Hans Island

  • Contested territories
  • Claimed by Canada, Denmark
  • Population Uninhabited
  • Area 1,3 km²

Hans Island—a large rock of 1.3 km²—lies in the middle of the Nares Strait, which separates Greenland (an autonomous territory of Denmark) from Canada. The island lies within the 12-mile territorial limit off the coast of both Greenland and Canada, allowing both countries to claim it. The border in the channel was set in 1973, but the status of Hans Island was not resolved. This led to a symbolic claim in 1984 by Canadian troops, who planted a flag and left a bottle of Canadian whiskey. This was answered by the Danish minister of Greenland affairs who replaced the flag with a Danish one and left some Danish snaps. This tradition has been held high by both parties. In Greenlandic Hans Island is called Tartupaluk.

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South Ossetia

South Ossetia is a de facto state in South Caucasus, which declared independence from Georgia in 1991. Military conflicts with the Georgian army occurred in 1991-1992, 2004 and 2008. South Ossetia is recognized as a state by the UN member states Russia, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Nauru, and Syria, and by the unrecognized states Transnistria, Abkhazia and Nagorno-Karabakh. It is a very mountainous region at the juncture of Asia and Europe, which struggles economically as employment and supplies are scarce. The region relies heavily on military, political and financial aid from Russia.

Mont Blanc

The Mont Blanc is the highest mountain of the Mont Blanc Massif and one of the highest peaks in Europe. The summit lies at the border between France and Italy. French cartographers claim three of the principal peaks (of which the Mont Blanc is one) within its territory, but this is disputed by the Italians who place the border right on the top of the mountain. This claim is backed up by locals from both sides who suggest the summit should be shared. The first recorded ascent was made on 8th August 1786, marking it the start of modern mountaineering.

Molossia

Originally founded in 1977 as the Grand Republic of Vuldstein, The Republic of Molossia is a micronation run by Kevin Baugh. It lies just outside Virginia City, Nevada in the western United States. It is run humorously as a dictatorial banana-republic with Baugh operating as president. Kevin Baugh continues to pay property taxes on the land although he calls it ‘foreign aid’.