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Condominium (international law)



 
 
In international law
International law

Public international law concerns the structure and conduct of states and intergovernmental organizations. To a lesser degree, international law also may affect multinational corporations and individuals, an impact increasingly evolving beyond domestic legal interpretation and enforcement....
, a condominium (plural either condominia, as in Latin, or condominiums) is a political territory (state or border area) in or over which two or more sovereign powers formally agree to share equally dominium (in the sense of sovereignty) and exercise their rights jointly, without dividing it up into 'national' zones.

Although a condominium has always been recognized as a theoretical possibility, condominiums have been rare in practice.






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In international law
International law

Public international law concerns the structure and conduct of states and intergovernmental organizations. To a lesser degree, international law also may affect multinational corporations and individuals, an impact increasingly evolving beyond domestic legal interpretation and enforcement....
, a condominium (plural either condominia, as in Latin, or condominiums) is a political territory (state or border area) in or over which two or more sovereign powers formally agree to share equally dominium (in the sense of sovereignty) and exercise their rights jointly, without dividing it up into 'national' zones.

Although a condominium has always been recognized as a theoretical possibility, condominiums have been rare in practice. A major problem, and the reason why so few have existed in practice, is the difficulty of ensuring co-operation between the sovereign powers; once the understanding fails, the status is likely to become untenable.

The word is recorded in English since c.1714, from Modern Latin, apparently coined in Germany c.1700 from Latin com- "together" + dominium "right of ownership" (compare domain
Demesne

In the feudal system, demesne was all the land, not necessarily all contiguous to the manor house, that was retained by a lord for his own use - as distinguished from land "alienated" or granted to others as freehold tenants....
).

Current condominia

  • The Moselle River
    Moselle River

    The Moselle is a river flowing through France, Luxembourg and Germany. It is a left tributary of the Rhine river, joining it at Koblenz. A small part of Belgium is also drained by the Mosel through the Our River....
    , and its tributary the Sauer, and its tributary the Our, comprise a condominium between Luxembourg
    Luxembourg

    Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a small landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany....
     and Germany
    Germany

    Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands....
    , who share bridges and at least the tip of one island (near Schengen
    Schengen, Luxembourg

    Schengen is a small wine-making village and Communes in Luxembourg in far south-eastern Luxembourg, near the point where the borders of Germany, France, and Luxembourg meet....
    ). The condominium was established by treaty in 1816.
  • Pheasant Island
    Pheasant Island

    File:Isla de los Faisanes.jpgPheasant Island is a river island located in the River Bidasoa. The island is a condominium , under joint sovereignty of Spain and France, and so administered by Ir?n and Hendaye , which are in charge of the island during alternating periods of six months....
     (also known as Conference Island, Konpantzia in Basque, Île de la Conférence in French or Isla de los Faisanes in Spanish) in the River Bidassoa between France and Spain. It was established by the Treaty of the Pyrenees
    Treaty of the Pyrenees

    The Treaty of the Pyrenees was signed in 1659 to end the war between France and Spain that had begun in 1635 during the Thirty Years' War. It was signed on Pheasant Island, a river island on the border between the two countries....
     in 1659.
  • A small area on the Arabian Peninsula
    Arabian Peninsula

    The Arabian Peninsula , Arabia, Arabistan, and the Arabian subcontinent is a peninsula in Southwest Asia at the junction of Africa and Asia. The area is an important part of the Middle East and plays a critically important geopolitics role because of its vast reserves of petroleum and natural gas....
     is jointly ruled by Oman
    Oman

    Oman , officially the Sultanate of Oman , is an Arab country in southwest Asia on the southeast coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It borders the United Arab Emirates on the northwest, Saudi Arabia on the west and Yemen on the southwest....
     and the Emirati
    United Arab Emirates

    The United Arab Emirates is a federation of seven states situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Southwest Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman and Saudi Arabia....
     member state of Ajman
    Ajman

    Ajman is one of the seven Emirates of the United Arab Emirates comprising the United Arab Emirates. With an area of just 260 square kilometres, Ajman is the smallest emirate by area....
    .


