Greater and Lesser Tunbs

  • Contested territories
  • Administered by Iran
  • Claimed by United Arab Emirates
  • Area 12,3 km²

The Tunbs (Persian: تنب بزرگ و تنب کوچک‎, Arabic: طنب الكبرى و طنب الصغرى) are two Islands in the Persian Gulf. Over the course of time the islands have been ruled by various rulers: the kings of Hormuz, Portuguese colonizers, Persian emperors and the British Empire. The British put the Emirate of Sharjah in control in 1921. In 1971, just two days before the British protectorate was about to end and the United Arab Emirates were formed, Iran seized the opportunity to take the islands by force, claiming that they never acknowledged the possession by others. Iran now administers the islands, but they are claimed by the UAE. The islands’ location near the busy Strait of Hormuz, through which numerous oil tankers pass, gives the islands great strategic importance in the region.

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Taiwan

Taiwan, officially the Republic of China, is a de facto island state in the East Chinese Sea. The People’s Republic of China has consistently claimed sovereignty over Taiwan and refuses diplomatic relations with any country that recognizes this republic. Taiwan is the 22nd-largest economy in the world, and its high-tech industry plays a key role in the global economy, it is unrecognized by most member states of the United Nations. Still, many countries maintain unofficial ties with Taiwan through representative offices and institutions that function as de facto embassies and consulates.

Glorioso Islands

The Glorieuses lie north of Madagaskar and is made up of Grande Glorieuse, Île du Lys and eight rock islets—together they form a coral reef and a lagoon. In 1880 Frenchman Hippolyte Caltaux settled and started a coconut plantation on the largest island, Grande Glorieuse. In the late 19th century the islands were officially claimed by the French and became part of the colony of Mayotte, an insular department of France in the Indian Ocean. The Comores and Madagaskar both claim the islands but the French reinstated their claim when the France–Seychelles Maritime Boundary Agreement was drawn in 2001. Fifteen soldiers are stationed on the islands to ensure the sovereignty of France.

EnenKio

The Kingdom of EnenKio (meaning island of the orange flower), is an atoll located near the Marshall islands that claimed its sovereignty in 1994 after nearly a century of dispute with various colonial powers. The self-declared Kingdom of EnenKio has also claimed Wake Island as a separate sovereign nation and has issued passports. In 1997 the Dominion of Melchizedek, another micronation which was engaged in financial fraud, reported that the two had entered into relations. In 2000, Robert Moore, who claimed to be the head of state of EnenKio, was prevented by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission from fraudulently issuing bonds for the non-existent nation.