Whose Turf?

Denouncing Argentina's invasion of the Falklands last week, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher observed that "if actions like this were allowed to stand, there would be many territories the world over where people would fear the invader." Indeed, the globe is littered with hundreds of conflicting territorial claims. Many of these controversies, such as the Austrian claim to the Italian-held South Tyrol, lie happily dormant. Others are the source of sharp protests, active negotiations and open conflict. The outcome in the Falklands will thus be closely watched by those tempted to settle such questions by force.

A sampler of territorial disputes:

Gibraltar. Seized from Spain in 1704, this 2¼-sq.-mi. British dependency is still claimed by Spain. Talks over the Rock's future, due to begin last month, were postponed until June 25 because of the Falklands crisis.

Western Sahara. Following Spain's withdrawal from its former North African colony in 1975, King Hassan II of Morocco dispatched 350,000 of his unarmed subjects into the region to claim it. They were later backed up by Moroccan troops. Opposing the Moroccans is the Algerian-backed Polisario Front, a guerrilla force that claims sovereignty over the area.

Guyana. In defiance of an 1899 arbitration agreement, Venezuela claims the mineral-rich Essequibo region of Guyana, which makes up two-thirds of the former British colony. Venezuela has refused to renew a soon-to-expire 1970 protocol shelving the dispute.

Beagle Channel. War nearly broke out in 1978 over Argentina's claim to three islands held by Chile in the channel south of Tierra del Fuego. Pope John Paul II proposed a plan of settlement to both sides in December 1980. Chile accepted, but Argentina refused.

Belize. This newly independent nation of 150,000 is claimed by Guatemala in a 150-year-old dispute with Britain. Belize is protected from the threat of invasion by the presence of 1,800 British troops.

Navassa. Both the U.S. and Haiti claim this two-mile-long, uninhabited, guano-covered Caribbean rock. The quarrel goes back to an 1856 congressional act allowing U.S. citizens to claim certain islands in order to mine sea bird droppings, which are used as fertilizer. Negotiations to solve the dispute broke off in 1979 when the Haitians refused a U.S. request for fishing rights. Only the seagulls were relieved.