nova Islandclaimed by Madagascar
Kazakhstanin 2005, Kazakhstan agreed with Russia, Turkmenistan, andUzbekistan to commence demarcating their boundaries; delimitationwith Kyrgyzstan is complete; creation of a seabed boundary withTurkmenistan in the Caspian Sea remains unresolved; equidistantseabed treaties have been ratified with Azerbaijan and Russia in theCaspian Sea, but no resolution has been made on dividing the watercolumn among any of the littoral states
KenyaKenya served as an important mediator in brokering Sudan'snorth-south separation in February 2005; Kenya provides shelter toapproximately a quarter of a million refugees including Ugandans whoflee across the border periodically to seek protection from Lord'sResistance Army (LRA) rebels; Kenya's administrative limits extendbeyond the treaty border into the Sudan, creating the Ilemi Triangle
Kingman Reefnone
Kiribatinone
Korea, NorthChina seeks to stem illegal migration of tens ofthousands of North Koreans escaping famine, economic privation, andpolitical oppression; North Korea and China dispute the sovereigntyof certain islands in Yalu and Tumen rivers and a section ofboundary around Paektu-san (mountain) is indefinite; MilitaryDemarcation Line within the 4-km wide Demilitarized Zone hasseparated North from South Korea since 1953; periodic maritimedisputes with South over the Northern Limit Line; North Koreasupports South Korea in rejecting Japan's claim to Liancourt Rocks(Tok-do/Take-shima)
Korea, SouthMilitary Demarcation Line within the 4-km wideDemilitarized Zone has separated North from South Korea since 1953;periodic maritime disputes with North Korea over the Northern LimitLine; South Korea and Japan claim Liancourt Rocks(Tok-do/Take-shima), occupied by South Korea since 1954
KuwaitKuwait and Saudi Arabia continue negotiating a joint maritimeboundary with Iran; no maritime boundary exists with Iraq in thePersian Gulf
Kyrgyzstandelimitation with Kazakhstan is complete; disputes inIsfara Valley delay completion of delimitation with Tajikistan;delimitation is underway with Uzbekistan but serious disputes aroundenclaves and elsewhere continue to mar progress for some 130 km ofborder
LaosSoutheast Asian states have enhanced border surveillance tocheck the spread of avian flu; Laos and Thailand pledge to completedemarcation of boundaries in 2005, while ongoing disputes oversquatters and boundary encroachment by Thailand including MekongRiver islets persist; in 2004 Cambodian-Laotian boundary commissionagrees to re-erect missing markers in two adjoining provinces;concern among Mekong Commission members that China's construction ofdams on the Mekong River will affect water levels
Latviathe Latvian-Russian boundary treaty of 1997 remains unsignedand unratified with Russia linking it to better Latvian treatment ofethnic Russians and Latvian politicians demanding Russian agreementto a declaration that admits Soviet aggression during the SecondWorld War and other issues; the Latvian parliament has not ratifiedits 1998 maritime boundary treaty with Lithuania, primarily due toconcerns over oil exploration rights; as a member state that formspart of the EU's external border, Latvia must implement the strictSchengen border rules
Lebanonintense international pressure prompts the removal of Syriantroops and intelligence personnel from Lebanon; Lebanese Governmentclaims Shab'a Farms area of Israeli-occupied Golan Heights; theroughly 2,000-strong UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has beenin place since 1978
Lesothonone
Liberiaalthough Liberia's domestic fighting among disparate rebelgroups, warlords, and youth gangs was declared over in 2003, civilunrest persists, and in 2004, 133,000 Liberian refugees remained inGuinea, 72,000 in Cote d'Ivoire, 67,000 in Sierra Leone, and 43,000in Ghana; Liberia, in turn, shelters refugees fleeing turmoil inCote d'Ivoire and Sierra Leone; since 2003, the UN Mission inLiberia (UNMIL) has maintained about 18,000 peacekeepers in Liberia;the Cote d'Ivoire Government accuses Liberia of supporting Ivoirianrebels; UN sanctions ban Liberia from exporting diamonds and timber
LibyaLibya has claimed more than 32,000 sq km in southeasternAlgeria and about 25,000 sq km in Niger in currently dormantdisputes; various Chadian rebels from the Aozou region reside insouthern Libya
Liechtensteinin February 2005, the ICJ refused to rule on therestitution of Liechtenstein's land and property assets in the CzechRepublic confiscated in 1945 as German property
Lithuaniain 2003, the Lithuania-Russia land and maritime boundarytreaty was ratified and a transit regime established throughLithuania linking Russia and its Kaliningrad coastal exclave,leaving only improvements to the border demarcation in 2005; by2004, a third of the Belarus-Lithuania boundary had been demarcated;the Latvian parliament has not ratified its 1998 maritime boundarytreaty with Lithuania, primarily due to concerns over oil; as amember state that forms part of the EU's external border, Lithuaniamust implement the strict Schengen border rules
Luxembourgnone
Macaunone
