Bir Tawil (Egyptian Arabic: بير طويل, romanized: Bīr Ṭawīl, lit. 'tall water well', [biːɾ tˤɑˈwiːl]) is a 2,060 km2 (795.4 sq mi) area of land along the border between Egypt and Sudan, which is uninhabited and claimed by neither country. When spoken of in association with the neighbouring Halaib Triangle, it is sometimes referred to as the Bir Tawil Triangle, despite the area's quadrilateral shape; the two "triangles" border at a quadripoint.
Simplified map showing Egypt's claim (yellow and green), Sudan's claim (blue and green), the Hala'ib Triangle (light green), Wadi Halfa Salient (dark green) and Bir Tawil (the white area between Egypt and Sudan)
Its terra nulliuscode: lat promoted to code: la 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 Hala'ib Triangle is claimed by both and Bir Tawil by neither. In 2014, author Alastair Bonnett described Bir Tawil as the only place on Earth that was habitable but was not claimed by any recognised government.[2]
On 19 January 1899, an agreement between the United Kingdom and Egypt relating to the administration of Sudan defined "Soudan" as the "territories south of the 22nd parallel of latitude".[3] It contained a provision that would give Egypt control of the Red Sea port of Suakin, but an amendment on 10 July 1899 gave Suakin to Sudan instead.[3]
Map of the Hala'ib Triangle and Bir Tawil from 1912
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.[3]Bir Tawil was grazing land used by the Ababda tribe based near Aswan, and thus was placed under Egyptian administration from Cairo. Similarly, the Hala'ib Triangle to the northeast was placed under the British governor of Sudan, because its inhabitants were culturally closer to Khartoum.
Egypt claims the original border from 1899, the 22nd parallel, which would place the Hala'ib Triangle within Egypt and the Bir Tawil area within Sudan. Sudan, however, claims the administrative border of 1902, which would put Hala'ib within Sudan, and Bir Tawil within Egypt. As a result, both states claim Hala'ib and neither claims the much less valuable Bir Tawil 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 Hala'ib. With no third state claiming the neglected area, Bir Tawil is one of the few land areas of the world not claimed by any recognised state.[4][5]
Geography
2021 satellite image of Bir Tawil (outlined in red) by Landsat 8
Bir Tawil is 2,060 km2 (795 sq mi) in size. The length of its northern and southern borders are 95 kilometres (59 mi) and 46 kilometres (29 mi) respectively; the length of its eastern and western borders are 26 kilometres (16 mi) and 49 kilometres (30 mi) respectively. In the north of the area is the mountain Jabal Tawil (جبل طويل), with a height of 459 metres (1,506 ft). In the east is Gabal Hagar El Zarqa, with a height of 662 metres (2,172 ft). In the south is the Wadi Tawil (وادي طويل), also called Khawr Abū Bard.
Climate
Bir Tawil's climate is, according to the Köppen climate classification, a very hot desert climate (Bwh). During the summer months, approximately three-quarters of the year, temperatures can exceed 40 °C (104 °F), while its hottest three months (June–August) can see it as high as 45 °C (113 °F). During the brief winters, however (December and January being its mildest months), Bir Tawil can experience milder temperatures, with 26 °C (79 °F) as its usual temperature peak.
Because the territory is far from the ocean (being at least 200 km (120 mi) away from the Red Sea), the diurnal temperature range throughout the region is large, about 20 °C (36 °F).
Due to its status as de jurecode: lat promoted to code: la unclaimed territory, a number of individuals and organizations have attempted to claimBir Tawil as a micronation. None have been taken seriously by the international community, however, 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.[8][9]
Population
Bir Tawil has no settled population, but members of the Ababda and Bishari tribes pass through the region,[8] and unregulated mining camps have been established throughout the territory in search of gold deposits.[10][11]
^Karalekas, Dean (2020). "Navigating Terra Nullius: The Ababda and the Case for Indigenous Land Rights in Bir Tawil" (PDF). Global Journal of Economics and Finance. 4 (2): 41–49.
