Table of Contents
How can landmines be detected?
A great variety of methods for detecting landmines have been studied. These include electromagnetic methods, one of which (ground penetrating radar) has been employed in tandem with metal detectors. Explosives in landmines can also be detected directly using nuclear quadrupole resonance and neutron probes.
Is it possible to escape a land mine?
No, you won’t be able to outrun an explosion as shrapnel flies everywhere, even if you are a really fast runner. Also, if you step directly on a landmine, you will instantly be killed or severely wounded.
Are there still active land mines?
The majority of the countries remaining outside the treaty keep stockpiles that collectively total around 50 million landmines. If not destroyed, those landmines remain ready to be used any time. Though new use of antipersonnel landmines is rare and limited, it still happens.
When did land mines become illegal?
1997
Both have caused great suffering in the past decades. Anti-personnel landmines are prohibited under the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on Their Destruction (or Mine Ban Convention), adopted in 1997.
Which country has the most landmines?
Egypt
Egypt as a Case Study. Egypt has been listed as the country most contaminated by landmines in the world with an estimate of approximately 23,000,000 landmines.
What happens if you step on a landmine?
There is a common misperception that a landmine is armed by stepping on it and only triggered by stepping off, providing tension in movies. In fact the initial pressure trigger will detonate the mine, as they are designed to kill or maim, not to make someone stand very still until it can be disarmed.
How long do landmines last?
A land mine can remain active for up to 50 years. Land mines are cheap and effective when deployed, but are expensive and dangerous to remove. Most mines can be boobytrapped, and some of them are just to make the game more interesting.
What organization is trying to ban landmines?
The International Campaign to Ban Landmines
The International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) is a global network of non-governmental organizations, active in some 100 countries, that works for a world free of antipersonnel landmines, where landmine survivors can lead fulfilling lives.
Which country has the most land mines?
Countries With The Highest Number Of Mines Deployed In Their Territory
| Rank | Country | Mines (Millions, estimated) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Egypt | 23 |
| 2 | Iran | 16 |
| 3 | Afghanistan | 10 |
| 4 | Angola | 10 |
Is using mines a war crime?
Placing minefields without marking and recording them for later removal is considered a war crime under Protocol II of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons, which is itself an annex to the Geneva Conventions.
What are the challenges of landmine detection and clearance?
Landmines can shift placement in soil over time and due to weather conditions; soil type can also pose a challenge to landmine detection and clearance. In sandy soil like the contaminated areas in Egypt, wind can shift sands dramatically, and the fine grit of sandy soils can rapidly wear equipment.
What are land mines and why are they dangerous?
Land mines are planted in fields, forests, around wells, water sources, and hydroelectric installations, making these unusable, or usable only at great risk. Both Afghanistan and Cambodia could double their agricultural production if land mines were eliminated.
How long does it take to get rid of land mines?
Until recently, about 100 000 mines were being removed, and about two million more were planted each year. If demining efforts remain about the same as they are now, and no new mines are laid, it will still take 1100 years to get rid of all the world’s active land mines.
Why is it so hard to detect mines and UXO?
Much of the mines and UXO is covered by thick deposits of mud or sand so that conventional detection techniques are often of little value. Landmines can shift placement in soil over time and due to weather conditions; soil type can also pose a challenge to landmine detection and clearance.