Macedoniaethnic Albanians in Kosovo object to demarcation of theboundary with Macedonia in accordance with the 2000 Macedonia-Serbiaand Montenegro delimitation agreement; Greece continues to rejectthe use of the name Macedonia or Republic of Macedonia
Madagascarclaims Bassas da India, Europa Island, Glorioso Islands,and Juan de Nova Island (all administered by France)
Malawidisputes with Tanzania over the boundary in Lake Nyasa (LakeMalawi) and the meandering Songwe River remain dormant
MalaysiaMalaysia has asserted sovereignty over the Spratly Islandstogether with China, Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam, and possiblyBrunei; while the 2002 "Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in theSouth China Sea" has eased tensions over the Spratly Islands, it isnot the legally binding "code of conduct" sought by some parties;Malaysia was not party to the March 2005 joint accord among thenational oil companies of China, the Philippines, and Vietnam onconducting marine seismic activities in the Spratly Islands;disputes continue over deliveries of fresh water to Singapore,Singapore's land reclamation, bridge construction, maritimeboundaries, and Pedra Branca Island/Pulau Batu Putih - but partiesagree to ICJ arbitration on island dispute within three years; ICJawarded Ligitan and Sipadan islands, also claimed by Indonesia andPhilippines, to Malaysia but left maritime boundary in thehydrocarbon-rich Celebes Sea in dispute, culminating in hostileconfrontations in March 2005 over concessions to the Ambalat oilblock; separatist violence in Thailand's predominantly Muslimsouthern provinces prompts measures to close and monitor border withMalaysia to stem terrorist activities; Philippines retains a nowdormant claim to Malaysia's Sabah State in northern Borneo; in 2003,Brunei and Malaysia ceased gas and oil exploration in their disputedoffshore and deepwater seabeds and negotiations have stalematedprompting consideration of international adjudication; Malaysia'sland boundary with Brunei around Limbang is in dispute; piracyremains a problem in the Malacca Strait
Maldivesnone
Malinone
Maltanone
Man, Isle ofnone
Marshall Islandsclaims US territory of Wake Island
Martiniquenone
MauritaniaMauritanian claims to Western Sahara have been dormant inrecent years
MauritiusMauritius claims the Chagos Archipelago (UK-administeredBritish Indian Ocean Territory), and its former inhabitants, whoreside chiefly in Mauritius, were granted UK citizenship but noright to patriation in the UK; claims French-administered TromelinIsland
Mayotteclaimed by Comoros
Mexicoprolonged drought, population growth, and outmoded practicesand infrastructure in the border region have strained water-sharingarrangements with the US; the US has stepped up efforts to stemnationals from Mexico, Central America, and other parts of the worldfrom illegally crossing the border with Mexico
Micronesia, Federated States ofnone
Midway Islandsnone
MoldovaMoldova and Ukraine have established joint customs posts tomonitor transit through Moldova's break-away Transnistria Regionwhich remains under OSCE supervision
Monaconone
Mongolianone
Montserratnone
Moroccoclaims and administers Western Sahara whose sovereigntyremains unresolved - UN-administered cease-fire has remained ineffect since September 1991, but attempts to hold a referendum havefailed and parties thus far have rejected all brokered proposals;Morocco protests Spain's control over the coastal enclaves of Ceuta,Melilla, and Penon de Velez de la Gomera, the islands of Penon deAlhucemas and Islas Chafarinas, and surrounding waters; discussionshave not progressed on a comprehensive maritime delimitation settinglimits on exploration and refugee interdiction since Morocco's 2002rejection of Spain's unilateral designation of a median line fromthe Canary Islands; Morocco serves as one of the primary launchingareas of illegal migration into Spain from North Africa
Mozambiquenone
Namibiaborder commission has yet to resolve small residual disputeswith Botswana along the Caprivi Strip, including the Situngumarshlands along the Linyanti River; Botswana residents protestNamibia's planned construction of the Okavango hydroelectric dam onPopa Falls; managed dispute with South Africa over the location ofthe boundary in the Orange River; Namibia has supported and in 2004Zimbabwe dropped objections to plans between Botswana and Zambia tobuild a bridge over the Zambezi River, thereby de facto recognizinga short, but not clearly delimited Botswana-Zambia, boundary in theriver
Naurunone
Navassa Islandclaimed by Haiti, source of subsistence fishing
Nepaljoint border commission continues to work on small disputedsections of boundary with India; India has instituted a stricterborder regime to restrict transit of Maoist insurgents and illegalcross-border activities
Netherlandsnone
Netherlands Antillesnone
New CaledoniaMatthew and Hunter Islands east of New Caledoniaclaimed by France and Vanuatu
New Zealandasserts a territorial claim in Antarctica (RossDependency) [see Antarctica]
NicaraguaNicaragua filed a claim against Honduras in 1999 andagainst Colombia in 2001 at the ICJ over disputed maritime boundaryinvolving 50,000 sq km in the Caribbean Sea, including theArchipelago de San Andres y Providencia and Quita Sueno Bank; the1992 ICJ ruling for El Salvador and Honduras advised a tripartiteresolution to establish a maritime boundary in the Gulf of Fonseca,which considers Honduran access to the Pacific; legal dispute overnavigational rights of San Juan River on border with Costa Rica
