Machias Seal Island is an island located at 44° 30′10″N, 67° 06′10″W. Sovereignty of the island is under dispute with ownership claimed by both Canada and the United States. Sovereignty is the exclusive right to exercise supreme authority over a geographic region, group of people or oneself. ...

Geography

The relationship of Machias Seal Island to the Grand Manan archipelago is a source of some dispute among geologists. The island is considered to be a possible continuation of the series of exposed shoals, rocks, and islets strewn south and west of Grand Manan Island. The deeper Grand Manan Channel lies to the north and west of the island, between the coast of Washington County, Maine. This lighthouse greets visitors as they arrive by ferry Grand Manan Island (also simply Grand Manan) is a Canadian island, and the largest in the Bay of Fundy. ... An archipelago is a landform which consists of a chain or cluster of islands. ... A geologist is a contributor to the science of geology. ... Washington County is a county located in the state of Maine. ...

Machias Seal Island is located in the Gulf of Maine, approximately 16 kilometres (10 miles) southeast from Cutler, Maine and approximately 19 kilometres (12 miles) southwest of Southwest Head, New Brunswick on Grand Manan Island. Machias Seal Island measures approximately 80,000 m² (20 acres) in area, and is largely barren rock and devoid of trees. Gulf of Maine The Gulf of Maine is a large gulf of the Atlantic Ocean on the northeastern coast of North America, roughly between Cape Cod in Massachusetts on the south and Cape Sable Island on the southern tip of Nova Scotia on the northeast. ... A kilometre (American spelling: kilometer) (symbol: km) is a unit of length equal to 1000 metres (from the Greek words khilia = thousand and metro = count/measure). ... See mile - unit of measurement (distance) Miles Aircraft Ltd - UK manufacturer of light and military aircraft Miles Tails Prower - a fictional fox Miles Davis was an American jazz composer and trumpeter and was one of the most influential and innovative musicians of the 20th century. ... Cutler is a town located in Washington County, Maine. ... This lighthouse greets visitors as they arrive by ferry Grand Manan Island (also simply Grand Manan) is a Canadian island, and the largest in the Bay of Fundy. ...

Because of its location at the boundary between the Gulf of Maine and the Bay of Fundy, Machias Seal Island is fog-bound for many days of the year. It is also a sanctuary for seabirds such as the famous Atlantic Puffin and the Common Tern. The Bay of Fundy is a bay located on the Atlantic coast of North America, on the northeast end of the Gulf of Maine between the provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. ... Early morning fog obscures the surface of this lake in Carrollton, Georgia, but the sky remains clear. ... Binomial name Fratercula arctica (Linnaeus, 1758) The Atlantic Puffin (Fratercula arctica) is an auk with a brightly colored beak. ... Binomial name Sterna hirundo Linnaeus, 1758 The Common Tern (Sterna hirundo) is a seabird of the tern family Sternidae. ...

History

Likely used by the Passamaquoddy Nation in the pre-European era, Machias Seal Island was never actively nor successfully settled during the years when French and British explorers were discovering this part of North America. Famously, the island was largely overlooked by both Great Britain and its warring colonies during the American Revolutionary War. However, it was geo-political events stemming from this war which established Machias Seal Island's place in world history. The Passamaquoddy are a Native American/First Nations people who live in northeastern North America, primarily in Maine and New Brunswick. ... Combatants American Patriots, France, allies British Empire, allies Commanders George Washington Comte de Rochambeau Nathanael Greene William Howe Henry Clinton Charles Cornwallis Strength {{{strength1}}} {{{strength2}}} Casualties {{{casualties1}}} {{{casualties2}}} The American Revolutionary War (1775–1783), also known, especially internationally, as the American War of Independence, was a war fought primarily between...

The Treaty of Paris (1783) (also referred to as the "Paris Peace Treaty of 1783") ended the conflict surrounding the American Revolutionary War. Article 2 attempted to establish the boundaries between the United States and British North America and part of this text stated the following: Painting by Benjamin West depicting John Jay, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Henry Laurens, and William Temple Franklin. ... By 1763, British North America included 19 British colonies and territories on the continent of North America. ...

And that all disputes which might arise in future on the subject of the boundaries of the said United States may be prevented, it is hereby agreed and declared, that the following are and shall be their boundaries, from the northwest angle of Nova Scotia, that angle which is formed by a line drawn due north from the source of St. Croix River to the highlands...

...comprehending all islands within twenty leagues of any part of the shores of the United States, and lying between lines to be drawn due east from the points where the aforesaid boundaries between Nova Scotia on the one part and East Florida on the other shall, respectively, touch the Bay of Fundy and the Atlantic Ocean, excepting such islands as now are or heretofore have been within the limits of the said province of Nova Scotia.

The "northwest angle" of Nova Scotia is reportedly referring to Cape St. Marys, Nova Scotia located at 44°05′N 66°13′W. Apparently Machias Seal Island lies farther than 20 leagues west of the line drawn between Cape St. Marys and the St. Croix River (which originally defined the western boundary with Massachusetts for Nova Scotia's land grant). Additional ambiguity lies in the original text of the land grant dated 1621 to Sir William Alexander (founder of Nova Scotia) in which all "islands" lying within 6 leagues of any coasts are deemed part of Nova Scotia. Machias Seal Island lies within 3.5 leagues from Grand Manan Island and 3 leagues from the coast of Maine, although Britain would later cease its claims on other islands in eastern Maine, such as Moose Island. The St. ... Events February 9 - Gregory XV is elected pope. ... For others with similar names, see: William Alexander (disambiguation). ...

