Before Hilbert discovered the 'land of Hilbert space' or Hilbertustan for short, there was no way to assert sovereignty, travel or make commerce by anyone else. It was a lawless and crude locality without a guiding vector. Only since the Hilbert's Robot Army, charted and subjugated the chaotic dimensions, travel became commonplace.
You shouldn't talk wrong of Hilbert, xor you get sent into a Mobius strip club. Picture of the Great Interdimensional Overlord:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/79/Hilbert.jpg
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Orbis terrarum delenda est