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73-678: The exclusive economic zone of the United States extends 200 nautical miles (370 km; 230 mi) from the coast, and thus overlaps but is not coterminous with the Outer Continental Shelf. Formally, the OCS is governed by Title 43 , Chapter 29 "Submerged Lands", Subchapter III "Outer Continental Shelf Lands", of the U.S. Code which was created under the Outer Continental Shelf Act enacted by

146-712: A Finance Committee that would originate the financial decisions of the Authority, to which the largest donors would automatically be members and in which decisions would be made by consensus. On 1 February 2011, the Seabed Disputes Chamber of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) issued an advisory opinion concerning the legal responsibilities and obligations of states parties to

219-810: A country's sovereign territorial waters extend to 12 nmi (22 km) beyond the shore. One of the first assertions of exclusive jurisdiction beyond the traditional territorial seas was made by the United States in the Truman Proclamation of 28 September 1945. However, it was Chile and Peru respectively that first claimed maritime zones of 200 nautical miles with the Presidential Declaration Concerning Continental Shelf signed by Chilean President Gabriel Gonzalez Videla on 23 June 1947 and by Peruvian President Jose Luis Bustamante y Rivero through Presidential Decree No. 781 of 1 August 1947 It

292-712: A maritime delimitation agreement exists with another state. To the 12 nautical miles boundary is Australia's territorial waters . Australia has the third largest exclusive economic zone, behind France and the United States, but ahead of Russia, with a total area of 8,148,250 square kilometres, which actually exceeds its land territory. The United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) confirmed, in April 2008, Australia's rights over an additional 2.5 million square kilometres of seabed beyond

365-786: A portion of the shelf in the Barents Sea. Area: 290,000 square kilometres (110,000 sq mi) United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea ( UNCLOS ), also called the Law of the Sea Convention or the Law of the Sea Treaty , is an international treaty that establishes a legal framework for all marine and maritime activities. As of October 2024 , 169 sovereign states and

438-647: A tiny island in the Mediterranean Sea, is the country's southernmost point. Italy shares treaty-defined maritime boundaries with France , Spain , Algeria , Tunisia , Libya , Malta , Greece , Albania , Montenegro , Croatia and Slovenia . Japan has the world's eighth-largest exclusive economic zone, covering 4,479,674 km (1,729,612 sq mi). It claims an EEZ of 200 nautical miles from its shores. Japan has disputes over its EEZ boundaries with all its Asian neighbors (China, Russia, South Korea , and Taiwan ). The above, and relevant maps at

511-439: A total surface area of 3,269,386 km , and places Mexico among the countries with the largest areas in the world. New Zealand 's EEZ covers 4,083,744 km (1,576,742 sq mi), which is approximately fifteen times the land area of the country. Sources vary significantly on the size of New Zealand's EEZ; for example, a recent government publication gave the area as roughly 4,300,000 km . These figures are for

584-591: Is defined as follows: Federal jurisdiction extends from the outer limit of state jurisdiction to the international limit of the United States' claims on seabed rights. Though the United States has not ratified the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea , it accepts the same limits as defined in that treaty . Specifically, the seaward limit is defined as the farthest of 200 nautical miles (370.4 km; 230.2 mi) seaward of

657-532: Is governed by rules of customary international law on the acquisition and loss of territory. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 14 has a target regarding conservative and sustainable use of oceans and their resources in line with UNCLOS legal framework. In 1958, the United Nations held its first Conference on the Law of the Sea ( UNCLOS I ) at Geneva , Switzerland. UNCLOS I resulted in four treaties concluded in 1958: Although UNCLOS I

730-505: Is referred to as the " high seas " or simply "the Area". Aside from its provisions defining ocean boundaries, the convention establishes general obligations for safeguarding the marine environment and protecting freedom of scientific research on the high seas, and also creates an innovative legal regime for controlling mineral resource exploitation in deep seabed areas beyond national jurisdiction, through an International Seabed Authority and

