11 Unclaimed Lands You can Actually Rule (2024)

FAQs

Is there any unclaimed land left on Earth? ›

Rockall. The tiny island rock known as Rockall remains unconquered and has no buildings or people on it. The United Kingdom claimed and incorporated Rockall in 1955 – however the Republic of Ireland have not recognised this claim, insisting Rockall is Irish.

Unclaimed by any country, the Bir Tawil stands alone as terra nullius. On the border of Egypt and Sudan lies one of history's most peculiar regions. Bigger than London and New York, this patch of desert has presented a problem for international lawmakers for over sixty years.

Bir Tawil, wedged unlovingly between Egypt to the north and Sudan to the south, is wanted by neither country. It has no inhabitants and no laws. It is, quite literally, no-man's land.

Marie Byrd Land (MBL) is an unclaimed region of Antarctica. With an area of 1,610,000 km² (620,000 sq mi), it is the largest unclaimed territory on Earth. It was named after the wife of American naval officer Richard E.

Can I claim Bir Tawil? There is no basis in international law for either Sudan or Egypt to claim both territories, and neither nation is willing to cede Hala'ib. With no third state claiming the neglected area, Bir Tawil is one of the few land areas of the world not claimed by any recognised state.

Free Land in Plainville, Kansas

The lot is 155 feet wide by 93 feet deep. They do require all homes must be on a foundation, but this can include a modular home as well. They do not allow single-wide mobile homes. They do require a $500 deposit to hold the property, but it will be refunded once the land is deeded over.

In 1856, the United States Congress passed the Guano Islands Act. This law allowed the United States to claim uninhabited islands if they were uninhabited and unclaimed by any other nation or government.

Seven countries (Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, New Zealand, Norway, and the United Kingdom) maintain territorial claims in Antarctica, but the United States and most other countries do not recognize those claims. While the United States maintains a basis to claim territory in Antarctica, it has not made a claim.

New York State had by far the largest total of unclaimed property, and its rate of unclaimed property per capita was nearly twice that of the number two state, Massachusetts.

The largest unclaimed territory on Earth is in Antarctica. Marie Byrd Land, a 620,000-square-mile collection of glaciers and rock formations, lies in the western portion of the southernmost continent. Because of its remoteness, no nation has ever claimed it.

What are the three laws of the land? ›

In Article VI (the “supremacy clause”), three items are listed as the supreme law of the land: the Constitution; laws of the national government (when consistent with the Constitution); and treaties.

It read: “I, Suyash Dixit, first of my name and the protector of the realm, declare myself as the king of “Kingdom of Dixit". I call myself King Suyash First from today. I declare this unclaimed land of Bir Tawil as my country from now to the eternity of time.

Virtually all islands in the world are claimed and governed by some national government. That nation's laws apply, and any attempt by the owner to claim sovereignty would generally be unrealistic.

The North Sentinel Island in the Bay of Bengal is arguably one of the most isolated places on earth, both through remote location and inaccessible population. The small island of around 60 square km is located off the Norwest coast of Indonesia and has been far from explored.

International Waters/Ocean Floor

Most of the Earth is covered in ocean — and most of the ocean and ocean floor remain unclaimed.

Bir Tawil has no settled population, but members of the Ababda and Bishari tribes pass through the region, and unregulated mining camps have been established throughout the territory in search of gold deposits.

The Bir Tawil, located on the border between Sudan and Egypt, is considered the most undesired territory of land in the world. Since the land has no direct access to water, the surrounding countries, Egypt and Sudan, do not want to claim it.

To become a fully fledged country your state will need to be recognized by the United Nation as was done with South Sudan in 2011. Until you are recognized by the United Nations your state will only be known as a micronation, but if that's good enough for you than go about creating your own micronation/country!

The Homestead Act was finally repealed in 1976, but a provision of the repeal allowed for homesteading to continue in Alaska until 1986. The last Homestead to be awarded under the provisions of the Homestead Act was in 1988.

What country can US citizens own land? ›

Do You Need To Pay Taxes On A Private Island? Yes. Since a private island will likely be under the ownership of a sovereign country, chances are, taxes will need to be paid on it. However, this can be a bit of a gray area when it comes to certain countries and their tax or fee laws.

There are very few cases of airplanes flying over Antarctica. The rough weather conditions and low visibility make it extremely difficult to fly and land a plane over the continent.

Can I get to Antarctica by myself? No. Although Antarctica is open to tourists, you can only travel there by specialist ships and planes – and they need a polar expedition permit to operate there to prove that they're fully prepared and have the expertise on-board needed for the extreme conditions.

The people who travel to or live in Antarctica fall into two main groups, those who live and work on scientific research stations or bases, and tourists. No-one lives in Antarctica indefinitely in the way that they do in the rest of the world. It has no commercial industries, no towns or cities, no permanent residents.

The federal government owns about 640 million acres (2.6 million km²) of land in the United States, about 28% of the total land area of 2.27 billion acres (9.2 million km²).

One surprising thing here is that Texas and Florida didn't show up at all. Maybe it's because those 2 states have such a high amount of immigration right now? So for both 1 acre and 5 acre plots, the cheapest states to buy land in 2023 are New Mexico, Arizona, Mississippi, followed by Colorado and California.

Who owns the most private land in the US? ›

The 2022 Land Report 100, compiled each year by The Land Report magazine, released its annual list of landowners who own the most acres in the United States. The nation's largest private landowners are the Emmerson family in California who own over 2.4 million acres.

Land that is not owned by the federal government may be owned by state or local governments, but much of the remaining land is privately-owned land. Privately-owned land is defined as land owned by an individual or group that is kept for their exclusive use. Privately-owned land is where many Americans live.

