Map of Sealand and the United Kingdom, with territorial water claims of 3nm and 12nm shown.

Territorial waters, or a territorial sea, is a belt of coastal waters extending at most twelve nautical miles (but possibly less, at the coastal country's discretion) from the shore of a littoral state that is regarded as the sovereign territory of the state, except that foreign ships (both military and civilian) are allowed innocent passage through it. Download high resolution version (1024x1046, 49 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Download high resolution version (1024x1046, 49 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... For other meanings, see Sealand (disambiguation). ... A nautical mile or sea mile is a unit of length. ... Shore A shore or shoreline is the land at the edge of a large body of water, such as an ocean, sea, or lake. ... A littoral is the region near the shoreline of a body of fresh or salt water. ... Innocent passage is a concept in Admiralty law which allows for a vessel to pass through the territorial waters of another state subject to certain restrictions. ...

A sovereign state has complete jurisdiction over internal waters, where not even innocent passage is allowed. Territorial waters extend up to 12 nautical miles (22 km) from the mean low water mark adjacent to land, or from internal waters, as per the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. The mean low water mark may be an unlimited distance from permanently exposed land, provided that some portion of elevations exposed at low tide but covered at high tide (like mud flats) is within 12 nautical miles of permanently exposed land. This article discusses states as sovereign political entities. ... In law, jurisdiction (from the Latin jus, juris meaning law and dicere meaning to speak) is the practical authority granted to a formally constituted legal body or to a political leader to deal with and make pronouncements on legal matters and, by implication, to administer justice within a defined area... Completely enclosed seas, lakes, and rivers are considered internal waters, as are waters landward of lines connecting fringing islands along a coast or landward of lines across the mouths of rivers that flow into the sea. ... United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea Opened for signature December 10, 1982 in Montego Bay (Jamaica) Entered into force November 16, 1994[1] Conditions for entry into force 60 ratifications Parties 149[2] For maritime law in general see Admiralty law. ...

Control over a contiguous zone, up to an additional 24 - N nautical miles beyond the territorial sea, where the territorial sea is N nautical miles wide, N<=12, is permitted by a coastal nation to "prevent infringement of its customs, fiscal, immigration or sanitary laws and regulations". The United States invoked a contiguous zone on 24 September 1999.^[1] September 24 is the 267th day of the year (268th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ...

Thus a coastal nation has total control over its internal waters, slightly less control over territorial waters, ostensibly even less control over waters within the contiguous zone, and supposedly no control whatsoever over an ocean beyond them (although it also has some rights concerning resources within its exclusive economic zone). Sea areas in international rights Under the law of the sea, an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) is a seazone over which a state has special rights over the exploration and use of marine resources. ...

Territorial waters claimed by one state are often disputed by another state. Territorial waters have often been subject to arbitrary extension in order to encompass activities such as offshore oil exploration or fishing rights (see Cod War) and to prevent pirate radio broadcasting from artificial marine fixtures and anchored ships. Exceptions still occur and are capable of creating conflict such as in the Gulf of Sidra where Libya has claimed the entire gulf as territorial waters and the U.S. has twice violently enforced Freedom of Navigation rights (Gulf of Sidra incident (1981), Gulf of Sidra incident (1989)). Oil exploration is the search by petroleum geologists for hydrocarbon deposits beneath the Earths surface. ... The Cod Wars (also called the Iceland Cod Wars) were a series of confrontations between the United Kingdom and Iceland over Icelands claims of authority over tracts of ocean off their coastline as being their exclusive fishery zone. ... The term pirate radio lacks a specific universal interpretation. ... Gulf of Sidra is a body of water in the Mediterranean Sea on the northern coast of Libya; it is also known as Gulf of Sirte. ... The United States Freedom of Navigation program has ensured that excessive territorial claims on the worlds oceans and airspace are challenged, either by diplomatic protests and/or by interference. ... The first Gulf of Sidra incident, August 19, 1981, was an incident in which two Libyan Sukhoi Su-22 Fitter fighter jets engaged two US F-14 Tomcats off of the Libyan coast. ... Gulf of Sidra incident (1989) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ...

From the eighteenth century until the mid twentieth century, the territorial waters of the British Empire, the United States, France and many other nations were three nautical miles (6 km) wide. Originally, this was the length of a cannon shot, hence the portion of an ocean that a sovereign state could defend from shore. However, Iceland claimed two nautical miles (4 km), Norway claimed four nautical miles (7 km), and Spain claimed six nautical miles (11 km) during this period. During incidents such as nuclear weapons testing and fisheries disputes some nations arbitrairly extended their maritime claims to as much as fifty or even two hundred nautical miles. Since the late 20th century the "12 mile limit" has become almost universally accepted. Britain extended her territorial waters from three to twelve nautical miles in 1987. For a historical list of territories that constituted the British Empire, see Evolution of the British Empire. ... A small cannon on a carriage, Bucharest. ...