803-478: Is up to the states to delineate the actual maritime boundary . Generally, any point within an overlapping area defaults to the nearest state. The exclusive economic zone stretches much further into sea than the territorial waters , which end at 12 nmi (22 km) from the coastal baseline (if following the rules set out in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea ). Thus,

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876-533: The 83rd United States Congress and signed into law by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1953. The term "outer Continental Shelf" refers to all submerged land, its subsoil and seabed that belong to the United States and are lying seaward and outside the states' jurisdiction, the latter defined as the "lands beneath navigable waters" in Title 43, Chapter 29, Subchapter I, Section 1301. The United States OCS has been divided into four leasing regions: State jurisdiction

949-561: The European Union are parties. The convention resulted from the third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS III), which took place between 1973 and 1982. UNCLOS replaced the four treaties of the 1958 Convention on the High Seas . UNCLOS came into force in 1994, a year after Guyana became the 60th nation to ratify the treaty. In 2023, agreement was reached on a High Seas Treaty to be added as an instrument of

1022-561: The Fernando de Noronha Islands , Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago , and the Trindade and Martim Vaz Islands . Canada is unusual in that its exclusive economic zone, covering 5,599,077 km (2,161,816 sq mi), is slightly smaller than its territorial waters. The latter generally extend only 12 nautical miles from the shore but also include inland marine waters such as Hudson Bay (about 300 nmi (560 km) across),

1095-740: The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), provides significant practical mechanisms for the control of EEZs. Transboundary fish stocks are an important concept in this control. Transboundary stocks are fish stocks that range in the EEZs of at least two countries. Straddling stocks , on the other hand, range both within an EEZ as well as in the high seas , outside any EEZ. A stock can be both transboundary and straddling. Algeria on 17 April 2018 established an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) off its coasts by Presidential Decree No. 18-96 of 2 Rajab 1439 corresponding to 20 March 2018. The permanent mission of Spain to

1168-772: The Gulf of Saint Lawrence and the internal waters of the Arctic Archipelago . Chile's EEZ includes areas around the Desventuradas Islands , Easter Island , and the Juan Fernández Islands . In 2020 and 2022, Chile submitted its partial claims to the United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) to extend its maritime continental margin. The first figure excludes all disputed waters, while

1241-612: The Maluku Islands ) and sixty smaller island groups. Ireland's exclusive economic zone was reported to be the location of a Russian military exercise in January 2022. Russia's exercise was then moved outside the economic zone. In 2010, an agreement was signed with Cyprus concerning the limit of territorial waters between Israel and Cyprus at the maritime halfway point, a clarification essential for safeguarding Israel's rights to oil and underwater gas reservoirs. The agreement

1314-590: The Tyrrhenian Sea to the west, the Ionian Sea to the south and the Adriatic Sea to the east. Italy's EEZ is limited by maritime boundaries with neighboring countries to the northwest, east and southeast. Italy's western sea territory stretches from the west coast of Italy on the Tyrrhenian Sea , including the island of Sardinia . The island of Sicily is in the southernmost area. Lampedusa ,

1387-628: The common heritage of mankind principle. The convention also established the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) in Hamburg , Germany . Landlocked states are given a right of access to and from the sea, without taxation of traffic through transit states. Part XI of the convention provides for a regime relating to minerals on the seabed outside any state's territorial waters or exclusive economic zones (EEZ). It establishes an International Seabed Authority (ISA) to authorize seabed exploration and mining and collect and distribute

1460-469: The high seas . The United Nations agreement on biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction or BBNJ Agreement, also referred to by some stakeholders as the High Seas Treaty or Global Ocean Treaty, is a legally binding instrument for the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction. There is some controversy over the popularized name of

