# Is Castaway Possible **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 19, 2004, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-castaway-possible/235146 "2004-03-19T03:55:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![saluki\_fan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b2d939/32.png) [@saluki\_fan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saluki_fan)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2004, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-castaway-possible/235146/1 "2004-03-19T03:55:58Z")
Is it possible that if a person wanted to they could pay off all there debt, sell all their property, and move to a deserted island without incurring any penalty? If so, could you do anything you wanted on that island? ---
**Author:** ![Padeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@Padeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Padeye)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2004, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-castaway-possible/235146/2 "2004-03-19T05:29:59Z")
You may have a hard time finding an inhabitable but uninhabited and unclaimed island. ---
**Author:** ![boofy\_bloke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9e8a1a/32.png) [@boofy\_bloke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boofy_bloke)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2004, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-castaway-possible/235146/3 "2004-03-19T07:54:36Z")
If you live in a “free” country you can sell anything of which you own the majority. If you want to leave the country and not come back, that’s fine, too. All you need is residency in the destination. I doubt that there is any land that is unclaimed on Earth, although you can go to Antarctica without a visa (if you’re a scientist) as it’s currently un-ownable. If you buy a small island from some cash-strapped country (like Marlon Brando did) then you can live there however you want (probably - if you don’t break the laws of the country). ---
**Author:** ![Blake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@Blake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blake)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2004, 11:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-castaway-possible/235146/4 "2004-03-19T11:27:09Z")
> [@boofy\_bloke](#): > > you can go to Antarctica without a visa (if you’re a scientist) as it’s currently un-ownable. Are you sure about that? I thought all of Antarctica was claimed as territory by various nations. I know there are heavy restrictions on importing wildlife, potential disease risks etc. and penalties attached so presumably there is someone monitoring who goes there. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2004, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-castaway-possible/235146/5 "2004-03-19T11:56:28Z")
Well, there’s always the example of Sealand, set up successfully as a soveriegn nation on an abandoned oil rig/antiaircraft platform in the North Sea. Cecil discusses Sealand and similar options in [this column](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3_300.html). ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2004, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-castaway-possible/235146/6 "2004-03-19T12:42:39Z")
> [@Blake](#): > > Are you sure about that? I thought all of Antarctica was claimed as territory by various nations. I know there are heavy restrictions on importing wildlife, potential disease risks etc. and penalties attached so presumably there is someone monitoring who goes there. From what I’ve read, various countries claim parts of Antarctica, but the United States and Russia have official polcies that consider PenguinLand to be un-ownable. Basically, it amounts to “We don’t give a shit about your claims.” ---
**Author:** ![pool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pool/32/4152_2.png) [@pool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pool)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2004, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-castaway-possible/235146/7 "2004-03-19T14:06:29Z")
Did any of you guys ever catch that episode of Ripleys Believe it or not that had a guy who basically recycled a bunch of garbage into a synthetic island and he even grew his own food on it and lived on it. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2004, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-castaway-possible/235146/8 "2004-03-19T14:46:37Z")
> [@Diceman](#): > > From what I’ve read, various countries claim parts of Antarctica, but the United States and Russia have official polcies that consider PenguinLand to be un-ownable. Basically, it amounts to “We don’t give a shit about your claims.” Not exactly. [The Antarctic Treaty of 1959](http://www.nsf.gov/od/opp/antarct/anttrty.htm) was signed or acceded to by 45 countries representing 2/3 of the world’s population. Regarding territorial claims, it bans new claims for sovereign territory, but it specifically states that it does not affect old claims to sovereignty: > [@](#): > > 1. Nothing contained in the present Treaty shall be interpreted as: > > (a) a renunciation by any Contracting Party of previously asserted rights of or claims to territorial sovereignty in Antarctica; > > (b) a renunciation or diminution by any Contracting Party of any basis of claim to territorial sovereignty in Antarctica which it may have whether as a result of its activities or those of its nationals in Antarctica, or otherwise; > > (c) prejudicing the position of any Contracting Party as regards its recognition or nonrecognition of any other State’s right of or claim or basis of claim to territorial sovereignty in Antarctica. > > 1. No acts or activities taking place while the present Treaty is in force shall constitute a basis for asserting, supporting or denying a claim to territorial sovereignty in Antarctica. No new claim, or enlargement of an existing claim, to territorial sovereignty shall be asserted while the present Treaty is in force. Presumably territorial claims in Antarctica that predate the treaty could be argued in the world court or some body of the UN, or the old fashioned way, with gunboats. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2004, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-castaway-possible/235146/9 "2004-03-20T05:50:39Z")
There still is a section of Antarctica that has never been claimed. International law traditionally only recognizes claims as legit if they have a continuous permenent population. Thus that rules out Antarctica. While a few “stations” are permenently manned, their populations are not permenent.