NigerLibya claims about 25,000 sq km in a currently dormantdispute; much of Benin-Niger boundary, including tripoint withNigeria, remains undemarcated, and states expect a ruling in 2005from the ICJ over the disputed Niger and Mekrou River islands; onlyNigeria and Cameroon have heeded the Lake Chad Commission'sadmonition to ratify the delimitation treaty which also includesChad and Niger
NigeriaICJ ruled in 2002 on the entire Cameroon-Nigeria land andmaritime boundary but the parties formed a Joint Border Commissionto resolve differences bilaterally and have commenced withdemarcation in less-contested sections of the boundary, starting inLake Chad in the north; Nigeria initially rejected cession of theBakassi Peninsula, then agreed, but has yet to withdraw its forceswhile much of the indigenous population opposes cession; in 2004,some 17,000 Nigerian refugees fleeing ethnic conflicts betweenpastoralists and farmers in 2002 still reside in Cameroon; the ICJruled on an equidistance settlement of Cameroon-EquatorialGuinea-Nigeria maritime boundary in the Gulf of Guinea, butimprecisely defined coordinates in the ICJ decision, the unresolvedBakasi allocation, and a sovereignty dispute between EquatorialGuinea and Cameroon over an island at the mouth of the Ntem Riverall contribute to the delay in implementation; a joint task forcewas established in 2004 that resolved disputes over and redrew themaritime and the 870-km land boundary with Benin on the OkparaRiver; only Nigeria and Cameroon have heeded the Lake ChadCommission's admonition to ratify the delimitation treaty which alsoincludes Chad and Niger
Niuenone
Norfolk Islandnone
Northern Mariana Islandsnone
NorwayNorway asserts a territorial claim in Antarctica (Queen MaudLand and its continental shelf); despite recent discussions, Russiaand Norway continue to dispute their maritime limits in the BarentsSea and Russia's fishing rights beyond Svalbard's territorial limitswithin the Svalbard Treaty zone
Omanboundary agreement reportedly signed and ratified with UAE in2003 for entire border, including Oman's Musandam Peninsula and AlMadhah exclave, but details have not been made public
Pacific Oceansome maritime disputes (see littoral states)
Pakistanrecent talks and confidence-building measures have begun todefuse tensions over Kashmir, site of the world's largest and mostmilitarized territorial dispute with portions under the de factoadministration of China (Aksai Chin), India (Jammu and Kashmir), andPakistan (Azad Kashmir and Northern Areas); UN Military ObserverGroup in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) has maintained a small groupof peacekeepers since 1949; India does not recognize Pakistan'sceding historic Kashmir lands to China in 1964; in 2004, India andPakistan instituted a cease fire in the Kashmir, and in 2005restored bus service across the highly militarized Line of Control;Pakistan has taken its dispute on the impact and benefits of India'sbuilding the Baglihar dam on the Chenab River in Jammu and Kashmirto the World Bank for arbitration and in general the two statesstill dispute Indus River water sharing; to defuse tensions andprepare for discussions on a maritime boundary, India and Pakistanresurveyed a portion of the disputed Sir Creek estuary at the mouthof the Rann of Kutch in 2004; Pakistani maps continue to showJunagadh in India's Gujarat State; by 2005, Pakistan with UNassistance had repatriated 2.3 million Afghan refugees and hasundertaken a census to count the remaining million or more, many ofwhom remain at their own choosing; Pakistan maintains troops inremote tribal areas to control the border with Afghanistan and rootout organized terrorist and other illegal cross-border activities;regular meetings with Afghan and Coalition allies aim to resolveperiodic claims of boundary encroachments
Palauborder delineation disputes being negotiated with Philippines,Indonesia
Palmyra Atollnone
Panamaorganized illegal narcotics operations in Colombia operatewithin the border region with Panama
Papua New Guinearelies on assistance from Australia to keep outillegal cross-border activities from primarily Indonesia, includinggoods smuggling, illegal narcotics trafficking, and squatters andsecessionists
Paracel Islandsoccupied by China, also claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam
Paraguayunruly region at convergence of Argentina-Brazil-Paraguayborders is locus of money laundering, smuggling, arms and illegalnarcotics trafficking, and fundraising for extremist organizations
PeruPeru proposes changing its latitudinal maritime boundary withChile to an equidistance line with a southwestern axis; organizedillegal narcotics operations in Colombia have penetrated Peru'sshared border; Peru does not support Bolivia's claim to restoremaritime access through a sovereign corridor through Chile along thePeruvian border
