Bir Tawil land that no country wants to claim (Image: Getty)
is a 2,060-square-kilometer stretch of desert in Africa that no country claims.
Between and , this barren expanse lacks governance, recognition and any real owner.
Unlike other borderlands, Bir Tawil is not a prize but a geographical oddity, a piece of Earth left untouched by national flags and political ambitions.
Its story is one of historical quirks, international boundaries and the surprising reality that some land can indeed be unwanted.
The origins of Bir Tawil’s unclaimed status date back to colonial-era boundary agreements between Egypt and Sudan.
:
Bir Tawil is situated between Sudan and Egypt (Image: Getty)
In 1899, Britain established an administrative boundary placing Bir Tawil under Sudanese control and the nearby Hala’ib Triangle under Egypt.
However, a subsequent 1902 map swapped the administrative oversight, assigning Hala’ib to Sudan and Bir Tawil to Egypt. Fast-forward to today, and both nations claim the Hala’ib Triangle due to its coastal access and resources.
Conversely, neither wants Bir Tawil, as claiming it would weaken their position over the more desirable Hala’ib area. This quirk of history has left Bir Tawil in a geopolitical limbo, unclaimed and unadministered.
Bir Tawil is a desolate stretch of land with no significant resources, water or permanent settlements.
Its arid environment, scorching temperatures, and isolation make it one of the least hospitable places on Earth. Without strategic value or natural wealth, it offers little incentive for occupation, further cementing its unclaimed status.
Jeremiah Heaton ‘claimed’ Bir Tawil for his daughter (Image: Getty)
Don’t miss… [TRAVEL]
Despite its lack of appeal to nations, Bir Tawil has captured the imagination of adventurers and opportunists.
Over the years, individuals have journeyed to the desert, planting flags and declaring their own micronations.
One such attempt came in 2014, when an American man, Jeremiah Heaton, claimed Bir Tawil to fulfill his daughter’s dream of being a princess, dubbing it the “Kingdom of North Sudan.”
Such declarations, however, hold no legal standing, as international law only recognizes claims made by sovereign nations.
Its arid environment, scorching temperatures, and isolation make it one of the least hospitable places on Earth. Without strategic value or natural wealth, it offers little incentive for occupation.
While most of the world’s disputes involve countries fighting over land, this unassuming patch of desert reminds us that geography and history can sometimes produce anomalies where no one wants to stake a claim.
For now, Bir Tawil stands as a literal no-man’s-land.