Res nullius

Res nullius is a principle by which a nationmay assert control of an unclaimed territory. By this principle, a nation gains control when one of its citizens enters the territory.

Res Nullius is the guiding principle that lead to colonization of much of the world. It's the idea that even though there may be indigenous peoples residing in "newly discovered" land, it is the right of the "more civilized" to take the land and put it to "good use". If land isn't being used efficiently to generate maximum capital it is considered uninhabited.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
It uses material from the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Res+nullius Wikipedia article Res nullius.