PhilippinesThe Philippines claims sovereignty over certain of theSpratly Islands, known locally as the Kalayaan (Freedom) Islands,also claimed by China, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Vietnam; the 2002"Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea," haseased tensions in the Spratly Islands but falls short of a legallybinding "code of conduct" desired by several of the disputants; inMarch 2005, the national oil companies of China, the Philippines,and Vietnam signed a joint accord to conduct marine seismicactivities in the Spratly Islands; Philippines retains a dormantclaim to Malaysia's Sabah State in northern Borneo based on theSultanate of Sulu's granting the Philippines Government power ofattorney to pursue a sovereignty claim on his behalf
Pitcairn Islandsnone
Polandas a member state that forms part of the EU's externalborder, Poland must implement the strict Schengen border rules
Portugalnone
Puerto Ricoincreasing numbers of illegal migrants from theDominican Republic cross the Mona Passage to Puerto Rico each yearlooking for work
Qatarnone
Reunionnone
RomaniaRomania and Ukraine have taken their dispute overUkrainian-administered Zmiyinyy (Snake) Island and Black Seamaritime boundary to the ICJ for adjudication; Romania also opposesUkraine's reopening of a navigation canal from the Danube borderthrough Ukraine to the Black Sea; Hungary amended the status lawextending special social and cultural benefits to ethnic Hungariansin Romania, to which Romania had objected
Russiain 2004, China and Russia divided up the islands in the Amur,Ussuri, and Argun Rivers, ending a century-old border dispute; thesovereignty dispute over the islands of Etorofu, Kunashiri,Shikotan, and the Habomai group, known in Japan as the "NorthernTerritories" and in Russia as the "Southern Kurils," occupied by theSoviet Union in 1945, now administered by Russia, and claimed byJapan, remains the primary sticking point to signing a peace treatyformally ending World War II hostilities; Russia and Georgia agreeon delimiting 80% of their common border, leaving certain small,strategic segments and the maritime boundary unresolved; OSCEobservers monitor volatile areas such as the Pankisi Gorge in theAkhmeti region and the Kodori Gorge in Abkhazia; equidistant seabedtreaties were signed and ratified with Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan inthe Caspian Sea but no consensus exists on dividing the water columnamong the littoral states; Russia and Norway dispute their maritimelimits in the Barents Sea and Russia's fishing rights beyondSvalbard's territorial limits within the Svalbard Treaty zone;various groups in Finland advocate restoration of Karelia and otherareas ceded to the Soviet Union following the Second World War butthe Finnish Government asserts no territorial demands; in 1996, theEstonia-Russia technical border agreement was initialed but bothhave been hesitant to sign and ratify it, with Russia asserting thatEstonia needs to better assimilate Russian-speakers and Estoniangroups advocating realignment of the boundary based more closely onthe 1920 Tartu Peace Treaty that would bring the now divided ethnicSetu people and parts of the Narva region within Estonia; theLatvian-Russian boundary treaty of 1997 remains unsigned andunratified with Russia linking it to better Latvian treatment ofethnic Russians and Latvian politicians demanding Russian agreementto a declaration that admits Soviet aggression during the SecondWorld War and other issues; in 2003, the Lithuania-Russia land andmaritime boundary treaty was ratified and a transit regimeestablished through Lithuania linking Russia and its Kaliningradcoastal exclave, leaving only improvements to the border demarcationin 2005; delimitation of land boundary with Ukraine is complete, butstates have agreed to defer demarcation; Russia and Ukraine continuetalks but still dispute the alignment of a maritime boundary throughthe Kerch Strait and Sea of Azov; Kazakhstan and Russia continuedemarcation of their long border; Russian Duma has not yet ratified1990 Maritime Boundary Agreement with the US in the Bering Sea
RwandaTutsi, Hutu, Hema, Lendu, and other conflicting ethnicgroups, associated political rebels, armed gangs, and variousgovernment forces continue fighting in Great Lakes region,transcending the boundaries of Burundi, Democratic Republic of theCongo, Rwanda, and Uganda to gain control over populated areas andnatural resources - government heads pledge to end conflicts, butlocalized violence continues despite UN peacekeeping efforts; DROCand Rwanda established a border verification mechanism in 2005 toaddress accusations of Rwandan military supporting Congolese rebelsand the Congo providing rebel Rwandan "Interhamwe" forces the meansand bases to attack Rwandan forces; as of 2004, Rwandan refugeeslived in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, and Zambia
Saint Helenanone
Saint Kitts and Nevisjoins other Caribbean states to counterVenezuela's claim that Aves Island sustains human habitation, acriterion under UNCLOS, which permits Venezuela to extend itsEEZ/continental shelf over a large portion of the Caribbean Sea
Saint Luciajoins other Caribbean states to counter Venezuela'sclaim that Aves Island sustains human habitation, a criterion underUNCLOS, which permits Venezuela to extend its EEZ/continental shelfover a large portion of the Caribbean Sea