1533-634: The "polluter-pays" principle, and different impacts of human activities including areas beyond the national jurisdiction of the countries making those activities. The agreement was adopted by the 193 United Nations Member States. The convention was opened for signature on 10 December 1982 and entered into force on 16 November 1994 upon deposition of the 60th instrument of ratification. The convention has been ratified by 170 parties, which includes 166 UN member states, 1 UN Observer state ( Palestine ), two non-member states (the Cook Islands and Niue ) and

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1606-564: The 17th century. According to this concept, national rights were limited to a specified belt of water extending from a nation's coastlines , usually 3 nautical miles (5.6 km; 3.5 mi) ( three-mile limit ), according to the " cannon shot" rule developed by the Dutch jurist Cornelius van Bynkershoek . All waters beyond national boundaries were considered international waters : free to all nations, but belonging to none of them (the mare liberum principle propounded by Hugo Grotius ). In

1679-410: The 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea , is an area of the sea in which a sovereign state has exclusive rights regarding the exploration and use of marine resources , including energy production from water and wind. It stretches from the outer limit of the territorial sea (22.224 kilometres or 12 nmi from the baseline) out 370.4 kilometres (or 200 nautical miles ) from the coast of

1752-422: The 2,500-meter isobath plus 100 nmi or 350 nmi are defined by a line 60 nautical miles (111.1 km; 69.0 mi) seaward of the foot of the continental slope or by a line seaward of the foot of the continental slope connecting points where the sediment thickness divided by the distance to the foot of the slope equals 0.01, whichever is farthest. Coastlines are emergent coastline . Thus the landward boundary of

1825-676: The Algerian measure had been taken unilaterally and without consulting them. On 25 November 2018, the Algerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent an oral note in response to the Spanish protest, explaining that the Algerian government does not recognize the largely exorbitant coordinates contained in Royal Decree 236/2013, which overlap with the coordinates of Presidential Decree n° 18–96 establishing an exclusive economic zone off

1898-641: The Baltic Sea area. Greece forms the southernmost part of the Balkan peninsula in the Mediterranean Sea . It includes many small islands which vary between 1,200 and 6,000 in the Aegean Sea and the Ionian Sea . The largest islands are Crete , Euboea , Lesbos , Rhodes and Chios . Greece's EEZ is bordered to the west by Albania and Italy , to the south by Libya and Egypt , and to

1971-849: The EEZ include the Maritime Task Act (Seeaufgabengesetz) from 1965, the Maritime Facilities Act (Seeanlagengesetz) from 2017, and prior to that the Sea Facilities Ordinance (Seeanlagenverordnung) from 1997, the Federal Mining Act (Bundesberggesetz) and the Regional Planning Act (Raumordnungsgesetz). The German EEZ has an area of 32,982 km . About 70% of the EEZ covers Germany's entire North Sea area, while some 29% encompasses

2044-616: The EEZ of New Zealand proper, and do not include the EEZs of other territories in the Realm of New Zealand (the Cook Islands , Niue , Tokelau , and the Ross Dependency ). The exclusive economic zone of North Korea stretches 200 nautical miles from its basepoints in both the West Sea (Yellow Sea) and the Sea of Japan . The EEZ was declared in 1977 after North Korea had contested

2117-842: The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. After Congress passed the Federal Oil and Gas Royalty Management Act in 1982, the Secretary of the Interior designated the Minerals Management Service (MMS) as the administrative agency responsible for the mineral leasing of submerged OCS lands and for the supervision of offshore operations; in 2010 MMS was renamed the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE). On October 1, 2011, BOEMRE

2190-606: The OCSLA. One of the main pieces of legislature affecting the OCS is the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA), created on August 7, 1953, which defined the OCS as all submerged lands lying seaward of state coastal waters (3 miles offshore) under U.S. jurisdiction; under the OCSLA, the Secretary of the Interior is responsible for the administration of mineral exploration and development of the OCS. The OCSLA has been amended several times, most recently by

