Comments on: Four Pieces of Land Not Worth Fighting Over (But That Never Stopped Anyone)

By: Michelle

Michelle — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 01:58:00 +0000

Second best headline from the British and Argentine conflict: British Left Waffles on Falklands.

By: Val

Val — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 16:34:00 +0000

Simon Winchester has a very interesting book called “Outposts” which deals (sort of) with this topic, or, more specifically, the last small colonial holdings such as the Falkland Islands. I recommend it if this fascinates you.

By: Annette

Annette — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 13:23:00 +0000

The Faulkland War led to one of the best supermarket tabloid headlines EVER. I think it was the Weekly World Star. There was one of those cheesy aged photos, purportedly of Hitler. The headline read: Hitler Lives: 90 Year Old Mastermind of Argentine Invasion of the Faulklands!
Priceless. I wish I had bought the issue and saved it.

By: Flood

Flood — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 11:47:00 +0000

Somewhere between the British Isles and Iceland is Rockall. A tiny rock islet that’s been bickered over by the British, Irish, Icelanders and Danes for years. It’s uninhabitable but possession potentially would extend fishery and mineral exploration rights.
It’s less than 30metres in circumference and about 20metres tall.
Interesting fact; in the 90’s Greenpeace declared it to be a new independent state called Waveland and offered citizenship to those who wanted it.

By: greenstrawberries

greenstrawberries — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 08:28:12 +0000

My mother saved a Time magazine from the week I was born (March 22, 1982) and it was about the Falkland Islands War. (pretty grim topic… She decided to save another one from later in the year that seemed more appropriate, it was one on the amazing microchip. Which in hindsight, was actually a really cool one to save.)
And, you left off the really stupid argument over Dokdo Island off the southern coast of South Korea. Korea (South) thinks that the island belongs to them, Japan thinks it belongs to them. (there’s a fair amount of animosity, understandably, given the history, between Japan and South Korea) It’s a small rock that no one lives on or goes to visit. There are no resources there (they’ve looked for oil) and heaven knows why anyone would actually want the island. But Koreans will argue for days that it’s their island, and they’re being unjustifiably persecuted against. No wars have been fought yet, but I wouldn’t put it past them.

By: Dave

Dave — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 04:45:08 +0000

Uh oh. The Danes and Canadians are spoiling for a fight? That could be… um… really boring. ;o)

Actually, I wouldn’t be so quick to say that a particular bit of real estate is worthless. Case in point; USA Today printed an article in today’s paper that started out with the following:

“Summers are scorching and winters frigid. The wind whips through the grasslands year-round, its wailing adding to the hypnotic desolation of the Great Plains.”

That’s the kind of lead-in you get from someone who has no first-hand experience of the area in question. I happen to live in the Great Plains, and know that it’s a great place to live, work and raise a family. Are the summers hot? Sure, but not nearly as hot as other places. Are the winters cold? Yes, but I wouldn’t describe them as “frigid” either.

What this neck of the woods offers weather-wise is a few weeks or so of either extreme, but very livable conditions the rest of the time. And we may not have the population density of the coasts, but we have plenty to boast about. And what one person calls “hypnotic desolation”, others (like me) call serene isolation. (cue Green Acres theme song.)

When you think of it, maybe the rumors about the weather work to keep out the riffraff. So never mind.

By: Mar

Mar — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 21:13:33 +0000

…and don’t forget Perejil Island, a tiny little island off the shore of Morocco that is under Spanish posession. A few years ago, some Moroccan soldiers planted a flag there, and the Aznar goverment went on an ego trip and sent the navy to retake it.

By: Sid Morrison

Sid Morrison — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 20:52:28 +0000

Not worth fighting for? Well, if that “worthless” little island in the Arctic turns out to have more oil than Saudi Arabia, giving it up might have been a poor choice. Likewise, I’m sure the Russians wish they hadn’t sold off that “worthless icebox of Alaska”…

By: srah

srah — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 16:30:59 +0000

The Toledo War never developed into an actual war (there were no casualties) but I would say Toledo, Ohio isn’t really worth fighting over, either.

By: Jack

Jack — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 15:48:16 +0000

These disputes sort of remind me of the Pig War of 1859. It was started by the shooting of a pig, and the pig was the only casualty.