  • Parts of the Gulf of Fonseca
    Gulf of Fonseca

    The Gulf of Fonseca , part of the Pacific Ocean, is a Headlands and bays in Central America, bordering El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua....
     and of the territorial sea outside its mouth comprise a unique tridominium between El Salvador
    El Salvador

    El Salvador is the smallest country in the Americas and Central America by size, and the most densely populated nation in Central America. It borders on the Pacific Ocean between Guatemala and Honduras....
    , Honduras
    Honduras

    Honduras is a democratic republic in Central America. It was formerly known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras ....
     and Nicaragua
    Nicaragua

    Nicaragua officially the Republic of Nicaragua , is a representative democracy republic. It is the largest state in Central America with an area of 130,000 km2, about the size of the state of New York....
    .
  • The part of the Parana River
    Paraná River

    This article is about the second-longest river in South America: For the shorter river in Goi?s, central Brazil, see Paran? RiverThe Paran? River is a river in south central South America, running through Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina over a course of some 2,570 kilometers ....
     between the Salto Grande de Sete Quedas and the mouth of the Iguassu River is shared in condominium by Brazil
    Brazil

    Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is a country in South America. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, occupying nearly half of South America, the List of countries by population country, and the fourth most populous democracy in the world....
     and Paraguay
    Paraguay

    Paraguay, officially the Republic of Paraguay , is one of the only two landlocked countries in South America . It lies on both banks of the Paraguay River and is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest....
    .
  • The main part of Lake Constance
    Lake Constance

    Under the designation Lake Constance one summarizes the three independent Body of water Obersee , Untersee and Seerhein , lying in the northern Alps foreland....
     (without islands) is considered by Austria
    Austria

    Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It borders both Germany and the Czech Republic to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the west....
     to be a condominium between Germany, Austria and Switzerland. This view is not shared by Germany
    Germany

    Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands....
     and Switzerland
    Switzerland

    Switzerland is a landlocked Swiss Alps country of roughly 7.7 million people in Western Europe with an area of 41,285 km?. Switzerland is a federal republic consisting of 26 states called Cantons of Switzerland....
    .


The term is sometimes even applied to a similar arrangement between members of a Monarch's countries in (personal or formal) union, as was the case for the district of Fiume (Rijeka), shared between Hungary
Hungary

Hungary , officially in English the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in the Carpathian Basin of Central Europe, bordered by Austria, Slovakia, Ukraine, Romania, Serbia, Croatia, and Slovenia....
 and Croatia
Croatia

Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a Central European country at the crossroads of Pannonian Plain, Balkans, and the Mediterranean Sea....
 within the Habsburg Empire since 1868.

Co-principality

Under French law, Andorra
Andorra

Andorra , officially the Principality of Andorra , also called the Principality of the Valleys of Andorra, is a small landlocked country in western Europe, located in the eastern Pyrenees mountains and bordered by Spain and France....
 was once considered to be a French
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
Spanish
Spain

Spain or the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in Southern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though Espa?a , Estado espa?ol and Naci?n espa?ola are used interchangeably....
 condominium, although it is more commonly classed as a co-principality, since it is itself a sovereign state, not a possession of one or more foreign powers, even though the quality of Head of State is shared ex officio by two foreigners.

Former condominia

  • Anglo-Egyptian Sudan
    Anglo-Egyptian Sudan

    The Anglo-Egyptian Sudan referred to the manner by which Sudan was administered between 1899 and 1956, when it was a condominium of Egypt and the United Kingdom....
     was legally an Egypt
    Egypt

    Egypt is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Western Asia. Covering an area of about , Egypt borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, the Gaza Strip and Israel to the northeast, the Red Sea to the east, Sudan to the south and Libya to the west....
    ian-British
    United Kingdom

    The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
     condominium from 1899 until 1956. Though the system was resented by Egyptian and Sudanese nationalists, and would later be disavowed by the Egyptian Government, it persisted due to the United Kingdom's effective control over Egypt itself, which began from 1882.
  • Bosnia and Herzegovina
    Bosnia and Herzegovina

    Bosnia and Herzegovina is a country on the Balkans peninsula of South Eastern Europe with an area of 51,129 square kilometres . Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the south, Bosnia and Herzegovina is Landlocked#Nearly landlocked, except for 26 kilometres of the Adriatic Sea coas...
     was a condominium of Austria
    Austria

    Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It borders both Germany and the Czech Republic to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the west....
     and Hungary
    Hungary

    Hungary , officially in English the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in the Carpathian Basin of Central Europe, bordered by Austria, Slovakia, Ukraine, Romania, Serbia, Croatia, and Slovenia....
     between 1908 and 1918, while both countries were parts of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
  • Canton and Enderbury Islands
    Canton and Enderbury Islands