These ambiguities resulted in both countries claiming the island, although the island itself wasn't largely known until the mid-19th century during the golden years of the "Age of Sail." During the War of 1812, Great Britain occupied a large portion of coastal Maine extending from the border with New Brunswick (created from Nova Scotia in 1784) west to the Penobscot River valley. During this time, tolls were charged upon residents at various occupied harbours in the area. Great Britain withdrew their forces upon signing the Treaty of Ghent in 1814 with the stipulation being that the boundary should be better delineated in the area of the Grand Manan Channel. However Britain maintained possession of Machias Seal Island, under pressure from shipping interests at the burgeoning port of Saint John, with a lighthouse being established and manned, beginning in 1832. There is no indication of either nation having a presence on the island prior to 1832. Later boundary treaties and negotiations extended the seaward boundary in the Grand Manan Channel in 1908-1910 to its present terminus, roughly equidistant between Grand Manan Island and the coast of Maine, and several dozen kilometres northeast of Machias Seal Island. Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... A sail is any type of surface intended to generate thrust by being placed in a wind —in essence a vertically-oriented wing. ... This page refers to the war between the United States of America and Great Britain. ... 1784 was a leap year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... The Penobscot River is a river, 350 mi (563 km) long, in the U.S. state of Maine. ... The Treaty of Ghent, signed on December 24, 1814, in Ghent, Belgium, ended the War of 1812 between the United States and United Kingdom. ... 1814 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Saint John is the largest city in the province of New Brunswick and the oldest incorporated city in Canada. ... The Peggys Point lighthouse in Nova Scotia, Canada An aid for navigation and pilotage at sea, a lighthouse is a tower building or framework sending out light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire. ... 1832 was a leap year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... 1832 was a leap year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... 1908 (MCMVIII) is a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1910 (MCMX) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ...

Canadian Interest in Machias Seal Island

Great Britain, and later Canada, have maintained an ongoing interest in the island, largely through continuous occupation by manning the lighthouse. Until the 1970s–1980s, lighthouse keepers would live on the island with their families, receiving supplies by sea from Grand Manan or Saint John. In recent decades, the island has been protected under its designation as the Machias Seal Island National Wildlife Area (a wildlife and seabird sanctuary), managed by the Canadian Wildlife Service. No private citizen in Canada has made an ownership claim to Machias Seal Island, and Canada considers the property to be wholly owned by the federal government. The island has long been included in federal and provincial electoral districts, and policing has been enforced on the island by Royal Canadian Mounted Police and on waters surrounding the island by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. In the 20th century, some Canadian residents placed mining claims on the island as an exercise of sovereignty, despite the fact that it is considered a protected area. The 1970s in its most obvious sense refers to the decade between 1970 and 1979. ... The 1980s in its most obvious sense refers to the decade between 1980 and 1989. ... The Canadian Wildlife Service or CWS (French: Service canadien de la faune, SCF) is an agency of the Government of Canada, administered by the Department of the Environment, also known as Environment Canada. ... The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP or Mounties; French, Gendarmerie royale du Canada, GRC) is both the federal police force and the national police of Canada. ... The Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO), also referred to as Fisheries and Oceans Canada, is the department within the government of Canada with responsibility for the management and safety of Canadas waters. ... (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999 in the...

United States Interest in Machias Seal Island

Gulf of Maine Boundary

Machias Seal Island's sovereignty would likely not still be in question today if it were not for the decision by Canada and the United States to avoid settling this issue in their 1979 application to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) at The Hague in the Netherlands to have the boundary delineated in the Gulf of Maine for fishing and mineral exploration purposes on Georges Bank. Both Canada and the U.S. avoided having ICJ rule on the sovereignty of Machias Seal Island by agreeing to have a common starting point for the offshore boundary southwest of the island at 44° 11′12″N, 67° 16′46″W. The October 12, 1984, ICJ ruling, Delimitation of the Maritime Boundary in the Gulf of Maine Area (Canada/United States of America), has since highlighted a gap in the maritime boundary for several dozen kilometres between the current end of the International Boundary and the 1984 Gulf of Maine boundary starting point. Machias Seal Island lies in the middle of this "grey zone" - a term coined by fishermen from both countries, referring to unclear jurisdictional boundaries in the area. This page refers to the year 1979. ... The International Court of Justice (known colloquially as the World Court or ICJ) is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations. ... Arms of The Hague The Hague (with capital T; Dutch: Den Haag, or officially s-Gravenhage) is the administrative capital of the Netherlands, located in the west of the country, in the province South Holland of which it is also the capital. ... Georges Bank is a large elevated area of the sea floor which separates the Gulf of Maine from the Atlantic Ocean and is situated between Cape Cod, Massachusetts and Cape Sable Island, Nova Scotia. ... October 12 is the 285th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (286th in leap years). ... This page is about the year 1984. ... Canada and the United States of America share the longest common border among any two countries that is not militarized or actively patrolled. ...

Current Status

See also

• List of areas disputed by the United States and Canada

Although Canada and The United States share the longest non-militarized border between two countries, there are four areas whose ownership is still disputed. ...

External links