This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the Land; and the Judges in every State shall be bound thereby, any Thing in the Constitution or Laws of any ...

The Code of Ur-Nammu is the oldest known law code surviving today. It is from Mesopotamia and is written on tablets, in the Sumerian language c.

The law of the land is the whole body of valid laws, statutory or otherwise, existing and in force in a country or jurisdiction at a particular date. Every valid statute is the “law of the land” with respect to its subject matter.

Maintaining religious harmony and participating in ceremonies were part of the pharaoh's role as head of the religion. As a statesman, the pharaoh made laws, waged war, collected taxes, and oversaw all the land in Egypt (which was owned by the pharaoh).

Bir Tawil is the last truly unclaimed land on earth: a tiny sliver of Africa ruled by no state, inhabited by no permanent residents and governed by no laws.

The flag is flag blue with four stars and a crown on a rocky hill. The area, named Bir Tawil by locals, has now been called the “Kingdom of North Sudan” by Mr Heaton and his family.

Median price: $1,576,000

Surprisingly, USA islands are at the lower end of the world's median price for a private island. One of main reasons for this probably is the large number of affordable islands for sale off the coast of the New England states and Pacific Northwest States, including Alaska.

Can I make my own country from my land? ›

As tempting as it might be to declare your cubicle a sovereign state, customary international law actually does specify minimum standards for statehood. You must have a defined territory. You must have a permanent population. You must have a government.

One of the most frequent questions we've seen online is "Can you rename your Animal Crossing island?" and, unfortunately, once you've picked one, you cannot rename your Animal Crossing island.

“The intense pressures in the deep ocean make it an extremely difficult environment to explore.” Although you don't notice it, the pressure of the air pushing down on your body at sea level is about 15 pounds per square inch. If you went up into space, above the Earth's atmosphere, the pressure would decrease to zero.

The British occupation and division of Egypt and Sudan created one of the world's most interesting borders. Unclaimed by any country, the Bir Tawil stands alone as terra nullius. On the border of Egypt and Sudan lies one of history's most peculiar regions.

To summarize, while the body of water of the sea cannot be owned by anyone, the seabed is owned by the coastal State within the limits of the "territorial sea" and not beyond. However, property rights are not the only way to "control" the sea.

How Much Treasure is Down There? The short answer, Sean Fisher says, is $60 billion. Fisher is a shipwreck hunter at Mel Fisher's Treasures in Key West (Sean is Mel's grandson), and he gives this figure based on his company's historical research.

Marie Byrd Land (MBL) is an unclaimed region of Antarctica. With an area of 1,610,000 km² (620,000 sq mi), it is the largest unclaimed territory on Earth. It was named after the wife of American naval officer Richard E. Byrd, who explored the region in the early 20th century.

Satellite imagery has previously estimated that 20-40% of the Earth's surface is still in relatively good condition and has not been affected by significant human activity. However, a recent study has found that the problem is much worse than previously thought.

Hay reports that nations can claim everything within 12 miles of their own coastline, and archipelago nations can claim anything falling in between their existing islands. Even if an island is farther out — 200 miles away from the coast — nations can still lay claim with the Law of the Sea (also declared by the U.N.).

How much of America's land is unused? ›

Of them, 4,871,270 blocks totaling 4.61 million square kilometers were reported to have no population living inside them. Despite having a population of more than 310 million people, 47 percent of the USA remains unoccupied.

Those empty blocks add up to 4.61 million square km (1.78 million sq. mi), which corresponds to just under 47% of the total area of the United States. So, despite having a population of 310 million – the world's third largest, after China and India – close to half of the U.S. is bereft of human habitation.

Today, America has more than 750 wilderness areas in 44 states and Puerto Rico, from the 6-acre Pelican Island Wilderness in northern Florida to the 9-million-acre Wrangell‒St. Elias Wilderness in Alaska.

Just 5% of Earth's landscape is untouched.

Most of our world is still shrouded in mystery

You'd think that in humanity's three hundred thousand-year history, we'd be intimately familiar with every nook and cranny of Earth. Unsurprisingly, we aren't. In fact, 65% of our planet remains unexplored, most of which lies beneath the oceans.

Virtually all islands in the world are claimed and governed by some national government. That nation's laws apply, and any attempt by the owner to claim sovereignty would generally be unrealistic.

The Guano Islands Act (11 Stat. 119, enacted August 18, 1856, codified at 48 U.S.C. ch. 8 §§ 1411-1419) is a United States federal law passed by the U.S. Congress that enables citizens of the U.S. to take possession in the name of the United States of unclaimed islands containing guano deposits.

The 2022 Land Report 100, compiled each year by The Land Report magazine, released its annual list of landowners who own the most acres in the United States. The nation's largest private landowners are the Emmerson family in California who own over 2.4 million acres.

In a study of USDA reports, Pew found the foreign country that owns the most U.S. land is not China or Russia, but rather, our neighbors north: Canada. Investors from the Great White North, according to the USDA, own about 12.8 million acres of U.S. land, most of it forest land.

New Estimates of Value of Land of the United States (PDF)

Estimates suggest that this 1.89 billion acres of land are collectively worth approximately $23 trillion in 2009 (current prices), with 24% of the land area and $1.8 trillion of the value held by the federal government.

Who owns BLM land? ›

The BLM holds the coal mineral estate to more than 570 million acres (2,300,000 km²) where the owner of the surface is the federal government, a state or local government, or a private entity.

U.S. federal land is land owned by the government of the United States. The United States federal government owns between a quarter and a third of the total land in the United States, approximately six hundred forty million acres of it. The total land area of the United States is just over 2.4 billion acres.

The federal government owns about 640 million acres (2.6 million km²) of land in the United States, about 28% of the total land area of 2.27 billion acres (9.2 million km²).