    The Canton and Enderbury Islands consist of the coral atolls of Canton and Enderbury Island in the northeastern part of the Phoenix Islands, about 1,850 miles south of Hawaii in the central Pacific Ocean....
     were a British
    United Kingdom

    The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
    –American condominium from 1939 until 1979 when they became part of Kiribati
    Kiribati

    Kiribati , officially the Republic of Kiribati, is an island nation located in the central tropical Pacific Ocean. It is composed of List of islands belonging to Kiribati and one Tectonic uplift island, dispersed over 3,500,000 square kilometres, straddling the equator, and bordering the International Date Line to the east....
  • Couto Mixto
    Couto Mixto

    Couto Mixto is a Spain territory with three villages , located in Ourense , Galicia , by the border with Portugal.This land was neither Portuguese nor Spanish for centuries, until the Treaty of Lisbon that gave the sovereignty to Spain....
     was shared until 1864 between Spain
    Spain

    Spain or the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in Southern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though Espa?a , Estado espa?ol and Naci?n espa?ola are used interchangeably....
     and Portugal
    Portugal

    Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic , is a country on the Iberian Peninsula. Located in southwestern Europe, Portugal is the westernmost country of mainland Europe and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and south and by Spain to the north and east....
  • Cyprus
    History of Cyprus

    PrehistoryCyprus was not human settlement in the Paleolithic which led to the survival of numerous dwarf forms, such as Holocene extinction event and pygmy hippos , well into the Holocene....
     was shared for almost 300 years (688-965) between the Byzantine emperor
    Byzantine Empire

    Byzantine Empire and Eastern Roman Empire are conventional names used to describe the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages, centered on its capital of Constantinople....
     and the Caliph
    Caliph

    The Caliph is the head of state in a Caliphate, and the title for the leader of the Islamic Ummah, an Islamic community ruled by the Shari'ah....
  • Countship of Friesland
    Friesland

    Friesland is a province in the north of the Netherlands and part of the bigger region known as Frisia. In order to distinguish it from the other Frisian regions, it is commonly specified as Westerlauwer Frisia, Westerlauwer Friesland, West Frisia or West Friesland....
     (West Frisia), since 1165 under Imperial administration, was from 1165 to 1493 a joint condominium of the Count of Holland
    Count of Holland

    The Counts of Holland ruled over the county of Holland in the Low Countries between the 10th and the 16th century....
     and the Prince-bishop
    Prince-Bishop

    A Prince-Bishop is a bishop who is a territorial Prince of the Church on account of one or more secular principalities, usually pre-existent titles of nobility held concurrently with their inherent clerical office....
     of Utrecht
    Archbishop of Utrecht

    The Bishopric of Utrecht was a bishopric based in the Netherlands city of Utrecht . It was one of the Prince-Bishoprics of the Holy Roman Empire....
    , then again till 25 October, 1555 under Imperial administration
  • Erfurt
    Erfurt

    Erfurt is a city in central Germany. It is the Capital of the state of Thuringia with a population of 202,929 . Erfurt is located 100 km SW of Leipzig, 150 km N of N?rnberg and 180 km SE of Hannover....
    , from 12th century until Thirty Years' War
    Thirty Years' War

    The Thirty Years' War was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history. The war was fought primarily in Germany and at various points involved most of the countries of Europe....
     shared between Archbishopric of Mainz
    Archbishopric of Mainz

    The Archbishopric of Mainz or Electorate of Mainz was an influential ecclesiastic and secular prince-bishopric in the Holy Roman Empire between 780?82 and 1802....
     and Counts of Gleichen, the latter replaced by the city councel in 1289 (Concordata Gebhardi), Landgrave of Thuringia in 1327 and the House of Wettin in 1483 (Treaty of Weimar)
  • Maastricht
    Maastricht

    Maastricht is a city and a municipality in the Netherlands province of Limburg , of which it is the Capital . The city is situated on both sides of the Meuse River river in the south-eastern part of the Netherlands, near the Belgium and Germany borders....
    , until 1794 shared between the Prince-Bishopric of Liège and the Duchy of Brabant
    Duchy of Brabant

