Condominium (international law)

Quick Facts: Who was Condominium (international law)?

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Condominium (international law)

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A shared territory governed jointly by multiple sovereign powers without division.

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Origins & Early Life

A condominium (plural either condominia, as in Latin, or condominiums) in international law is a territory (such as a border area or a state) in or over which multiple sovereign powers formally agree to share equal dominion and exercise their rights jointly, without dividing it into "national" zones. Although a condominium has always been recognized as a theoretical possibility, condominia have been rare in practice. A major problem, and the reason so few have existed, is the difficulty of ensuring co-operation between the sovereign powers; once the understanding fails, the status is likely to become untenable. The word is recorded in English since 1718, from Modern Latin, apparently coined in Germany c. 1700 from Latin con- 'together' + dominium 'right of ownership' (compare domain). A condominium of three sovereign powers is sometimes called a tripartite condominium or tridominium.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

Under French law, Andorra was once considered to be a French–Spanish condominium, although it is more commonly classed as a co-principality, since it is itself a sovereign state, not a possession of one or more foreign powers. However, the position of head of state is shared ex officio by two foreigners, one of whom is the President of France, currently Emmanuel Macron, and the other the Bishop of Urgell in Spain, currently Josep-Lluís Serrano Pentinat. Allied-occupied Germany from 1945 until 1949 and Berlin after that until 1991 were under the control of the Allied Control Council, which consisted of representatives from Britain, France, the Soviet Union and the United States. In 688 the Byzantine Emperor Justinian II and the Umayyad Caliph Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan reached an unprecedented agreement to establish a condominium (the concept did not yet exist) over Cyprus, with the collected taxes from the island being equally divided between the two parties. The arrangement lasted for some 300 years, even though in the same time there was nearly constant warfare between the two parties on the mainland.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

Fellesdistriktet (Norwegian: Fellesdistriktet, literally "The common area", Russian: Общий район) was a Russo-Norwegian condominium comprising Sør-Varanger Municipality and the Pechengsky District from 1684 until 1826. Anglo-Egyptian Sudan was legally an Egyptian-British condominium from 1899 until 1956, although de facto, the Khedivate, Sultanate, and Kingdom of Egypt played no role in its government other than providing some administrators in the country: all political decisions were made by the United Kingdom and all Governors-General of Anglo-Egyptian Sudan were British. The system was resented by Egyptian and Sudanese nationalists, and would later be disavowed by the Egyptian Government, although it persisted due to the United Kingdom's effective control over Egypt itself, which began from 1882 and continued until at least 1936. The Colony of Caiena and Guiana became a condominium between Brazil and Portugal upon the elevation of Brazil to the status of an equal kingdom in 1815 until the return of the territory to France in 1817. The Condominium of Bosnia and Herzegovina was jointly ruled by Cisleithanian Austria and Transleithanian Hungary between 1908 and 1918, while both countries were parts of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Chronological Milestones & Life Events

1. 1684: 1684 Milestone — Fellesdistriktet (Norwegian: Fellesdistriktet, literally "The common area", Russian: Общий район) was a Russo-Norwegian condominium comprising Sør-Varanger Municipality and the Pechengsky District from 1684 until 1826.
2. 1700: 1700 Milestone — 1700 from Latin con- 'together' + dominium 'right of ownership' (compare domain).
3. 1718: 1718 Milestone — The word is recorded in English since 1718, from Modern Latin, apparently coined in Germany c.
4. 1815: 1815 Milestone — The Colony of Caiena and Guiana became a condominium between Brazil and Portugal upon the elevation of Brazil to the status of an equal kingdom in 1815 until the return of the territory to France in 1817.
5. 1882: 1882 Milestone — The system was resented by Egyptian and Sudanese nationalists, and would later be disavowed by the Egyptian Government, although it persisted due to the United Kingdom's effective control over Egypt itself, which began from 1882 and continued until at least 1936.
6. 1899: 1899 Milestone — Anglo-Egyptian Sudan was legally an Egyptian-British condominium from 1899 until 1956, although de facto, the Khedivate, Sultanate, and Kingdom of Egypt played no role in its government other than providing some administrators in the country: all political decisions were made by the United Kingdom and all Governors-General of Anglo-Egyptian Sudan were British.
7. 1908: 1908 Milestone — The Condominium of Bosnia and Herzegovina was jointly ruled by Cisleithanian Austria and Transleithanian Hungary between 1908 and 1918, while both countries were parts of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
8. 1945: 1945 Milestone — Allied-occupied Germany from 1945 until 1949 and Berlin after that until 1991 were under the control of the Allied Control Council, which consisted of representatives from Britain, France, the Soviet Union and the United States.

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: Condominium (international law)

True or False: “The concept of a condominium was first established in international law during the Byzantine era over Cyprus.”

Answer (FALSE ❌): While an agreement resembling a condominium existed over Cyprus in 688, the text notes that the formal 'concept' did not yet exist at that time.

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