“A desert land covered in sand and mountains, with no roads or sea.” This is the best description for Bir Tawil, one of the last few places on the planet that has not been claimed by any country.
Bir Tawil is a territory located on the border between Egypt and Sudan. This area is also known as “Bi’r Tawīl“, which means “high water well” in Arabic. It is one of the last remaining places on Earth that has not been claimed by any nation.
Although Bir Tawil has a quadrilateral shape, it is often referred to as “the Bir Tawil Triangle.” This is due to its association with the Hala’ib Triangle located right next to it.
Bir Tawil is located on the border between Egypt and Sudan. It is one of the few places on Earth that has not been claimed by any country or state.
Bir Tawil spans an area of 795 square miles (2,060 square kilometers). Its northern border is 95 km long, while the southern border is 46 km. The eastern and western borders are 26 km and 49 km, respectively.
The land is surrounded by mountain ranges to the north and east. To the north is Jabal Tawil, which stands at an elevation of 459 meters. Jebel Hagar ez Zarqa lies to the east, rising to 662 meters. To the south is Wadi Tawil, also known as Khawr Abū Bard.
It covers 795 square miles and is mostly covered by sand and mountains. This land remains unclaimed because it is small, lacks permanent settlements or access to the sea, and has little value.
To understand how Bir Tawil remains unclaimed, one must look back at the border dispute between Egypt and Sudan. The real contention lies in the Hala’ib Triangle. In 1899, British government representatives signed an agreement establishing joint British control over Egypt and Sudan, which set the northern border of Sudan along the 22nd parallel, cutting a straight line through the Nubian desert to the sea.
The problem with this original border was that it did not take into account the people living there, as it was merely a line drawn along geographical latitude to separate the two countries. Therefore, in 1902, the British drew a new administrative boundary that considered the land used by various tribes, placing this area under Egyptian control, while the Hala’ib region was assigned to Sudan, based on the characteristics of the residents. This was done to ensure tribes would not live in one country and graze their livestock in another.
This land remains unclaimed due to the border dispute between Egypt and Sudan. The actual fight is not for Bir Tawil but for the Hala’ib Triangle located to the northeast of Bir Tawil. The Hala’ib Triangle is more valuable than Bir Tawil, and neither country wants to lose it.
Problems began when British rule recognized the new administrative boundary as valid, while Egypt still believed in the previous boundary along the 22nd parallel. According to the old boundary, the Hala’ib Triangle was in Egypt, but under the new boundary, it was in Sudan. As a result, Bir Tawil naturally became a no man’s land, while the Hala’ib Triangle was claimed by both countries. In fact, the Hala’ib Triangle is ten times larger than Bir Tawil and has access to the sea. Additionally, the Hala’ib Triangle has 1,000 residents, in stark contrast to the barren and uninhabited Bir Tawil.
Tourists come here and declare sovereignty over this land.
However, despite no country claiming this land, a few individuals have visited and proclaimed themselves rulers of Bir Tawil. To date, an American, an Indian, and a Russian have all asserted their ownership of Bir Tawil. Heaton, the American, named Bir Tawil the “Kingdom of Northern Sudan” while Dixit, the Indian, called it the “Dixit Kingdom.” On the other hand, Zhikharev, the Russian, referred to it as the “Middle Earth Kingdom.”
Heaton’s 6-year-old daughter, Emily, once asked her father if she could become a real princess. After discovering the existence of Bir Tawil online, Jeremiah decided to give this meaningful birthday gift to his daughter. By becoming the king of Bir Tawil, Emily naturally became a princess.
Heaton wrote on his Facebook page: “I declare that Bir Tawil will forever be known as the Kingdom of Northern Sudan. The kingdom is established as a sovereign monarchy with me as the head of state; and Emily becomes a real princess.”
Heaton’s social media posts caught the attention of a local newspaper in Virginia, the Bristol Herald-Courier, and quickly became a viral sensation worldwide. CNN, Time, Newsweek, and hundreds of other global media outlets reported on the story. Heaton responded by launching a global crowdfunding campaign to raise $250,000 to build his new “kingdom.” Of course, this endeavor later failed as it was clear that no one recognized Jeremiah Heaton’s “coronation.” He considered it merely an interesting experience.
