Contested, argued about, or subject to disagreement; not accepted or acknowledged by all parties involved.
From Latin disputare meaning 'to weigh, examine, discuss', from dis 'apart' + putare 'to think, consider'. The sense of arguing or contesting developed from the original meaning of careful examination.
In international law, disputed territories create fascinating legal puzzles where multiple nations claim sovereignty, sometimes leading to areas being governed by de facto rather than de jure authority. The Kashmir region, for example, is administered by three different countries despite being claimed entirely by two of them.
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