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These zones are measured using nautical miles, a measurement based on the circumference of the Earth. 2 One nautical mile equals roughly 1.15 miles on land. As seen in the graphic below, the LOSC divides the ocean into six different zones: 1. Internal Waters 3. Contiguous Zone 5. Continental Shelf 2.
States may also establish a contiguous zone from the outer edge of the territorial seas to a maximum of 24 nautical miles from the baseline. This zone exists to bolster a State’s law enforcement capacity and prevent criminals from fleeing the territorial sea.
The extent to which a nation could control its coastal waters was largely based on the reach of its cannons on the shore. Thus, the 3 nautical mile (nm) limit of the territorial sea resulted from what is often referred to as the “cannon shot” rule.
Exclusive Economic Zones are always less extensive than territorial seas. In the Pacific realm, the so-called high islands mainly have volcanic origins, whereas the low islands are made of coral. THIS SET IS OFTEN IN FOLDERS WITH...
200 nautical milesThe U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) extends no more than 200 nautical miles from the territorial sea baseline and is adjacent to the 12 nautical mile territorial sea of the U.S., including the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands ...
200 nmiGenerally, 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.
200 nautical milesThe Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) comprises an area which extends either from the coast, or in federal systems from the seaward boundaries of the constituent states (3 to 12 nautical miles, in most cases) to 200 nautical miles (370 kilometres) off the coast.
The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) defines an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) as generally extending 200 nautical miles from shore, within which the coastal state has the right to explore and exploit, and the responsibility to conserve and manage, both living and non-living resources.
An “exclusive economic zone,” or “EEZ” is an area of the ocean, generally extending 200 nautical miles (230 miles) beyond a nation's territorial sea, within which a coastal nation has jurisdiction over both living and nonliving resources.
The significance of 12 nm derives from the fact that the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) generally grants coastal states jurisdiction over a 12-nm territorial sea emanating from the coast.
two hundred nautical miles—(1) The exclusive economic zone of India (hereinafter referred to as the exclusive economic zone) is an area beyond and adjacent to the territorial waters, and the limit of such zone is two hundred nautical miles from the baseline referred to in sub-section (2) of section 3.
200 nautical milesIt claims an EEZ of 200 nautical miles (370 km) from its shores. This is due to the 7,641 islands comprising the Philippine archipelago.
12 nautical milesEvery State has the right to establish the breadth of its territorial sea up to a limit not exceeding 12 nautical miles, measured from baselines determined in accordance with this Convention.
With the negotiation of the 1982 United Nations Law of the Sea Convention, the allowed breadth of a territorial sea claim was extended to 12 nautical miles (22 kilometers).
India's territorial limit further extends towards the sea upto 12 nautical miles (about 21.9 km) from the coast. (See the box for conversion).
EEZ (Exclusive Economic Zones) An area (usually 370 km) from the shore in which a state has rights to explore, exploit, and manage natural resources in the seas.
How many nautical miles offshore does an exclusive economic zone extend?
Just like they want to protect trade within their borders, countries also want to have a say in trade activities that occur near their borders.
The U.S. contiguous zone is measured 24 nautical miles from the baseline.
The U.S. maritime limits are projected from a "normal baseline" derived from NOAA nautical charts. A "normal baseline" (as defined in the 1958 Geneva Convention on the Territorial Sea and the Contiguous Zone and Article 5 of the United Nations Convention of the Law of the Sea) is the low-water line along the coast as marked on official, large-scale charts. Since "low-water line" does not reference a specific tidal datum, the U.S. applies the term to reference the lowest charted datum, which is mean lower low water (MLLW).
Maritime limits and boundaries for the United States are measured from the official U.S. baseline, recognized as the low-water line along the coast as marked on the NOAA nautical charts in accordance with the articles of the Law of the Sea. The Office of Coast Survey depicts on its nautical charts the territorial sea (12 nautical miles), contiguous zone (24nm), and exclusive economic zone (200nm, plus maritime boundaries with adjacent/opposite countries).
