The term occupied territories is commonly used as a synonym for the Gaza Strip and West Bank. For the controversy surrounding that usage, see Palestinian Territories, West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Because military occupation is often considered illegitimate, the term is often used to refer to territories whose government one considers illegitimate. This usage is not technically accurate under international law because territory which has been formally annexed is not occupied territory even if that annexation is disputed. This opinion is not universally adopted, and bodies such as the United Nations Security Council frequently describe as "occupied" territories which have been annexed in the event that the annexation is not accepted.
A list of disputed territories and areas said to be under occupation are discussed in their own article, disputed territory. This entry discusses the issue in regards to many nations such as China, England, Indonesia, Israel, Morocco and others.
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It is important to note that most nations in the world are in some way an occupier of a previous inhabitant's land. Generally, any disputed territory can be seen as occupied by the party that has control over it at the moment. Thus, the Germanic tribes outplaced the original Celtic population of Europe; Egypt has been conquered and absorbed in the 7th century by Arabs who were not its original population.
Additionally, occupation has two distinct meanings:
Most current nations exist in once occupied territory.
Although (1) and (2) are obviously distinct, they are sometimes intermingled. Under (1), the territory in question is under normal civilian law; under (2) the territory is usually under military law, under the limits of the Fourth Geneva Convention.
It is incorrect to hold that the Federal government of the United States of America, which only came into existence in 1776, is responsible for the initial issues. However, there is reportedly Native American Indian territory that is currently illegally occupied by the United States. This is said to be true because this land legally belongs to various Native American Indian groups due to legally binding treaties signed between the USA and particular Indian tribes, which the tribes believe that the United States of America later violated.
In the case of Canada, most of the native treaties were signed on behaf of the British Crown, which is still recognized as the head of the contemporary Canadian government. This means, unlike the United States, the government of Canada is expected to honor the terms of many more treaties, some of which are hundreds of years old. As well, some lands occupied by the Canadian government were never settled as a result of treaties, and are thus considered by some native leaders to be illegally occupied. This has historically made native issues and land claims a much more complicated issue in Canada.
Examples
Land occupied by the United States of America and Canada
Historically, all of the territory of the United States of America was originally the territory of a multitude of Native American Indian tribes/nations. However, the source of this situation goes back several centuries, and includes land taken from Native Americans by the Spanish, French, Russians, Dutch, Danish and British. Places considered Occupied Territories under International Law