NEW ISLAND CREATED IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC
How cool is this? Due to an underwater Volcano erupting, a new island has been created 28 miles away from Tonga’s capital, Nuku’alofa. But who owns the island? Although it is uninhabitable now, imagine if it turned into an island paradise untouched by man. Certainly someone would want to claim it. Quick — to Tonga! In reality, it’s almost certain that some country has already staked a claim to the land. Isn’t it fascinating that there likely isn’t any landmass on Earth that a nation would not declare as its rightful property? As individuals, is there anywhere that we can go to live and reject the sovereignty of a governing nation? I certainly can’t think of any place (otherwise I might be on my way there right now). Before civilization, humans roamed the Earth unimpeded by the concept of property ownership. Perhaps territorial disputes arose among clans, but there would have been other lands to escape to which weren’t claimed. Now, there is no such place. Do you still think it is possible to be free if every place on Earth is ruled by a government?
As a second thought about this cool new island, it’s interesting to remember that the geography of the world is ever evolving. Although this island won’t get much coverage in the news, imagine if a new island rose right off of California and became another Catalina. Now THAT would stir up some interest. Although we look around at any given time and see a static landscape, it’s fascinating to remember that we are all riding on a planet that consists of ever-moving plates.