Saint Pierre and Miquelonnone
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines joins other Caribbean states to counter Venezuela's claim that Aves Island sustains human habitation, a criterion under UNCLOS, which permits Venezuela to extend its EEZ/continental shelf over a large portion of the Caribbean Sea
Samoanone
San Marinonone
Sao Tome and Principenone
Saudi Arabiadespite resistance from nomadic groups, the demarcationof the Saudi Arabia-Yemen boundary established under the 2000 JeddahTreaty is almost complete; Yemen protests Saudi erection of aconcrete-filled pipe as a security barrier in 2004 to stem illegalcross-border activities in sections of the boundary; Kuwait andSaudi Arabia continue discussions on a maritime boundary with Iran;because the treaties have not been made public, the exact alignmentof the boundary with the UAE is still unknown
SenegalThe Gambia and Guinea-Bissau attempt to stem Senegalesecitizens from the Casamance region fleeing separatist violence,cross border raids, and arms smuggling
Serbia and MontenegroKosovo remains unresolved administered byseveral thousand peacekeepers from the UN Interim AdministrationMission in Kosovo (UNMIK) since 1999, with Kosovar Albaniansoverwhelmingly supporting and Serbian officials opposing Kosovoindependence; the international community had agreed to begin aprocess to determine final status but contingency of solidifyingmulti-ethnic democracy in Kosovo has not been satisfied; ethnicAlbanians in Kosovo refuse demarcation of the boundary withMacedonia in accordance with the 2000 Macedonia-Serbia andMontenegro delimitation agreement; Serbia and Montenegro havedelimited about half of the boundary with Bosnia and Herzegovina,but sections along the Drina River remain in dispute
Seychellestogether with Mauritius, Seychelles claims the ChagosArchipelago (UK-administered British Indian Ocean Territory)
Sierra Leonedomestic fighting among disparate rebel groups,warlords, and youth gangs in Cote d'Ivoire, Guinea, Liberia, andSierra Leone perpetuate insurgencies, street violence, looting, armstrafficking, ethnic conflicts, and refugees in border areas; UNMission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) has maintained over 4,000peacekeepers in Sierra Leone since 1999; Sierra Leone pressuresGuinea to remove its forces from the town of Yenga occupied since1998
Singaporedisputes persist with Malaysia over deliveries of freshwater to Singapore, Singapore's extensive land reclamation works,bridge construction, maritime boundaries, and Pedra BrancaIsland/Pulau Batu Putih - parties agree to ICJ arbitration on islanddispute within three years; Indonesia and Singapore pledged in 2005to finalize their 1973 maritime boundary agreement by definingunresolved areas north of Batam Island; piracy remains a problem inthe Malacca Strait
SlovakiaHungary amended its status law extending special social andcultural benefits to ethnic Hungarians in Slovakia, to whichSlovakia had protested; consultations continue between Slovakia andHungary over Hungary's completion of its portion of theGabcikovo-Nagymaros hydroelectric dam project along the Danube; as amember state that forms part of the EU's external border, Slovakiamust implement the strict Schengen border rules
Sloveniathe Croatia-Slovenia land and maritime boundary agreement,which would have ceded most of Piran Bay and maritime access toSlovenia and several villages to Croatia, remains unratified and indispute; as a member state that forms part of the EU's externalborder, Slovenia must implement the strict Schengen border rules tocurb illegal migration and commerce through southeastern Europewhile encouraging close cross-border ties with Croatia
Solomon IslandsAustralian Defense Force leads the RegionalAssistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI) at the invitationof the Solomon Islands' Government to maintain civil and politicalorder and reinforce regional security
Somalia"Somaliland" secessionists provide port facilities toland-locked Ethiopia and establish commercial ties with regionalstates; "Puntland" and "Somaliland" "governments" seek support fromneighboring states in their secessionist aspirations and inconflicts with each other; Ethiopia has only an administrative linewith the Oromo region of southern Somalia and maintains allianceswith local Somali clans opposed to the unrecognized Somali InterimGovernment, which plans eventual relocation from Kenya to Mogadishu;rival militia and clan fighting in southern Somalia periodicallyspills over into Kenya; most of the remaining 23,000 Somali refugesin Ethiopia are expected to be repatriated in 2005
South AfricaSouth Africa has placed military along the border tostem the thousands of Zimbabweans fleeing to find work and escapepolitical persecution; managed dispute with Namibia over thelocation of the boundary in the Orange River
South Georgia and the South Sandwich IslandsArgentina, which claimsthe islands in its constitution and briefly occupied the islands byforce in 1982, agreed in 1995 to no longer seek settlement by force
