some maritime disputes (see littoral states)
Indonesia
Indonesia has a stated foreign policy objective of
establishing stable fixed land and maritime boundaries with all of
its neighbors; Timor-Leste-Indonesia Boundary Committee has resolved
all but a small portion of the land boundary, but discussions on
maritime boundaries are stalemated over sovereignty of the
uninhabited coral island of Pulau Batek/Fatu Sinai in the north and
alignment with Australian claims in the south; many refugees from
Timor-Leste who left in 2003 still reside in Indonesia and refuse
repatriation; a 1997 treaty between Indonesia and Australia settled
some parts of their maritime boundary but outstanding issues remain;
ICJ's award of Sipadan and Ligitan islands to Malaysia in 2002 left
the sovereignty of Unarang rock and the maritime boundary in the
Ambalat oil block in the Celebes Sea in dispute; the ICJ decision
has prompted Indonesia to assert claims to and to establish a
presence on its smaller outer islands; Indonesia and Singapore
continue to work on finalization of their 1973 maritime boundary
agreement by defining unresolved areas north of Indonesia's Batam
Island; Indonesian secessionists, squatters, and illegal migrants
create repatriation problems for Papua New Guinea; piracy remains a
problem in the Malacca Strait; maritime delimitation talks continue
with Palau; Indonesian groups challenge Australia's claim to Ashmore
Reef; Australia has closed parts of the Ashmore and Cartier Reserve
to Indonesian traditional fishing and placed restrictions on certain
catches
Iran
Iran protests Afghanistan's limiting flow of dammed tributaries
to the Helmand River in periods of drought; Iraq's lack of a
maritime boundary with Iran prompts jurisdiction disputes beyond the
mouth of the Shatt al Arab in the Persian Gulf; Iran and UAE dispute
Tunb Islands and Abu Musa Island, which are occupied by Iran; Iran
stands alone among littoral states in insisting upon a division of
the Caspian Sea into five equal sectors
Iraq
coalition forces assist Iraqis in monitoring internal and
cross-border security; approximately two million Iraqis have fled
the conflict in Iraq, with the majority taking refuge in Syria and
Jordan, and lesser numbers to Egypt, Lebanon, Iran, and Turkey;
Iraq's lack of a maritime boundary with Iran prompts jurisdiction
disputes beyond the mouth of the Shatt al Arab in the Persian Gulf;
Turkey has expressed concern over the autonomous status of Kurds in
Iraq
Ireland
Ireland, Iceland, and the UK dispute Denmark's claim that
the Faroe Islands' continental shelf extends beyond 200 nm
Isle of Man
none
Israel
West Bank and Gaza Strip are Israeli-occupied with current
status subject to the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement -
permanent status to be determined through further negotiation;
Israel continues construction of a "seam line" separation barrier
along parts of the Green Line and within the West Bank; Israel
withdrew its settlers and military from the Gaza Strip and from four
settlements in the West Bank in August 2005; Golan Heights is
Israeli-occupied (Lebanon claims the Shab'a Farms area of Golan
Heights); since 1948, about 350 peacekeepers from the UN Truce
Supervision Organization (UNTSO) headquartered in Jerusalem monitor
ceasefires, supervise armistice agreements, prevent isolated
incidents from escalating, and assist other UN personnel in the
region
Italy
Italy's long coastline and developed economy entices tens of
thousands of illegal immigrants from southeastern Europe and
northern Africa
Jamaica
none
Jan Mayen
none
Japan
the sovereignty dispute over the islands of Etorofu,
Kunashiri, and Shikotan, and the Habomai group, known in Japan as
the "Northern Territories" and in Russia as the "Southern Kuril
Islands," occupied by the Soviet Union in 1945, now administered by
Russia and claimed by Japan, remains the primary sticking point to
signing a peace treaty formally ending World War II hostilities;
Japan and South Korea claim Liancourt Rocks (Take-shima/Dokdo)
occupied by South Korea since 1954; China and Taiwan dispute both
Japan's claims to the uninhabited islands of the Senkaku-shoto
(Diaoyu Tai) and Japan's unilaterally declared exclusive economic
zone in the East China Sea, the site of intensive hydrocarbon
prospecting
Jersey
none
Jordan
approximately two million Iraqis have fled the conflict in
Iraq, with the majority taking refuge in Syria and Jordan; 2004
Agreement settles border dispute with Syria pending demarcation
Kazakhstan
Kyrgyzstan has yet to ratify the 2001 boundary
