Dear colleagues,

Please find below the answers to the quiz posted in December. As in previous
years, I have discovered that some of the answers are not quite as
straightforward as we anticipated when we set the questions - but that is
part of the fun of the exercise! If anyone disagrees with any of the answers
I have suggested, please feel free to post any additional information that
you feel is relevant.

This years winner is last year's runner-up, Pierre Zakia, with Paul Ayers
and his colleagues at Military Survey a very close second. Congratulations
to both!

I look forward to you contributions to the int-boundaries list in the coming
year.

Best wishes,

m a r t i n


THE 1998 INT-BOUNDARIES CHRISTMAS QUIZ - ANSWERS

1. In 1998:

a) Where was the creation of a new maritime boundary prevented by just 200
votes?

Between the Caribbean islands of Saint Kitts and Nevis. On 10th August the
population of Nevis voted on whether to end the federation with the
neighbouring island of Saint Kitts. 3936 votes were cast, 2427 of which were
in favour of independence - 200 votes short of the two-thirds majority
required.

b) Where did nearly 95% of voters agree to withdraw a longstanding national
territorial claim?

The Republic of Ireland. In a referendum following the Good Friday peace
agreement in Belfast, the people of the Republic voted overwhelmingly
(albeit with a modest turnout) in favour of dropping the Constitutional
definition of the national territory as the whole island of Ireland and
replacing it with clauses expressing the desirability of a united Ireland,
subject to the approval of the majority of the people in both jurisdictions
in the island.

c) Who came to blows in Badme?

Badme is one of the areas where Eritrea and Ethiopia dispute the alignment
of their 1,000km border. It lies towards the western end of the border
between the Ethiopian highlands and the Atbara river and was the scene of
fighting between troops from the two countries in May.

d) Why were the Mohabbakah Islands in the news?

They are one of the groups of islands in the Red Sea whose sovereignty was
determined by the Eritrea-Yemen Arbitration Tribunal. They were awarded to
Eritrea.

2. What is the longest international land boundary?

Canada-USA if you include lake boundaries (8891km in total, 5061km of which
is 'land'). Kazakhstan-Russia, at 6846km, is the winner if you don't.

3. And what is the shortest?

The China-Macao boundary is just 0.34km long. If countries connected by
bridges or causeways count, then Malaysia-Singapore or Bahrain-Saudi Arabia
are probably even shorter. Botswana-Zambia and Namibia-Zimbabwe are also
candidates, although my understanding is that the alignment of the
boundaries at this potential quadripoint has yet to be agreed.

4. How many land boundary tripoints are there?

I counted 150 (including tripoints in lakes) but if I counted again I
wouldn't be at all surprised if I came up with a slightly different
figure....

5. How many maritime boundaries have been agreed? How many remain to be
agreed?

This one is definitely open to interpretation but, building on Bob Smith's
calculations in 1990 (Limits in the Seas No. 108), I reckon there have now
been 164 maritime boundary agreements, leaving 256 to go....

6. How many boundary/territorial disputes are currently before international
courts or abitration tribunals?

Five: Bahrain-Qatar, Cameroon-Nigeria, Botswana-Namibia, Indonesia-Malaysia
(all before the ICJ) and Eritrea-Yemen (before an Arbitration Tribunal).

7. Who wrote the following:
a) Boundary-Making: A Handbook for Statesmen, Treaty Editors and Boundary
Commissioners - Stephen Jones
b) Boundaries, Possessions and Conflicts in South America - Gordon Ireland
c) The Maritime Political Boundaries of the World - Victor Prescott
d) Standing Your Ground: Territorial Disputes and International Conflict -
Paul Huth
e) Fronts et Frontiers - Michel Foucher

8. Who had a hit in 1982 with a song entitled 'Borderline'?

The one and only Madonna.

9. True or False? There is an area of the South China Sea claimed by China,
Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines and Brunei.

True - although it's much smaller than many people think (roughly 250 square
nautical miles).

10. Are there any areas of unclaimed land territory?

An area of Antarctica between 90 and 150 degrees west is not subject to any
national claim. There is also a small area of territory along the disputed
boundary between Saudi Arabia and Yemen which lies outside the published
claims of both countries.

11. How many land boundaries can you identify where the side of the road on
which you drive changes as you cross the border?

I was aware of 12 in Africa (see below) but Pierre has suggested that there
are also 11 in Asia and 4 in South America, making a total of 27. I believe
it is also still necessary to switch sides when crossing between Hong Kong
and mainland China.

