Bir Tawil
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( arz, بير طويل, translit=Bīr Ṭawīl, lit=tall water well, ) is a area of land along the
border Borders are usually defined as geographical boundaries, imposed either by features such as oceans and terrain, or by political entities such as governments, sovereign states, federated states, and other subnational entities. Political borders c ...
between
Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...
and
Sudan Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...
, which is uninhabited and claimed by neither country. When spoken of in association with the neighbouring
Halaib Triangle The Halaib Triangle ( ar, مُثَلَّث حَلَايِب, Muthallath Ḥalāyib; Egyptian and Sudanese ' ), is an area of land measuring located on the Northeast African coast of the Red Sea. The area, which takes its name from the town o ...
, it is sometimes referred to as the Triangle, despite the area's
quadrilateral In geometry a quadrilateral is a four-sided polygon, having four edges (sides) and four corners (vertices). The word is derived from the Latin words ''quadri'', a variant of four, and ''latus'', meaning "side". It is also called a tetragon, ...
shape; the two "triangles" border at a
quadripoint A quadripoint is a point on Earth where four distinct territories meet. The territories can be of different types, such as national and provincial. In North America, several such places are commonly known as Four Corners. Several examples exist ...
. Its ' status results from a discrepancy between the straight political boundary between Egypt and Sudan established in 1899, and the irregular administrative boundary established in 1902. Egypt asserts the political boundary, and Sudan asserts the administrative boundary, with the result that the Triangle is claimed by both and by neither. In 2014, author Alastair Bonnett described as the only place on Earth that was
habitable Habitability refers to the adequacy of an environment for human living. Where housing is concerned, there are generally local ordinances which define habitability. If a residence complies with those laws it is said to be habitable. In extreme e ...
but was not claimed by any recognised government.


History

On 19 January 1899, an agreement between the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
and Egypt relating to the administration of Sudan defined "Soudan" as the "territories south of the 22nd parallel of latitude". It contained a provision that would give Egypt control of the
Red Sea The Red Sea ( ar, البحر الأحمر - بحر القلزم, translit=Modern: al-Baḥr al-ʾAḥmar, Medieval: Baḥr al-Qulzum; or ; Coptic: ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϩⲁϩ ''Phiom Enhah'' or ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϣⲁⲣⲓ ''Phiom ǹšari''; T ...
port of , but an amendment on 10 July 1899 gave Suakin to Sudan instead. On 4 November 1902, the UK drew a separate "administrative boundary", intended to reflect the actual use of the land by the tribes in the region. was grazing land used by the tribe based near , and thus was placed under Egyptian administration from
Cairo Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metro ...
. Similarly, the Triangle to the northeast was placed under the British governor of Sudan, because its inhabitants were culturally closer to
Khartoum Khartoum or Khartum ( ; ar, الخرطوم, Al-Khurṭūm, din, Kaartuɔ̈m) is the capital of Sudan. With a population of 5,274,321, its metropolitan area is the largest in Sudan. It is located at the confluence of the White Nile, flowing n ...
. Egypt claims the original border from 1899, the 22nd parallel, which would place the Triangle within Egypt and the area within Sudan. Sudan, however, claims the administrative border of 1902, which would put within Sudan, and within Egypt. As a result, both states claim and neither claims the much less valuable area, which is only a tenth the size, and has no permanent settlements or access to the sea. There is no basis in international law for either Sudan or Egypt to claim both territories, and neither nation is willing to cede . With no third state claiming the neglected area, is one of the few land areas of the world not claimed by any recognised state.


Geography

is in size. The length of its northern and southern borders are and respectively; the length of its eastern and western borders are and respectively. In the north of the area is the mountain (), with a height of . In the east is , with a height of . In the south is the (), also called .


Climate

's climate is, according to the
Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...
, a very
hot desert climate The desert climate or arid climate (in the Köppen climate classification ''BWh'' and ''BWk''), is a dry climate sub-type in which there is a severe excess of evaporation over precipitation. The typically bald, rocky, or sandy surfaces in desert ...
(Bwh). During the summer months, approximately three-quarters of the year, temperatures can exceed , while its hottest three months (June–August) can see it as high as . During the brief winters, however (December and January being its mildest months), can experience milder temperatures, with as its usual temperature peak. Because the territory is far from the ocean (being at least away from the Red Sea), the
diurnal temperature range In meteorology, diurnal temperature variation is the variation between a high air temperature and a low temperature that occurs during the same day. Temperature lag Temperature lag is an important factor in diurnal temperature variation: peak d ...
throughout the region is large, varying from , year-round.


Claims

Due to its status as ' unclaimed territory, a number of individuals and organizations have attempted to claim as a
micronation A micronation is a political entity whose members claim that they belong to an independent nation or sovereign state, but which lacks legal recognition by world governments or major international organizations. Micronations are classified se ...
. However, none have been taken seriously by the international community, and due to the remoteness and hostile climate of the region, the vast majority of these claims have been by declarations posted online from other locations. None of these claims, or any others, have been recognized, officially or otherwise, by any government or international organization.


Population

Bir Tawil has no settled population, but members of the
Ababda The Ababda ( ar, العبابدة, al-ʿabābdah or ar, العبّادي, al-ʿabbādī) are an Arab or Beja tribe in eastern Egypt and Sudan. Historically, most were Bedouins living in the area between the Nile and the Red Sea, with some settl ...
and Bishari tribes pass through the region.


See also

*
Egypt–Sudan border The Egypt– Sudan border ( ar, الحدود السودانية المصرية) is 1,276 km (793 mi) in length and runs from the tripoint with Libya in the west to the Red Sea in the east. The eastern section of the border is subject to a ter ...
*
Egypt–Sudan relations Egypt–Sudan relations are the bilateral relations between the governments of Egypt and Sudan. Contact between Egypt and Sudan goes back to trade and conflict during ancient times. In 1820, Egypt conquered Sudan, and continued to occupy the coun ...
*
Halaib Triangle The Halaib Triangle ( ar, مُثَلَّث حَلَايِب, Muthallath Ḥalāyib; Egyptian and Sudanese ' ), is an area of land measuring located on the Northeast African coast of the Red Sea. The area, which takes its name from the town o ...
, an adjoining area, claimed by both Egypt and Sudan * Wadi Halfa Salient


References


External links


Google Sightseeing – Bir Tawil TriangleInternational Boundary Study
{{Countries and territories of North Africa Disputed territories in Africa Egypt–Sudan border Territorial disputes of Egypt Territorial disputes of Sudan