delimitation with Kazakhstan; field demarcation of the boundaries
with Turkmenistan commenced in 2005, and with Uzbekistan in 2004;
demarcation is scheduled to get underway with Russia in 2007;
demarcation with China was completed in 2002; creation of a seabed
boundary with Turkmenistan in the Caspian Sea remains under
discussion; equidistant seabed treaties have been ratified with
Azerbaijan and Russia in the Caspian Sea, but no resolution has been
made on dividing the water column among any of the littoral states
Kenya
Kenya served as an important mediator in brokering Sudan's
north-south separation in February 2005; Kenya provides shelter to
almost a quarter of a million refugees, including Ugandans who flee
across the border periodically to seek protection from Lord's
Resistance Army (LRA) rebels; Kenya works hard to prevent the clan
and militia fighting in Somalia from spreading across the border,
which has long been open to nomadic pastoralists; the boundary that
separates Kenya's and Sudan's sovereignty is unclear in the "Ilemi
Triangle," which Kenya has administered since colonial times
Kiribati
none
Korea, North
risking arrest, imprisonment, and deportation, tens of
thousands of North Koreans cross into China to escape famine,
economic privation, and political oppression; North Korea and China
dispute the sovereignty of certain islands in Yalu and Tumen rivers;
Military Demarcation Line within the 4-km wide Demilitarized Zone
has separated North from South Korea since 1953; periodic incidents
in the Yellow Sea with South Korea which claims the Northern
Limiting Line as a maritime boundary; North Korea supports South
Korea in rejecting Japan's claim to Liancourt Rocks
(Tok-do/Take-shima)
Korea, South
Military Demarcation Line within the 4-km wide
Demilitarized Zone has separated North from South Korea since 1953;
periodic incidents with North Korea in the Yellow Sea over the
Northern Limiting Line, which South Korea claims as a maritime
boundary; South Korea and Japan claim Liancourt Rocks
(Tok-do/Take-shima), occupied by South Korea since 1954
Kosovo
Serbia with several other states protest the US and other
states' recognition of Kosovo's declaring itself as a sovereign and
independent state in February 2008; ethnic Serbian municipalities
along Kosovo's northern border challenge final status of
Kosovo-Serbia boundary; several thousand NATO-led KFOR peacekeepers
under UNMIK authority continue to keep the peace within Kosovo
between the ethnic Albanian majority and the Serb minority in
Kosovo; Kosovo and Macedonia completed demarcation of their boundary
in September 2008
Kuwait
Kuwait and Saudi Arabia continue negotiating a joint maritime
boundary with Iran; no maritime boundary exists with Iraq in the
Persian Gulf
Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan has yet to ratify the 2001 boundary
delimitation with Kazakhstan; disputes in Isfara Valley delay
completion of delimitation with Tajikistan; delimitation of 130 km
of border with Uzbekistan is hampered by serious disputes around
enclaves and other areas
Laos
Southeast Asian states have enhanced border surveillance to
check the spread of avian flu; talks continue on completion of
demarcation with Thailand but disputes remain over islands in the
Mekong River; concern among Mekong Commission members that China's
construction of dams on the Mekong River will affect water levels
Latvia
Russia demands better Latvian treatment of ethnic Russians in
Latvia; as of January 2007, ground demarcation of the boundary with
Belarus was complete and mapped with final ratification
documentation in preparation; the Latvian parliament has not
ratified its 1998 maritime boundary treaty with Lithuania, primarily
due to concerns over oil exploration rights; as a member state that
forms part of the EU's external border, Latvia has implemented the
strict Schengen border rules with Russia
Lebanon
lacking a treaty or other documentation describing the
boundary, portions of the Lebanon-Syria boundary are unclear with
several sections in dispute; since 2000, Lebanon has claimed Shab'a
Farms area in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights; the roughly
2,000-strong UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has been in place
since 1978
Lesotho
none
Liberia
although civil unrest continues to abate with the assistance
of 18,000 UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) peacekeepers, as of January
2007, Liberian refugees still remain in Guinea, Cote d'Ivoire,
