Bir Tawil
Bir Tawil
بيرطويل | |
|---|---|
water well | |
| Country |  Egypt |
| Governorate | Red Sea Governorate |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | +3 |
Bir Tawil or Bi'r Tawīl (بيرطويل in Arabic; Bi'r or بير , meaning water well), is a small area along the border between Egypt and Sudan. It is also called Bir Tawil Triangle, despite the area's trapezoid shape, with the longer side in the north of the area running along the 22° north circle of latitude. It is the only area where the administrative boundary of 1902 between the two countries runs south of the political boundary of 1899, which had been defined as the 22° north circle of latitude. The area is between 46 km (in the south) and 95 km (in the north) long east-west, and between 26 and 31 km wide north-south, and 2060 km² in size. It is named after a water well in the center of the area. The area came under Egyptian administration in 1902, because it was grazing land of the Ababda tribe based near Aswan, Egypt.
At the same time, the Hala'ib Triangle north of the 22° north circle of latitude, and northeast of the area, came under Sudanese administration, because the tribes of this area were based in Sudan. Hala'ib Triangle and Bir Tawil border at one point, a quadripoint.
Egypt claims the original border from 1899, the 22° north circle of latitude, which would place the Hala'ib Triangle within Egypt and the Bir Tawil area within Sudan. Sudan however claims the administrative border of 1902, which would put Hala'ib within Sudan, and Bir Tawil within Egypt. As a result, both states claim Hala'ib and neither claims Bir Tawil (which is only a tenth of the size of Hala'ib and is landlocked). There is no basis in international law for Sudan or Egypt to claim both territories. This is perhaps the only land area of the world except Marie Byrd Land in Antarctica which is not claimed by any state. It would also be difficult if not impossible for any third state to claim the area, since it is accessible only through Sudan or Egypt.
In the north of the area is the mountain Jabal Tawil (جبل طويل in Arabic, located at 21°57′56″N 33°48′05″E / 21.96556°N 33.80139°E), with a height of 459 meters. In the east is Jabal Ḩajar az Zarqā', with a height of 662 meters.
In the south is the Wadi Tawil (وادي طويل in Arabic, also called Khawr Abū Bard, located at 21°49′25″N 33°43′42″E / 21.82361°N 33.72833°E).
Local sources in Egypt and Sudan say there is a constant military activity in this zone. Nomads living in this area report the presence of underground installations dating back to 1987.[citation needed]