    The Duchy of Brabant was a historical region in the Low Countries. It consisted of not only the three modern-day Belgium provinces of Flemish Brabant, Walloon Brabant and Antwerp as well as the Brussels-Capital Region, but also the present-day Netherlands province of North Brabant....
    , the latter replaced by the Dutch Republic
    Dutch Republic

    The Republic of the Seven United Netherlands was a European republic between 1581 and 1795, in about the same location as the modern Kingdom of the Netherlands, which is the successor state....
     in 1632.
  • Nauru
    Nauru

    Nauru , officially the Republic of Nauru and formerly known as Pleasant Island, is an island nation in the Micronesian Pacific Ocean....
     a tripartite condominium mandate
    Mandate

    Mandate can refer to:*Mandate , same as power of attorney in common law*Mandate , an obligation handed down by an inter-governmental body*Mandate , an official or authoritative command; an order or injunction...
     territory administered by Australia, New Zealand and United Kingdom from 1923 to 1942 and again in 1947 as a trust territory until independence in 1968
  • New Hebrides
    New Hebrides

    New Hebrides was the colonial name for an island group in the Pacific Ocean that now forms the nation of Vanuatu. The New Hebrides were colonized by both the United Kingdom and France in the 18th century shortly after Captain James Cook visited the islands....
     formed a French–British condominium in 1906 until independence in 1980 as a republic, now called Vanuatu
    Vanuatu

    Vanuatu , officially the Republic of Vanuatu , is an island nation located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is some east of northern Australia, north-east of New Caledonia, west of Fiji, and south of the Solomon Islands, near New Zealand....
  • Neutral Moresnet was shared from 1816 until 1919 between The Netherlands (later Belgium
    Belgium

    * A small German-speaking Community of Belgium exists in eastern Wallonia. Belgium's linguistic diversity and related political and cultural conflicts are reflected in the history of Belgium and a complex Communities and regions of Belgium....
    ) and Prussia
    Prussia

    Prussia was, most recently, a historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. This state had for centuries substantial influence on Germany and European history....
  • Northern Dobruja
    Northern Dobruja

    Northern Dobruja is the part of Dobruja within the borders of Romania. It lies between the lower Danube river and the Black Sea, bordered in south by Bulgarian Southern Dobruja....
     by the Central powers (German-Austrian-Bulgarian) during World War I
    World War I

    World War I, or the First World War , was a global military conflict which involved the Great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War I and the Central Powers....
    .
  • Oregon Country
    Oregon Country

    Oregon Country or Oregon was a predominantly United States term referring to a region of the Pacific Northwest of North America. The region was occupied by British North America and French Canadian fur traders from before 1810, and American settlers from the mid-1830s....
     was an Anglo-American condominium from 1818 until 1846
  • Sakhalin Island
    Sakhalin

    Sakhalin , also Saghalien, is a large elongated island in the North Pacific, lying between 45?50' and 54?24' N. It is part of Russia and is its largest island, administered as part of Sakhalin Oblast....
     in the Far East, off Siberia's Pacific coast. In 1855, the Russian and Japanese empires signed the Treaty of Shimoda
    Treaty of Shimoda

    The Treaty of Shimoda of 1855 was signed between the Russian Vice-Admiral Yevfimy Putyatin and Toshiakira Kawaji of Japan in the city of Shimoda, Shizuoka, Izu Province, Japan, on February 7, 1855....
    , allowing both countries' nationals to inhabit the island: Russians in the north, and Japanese in the south, without a clear boundary in between. After the Russo-Japanese War
    Russo-Japanese War

    The Russo-Japanese War or the Manchurian Campaign in some English sources, was a conflict that grew out of the rival imperialism ambitions of the Russian Empire and the Empire of Japan over Manchuria and Korea....
     ended in 1905 Japan annexed the territory south of 60 North Latitude. In 1945, according to Yalta Conference
    Yalta Conference

    The Yalta Conference, sometimes called the Crimea Conference and Code name the Argonaut Conference, was the wartime meeting from 4 February 1945 to 11 February 1945 among the heads of government of the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union?President of the United States Franklin D....
     agreements, the Soviet Union took over the control of the whole island.
  • Samoan Islands
    Samoan Islands

    The Samoan Islands or Samoa Islands is an archipelago covering 3,030 km? in the central Pacific Ocean, forming part of the Polynesia region....
     from 1889 to 1899 were a rare tripartite condominium under joint protectorate
    Protectorate