Sierra Leone, and Ghana; Liberia, in turn, shelters refugees fleeing
turmoil in Cote d'Ivoire; despite the presence of over 9,000 UN
forces (UNOCI) in Cote d'Ivoire since 2004, ethnic conflict
continues to spread into neighboring states who can no longer send
their migrant workers to Ivorian cocoa plantations; UN sanctions ban
Liberia from exporting diamonds and timber
Libya
Libya has claimed more than 32,000 sq km in southeastern
Algeria and about 25,000 sq km in the Tommo region of Niger in a
currently dormant dispute; various Chadian rebels from the Aozou
region reside in southern Libya
Liechtenstein
none
Lithuania
Lithuania and Russia committed to demarcating their
boundary in 2006 in accordance with the land and maritime treaty
ratified by Russia in May 2003 and by Lithuania in 1999; Lithuania
operates a simplified transit regime for Russian nationals traveling
from the Kaliningrad coastal exclave into Russia, while still
conforming, as a EU member state having an external border with a
non-EU member, to strict Schengen border rules; the Latvian
parliament has not ratified its 1998 maritime boundary treaty with
Lithuania, primarily due to concerns over potential hydrocarbons; as
of January 2007, ground demarcation of the boundary with Belarus was
complete and mapped with final ratification documents in preparation
Luxembourg
none
Macau
none
Macedonia
Kosovo and Macedonia completed demarcation of their
boundary in September 2008; Greece continues to reject the use of
the name Macedonia or Republic of Macedonia
Madagascar
claims Bassas da India, Europa Island, Glorioso Islands,
and Juan de Nova Island (all administered by France)
Malawi
disputes with Tanzania over the boundary in Lake Nyasa (Lake
Malawi) and the meandering Songwe River remain dormant
Malaysia
Malaysia has asserted sovereignty over the Spratly Islands
together with China, Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam, and possibly
Brunei; while the 2002 "Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the
South China Sea" has eased tensions over the Spratly Islands, it is
not the legally binding "code of conduct" sought by some parties;
Malaysia was not party to the March 2005 joint accord among the
national oil companies of China, the Philippines, and Vietnam on
conducting marine seismic activities in the Spratly Islands;
disputes continue over deliveries of fresh water to Singapore,
Singapore's land reclamation, bridge construction, and maritime
boundaries in the Johor and Singapore Straits; in November 2007, the
ICJ will hold public hearings in response to the memorials and
countermemorials filed by the parties in 2003 and 2005 over
sovereignty of Pedra Branca Island/Pulau Batu Puteh, Middle Rocks
and South Ledge; ICJ awarded Ligitan and Sipadan islands, also
claimed by Indonesia and Philippines, to Malaysia but left maritime
boundary and sovereignty of Unarang rock in the hydrocarbon-rich
Celebes Sea in dispute; separatist violence in Thailand's
predominantly Muslim southern provinces prompts measures to close
and monitor border with Malaysia to stem terrorist activities;
Philippines retains a dormant claim to Malaysia's Sabah State in
northern Borneo; Brunei and Malaysia agreed in September 2008 to
resolve their offshore and deepwater seabed dispute, resume
hydrocarbon exploration and renounce any territorial claims on land;
piracy remains a problem in the Malacca Strait
Maldives
none
Mali
none
Malta
none
Marshall Islands
claims US territory of Wake Island
Mauritania
Mauritanian claims to Western Sahara remain dormant
Mauritius
Mauritius claims the Chagos Archipelago (UK-administered
British Indian Ocean Territory), and its former inhabitants, who
reside chiefly in Mauritius; claims French-administered Tromelin
Island
Mayotte
claimed by Comoros
Mexico
abundant rainfall in recent years along much of the Mexico-US
border region has ameliorated periodically strained water-sharing
arrangements; the US has intensified security measures to monitor
and control legal and illegal personnel, transport, and commodities
across its border with Mexico; Mexico must deal with thousands of
impoverished Guatemalans and other Central Americans who cross the
porous border looking for work in Mexico and the United States
Micronesia, Federated States of
none
Moldova
Moldova and Ukraine operate joint customs posts to monitor
the transit of people and commodities through Moldova's break-away
Transnistria region, which remains under OSCE supervision
Monaco
none
Mongolia
none
Montenegro
none
Montserrat
none
Morocco
