A demilitarized zone (DMZ or DZ)[1] is an area in which treaties or agreements between states, military powers or contending groups forbid military installations, activities, or personnel. A DZ often lies along an established frontier or boundary between two or more military powers or alliances. A DZ may sometimes form a de facto international border, such as the Korean Demilitarized Zone. Other examples of demilitarized zones are a 14 km (8.7 mi) wide area between Iraq and Kuwait; Antarctica (preserved for scientific exploration and study); and outer space (space more than 100 km or 62 mi from the Earth's surface).

Map of the demilitarized zone between North and South Vietnam
The Vietnamese Demilitarized Zone separating North and South Vietnam in 1969

Some zones remain demilitarized after an agreement has awarded control to a state which (under the DZ terms) had originally ceded its right to maintain military forces in the disputed territory. It is also possible for powers to agree on the demilitarization of a zone without formally settling their respective territorial claims, enabling the dispute to be resolved by peaceful means such as diplomatic dialogue or an international court.

Several demilitarized zones have also unintentionally become wildlife preserves because their land is unsafe for construction or less exposed to human disturbances (including hunting). Examples include the Korean Demilitarized Zone, the Cypriot Demilitarized Zone (The Green Line), and the former Vietnamese Demilitarized Zone which divided Vietnam into two countries (North Vietnam and South Vietnam) from 21 July 1954 to 2 July 1976.

Current demilitarized zones

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Former demilitarized zones

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Historical map of the promontory of Gibraltar.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Oren, Michael (3 June 2003). Six Days of War: June 1967 and the Making of the Modern Middle East. Presidio Press. p. 7. ISBN 978-0345461926.
  2. ^ "art. 1", Antarctic Treaty, 1959
  3. ^ "art. 1", Korean Armistice Agreement, 1953
  4. ^ Walker, Philip (24 June 2011). "The world's most dangerous borders". Foreign Policy. Archived from the original on 8 March 2017.
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  6. ^ Camp David Accords – Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs Archived 3 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine
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  8. ^ Keinon, Herb (9 August 2012). "Israel OKs Egypt attack helicopters in Sinai". Jerusalem Post.
  9. ^ Issacharoff, Avi (16 August 2012). "Egypt deployed troops in Sinai without Israel's prior approval". Haaretz. Retrieved 24 August 2012.
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  11. ^ "Israel approves Egypt's request to increase forces in Sinai". Jerusalem Post. 15 July 2013.
  12. ^ "Sudan agrees demilitarised zone for north-south border". BBC News. BBC. 31 May 2011. Retrieved 24 October 2015.
  13. ^ Ahmed, Amir; Botelho, Greg (9 March 2013). "Sudan, South Sudan agree to pull troops from demilitarized zone". Cable News Network. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. Retrieved 24 October 2015.
  14. ^ "Palestine Maps" (PDF). Palestinian Academic Society for the Study of International Affairs. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 February 2006. Retrieved 9 October 2018.
  15. ^ Estudio de la cuestión de límites entre el Perú y el Ecuador (in Spanish). Peru: Ministry of War of Peru. 1961. pp. 71–72.
  16. ^ Kurdistan24. "US and Turkey reach accord, but concerns of Syrian Kurds continue". Kurdistan24. Retrieved 25 August 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  17. ^ Pitarakis, Lefteris; Mroue, Bassem. "Turkey launches assault on Kurdish fighters in Syria, after US forces step aside". www.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved 9 October 2019.
  18. ^ "Ground Safety Zone (GSZ): Time out for rebel strong hold – Serbia". ReliefWeb. June 2001. Retrieved 14 October 2021.
  19. ^ Heintz, Jim (17 September 2018). "Turkey, Russia agree on demilitarized zone in Syria's Idlib region". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on 8 October 2018. Retrieved 9 October 2018.