2263-495: The Sea Around Us Project both indicate Japan's claimed boundaries, and do not take into account the claims of adjacent jurisdictions. Japan also refers to various categories of "shipping area" – Smooth Water Area, Coasting Area, Major or Greater Coasting Area, Ocean Going Area – but it is unclear whether these are intended to have any territorial or economic implications. Mexico's exclusive economic zones cover

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2336-718: The Soviet Union, with no significant voice of their own. The issue of varying claims of territorial waters was raised in the UN in 1967 by Arvid Pardo of Malta, and in 1973 the Third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea convened in New York. In an attempt to reduce the possibility of groups of nation-states dominating the negotiations, the conference used a consensus process rather than majority vote. With more than 160 nations participating,

2409-548: The Spanish embassy in Algiers to show their eligibility in Algeria's exclusive economic zone. Considering the maritime areas claimed, the total area of Argentina reaches 3,849,756 km . The recognized Argentine EEZ area is 1,159,063 km . Australia's exclusive economic zone was declared on 1 August 1994, and extends from 12 to 200 nautical miles from the coastline of Australia and its external territories , except where

2482-687: The UN Rio Declaration. Part XII of UNCLOS contains special provisions for the protection of the marine environment, obligating all states to collaborate in this matter, as well as placing special obligations on flag states to ensure that ships under their flags adhere to international environmental regulations, often adopted by the IMO . The MARPOL convention is an example of such regulation. Part XII also bestows coastal and port states with broadened jurisdictional rights for enforcing international environmental regulation within their territory and on

2555-485: The United Nations on 27 July 2018 declared its disagreement with the EEZ announced by Algeria and that the government of Spain indicated its willingness to enter into negotiations with the government of Algeria with a view to reaching a mutually acceptable agreement on the outer limits of their respective exclusive economic zones, The same was done by the Italian mission on 28 November 2018. The two countries indicated that

2628-581: The West Sea cannot be determined because of potential overlap and disputes over certain islands. In the Sea of Japan, the North Korean EEZ can be approximated to be trapezoidal -shaped. The border between North Korea and Russia's respective EEZs is the only such border that has been determined in East Asia. Here, the EEZ does not cause many problems, even with regards to South Korea, because

2701-536: The agreement does not directly address climate change , it also serves as a step towards protecting the ecosystems that store carbon in sediments. The treaty has 75 articles and its main purpose is "to take stewardship of the world’s oceans for present and future generations, care for and protect the marine environment and ensure its responsible use, maintain the integrity of undersea ecosystems and conserve marine biological diversity’s inherent value". The treaty recognizes traditional knowledge . It has articles regarding

2774-600: The agreement. It is an agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). The text was finalised during an intergovernmental conference at the UN on 4 March 2023 and adopted on 19 June 2023. Both states and regional economic integration organizations can become parties to the treaty. In 2017, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) had voted to convene an intergovernmental conference (IGC) to consider establishing an international legally binding instrument (ILBI) on

2847-651: The area by two state-sponsored contractors – Nauru Ocean Resources Inc. (sponsored by the Republic of Nauru) and Tonga Offshore Mining Ltd. (sponsored by the Kingdom of Tonga). The advisory opinion set forth the international legal responsibilities and obligations of sponsoring states and the authority to ensure that sponsored activities do not harm the marine environment, consistent with the applicable provisions of UNCLOS Part XI, Authority regulations, ITLOS case law, other international environmental treaties, and Principle 15 of

2920-584: The baseline cover an additional 12,498 km , and EEZ covers 24,482 km for a total of 55,961 km . Cyprus EEZ covers 98,707 square km (38,100 square miles). Cyprus' EEZ borders those of Greece , Turkey , Syria , Lebanon , Israel and Egypt . The Kingdom of Denmark includes the constituent country ( selvstyre ) of Greenland and the constituent country ( hjemmestyre ) of the Faroe Islands . Area: 1,077,231 km Due to its numerous overseas departments and territories scattered on all oceans of