claims and administers Western Sahara whose sovereignty
remains unresolved - UN-administered cease-fire has remained in
effect since September 1991, but attempts to hold a referendum have
failed and parties thus far have rejected all brokered proposals;
Morocco protests Spain's control over the coastal enclaves of Ceuta,
Melilla, and Penon de Velez de la Gomera, the islands of Penon de
Alhucemas and Islas Chafarinas, and surrounding waters; discussions
have not progressed on a comprehensive maritime delimitation,
setting limits on resource exploration and refugee interdiction,
since Morocco's 2002 rejection of Spain's unilateral designation of
a median line from the Canary Islands; Morocco serves as one of the
primary launching areas of illegal migration into Spain from North
Africa
Mozambique
none
Namibia
concerns from international experts and local populations
over the Okavango Delta ecology in Botswana and human displacement
scuttled Namibian plans to construct a hydroelectric dam on Popa
Falls along the Angola-Namibia border; managed dispute with South
Africa over the location of the boundary in the Orange River;
Namibia has supported, and in 2004 Zimbabwe dropped objections to,
plans between Botswana and Zambia to build a bridge over the Zambezi
River, thereby de facto recognizing a short, but not clearly
delimited, Botswana-Zambia boundary in the river
Nauru
none
Navassa Island
claimed by Haiti, source of subsistence fishing
Nepal
joint border commission continues to work on contested
sections of boundary with India, including the 400 square kilometer
dispute over the source of the Kalapani River; India has instituted
a stricter border regime to restrict transit of Maoist insurgents
and illegal cross-border activities; approximately 106,000 Bhutanese
Lhotshampas (Hindus) have been confined in refugee camps in
southeastern Nepal since 1990
Netherlands
none
Netherlands Antilles
none
New Caledonia
Matthew and Hunter Islands east of New Caledonia
claimed by France and Vanuatu
New Zealand
asserts a territorial claim in Antarctica (Ross
Dependency)
Nicaragua
memorials and countermemorials were filed by the parties
in Nicaragua's 1999 and 2001 proceedings against Honduras and
Colombia at the ICJ over the maritime boundary and territorial
claims in the western Caribbean Sea, final public hearings are
scheduled for 2007; the 1992 ICJ ruling for El Salvador and Honduras
advised a tripartite resolution to establish a maritime boundary in
the Gulf of Fonseca, which considers Honduran access to the Pacific;
legal dispute over navigational rights of San Juan River on border
with Costa Rica
Niger
Libya claims about 25,000 sq km in a currently dormant dispute
in the Tommo region; much of Benin-Niger boundary, including
tripoint with Nigeria, remains undemarcated; only Nigeria and
Cameroon have heeded the Lake Chad Commission's admonition to ratify
the delimitation treaty which also includes the Chad-Niger and
Niger-Nigeria boundaries
Nigeria
Joint Border Commission with Cameroon reviewed 2002 ICJ
ruling on the entire boundary and bilaterally resolved differences,
including June 2006 Greentree Agreement that immediately cedes
sovereignty of the Bakassi Peninsula to Cameroon with a phase-out of
Nigerian control within two years while resolving patriation issues;
the ICJ ruled on an equidistance settlement of Cameroon-Equatorial
Guinea-Nigeria maritime boundary in the Gulf of Guinea, but
imprecisely defined coordinates in the ICJ decision and a
sovereignty dispute between Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon over an
island at the mouth of the Ntem River all contribute to the delay in
implementation; only Nigeria and Cameroon have heeded the Lake Chad
Commission's admonition to ratify the delimitation treaty which also
includes the Chad-Niger and Niger-Nigeria boundaries
Niue
none
Norfolk Island
none
Northern Mariana Islands
none
Norway
Norway asserts a territorial claim in Antarctica (Queen Maud
Land and its continental shelf); despite dialogue, Russia and Norway
continue to dispute their maritime limits in the Barents Sea and
Russia's fishing rights beyond Svalbard's territorial limits within
the Svalbard Treaty zone
Oman
boundary agreement reportedly signed and ratified with UAE in
2003 for entire border, including Oman's Musandam Peninsula and Al
Madhah exclave, but details of the alignment have not been made
public
Pacific Ocean
some maritime disputes (see littoral states)
Pakistan
various talks and confidence-building measures cautiously
have begun to defuse tensions over Kashmir, particularly since the