The extent to which a nation could control its coastal waters was largely based on the reach of its cannons on the shore. Thus, the 3 nautical mile (nm) limit of the territorial sea resulted from what is often referred to as the “cannon shot” rule. In the U.S., the creation of a territorial sea and contiguous zone date back to as early as the late 1700s in response to issues of national security and law enforcement at coastal areas, including a 1793 diplomatic note sent from Thomas Jefferson and legislation passed by Congress in 1799 to allow the boarding of foreign flag vessels within 12 nm from the coast. This zone was known as “customs waters” and was later called the “Contiguous Zone.” By 1930 the proprietary rights of the coastal state over the resources of the territorial sea was well established, provided it did not interfere with a vessel’s right of innocent passage. In 1945, President Truman issued a proclamation asserting rights to explore and exploit the oil and gas resources of the continental shelf outside of the 3 nm territorial sea. In 1953, the U.S. Congress enacted legislation over the federal and state control of the continental shelf. In 1958, international conventions were concluded in Geneva on the territorial sea, contiguous zone and continental shelf. The concept of a fishery conservation zone was born in another Truman Proclamation but Congress did not enact laws regarding a 200 nm fishery conservation zone until 1976. This evolved into a zone whereby a coastal nation had exclusive control over all economic exploration and exploitation of the natural resources off its coast. By 1982, the custom of asserting a 12 nm territorial sea, 24 nm contiguous zone, and 200 nm EEZ was codified in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) The exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the U.S. extends 200 nautical miles from the territorial sea baseline and is adjacent to the 12 nm territorial sea of the U.S., overlapping the 12-24nm contiguous zone. Within the EEZ, the U.S. has:
The territorial sea is a maritime zone over which the United States exercises sovereignty. Sovereignty extends to the airspace above and to the seabed below the territorial sea. The U.S. territorial sea extends 12 nautical miles from the baseline. Contiguous Zone.
The maritime limits are created using “envelope of arcs,” a method by which one rolls a virtual circle along the charted low water line and selects salient points. These salient points are called "contributing baseline points." Arcs generated from these baseline points are blended together to form a continuous limit line or envelope of arcs.
EEZs of States worldwide constitute 38% of the oceans of earth that were considered part of the high seas prior to adoption of the LOSC. The EEZ is the most misunderstood of all the maritime zones by policymakers in States around the world. Unlike the territorial sea and the contiguous zone, the EEZ only allows for the previously mentioned resource ...
Territorial Sea. Everything from the baseline to a limit not exceeding twelve miles is considered the State ’s territorial sea. Territorial seas are the most straightforward zone. Much like internal waters, coastal States have sovereignty and jurisdiction over the territorial sea.
The LOSC allows a State to conduct economic activities for a distance of 200 nautical miles from the baseline, or the continental margin where it extends beyond 200 nautical miles. There are two methods to determine the extent of a continental margin under the LOSC.
This seaward extension is geologically formed as the seabed slopes away from the coast, typically consisting of a gradual slope (the continental shelf proper), followed by a steep slope (the continental slope), and then a more gradual slope leading to the deep seabed floor.
Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) Unlike other zones whose existence derived from earlier international law, the EEZ was a creation of the LOSC. States may claim an EEZ that extends 200 nautical miles from the baseline. In this zone, a coastal State has the exclusive right to exploit or conserve any resources found within the water, on the sea floor, ...
The rights of coastal States to regulate and exploit areas of the ocean under their jurisdiction are one the foundations of the LOSC. These rights need to be balanced with the freedom of navigation and access to resources outside State control – the freedom of the seas. To demarcate the proverbial rules of the road, the LOSC permits coastal States to establish several different maritime zones. These zones give coastal States different jurisdictional rights. In general, a State has more rights in zones near to its coastline than it does further into the ocean. The main challenges associated with these zones are how variations in geography affect where zones end and where new zones begin.
Due to the maritime features discussed later in this chapter, the U.S. has the largest EEZ in the world, totaling 3.4 million square nautical miles. The EEZ’s size derives from the large coastlines on the Atlantic Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico, the western continental U.S., Alaska, Hawaii and many small outlying Pacific islands. Although not a signatory of LOSC, The U.S. established an EEZ by Presidential Proclamation in 1983. EEZs of States worldwide constitute 38% of the oceans of earth that were considered part of the high seas prior to adoption of the LOSC.
Pie-shaped best describes the cartographic form of national territorial claims that have been made in Antarctica.
Melanesia is the most heavily populated of the three Pacific regions.
Polynesia is the Pacific s most populous region.
Before the European invasion, New Zealand would have been included in the Pacific World.
It remains under British rule. New Guinea is a part of Melanesia, a Pacific region that also includes the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and New Caledonia. The islands of Micronesia tend to be small, but they are, on average, higher in elevation than the islands of Melanesia.