Acquisition of sovereignty
Encyclopedia
A number of methods of acquisition of sovereignty are presently or have historically been recognised by international law as lawful methods by which a state
may acquire sovereignty
over territory.
(the deposit of sediment) or vulcanism
.
(transferred) to it by another state. Cession is typically effected by treaty
. Examples of cession include the cession of Hong Kong and Kowloon
, purchases such as the Louisiana Purchase
and the Alaska Purchase
, and cessions involving multiple parties such as the Treaty on the Final Settlement with Respect to Germany
.
Since the emergence of self-determination
as a recognised principle of international law, a state may need to consult the inhabitants of a territory (if any) before they may cede sovereignty over it.
.
Sovereign state
A sovereign state, or simply, state, is a state with a defined territory on which it exercises internal and external sovereignty, a permanent population, a government, and the capacity to enter into relations with other sovereign states. It is also normally understood to be a state which is neither...
may acquire sovereignty
Sovereignty
Sovereignty is the quality of having supreme, independent authority over a geographic area, such as a territory. It can be found in a power to rule and make law that rests on a political fact for which no purely legal explanation can be provided...
over territory.
Accretion
Accretion refers to the physical expansion of an existing territory through geographical processes, such as alluvionAlluvion
' is a term describing the increase in the area of land due to sediment deposited by a river. This changes the size of a piece of land and thus its value over time.-See also:*Alluvial fan*Alluvial plain...
(the deposit of sediment) or vulcanism
Volcano
2. Bedrock3. Conduit 4. Base5. Sill6. Dike7. Layers of ash emitted by the volcano8. Flank| 9. Layers of lava emitted by the volcano10. Throat11. Parasitic cone12. Lava flow13. Vent14. Crater15...
.
Cession
A state may acquire sovereignty over territory if that sovereignty is cededCession
The act of Cession, or to cede, is the assignment of property to another entity. In international law it commonly refers to land transferred by treaty...
(transferred) to it by another state. Cession is typically effected by treaty
Treaty
A treaty is an express agreement under international law entered into by actors in international law, namely sovereign states and international organizations. A treaty may also be known as an agreement, protocol, covenant, convention or exchange of letters, among other terms...
. Examples of cession include the cession of Hong Kong and Kowloon
Convention of Peking
The Convention of Peking or the First Convention of Peking is the name used for three different unequal treaties, which were concluded between Qing China and the United Kingdom, France, and Russia.-Background:...
, purchases such as the Louisiana Purchase
Louisiana Purchase
The Louisiana Purchase was the acquisition by the United States of America of of France's claim to the territory of Louisiana in 1803. The U.S...
and the Alaska Purchase
Alaska purchase
The Alaska Purchase was the acquisition of the Alaska territory by the United States from Russia in 1867 by a treaty ratified by the Senate. The purchase, made at the initiative of United States Secretary of State William H. Seward, gained of new United States territory...
, and cessions involving multiple parties such as the Treaty on the Final Settlement with Respect to Germany
Treaty on the Final Settlement with Respect to Germany
The Treaty on the Final Settlement With Respect to Germany, was negotiated in 1990 between the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic , and the Four Powers which occupied Germany at the end of World War II in Europe: France, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and the...
.
Since the emergence of self-determination
Self-determination
Self-determination is the principle in international law that nations have the right to freely choose their sovereignty and international political status with no external compulsion or external interference...
as a recognised principle of international law, a state may need to consult the inhabitants of a territory (if any) before they may cede sovereignty over it.
Conquest
Conquest, the acquisition of territory by way of force, was historically recognised as a lawful method for acquiring sovereignty, but has been illegal in international law at least since the entry into force of the United Nations CharterUnited Nations Charter
The Charter of the United Nations is the foundational treaty of the international organization called the United Nations. It was signed at the San Francisco War Memorial and Performing Arts Center in San Francisco, United States, on 26 June 1945, by 50 of the 51 original member countries...
.