October 2005 earthquake in the region; Kashmir nevertheless remains
the site of the world's largest and most militarized territorial
dispute with portions under the de facto administration of China
(Aksai Chin), India (Jammu and Kashmir), and Pakistan (Azad Kashmir
and Northern Areas); UN Military Observer Group in India and
Pakistan (UNMOGIP) has maintained a small group of peacekeepers
since 1949; India does not recognize Pakistan's ceding historic
Kashmir lands to China in 1964; India and Pakistan have maintained
their 2004 cease fire in Kashmir and initiated discussions on
defusing the armed stand-off in the Siachen glacier region; Pakistan
protests India's fencing the highly militarized Line of Control and
construction of the Baglihar Dam on the Chenab River in Jammu and
Kashmir, which is part of the larger dispute on water sharing of the
Indus River and its tributaries; to defuse tensions and prepare for
discussions on a maritime boundary, India and Pakistan seek
technical resolution of the disputed boundary in Sir Creek estuary
at the mouth of the Rann of Kutch in the Arabian Sea; Pakistani maps
continue to show the Junagadh claim in India's Gujarat State; by
2005, Pakistan, with UN assistance, repatriated 2.3 million Afghan
refugees leaving slightly more than a million, many of whom remain
at their own choosing; Pakistan has proposed and Afghanistan
protests construction of a fence and laying of mines along portions
of their porous border; Pakistan has sent troops into remote tribal
areas to monitor and control the border with Afghanistan and to stem
terrorist or other illegal activities
Palau
maritime delineation negotiations continue with Philippines,
Indonesia
Panama
organized illegal narcotics operations in Colombia operate
within the remote border region with Panama
Papua New Guinea
relies on assistance from Australia to keep out
illegal cross-border activities from primarily Indonesia, including
goods smuggling, illegal narcotics trafficking, and squatters and
secessionists
Paracel Islands
occupied by China, also claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam
Paraguay
unruly region at convergence of Argentina-Brazil-Paraguay
borders is locus of money laundering, smuggling, arms and illegal
narcotics trafficking, and fundraising for extremist organizations
Peru
Chile and Ecuador rejected Peru's November 2005 unilateral
legislation to shift the axis of their joint treaty-defined maritime
boundaries along the parallels of latitude to equidistance lines
which favor Peru; organized illegal narcotics operations in Colombia
have penetrated Peru's shared border; Peru rejects Bolivia's claim
to restore maritime access through a sovereign corridor through
Chile along the Peruvian border
Philippines
Philippines claims sovereignty over certain of the
Spratly Islands, known locally as the Kalayaan (Freedom) Islands,
also claimed by China, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Vietnam; the 2002
"Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea," has
eased tensions in the Spratly Islands but falls short of a legally
binding "code of conduct" desired by several of the disputants; in
March 2005, the national oil companies of China, the Philippines,
and Vietnam signed a joint accord to conduct marine seismic
activities in the Spratly Islands; Philippines retains a dormant
claim to Malaysia's Sabah State in northern Borneo based on the
Sultanate of Sulu's granting the Philippines Government power of
attorney to pursue a sovereignty claim on his behalf; maritime
delimitation negotiations continue with Palau
Pitcairn Islands
none
Poland
as a member state that forms part of the EU's external
border, Poland has implemented the strict Schengen border rules to
restrict illegal immigration and trade along its eastern borders
with Belarus and Ukraine
Portugal
Portugal does not recognize Spanish sovereignty over the
territory of Olivenza based on a difference of interpretation of the
1815 Congress of Vienna and the 1801 Treaty of Badajoz
Puerto Rico
increasing numbers of illegal migrants from the
Dominican Republic cross the Mona Passage to Puerto Rico each year
looking for work
Qatar
none
Romania
the ICJ gave Ukraine until December 2006 to reply, and
Romania until June 2007 to issue a rejoinder, in their dispute
submitted in 2004 over Ukrainian-administered Zmiyinyy/Serpilor
(Snake) Island and Black Sea maritime boundary delimitation; Romania
also opposes Ukraine's reopening of a navigation canal from the
Danube border through Ukraine to the Black Sea