2993-406: The baseline from which the breadth of the territorial sea is measured or, if the continental shelf can be shown to exceed 200 nautical miles, a distance not greater than a line 100 nautical miles from the 2,500-meter (8,200 ft) isobath or a line 350 nautical miles (648.2 km; 402.8 mi) from the baseline. Outer Continental Shelf limits greater than 200 nautical miles but less than either

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3066-451: The coast of Algeria. The Algerian government wished to emphasize that the unilateral delimitation carried out by Spain is not in conformity with the letter of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and has not taken into consideration the configuration, the specific characteristics, and the special circumstances of the Mediterranean Sea, in particular for the case of the two countries whose coasts are located face to face, as well as

3139-404: The conference lasted until 1982. The resulting convention came into force on 16 November 1994, one year after the 60th state, Guyana, ratified the treaty. The convention introduced a number of provisions. The most significant issues covered were setting limits, navigation, archipelagic status and transit regimes, exclusive economic zones (EEZs), continental shelf jurisdiction, deep seabed mining,

3212-466: The conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ). This was considered necessary because UNCLOS did not provide a framework for areas beyond national jurisdiction. There was a particular concern for marine biodiversity and the impact of overfishing on global fish stocks and ecosystem stability. The treaty addresses four themes: (1) marine genetic resources (MGRs) and their Digital sequence information , including

3285-582: The convention with respect to the sponsorship of activities in the area in accordance with Part XI of the convention and the 1994 agreement. The advisory opinion was issued in response to a formal request made by the International Seabed Authority following two prior applications the authority's Legal and Technical Commission had received from the Republic of Nauru and the Kingdom of Tonga regarding proposed activities (a plan of work to explore for polymetallic nodules) to be undertaken in

3358-494: The convention, to protect ocean life in international waters. This would provide measures including Marine Protected Areas and environmental impact assessments . While the secretary-general of the United Nations receives instruments of ratification and accession and the UN provides support for meetings of states party to the convention, the United Nations Secretariat has no direct operational role in

3431-585: The convention. The resulting 1994 Agreement on Implementation was adopted as a binding international convention. It mandated that key articles, including those on limitation of seabed production and mandatory technology transfer, would not be applied, that the United States, if it became a member, would be guaranteed a seat on the Council of the International Seabed Authority, and finally, that voting would be done in groups, with each group able to block decisions on substantive matters. The 1994 Agreement also established

3504-488: The demand for minerals from the seabed made the seabed regime significantly less relevant. In addition, the decline of communism in the late 1980s removed much of the support for some of the more contentious Part XI provisions. In 1990, consultations began between signatories and non-signatories (including the United States) over the possibility of modifying the convention to allow the industrialized countries to join

3577-470: The early 20th century, some nations expressed their desire to extend national claims: to include mineral resources, to protect fish stocks , and to provide the means to enforce pollution controls . The League of Nations called a 1930 conference at The Hague , but no agreements resulted. Using the customary international-law principle of a nation's right to protect its natural resources, President Harry S. Truman in 1945 extended United States control to all

3650-650: The east by Cyprus and Turkey . India is currently seeking to extend its EEZ to 350 miles. Indonesia has the 6th largest exclusive economic zone in the world. The total size is 6,159,032 km (2,378,016 sq mi). It claims an EEZ of 200 nautical miles from its shores. This is due to the 13,466 islands of the Indonesian Archipelago . It has the 2nd largest coastline of 54,720 km (34,000 mi). The five main islands are: Sumatra , Java , Borneo , Sulawesi , and Western New Guinea . There are two major island groups ( Nusa Tenggara and

3723-419: The exclusive economic zones includes the contiguous zone . States also have rights to the seabed of what is called the extended continental shelf up to 350 nmi (648 km) from the coastal baseline, beyond the exclusive economic zones, but such areas are not part of their exclusive economic zones. The legal definition of the continental shelf does not correspond exactly to the geological meaning of