Southern OceanAntarctic Treaty defers claims (see Antarcticaentry), but Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, NZ, Norway, and UKassert claims (some overlapping), including the continental shelf inthe Southern Ocean; several states have expressed an interest inextending those continental shelf claims under the United NationsConvention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) to include undersearidges; the US and most other states do not recognize the land ormaritime claims of other states and have made no claims themselves(the US and Russia have reserved the right to do so); no formalclaims exist in the waters in the sector between 90 degrees west and150 degrees west
Spainin 2003, Gibraltar residents voted overwhelmingly byreferendum to remain a British colony and against a "total sharedsovereignty" arrangement while demanding participation in talksbetween the UK and Spain; Spain disapproves of UK plans to grantGibraltar greater autonomy; Morocco protests Spain's control overthe coastal enclaves of Ceuta, Melilla, and the islands of Penon deVelez de la Gomera, Penon de Alhucemas and Islas Chafarinas, andsurrounding waters; Morocco serves as the primary launching site ofillegal migration into Spain from North Africa
Spratly Islandsall of the Spratly Islands are claimed by China,Taiwan, and Vietnam; parts of them are claimed by Malaysia and thePhilippines; in 1984, Brunei established an exclusive fishing zonethat encompasses Louisa Reef in the southern Spratly Islands but hasnot publicly claimed the reef; claimants in November 2002 signed the"Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea,"which has eased tensions but falls short of a legally binding "codeof conduct"; in March 2005, the national oil companies of China, thePhilippines, and Vietnam signed a joint accord to conduct marineseismic activities in the Spratlys
Sri Lankanone
Sudanthe effects of Sudan's almost constant ethnic and rebelmilitia fighting since the mid-twentieth century have penetrated allof its border states who provide shelter for fleeing refugees andcover to disparate domestic and foreign conflicting elements; since2003, Janjawid armed militia and Sudanese military have driven about200,000 Darfur region refugees into eastern Chad; large numbers ofSudanese refugees have also fled to Uganda, Ethiopia, Kenya, theCentral African Republic, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo;southern Sudan provides shelter to Ugandans seeking periodicprotection from soldiers of the Lord's Resistance Army; Sudanaccuses Eritrea of supporting Sudanese rebel groups; efforts todemarcate the porous boundary with Ethiopia have been delayed bycivil and ethnic fighting in Sudan; Kenya's administrative boundaryextends into the southern Sudan, creating the "Ilemi Triangle";Egypt and Sudan retain claims to administer triangular areas thatextend north and south of the 1899 Treaty boundary along the 22ndParallel, but have withdrawn their military presence; Egypt iseconomically developing the "Hala'ib Triangle" north of the TreatyLine; periodic violent skirmishes with Sudanese residents over waterand grazing rights persist among related pastoral populations fromthe Central African Republic along the border
Surinamearea claimed by French Guiana between Riviere Litani andRiviere Marouini (both headwaters of the Lawa); Suriname claims atriangle of land between the New and Kutari/Koetari rivers in ahistoric dispute over the headwaters of the Courantyne; Guyana seeksUNCLOS arbitration to resolve the long-standing dispute withSuriname over the axis of the territorial sea boundary inpotentially oil-rich waters
Svalbarddespite recent discussions, Russia and Norway dispute theirmaritime limits in the Barents Sea and Russia's fishing rightsbeyond Svalbard's territorial limits within the Svalbard Treaty zone
Swazilandnone
Swedennone
Switzerlandnone
SyriaGolan Heights is Israeli-occupied with the almost 1,000-strongUN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) patrolling a buffer zonesince 1964; Lebanon claims Shaba'a farms in Golan Heights;international pressure prompts the removal of Syrian troops andintelligence personel stationed in Lebanon since October 1976; Syriaprotests Turkish hydrological projects regulating upper Euphrateswaters; 2004 Agreement and pending demarcation settles borderdispute with Jordan
Taiwaninvolved in complex dispute with China, Malaysia,Philippines, Vietnam, and possibly Brunei over the Spratly Islands;the 2002 "Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South ChinaSea" has eased tensions but falls short of a legally binding "codeof conduct" desired by several of the disputants; Paracel Islandsare occupied by China, but claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam; in 2003,China and Taiwan became more vocal in rejecting both Japan's claimsto the uninhabited islands of the Senkaku-shoto (Diaoyu Tai) andJapan's unilaterally declared exclusive economic zone in the EastChina Sea where all parties engage in hydrocarbon prospecting
