Demilitarized Zone - Famous Former Demilitarized Zones

Famous Former Demilitarized Zones

• A neutral territory was established between the British territory of Gibraltar and Spain after the end of the 1727 siege. A strip of land 600 toises (around 1.2 km) long, being more than 2 cannon shots distance between the British guns and the Spanish guns was called "the neutral ground" and shown as such on older maps. In 1908 the British constructed a fence in a portion claimed to be the British half of the neutral territory. Spain does not recognize that the UK has any right to sovereignty over the isthmus, including the border. (see Disputed status of the isthmus between Gibraltar and Spain) and asserts it is Spanish soil. Although both the United Kingdom and Spain are part of the European Union the border is now a de facto international frontier with customs and immigration checks. As Spain does not formally recognise it as 'a frontier' it refers to it as 'a fence'. Whatever its name, the crossing remains relevant, as Gibraltar opted out of the European Union Customs Union and is not part of the Schengen area. It is open 24 hours a day with customs duties payable on certain goods entering Spain or Gibraltar.
• The German Rhineland was made a demilitarized zone after World War I by the Treaty of Versailles in 1919. Rhineland was re-occupied and re-militarized in 1936 by Nazi Germany in violation of international treaties.
• Saudi-Iraqi neutral zone, originally established in 1922 but disbanded officially since 1991.
• Saudi-Kuwaiti neutral zone, originally established in 1922 but was disbanded by mutual agreement since 1970.
• Israel and Egypt: Following the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, a DMZ, the El Auja Zone was created by the 1949 Armistice Agreements between Israel and Egypt.
• Israel and Jordan, following the 1948 Arab-Israeli War:
  • The Israeli enclave and Jordanian area on Mt. Scopus was designated as a DMZ.
  • The area around the Latrun salient.
• Israel and Syria: Following the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, 3 DMZs were created by the 1949 Armistice Agreements between Israel and Syria.
• China: Japanese forces conquered Manchuria between September 1931 and February 1932, when they proclaimed the region to be the state of Manchukuo. In May 1933, the Tanggu Truce between China and Japan was concluded, which established a demilitarized zone between Manchukuo and China proper.
• Vietnam: The demilitarized zone between North and South Vietnam was established in April 1954 as a result of the Geneva Conference ending the war between the Viet Minh and the French. The DMZ in Vietnam lay at the 17th parallel north. In reality, the DMZ extended about a mile on either side of the Ben Hai River and west to east from the Lao border to the South China Sea.
• Norway and Sweden established a demilitarized zone of one kilometre on each side of the border after the dissolution of the union between Norway and Sweden in 1905. The zone was disbanded by mutual agreement in 1993.