    A protectorate, in international law, is an autonomous territory that is protected diplomatically or militarily against third parties by a stronger state or entity, in exchange for which the protectorate usually accepts specified obligations, which may vary greatly, depending on the real nature of their relationship....
     of Germany, Britain and the USA.
  • Togoland
    Togoland

    Togoland was a German Empire protectorate in West Africa from 1884 to 1914. The colony was established during the period generally known as Europe?s imperialist "Scramble for Africa"....
     from 26 August 1914, under British and French occupation, the German protectorate (a colony since 1905) of Togoland was an Anglo-French condominium, until its partition on 27 December 1916 into French and British zones, which were transformed on 20 July 1922 into two separate League of Nations mandate
    League of Nations mandate

    A League of Nations mandate refers to a legal status for certain territories transferred from the control of one country to another following World War I, or the legal instruments that contained the terms for administering the territory on behalf of the League....
    s: British Togoland
    British Togoland

    British Togoland was a League of Nations League of Nations Mandate#Class B mandates in Africa, formed by the splitting of Germany protectorate Togoland into French Togoland and British Togoland....
     (which joined Gold Coast, present Ghana, in 1956) and French Togoland
    French Togoland

    French Togoland was a French colonial empires League of Nations Mandate in West Africa, which later became the Togo....
    , the present republic of Togo
    Togo

    Togo is a narrow country in West Africa bordering Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, on which the capital Lom? is located....
    .
  • Zaporozhian Sich, a brief Russo-Polish condominium established in 1667 by the Treaty of Andrusovo
    Treaty of Andrusovo

    The Truce of Andrusovo was a thirteen and a half year truce, signed in 1667 between Muscovy and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, which were Polish-Muscovite War since 1654 over the territories of modern-day Ukraine and Belarus....
    .


Other

  • In 2001, the British government proposed sharing sovereignty
    Sovereignty

    File:Leviathan gr.jpgSovereignty is the exclusive right to control a government, a State, a people, or oneself. A sovereign is a supreme lawmaking authority....
     of Gibraltar
    Gibraltar

    Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located near the southernmost tip of the Iberian Peninsula overlooking the Strait of Gibraltar. The territory shares a border with Spain to the north....
     with Spain
    Spain

    Spain or the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in Southern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though Espa?a , Estado espa?ol and Naci?n espa?ola are used interchangeably....
    , but this was decisively rejected by the people of Gibraltar in a referendum
    Referendum

    A referendum , ballot question, or plebiscite is a direct vote in which an entire Constituency is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal....
     in 2002.


See also

  • Dependent area
  • Protectorate
    Protectorate

    A protectorate, in international law, is an autonomous territory that is protected diplomatically or militarily against third parties by a stronger state or entity, in exchange for which the protectorate usually accepts specified obligations, which may vary greatly, depending on the real nature of their relationship....
  • Suzerainty
    Suzerainty

    Suzerainty is a situation in which a region or nation is a tributary state to a more powerful entity which allows the tributary some limited domestic Wiktionary:autonomy to control its foreign affairs....
  • Principality
    Principality

    A principality is a monarchy feudatory or sovereign state, ruled or reigned over by a monarch with the title of prince or princess, or a monarch with another title within the generic use of the term prince....
    • Andorra
      Andorra

      Andorra , officially the Principality of Andorra , also called the Principality of the Valleys of Andorra, is a small landlocked country in western Europe, located in the eastern Pyrenees mountains and bordered by Spain and France....
    • Åland
      Åland

      The ?land Islands form an archipelago in the Baltic Sea. It is situated at the entrance to the Gulf of Bothnia and forms an Federacy, Demilitarized zone, Monoglottism Swedish language Provinces of Finland, Regions of Finland and historical provinces of Finland of Finland....
    • Liechtenstein
      Liechtenstein

      The Principality of Liechtenstein is a Landlocked country#Doubly landlocked country alpine country microstate in Western Europe, bordered by Switzerland to the west and by Austria to the east....
    • Monaco
      Monaco

      Monaco , officially the Principality of Monaco , is a small sovereign city-state located in South Western Europe . The territory lies on the northern coast of the Mediterranean Sea....
  • Free city
    Free city

    Free city may refer to:* City-state, a region controlled exclusively by a sovereign city.* Free Imperial City, a city in the Holy Roman Empire under the emperor's direct control....
  • Catholic encyclopaedia passim


External links