Tajikistanboundary agreements signed in 2002 cede 1,000 sq km ofPamir Mountain range to China in return for China relinquishingclaims to 28,000 sq km of Tajikistani lands but neither state haspublished maps of ceded areas and demarcation has not yet commenced;talks continue with Uzbekistan to delimit border and removeminefields; disputes in Isfara Valley delay delimitation withKyrgyzstan
Tanzaniadisputes with Malawi over the boundary in Lake Nyasa (LakeMalawi) and the meandering Songwe River remain dormant
Thailandseparatist violence in Thailand's predominantly Muslimsouthern provinces prompt border closures and controls with Malaysiato stem terrorist activities; southeast Asian states have enhancedborder surveillance to check the spread of avian flu; Laos andThailand pledge to complete demarcation of their boundary in 2005;despite continuing border committee talks, significant differencesremain with Burma over boundary alignment and the handling of ethnicrebels, refugees, and illegal cross-border activities; Cambodia andThailand dispute sections of boundary with missing boundary markers;Cambodia claims Thai encroachments into Cambodian territory andobstructing access to Preah Vihear temple ruins awarded to Cambodiaby ICJ decision in 1962; ethnic Karens from Burma flee into Thailandto escape fighting between Karen rebels and Burmese troops resultingin Thailand sheltering about 118,000 Burmese refugees in 2004;Karens also protest Thai support for a Burmese hydroelectric damconstruction on the Salween River near the border; environmentalistsin Burma and Thailand remain concerned about China's construction ofhydroelectric dams upstream on the Nujiang/Salween River in YunnanProvince
Togoin 2001 Benin claimed Togo moved boundary monuments - jointcommission continues to resurvey the boundary
Tokelaunone
Tonganone
Trinidad and TobagoBarbados will assert its claim before UNCLOSthat the northern limit of Trinidad and Tobago's maritime boundarywith Venezuela extends into its waters; Guyana has also expressedits intention to challenge this boundary as it may extend into itswaters as well
Tromelin Islandclaimed by Mauritius
Tunisianone
Turkeycomplex maritime, air, and territorial disputes with Greecein the Aegean Sea; status of north Cyprus question remains; Syriaand Iraq protest Turkish hydrological projects to control upperEuphrates waters; Turkey has expressed concern over the status ofKurds in Iraq; border with Armenia remains closed overNagorno-Karabakh
Turkmenistancotton monoculture in Uzbekistan and Turkmenistancreates water-sharing difficulties for Amu Darya river states;bilateral talks continue with Azerbaijan on dividing the seabed andcontested oilfields in the middle of the Caspian; demarcation ofland boundary with Kazakhstan has started but Caspian seabeddelimitation remains stalled
Turks and Caicos Islands have received Haitians fleeing economic and civil disorder
Tuvalunone
UgandaUganda is subject to armed fighting among hostile ethnicgroups, rebels, armed gangs, militias, and various governmentforces; Ugandan refugees have fled the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA)into the southern Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo;LRA forces have also attacked Kenyan villages across the border
Ukraine1997 boundary treaty with Belarus remains un-ratified due tounresolved financial claims, stalling demarcation and reducingborder security; delimitation of land boundary with Russia iscomplete but the parties have agreed to defer demarcation; maritimeboundary through the Sea of Azov and Kerch Strait remains unresolveddespite a December 2003 framework agreement and on-goingexpert-level discussions; Moldova and Ukraine have established jointcustoms posts to monitor transit through Moldova's break-awayTransnistria Region which remains under OSCE supervision; Ukraineand Romania have taken their dispute over Ukrainian-administeredZmiyinyy (Snake) Island and Black Sea maritime boundary to the ICJfor adjudication; Romania opposes Ukraine's reopening of anavigation canal from the Danube border through the Ukraine to theBlack Sea
United Arab Emiratesbecause the treaties have not been made public,the exact alignment of the boundary with Saudi Arabia is stillunknown; boundary agreement was signed and ratified with Oman in2003 for entire border, including Oman's Musandam Peninsula and AlMadhah enclaves, but contents of the agreement and maps showing thealignment have not been published; UAE engage in direct talks andsolicit Arab League support to resolve disputes over Iran'soccupation of Lesser and Greater Tunb Islands and Abu Musa Island
United Kingdomin 2003, Gibraltar residents voted overwhelmingly byreferendum to remain a British colony and against a "total sharedsovereignty" arrangement while demanding participation in talksbetween the UK and Spain; Spain disapproves of UK plans to grantGibraltar greater autonomy; Mauritius and Seychelles claim theChagos Archipelago (British Indian Ocean Territory), and its formerinhabitants since their eviction in 1965; most Chagosians reside inMauritius, and in 2001 were granted UK citizenship but no right topatriation in the UK; UK rejects sovereignty talks requested byArgentina, which still claims the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands; territorial claimin Antarctica (British Antarctic Territory) overlaps Argentine claimand partially overlaps Chilean claim; Iceland, the UK, and Irelanddispute Denmark's claim that the Faroe Islands' continental shelfextends beyond 200 nm