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3796-439: The exploitation regime, protection of the marine environment, scientific research, and settlement of disputes. The convention set the limit of various areas, measured from a carefully defined baseline . (Normally, a sea baseline follows the low-water line, but when the coastline is deeply indented, has fringing islands or is highly unstable, straight baselines may be used.) The areas are as follows: The area outside these areas

3869-401: The fair and equitable sharing of benefits; (2) area-based management tools (ABMTs), including marine protected areas (MPAs); (3) environmental impact assessments (EIAs); and (4) capacity building and transfer of marine technology (CB&TMT). The area-based management tools and environmental impact assessments relate mainly to conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity, while

3942-672: The implementation of the convention. A UN specialized agency , the International Maritime Organization , does play a role, however, as do other bodies such as the International Whaling Commission and the International Seabed Authority (ISA), which was established by the convention itself. United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea replaces the older " freedom of the seas " concept, dating from

4015-420: The last figure indicates China's claimed boundaries, and does not take into account adjacent powers' claims. Croatia proclaimed Ecological and Fisheries Protection Zone in 2003, but it was not enforced toward other European Union states especially Italy and Slovenia. The zone was upgraded to EEZ in 2021 together with Italy and Slovenia. Territorial waters has 18,981 km , while internal waters located within

4088-564: The limits of Australia's EEZ. Australia also claimed, in its submission to the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf, additional Continental Shelf past its EEZ from the Australian Antarctic Territory , but these claims were deferred on Australia's request. However, Australia's EEZ from its Antarctic Territory is approximately 2 million square kilometres. Brazil 's EEZ includes areas around

4161-428: The marine genetic resources and capacity building and transfer of marine technology include issues of economic justice and equity. Greenpeace called it "the biggest conservation victory ever". The main achievement is the new possibility to create marine protected areas in international waters. By doing so the agreement now makes it possible to protect 30% of the oceans by 2030 (part of the 30 by 30 target). Though

4234-483: The minerals of the deep seabed. An agreement was made with other seabed mining nations and licenses were granted to four international consortia. Concurrently, the Preparatory Commission was established to prepare for the eventual coming into force of the convention-recognized claims by applicants, sponsored by signatories of the convention. Overlaps between the two groups were resolved, but a decline in

4307-406: The natural resources of its continental shelf . Other nations were quick to follow suit. Between 1946 and 1950, Chile, Peru, and Ecuador extended their rights to a distance of 200 nautical miles (370 km; 230 mi) to cover their Humboldt Current fishing grounds. Other nations extended their territorial seas to 12 nautical miles (22 km; 14 mi). By 1967, only 25 nations still used

4380-408: The objective rules and relevant principles of international law to govern the equitable delimitation of the maritime areas between Algeria and Spain, in accordance with article 74 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Algeria expressed its willingness to negotiate for a just solution. On 20 June 2019, a communication from Algeria was sent. It was addressed to the Italian embassy and

4453-566: The old three nautical mile limit, while 66 nations had set a 12-nautical-mile (22 km) territorial limit and eight had set a 200-nautical-mile (370 km) limit. As of 15 July 2011 , only Jordan still uses the 3-mile (4.8 km) limit. That limit is also used in certain Australian islands, an area of Belize, some Japanese straits , certain areas of Papua New Guinea, and a few British Overseas Territories , such as Gibraltar . UNCLOS does not deal with matters of territorial disputes or to resolve issues of sovereignty, as that field

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4526-489: The outer continental shelf is a legal construct rather than a physical construct, modified only at intervals by appropriate processes of law . For legislation concerning the OCS, the United States Senate Committee on Commerce, Science & Transportation has jurisdiction within the United States Senate . In the House of Representatives, the Committee on Natural Resources Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources has jurisdiction over administration and legislation amending

