Disputed territories
Connected Sites
| Site | Rationale | Link |
| Al Ain | Saudi Arabia claimed a large part of Abu Dhabi territory including the Buraimi Oasis where Al Ain is situated. Fighting took place in the 1950's involving the Trucial Oman Scouts - the British organised paramilitary unit for the "Trucial states. Saudi forces and supporters were expelled. In 1974 the Treaty of Jeddah was negotiated and Saudi in effect withdrew its claim but gaining elsewhere. UAE has never ratified this treaty. | |
| Battir | Lies virtually on the Green Line that divides Israeli and Palestine lands | |
| Bethlehem | The pilgrimage route passes through East Jerusalem. | |
| Daphni, Hosios Loukas and Nea Moni of Chios | Nea Moni of Chios: Turkey disputes the Greek sovereignty over the islands of Limnos, Samothrace, Lesvos, Samos, Chios and Ikaria. | |
| Gorham's Cave Complex | The sovereignty of Gibraltar is a major point of contention in Anglo-Spanish relations as Spain asserts a claim to the territory (wiki) | |
| Hebron/Al-Khalil Old Town | Lies on the West Bank. The city is divided into two sectors: H1, controlled by the Palestinian Authority and H2, roughly 20% of the city, administered by Israel. | |
| Kaeng Krachan Forest | Dispute Borderline between Thailand and Myanmar which caused 15% reduction of original proposal sites to avoid border issue. | |
| Kinabalu Park | The Philippines has a "dormant" claim on the territory of Sabah on the grounds that it was leased to the British North Borneo Company by the Sultan of Sulu (who had been given it by the Sultan of Brunei)without rights of transference. either to the British norr by them to Malaysia. The issue has re-arisen recently because of conflicting maritime claims in the Sulu Sea | |
| Lednice-Valtice Cultural Landscape | "At the close of the conflict [WWII], Czechoslovakia and Poland, acting to seize what they considered German possessions, expropriated all of the Liechtenstein dynasty's properties in those three regions. The expropriations (subject to modern legal dispute at the International Court of Justice) included over 1,600 km2 (618 sq mi) of agricultural and forest land (most notably the UNESCO listed Lednice–Valtice Cultural Landscape), and several family castles and palaces." | |
| Lorentz National Park | Lies in West-Papua | |
| Los Glaciares | At the 1981 WHC in Sydney Chile tabled a formal statement including:- "The Government of Chile will study the possibility of presenting, in the near future, for inscription in the World Heritage List, the sector of the Glaciers' Region located within its national jurisdiction". Argentina's reply included "the Argentine Delegation rejects firmly this unwarranted declaration all the more so as the whole area of the "National Park Los Glaciares" is unquestionably situated in Argentinian territory. This is the first time that Chile attempts to call in question the frontiers in that region. The "Parque Nacional Los Glaciares" was established in 1937 and, there exists an effective, peaceful and up to this day uncontested occupation by Argentina of this whole zone which belongs to it in accordance with the Treaty on frontiers signed by Argentina and Chile in 1881." In 1985 Argentina created the town of El Chalten inside the park to cement its claim/hold. | |
| Medieval Monuments in Kosovo | All 4 monuments are now located in the de facto state of Kosovo, which territory is claimed by Serbia | |
| Old City of Jerusalem | ||
| Potala Palace | ||
| Preah Vihear Temple | "In 1962 the ICJ ruled that only the temple building belonged to Cambodia, while the direct way to access the temple was from Thailand,[4] but currently, ..., the only access is from inside Cambodia." (wiki) | |
| Pythagoreion and Heraion of Samos | Turkey disputes the Greek sovereignty over the islands of Limnos, Samothrace, Lesvos, Samos, Chios and Ikaria. | |
| Qinghai Hoh Xil | Free Tibet claims Qinghai (Amdo) as a part of independent Tibet. | |
| Silk Roads: Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor | Lies partly in the Uyghur AR | |
| Tauric Chersonese | Crimea | |
| Timbuktu | Claimed by by the Tuareg rebels of the MNLA, as part of the nation of Azawad | |
| Tomb of Askia | In Gao, claimed as their capital by the Tuareg rebels of the MNLA, as part of the nation of Azawad | |
| Wadden Sea | Disputed area in the Ems-Dollard Estuary between Netherlands and Germany (left out of the WHS core zone): the Dutch believe that the border runs through the geographical centre of the estuary, whereas the Germans claim it runs through the deepest channel (which is close to the Dutch coast). As the parties are friendly states with an open border, the argument goes no further than an agreement to disagree (wiki) | |
| Wrangel Island | By some groups in USA | |
| Xinjiang Tianshan | East Turkestan |
Suggestions?
Do you know of another WHS we could connect to Disputed territories?
A connection should:
- Not be "self evident"
- Link at least 3 different sites
- Not duplicate or merely subdivide the "Category" assignment already identified on this site.
- Add some knowledge or insight (whether significant or trivial!) about WHS for the users of this site
- Be explained, with reference to a source