Angola-Namibia
Angola-Zambia
Democratic Republic of Congo-Zambia
Burundi-Tanzania
Rwanda-Tanzania
Rwanda-Uganda
Democratic Republic of Congo-Uganda
Mozambique-South Africa
Mozambique-Zimbabwe
Mozambique-Malawi
Mozambique-Zambia
Mozambique-Tanzania

12. Where does crossing a land boundary place you in a time zone two hours
behind the one from which you came?

I originally thought this only occurred when you cross from the Spanish
exclaves of Ceuta or Melilla into Morocco during the summer (during the
winter the difference is only one hour). However, I have subsequently
learned that it also happens when you cross from China into Burma,
Kazakhstan, the Eastern Hills of India and (I think) Bhutan. If you were
adventurous enough to attempt to cross from China into Jammu and Kashmir,
the difference would be two and a half hours.

13. Which countries claim sovereignty over the following islands:
a) Duwayyimah - Saudi Arabia and Yemen
b) South Talpatty Island - Bangladesh and India
c) Juan de Nova - France and Madagascar
d) Clipperton Island - France and Mexico was the answer I was thinking of,
but I have subsequently been informed that there is no dispute over this
tiny island nearly 600 miles off the southwest coast of Mexico. In recent
years there have been reports of a revival of Mexican interest in the
island, but the Mexican Embassy in the USA has informed Brad Thomas that
Mexico continues to respect the the 1931 arbitration by King Victor Emmanuel
III of Italy, who awarded the island to France. Thanks for the information
Brad!

14. Where is the "Actual Ground Position Line"?

On the Siachen glacier at the far north of the boundary between India and
Pakistan. It is the line India recognises as the de facto boundary from the
northernmost point of the agreed Line of Control to the Chinese border. It
marks the forwardmost positions held by Indian troops following fighting on
the glacier in 1984.

15. How many States have now ratified the United Nations Convention on the
Law of the Sea? And how many have complied with the Convention's requirement
to deposit charts or lists of geographical coordinates defining straight
baselines and the outer limits of claimed maritime zones with the
Secretary-General?

130 States have now ratified the Convention. Fourteen have deposited details
of their maritime claims, namely Argentina, China, Costa Rica, Cyprus,
Finland, Germany, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Myanmar, Norway, Romania, Sao Tome
and Principe, and Spain.

16. How many States which have ratified the Law of the Sea Convention claim
a territorial sea whose breadth exceeds 12 nautical miles?

I have to confess that I'm not entirely clear. I thought the answer was ten.
However, I also thought that the total number of States with territorial Sea
claims in excess of 12nm was fifteen, but I understand the total is now just
eleven. The following are my fifteen (with parties to the Convention marked
with an asterisk); perhaps someone could enlighten me as which four have
rolled their claims back to 12nm?
Angola*, Benin*, Cameroon*, Congo, Ecuador, El Salvador, Liberia*,
Nicaragua*, Panama*, Peru, Sierra Leone*, Somalia*, Syria, Togo*, Uruguay*.

17. What were the key territorial elements of the peace agreement signed by
Ecuador and Peru on 26 October?

a) The disputed boundary in the Cordillera del Condor will follow the line
defined in the 1942 Rio Protocol.
b) The two countries will establish contiguous ecological parks adjacent to
the newly-confirmed border; native communities in the region will be allowed
to cross freely between the two parks.
c) Ecuador will gain title over a 1 sq. km area in Peruvian territory known
as Tiwinza, the scene of heavy fighting and Ecuadorian casualties in 1995.
However, formal sovereignty over Tiwinza will remain with Peru.
d) Peru will grant Ecuador unrestricted navigation rights on the Amazon and
its northern tributaries. In addition, two 150 hectare Ecuadorian centres
for trade and navigation will be established onthe banks of the Maranon
River under a 50-year lease.

18. How many messages have been sent to the int-boundaries list since its
launch in October 1995?

When I posted the quiz, the total was 764. This message is number 771!


===================================
Martin Pratt
Research Officer
International Boundaries Research Unit
Mountjoy Research Centre, Suite 3P
University of Durham
Durham DH1 3UR
United Kingdom

+44 (0)191 374 7704 (direct line)
+44 (0)191 374 7702 (fax)
[log in to unmask] (email)
http://www-ibru.dur.ac.uk (World Wide Web)
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