959 — A Territorial Dispute

What happens when more than one country says it owns a certain piece of land? Find out in this episode.
Slow dialog: 1:20
Explanations: 3:05
Fast dialog: 16:40
Roberta: So this is McQuillanland!
Eli: Well, that depends on whom you ask. This area has been under territorial dispute since 1963.
Roberta: Who else claims it?
Eli: Its neighbor, Tseland. Tseland annexed it after the brief war in 1963, but McQuillanland refuses to recognize the change in boundaries.
Roberta: I didn’t know that.
Eli: McQuillanland contends that the demarcation for the border is this river, but Tseland says that it rules over this entire valley. Since most of the people who live here consider themselves McQuillanlanders, they say possession is nine-tenths of the law.
Roberta: Wasn’t there a treaty at the end of the conflict?
Eli: There was, but the wording was vague and the dispute has continued to this day.
Roberta: So if we committed a crime right here, right now, which country would have jurisdiction?
Eli: Let’s not find out.

Script by Dr. Lucy Tse