United Statesprolonged drought, population growth, and outmodedpractices and infrastructure in the border region strainswater-sharing arrangements with Mexico; the US has stepped upefforts to stem nationals from Mexico, Central America, and otherparts of the world from crossing illegally into the United Statesfrom Mexico; illegal immigrants from the Caribbean, notably Haitiand the Dominican Republic, attempt to enter the US through Floridaby sea; 1990 Maritime Boundary Agreement in the Bering Sea stillawaits Russian Duma ratification; managed maritime boundary disputeswith Canada at Dixon Entrance, Beaufort Sea, Strait of Juan de Fuca,and around the disputed Machias Seal Island and North Rock; US andCanada seek greater cooperation in monitoring people and commoditiescrossing the border; The Bahamas and US have not been able to agreeon a maritime boundary; US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay is leasedfrom Cuba and only mutual agreement or US abandonment of the areacan terminate the lease; Haiti claims US-administered NavassaIsland; US has made no territorial claim in Antarctica (but hasreserved the right to do so) and does not recognize the claims ofany other state; Marshall Islands claims Wake Island
Uruguayuncontested dispute with Brazil over certain islands in theQuarai/Cuareim and Invernada streams and the resulting tripoint withArgentina
Uzbekistancotton monoculture in Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan createswater-sharing difficulties for Amu Darya river states; delimitationwith Kazakhstan complete with demarcation underway; delimitation isunderway with Kyrgyzstan but serious disputes around enclaves andelsewhere continue to mar progress for some 130 km of border; talkscontinue with Tajikistan to delimit border and remove minefields
VanuatuMatthew and Hunter Islands east of New Caledonia claimed byVanuatu and France
Venezuelaclaims all of the area west of the Essequibo River inGuyana, preventing any discussion of a maritime boundary; Guyana hasexpressed its intention to join Barbados in asserting claims beforeUNCLOS that the Trinidad and Tobago's maritime boundary withVenezuela extends into their waters; dispute with Colombia over LosMonjes islands and maritime boundary near the Gulf of Venezuela;Colombian-organized illegal narcotics and paramilitary activitiespenetrate Venezuela's shared border region resulting in severalthousand residents migrating away from the border; US, France andthe Netherlands recognize Venezuela's claim to give full effect toAves Island, which creates a Venezuelan EEZ/continental shelfextending over a large portion of the Caribbean Sea; Dominica, SaintKitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadinesprotest Venezuela's claim that Aves Island sustains human habitationand other states' recognition of it
Vietnamsoutheast Asian states have enhanced border surveillance tocheck the spread of avian flu; Cambodia and Laos protest Vietnamesesquatters and armed encroachments along border; in 2004Laotian-Vietnamese boundary commission agrees to erect missingmarkers in two adjoining provinces; demarcation of the China-Vietnamboundary proceeds slowly and although the maritime boundarydelimitation and fisheries agreements were ratified in June 2004,implementation has been delayed; China occupies Paracel Islands alsoclaimed by Vietnam and Taiwan; involved in complex dispute withChina, Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan, and possibly Brunei over theSpratly Islands; the 2002 "Declaration on the Conduct of Parties inthe South China Sea" has eased tensions but falls short of a legallybinding "code of conduct" desired by several of the disputants;Vietnam continues to expand construction of facilities in theSpratly Islands; in March 2005, the national oil companies of China,the Philippines, and Vietnam signed a joint accord to conduct marineseismic activities in the Spratly Islands
Virgin Islandsnone
Wake Islandclaimed by Marshall Islands
Wallis and Futunanone
West BankWest Bank and Gaza Strip are Israeli-occupied with currentstatus subject to the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement -permanent status to be determined through further negotiation;Israel continues construction of a "seam line" separation barrieralong parts of the Green Line and within the West Bank; Israelannounced its intention to pull out settlers and withdraw from foursettlements in the northern West Bank in 2005; since 1948, about 350peacekeepers from the UN Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO),headquartered in Jerusalem, monitor ceasefires, supervise armisticeagreements, prevent isolated incidents from escalating, and assistother UN personnel in the region
Western SaharaMorocco claims and administers Western Sahara, whosesovereignty remains unresolved - UN-administered cease-fire hasremained in effect since September 1991, administered by the UNMission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), but attemptsto hold a referendum have failed and parties thus far have rejectedall brokered proposals