Digital Nation: Can a State Exist Without Its Territory? Legal Challenge of Tuvalu and Other Endangered Islands
Articles
Ignas Laucius
Vilnius University image/svg+xml
Roberta Rudzevičiūtė
Vilnius University image/svg+xml
Indrė Isokaitė
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Published 2026-10-20
https://doi.org/10.15388/TMP.2026.22
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Keywords

climate change
sinking islands
continuity of statehood
Nations Ex-Situ
digital nation

Abstract

The article examines the transformation of the concept of statehood in the context of climate change and technological advancement, with particular emphasis on the case of Tuvalu. It addresses the question of whether a state that has lost its physical territory may continue to exist as a subject of international law. The analysis focuses on the legal concept of statehood, the criteria of statehood enshrined in the Montevideo Convention, and the challenges associated with their application to disappearing island states. The article further explores the concept of the Ex-Situ Nation, encompassing the phenomenon of the digital state, as a potential new category of subjects of international law capable of ensuring the continuity of statehood in circumstances where territorial extinction occurs.

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