^Bonnett, Alastair (2014). "Bir Tawil". Unruly Places: Lost Spaces, Secret Cities and Other Inscrutable Geographies. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. p. 73. ISBN978-0-544-10160-9. LCCN 2013050983. OCLC 890509603. the only place on the planet that is both habitable and unclaimed.
^ abc(PDF). law.fsu.edu. Bureau of Intelligence and Research. 27 July 1962. pp. 2, 3. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 January 2014. Retrieved 2019-05-28.
^"Official version of map of Egypt". from the original on 2013-05-26. Retrieved 2017-03-05.
^"Weather for Bir Tawil". MeteoBlue.com. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
^ abShenker, Jack (3 March 2016). "Welcome to the land that no country wants". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 March 2016.
^Ma, Alexandra (15 November 2017). "This man is the latest in a series of travellers to declare ownership of a bizarre no man's land in north Africa". Business Insider. Retrieved 7 August 2022.
^Batya (18 July 2020). "Bir Tawil – Tracking Kalashnikovs in No Man's Land". Reaper Feed. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
^O'Connor, Robert (27 October 2021). "The Battle for the Last Unclaimed Land on Earth". VICE News. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bir Tawil.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Bir Tawil.
Google Sightseeing – Bir Tawil Triangle
May 14, 2023
tawil, egyptian, arabic, بير, طويل, romanized, bīr, Ṭawīl, tall, water, well, biːɾ, tˤɑˈwiːl, area, land, along, border, between, egypt, sudan, which, uninhabited, claimed, neither, country, when, spoken, association, with, neighbouring, halaib, triangle, some. Bir Tawil Egyptian Arabic بير طويل romanized Bir Ṭawil lit tall water well biːɾ tˤɑˈwiːl is a 2 060 km2 795 4 sq mi area of land along the border between Egypt and Sudan which is uninhabited and claimed by neither country When spoken of in association with the neighbouring Halaib Triangle it is sometimes referred to as the Bir Tawil Triangle despite the area s quadrilateral shape the two triangles border at a quadripoint Bir Tawil بير طويلUnclaimed landTopographic map of Bir Tawil outlined in red Bir TawilLocation between Egypt and SudanShow map of EgyptBir TawilBir Tawil Sudan Show map of SudanBir TawilBir Tawil Africa Show map of AfricaCoordinates 21 52 9 N 33 44 52 E 21 86917 N 33 74778 E 21 86917 33 74778 Coordinates 21 52 9 N 33 44 52 E 21 86917 N 33 74778 E 21 86917 33 74778CountryNoneArea Total2 060 km2 800 sq mi Population 2018 Total0 Transient populations only 1 Simplified map showing Egypt s claim yellow and green Sudan s claim blue and green the Hala ib Triangle light green Wadi Halfa Salient dark green and Bir Tawil the white area between Egypt and Sudan Its terra nullius code lat promoted to code la 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 Hala ib Triangle is claimed by both and Bir Tawil by neither In 2014 author Alastair Bonnett described Bir Tawil as the only place on Earth that was habitable but was not claimed by any recognised government 2 Contents 1 History 2 Geography 3 Climate 4 Claims 5 Population 6 See also 7 References 8 External linksHistoryOn 19 January 1899 an agreement between the United Kingdom and Egypt relating to the administration of Sudan defined Soudan as the territories south of the 22nd parallel of latitude 3 It contained a provision that would give Egypt control of the Red Sea port of Suakin but an amendment on 10 July 1899 gave Suakin to Sudan instead 3 Map of the Hala ib Triangle and Bir Tawil from 1912 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 3 Bir Tawil was grazing land used by the Ababda tribe based near Aswan and thus was placed under Egyptian administration from Cairo Similarly the Hala ib Triangle to the northeast was placed under the British governor of Sudan because its inhabitants were culturally closer to Khartoum Egypt claims the original border from 1899 the 22nd parallel which would place the Hala ib Triangle within Egypt and the Bir Tawil area within Sudan Sudan however claims the administrative border of 1902 which would put Hala ib within Sudan and Bir Tawil within Egypt As a result both states claim Hala ib and neither claims the much less valuable Bir Tawil 