4599-483: The planet, France possesses the largest EEZ in the world, covering 11,691,000 km (4,514,000 sq mi). The EEZ of France covers approximately 7% of the total surface of all the EEZs of the world, whereas the land area of the French Republic is only 0.45% of the total land area of Earth. Germany declared the establishment of its exclusive economic zone in the North and Baltic Seas on 1 January 1995. The relevant German legal provisions that are applicable within

4672-492: The sea is not thought to be rich in resources. Norway has a large exclusive economic zone of 819,620 km around its coast. The country has a fishing zone of 1,878,953 km , including fishing zones around Svalbard and Jan Mayen . In April 2009, the United Nations Commission for the Limits of the Continental Shelf approved Norway's claim to an additional 235,000 square kilometres of continental shelf. The commission found that Norway and Russia both had valid claims over

4745-522: The seabed mining royalty. The United States objected to the provisions of Part XI of the convention on several grounds, arguing that the treaty was unfavorable to American economic and security interests. Due to Part XI, the United States refused to ratify the UNCLOS, although it expressed agreement with the remaining provisions of the convention. From 1982 to 1990, the United States accepted all but Part XI as customary international law, while attempting to establish an alternative regime for exploitation of

4818-559: The second is merely a "sovereign right" which refers to the coastal state's rights below the surface of the sea. The surface waters are international waters . Generally, a state's exclusive economic zone is an area beyond and adjacent to the territorial sea, extending seaward to a distance of no more than 200 nmi (370 km) out from its coastal baseline . The exception to this rule occurs when exclusive economic zones would overlap; that is, state coastal baselines are less than 400 nmi (741 km) apart. When an overlap occurs, it

4891-404: The state in question. It is also referred to as a maritime continental margin and, in colloquial usage, may include the continental shelf . The term does not include either the territorial sea or the continental shelf beyond the 200 nautical mile limit. The difference between the territorial sea and the exclusive economic zone is that the first confers full sovereignty over the waters, whereas

4964-419: The term, as it also includes the continental rise and slope, and the entire seabed within the exclusive economic zone. The idea of allotting nations' EEZs to give them more control of maritime affairs outside territorial limits gained acceptance in the late 20th century. Initially, a country's sovereign territorial waters extended 3 nmi (6 km) (range of cannon shot) beyond the shore. In modern times,

5037-430: The validity of the Northern Limit Lines (NLL) set up after the Korean War as maritime borders. The EEZ has not been codified in law and North Korea has never specified its coordinates, making it difficult to determine its specific scope. In the West Sea, the EEZ remains unspecified in the Korea Bay because China has not determined its own EEZ in the area. The border between the North Korean and South Korean EEZs in

5110-407: Was considered a success, it left open the important issue of breadth of territorial waters. In 1960, the United Nations held the second Conference on the Law of the Sea ("UNCLOS II"); however, the six-week Geneva conference did not result in any new agreements. Generally speaking, developing nations and third world countries participated only as clients, allies, or dependents of the United States or

5183-417: Was divided into two bureaus, the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM). BSEE is the agency charged to provide regulatory oversight of deepwater oil drilling and offshore wind energy sources in U.S. Federal waters that extend beyond State jurisdiction. Exclusive economic zone An exclusive economic zone ( EEZ ), as prescribed by

5256-488: Was not until 1982 with the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea that the 200 nautical mile exclusive economic zone was formally adopted. The exact extent of exclusive economic zones is a common source of conflicts between states over marine waters. Regions where a permanent ice shelf extends beyond the coastline are also a source of potential dispute. Fisheries management , usually adhering to guidelines set by

5329-595: Was signed in Nicosia by Israeli Infrastructure Minister Uzi Landau and the Cypriot Foreign Minister Markos Kyprianou. The two countries agreed to cooperate in the development of any cross-border resources discovered and to negotiate an agreement on dividing joint resources. Italy has an EEZ of 541,915 km (209,235 sq mi). The country claims an EEZ of 200 nautical miles from its shores, and its three coastlines are

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