How much of the world isn’t owned by anyone?

Episode Summary

Executive Summary: The episode investigates how much of Earth truly belongs to no one, distinguishing between unowned ocean and rare pockets of unclaimed land. It explains that about 43% of the planet’s surface is high seas, governed as common maritime space, while unowned land is minuscule and mostly in Antarctica. It also highlights political edge cases like Bir Tawil and Gornja Siga, where border disputes effectively leave land terra nullius.

Main Topics: High seas as common global space (Priority: 5/5): The episode begins with ocean territory beyond 200 nautical miles from shore, which international law treats as high seas open to fishing, research, and shared use rather than ownership. Historical roots of free seas doctrine (Priority: 4/5): It traces the idea of non-ownership of the seas to Hugo Grotius and Mare Liberum, which argued that the sea cannot be privately possessed because it is inexhaustible in use. Terra nullius and colonial land claims (Priority: 5/5): The discussion explains terra nullius as a doctrine used to claim land deemed unclaimed or unoccupied, noting its controversial role in colonial conquest and its use to justify seizure of inhabited territories. Antarctica’s unclaimed Marie Byrd Land (Priority: 5/5): The largest remaining land area not claimed by any country is Marie Byrd Land in Antarctica, left unclaimed partly due to extreme remoteness and the Antarctic Treaty’s freeze on new territorial claims. Bir Tawil and the Egypt-Sudan border anomaly (Priority: 5/5): Bir Tawil is presented as a de facto unowned region because Egypt and Sudan each prefer a different border definition that preserves their claim to the more valuable Halaib Triangle, leaving Bir Tawil unclaimed. Gornja Siga and the Liberland project (Priority: 4/5): A similarly unowned pocket between Croatia and Serbia arose from shifting Danube boundaries; a Czech libertarian has proclaimed it Liberland, though it lacks recognition and faces enforcement by Croatian authorities.

Key Arguments: Most of Earth's unowned surface is ocean, not land, so the question of 'unowned territory' is largely about maritime law rather than vacant continents. International law has long treated the high seas as a shared commons, rooted in the principle that something cannot be owned if its use is effectively limitless. Terra nullius was historically used to legitimize colonial land grabs by treating inhabited places as if they were empty because they lacked Western state structures. The largest unclaimed landmass is Marie Byrd Land, but its remoteness and the Antarctic Treaty make territorial claims unlikely. Bir Tawil and Gornja Siga are effectively unowned because neighboring states have conflicting border claims that make claiming these pockets strategically disadvantageous. Self-declared microstates like Liberland show that unclaimed land does not automatically confer internationally recognized sovereignty.

Data Points: High seas share of Earth's surface: About 43% - Surface area beyond 200 miles from coast, treated as international waters and open to common use. Marie Byrd Land area: 620,000 square miles - Largest area in Antarctica not claimed by any country. Antarctic Treaty year: 1959 - Treaty froze territorial claims in Antarctica and prevented new ones. Bir Tawil claim status: 0 recognized sovereign claims - De facto terra nullius because Egypt and Sudan each avoid claiming it. Liberland area: 700 hectares - Self-declared micronation established by a Czech politician in the Gornja Siga area. Liberland citizenship fee: $10,000 - Reported fee to become a citizen of the self-declared state. Gornja Siga claim status: De facto unowned pocket - Border dispute between Croatia and Serbia over shifting Danube course. Time reference for Richard Byrd exploration: About 100 years ago - Used to explain the naming of Marie Byrd Land. Time since Marie Byrd's death: About 60 years ago - Referenced in the story behind the Antarctic place name.

Pivotal Quotes: "As soon as you get 200 miles away from anyone's coastline, that's called the high seas" — Mark Cooper Jones: Defines the legal boundary for international waters and explains why much of the ocean is effectively unowned. "terra nullius, which basically means nobody's land" — Mark Cooper Jones: Introduces the legal concept used for unclaimed land and colonial-era territorial assertions. "trying to visit those territories might get you arrested" — Lizzie McNeill: Summarizes the practical reality that these disputed or unclaimed areas are not open to casual settlement.

Implications: The episode shows that truly unowned land is vanishingly rare, while ocean commons remain vast. For listeners, it underscores how law, history, and border politics—not emptiness alone—determine whether territory is claimable.