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 Hala ib With no third state claiming the neglected area Bir Tawil is one of the few land areas of the world not claimed by any recognised state 4 5 Geography 2021 satellite image of Bir Tawil outlined in red by Landsat 8 Bir Tawil is 2 060 km2 795 sq mi in size The length of its northern and southern borders are 95 kilometres 59 mi and 46 kilometres 29 mi respectively the length of its eastern and western borders are 26 kilometres 16 mi and 49 kilometres 30 mi respectively In the north of the area is the mountain Jabal Tawil جبل طويل with a height of 459 metres 1 506 ft In the east is Gabal Hagar El Zarqa with a height of 662 metres 2 172 ft In the south is the Wadi Tawil وادي طويل also called Khawr Abu Bard ClimateBir Tawil s climate is according to the Koppen climate classification a very hot desert climate Bwh During the summer months approximately three quarters of the year temperatures can exceed 40 C 104 F while its hottest three months June August can see it as high as 45 C 113 F During the brief winters however December and January being its mildest months Bir Tawil can experience milder temperatures with 26 C 79 F as its usual temperature peak Because the territory is far from the ocean being at least 200 km 120 mi away from the Red Sea the diurnal temperature range throughout the region is large about 20 C 36 F 20 C 68 F year round 6 Climate data for Bir TawilMonth Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec YearAverage high C F 26 79 28 82 32 90 37 99 40 104 42 108 42 108 42 108 41 106 38 100 32 90 27 81 36 96 Average low C F 7 45 8 46 11 52 16 61 20 68 22 72 24 75 24 75 22 72 19 66 13 55 9 48 16 61 Source MeteoBlue com 7 ClaimsDue to its status as de jure code lat promoted to code la unclaimed territory a number of individuals and organizations have attempted to claim Bir Tawil as a micronation None have been taken seriously by the international community however 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 8 9 PopulationBir Tawil has no settled population but members of the Ababda and Bishari tribes pass through the region 8 and unregulated mining camps have been established throughout the territory in search of gold deposits 10 11 See alsoEgypt Sudan border Egypt Sudan relations Halaib Triangle an adjoining area claimed by both Egypt and Sudan Marie Byrd Land an area in Antartica that is also a Terra Nullius Wadi Halfa Salient Liberland a claimed micronation on a similarly unclaimed territory on the contested Croatia Serbia borderReferences Karalekas Dean 2020 Navigating Terra Nullius The Ababda and the Case for Indigenous Land Rights in Bir Tawil PDF Global Journal of Economics and Finance 4 2 41 49 Bonnett Alastair 2014 Bir Tawil Unruly Places Lost Spaces Secret Cities and Other Inscrutable Geographies Houghton Mifflin Harcourt p 73 ISBN 978 0 544 10160 9 LCCN 2013050983 OCLC 890509603 the only place on the planet that is both habitable and unclaimed a b c International Boundary Study Sudan Egypt United Arab Republic Boundary PDF law fsu edu Bureau of Intelligence and Research 27 July 1962 pp 2 3 Archived from the original PDF on 13 January 2014 Retrieved 2019 05 28 Official version of map of Egypt Archived from the original on 2013 05 26 Retrieved 2017 03 05 Egypt CIA World Factbook CIA 2010 ISBN 978 1602397279 Climate Bir Tawil Weather for Bir Tawil MeteoBlue com Retrieved 6 November 2019 a b Shenker Jack 3 March 2016 Welcome to the land that no country wants The Guardian Retrieved 3 March 2016 Ma Alexandra 15 November 2017 This man is the latest in a series of travellers to declare ownership of a bizarre no man s land in north Africa Business Insider Retrieved 7 August 2022 Batya 18 July 2020 Bir Tawil Tracking Kalashnikovs in No Man s Land Reaper Feed Retrieved 19 February 2023 O Connor Robert 27 October 2021 The Battle for the Last Unclaimed Land on Earth VICE News Retrieved 19 February 2023 External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bir Tawil Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Bir Tawil Google Sightseeing Bir Tawil Triangle International Boundary Study Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Bir Tawil amp oldid 1152047615, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
