Who Owns the Earth?

The Surprising Truth About Every Piece of Land on the Planet

by Kevin Cahill with Rob McMahon

(Chapter 2)

The Largest Landowner on Earth - By Far

Page 16

Queen Elizabeth II is the largest landowner on Earth. In her sole name is vested the legal ownership of over one-sixth of the planet's surface (one seventh if you exclude Antarctica). But it does not end there. She is a Queen with 32 crowns - conceivably more crowns than any single individual has ever worn before in all of history. She wears them one at a time by de facto election, each of her royal dominions having either elected or chosen to retain the Queen as head of state.

The Lands of Queen Elizabeth II

Canada

Page 176

How the country is owned

All physical land in Canada is the property of the crown, Queen Elizabeth II. There is no provision in the Canada Act, or in the Constitution Act 1982 which amends it, for any Canadian to own any physical land in Canada. All that Canadian's may hold, in conformity with medieval and  feudal law, is "an interest in an estate in land, in fee simple." Freehold is tenure, not ownership. Freehold land is "held", not "owned."