Declaration

The territory in the Antarctic Seas which comprises all the islands and territories other than Peter I Island which are situated south of the 60th degree of South Latitude and lying between the 90th degree of West Longitude and the 150th degree of West Longitude is hereby under the authority of the Empire of Marie Byrd Land.

Notes

The territory contains land from the areas commonly known as Marie Byrd Land and Ellsworth Land. It represents the vast majority of the former and a portion of the latter. This territory covers 1 610 000 km2.

Map

The Empire of Marie Byrd Land’s territory is highlighted in red.

Please see the credits for this map under number 1 here.

Terra Nullius

The doctrine of terra nullius, Latin for “land belonging to no one,” refers to a principle in international law whereby territory unclaimed by any sovereign state can be deemed open for acquisition. Historically, this concept underpinned claims over uninhabited or sparsely populated lands. Marie Byrd Land, a vast, remote region of Antarctica, has remained one of the few places on Earth classified as terra nullius and the only place to have never been claimed by a sovereign state. The Empire of Marie Byrd Land’s claim to Marie Byrd Land is therefore legitimate under the principle of terra nullius, as no sovereign state has ever asserted a prior claim to this territory.