Throughout this page, the numbers of nautical miles are exact legal definitions, whereas the numbers of kilometres are only rough approximations which do not appear in any law or treaty.

Territorial sea claims

• None: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro
• 3 miles: Jordan, Palau, Singapore
• 6 miles: Dominican Republic, Greece, Turkey
• 12 miles: Albania, Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Latvia, Lebanon, Libya, Lithuania, Madagascar, Malaysia, Maldives, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia, Monaco, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Niue, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Romania, Russia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Sweden, Syria, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Tuvalu, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United Republic of Tanzania, United States of America, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen
• 12 miles / DLM: Slovenia (DLM means that "the national legislation establishes the limits of a given zone only by reference to the delimitation of maritime boundaries with adjacent or opposite States, or to a median (equidistant) line in the absence of a maritime boundary delimitation agreement")
• 30 miles: Togo
• 200 miles: Benin, Congo, Ecuador, El Salvador, Liberia, New Zealand, Peru, Somalia
• Defined by coordinates: Philippines (Rectangle defined by coordinates. Claim extends beyond 12 nautical miles).

Special cases

• Australia: The territorial sea boundaries between the islands of Aubusi, Boigu and Moimi and Papua New Guinea and the islands of Dauan, Kaumag and Saibai and Papua New Guinea, together with such other portion of the outer limit of the territorial sea of Saibai are determined by a treaty with Papua New Guinea. The territorial seas of the islands known as Anchor Cay, Aubusi Island, Black Rocks, Boigu Island, Bramble Cay, Dauan Island, Deliverance Island, East Cay, Kaumag Island, Kerr Islet, Moimi Island, Pearce Cay, Saibai Island, Turnagain Island and Turu Cay do not extend beyond 3 miles from the baselines.
• Belize: 3-mile limit applies from the mouth of Sarstoon River to Ranguana Caye.
• Cameroon: See article 45 of Law 96-06 of 18 January 1996 on the revision of the Constitution of 2 June 1972.
• Denmark: Act No. 200 of 7 April 1999 on the delimitation of the territorial sea does not apply to the Faroe Islands and Greenland but may become effective by Royal Decree for those parts of the Kingdom of Denmark with the amendments dictated by the special conditions prevailing in the Faroe Islands and Greenland. As far as Greenland is concerned, the outer limit of the external territorial waters may be measured at a distance shorter than 12 nautical miles from the baselines.
• Ecuador: The 200-mile limit is in effect only between the continental territorial sea of Ecuador and its insular territorial sea around the Galápagos Islands.
• Estonia: In some parts of the Gulf of Finland, defined by coordinates.
• Finland: Extends, with certain exceptions, to 12 nautical miles, unless defined by geographical coordinates. In the Gulf of Finland, the outer limit of the territorial sea shall at no place be closer to the midline than 3 nautical miles, according to the Act amending the Act on the Limits of the Territorial Waters of Finland (981/95).
• Greece: 10-mile limit applies for the purpose of regulating civil aviation.
• Japan: 3-mile limit applies to the Soya Strait, the Tsugaru Strait, the eastern and western channels of the Tsushima Strait and the Osumi Straits only.
• New Zealand: 12-mile limit includes Tokelau.
• Papua New Guinea: 3 nautical miles in certain areas.
• Peru: The 200-mile territorial sea is called 'Maritime Dominion' in article 54 of the 1993 Constitution: " ...In its maritime dominion, Peru exercises sovereignty and jurisdiction, without prejudice to the freedoms of international communication, in accordance with the law and the treaties ratified by the State..."
• Turkey: 6 nautical miles in the Aegean Sea, 12 nautical miles in the Black Sea.
• United Kingdom: Also 3 nautical miles. (3 nautical miles in Anguilla, Guernsey, British Indian Ocean Territory, British Virgin Islands, Gibraltar, Monserrat and Pitcairn; 12 nautical miles in United Kingdom, Jersey, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Isle of Man, Saint Helena and Dependencies, South Georgia, South Sandwich Islands, and Turks and Caicos Islands.)

For the ship Aegean Sea, see Aegean Sea (oil spill) The Aegean Sea (Greek: Αιγαίο Πέλαγος, Aeyéo Pélagos; Turkish: Ege Denizi) is a sea arm of the Mediterranean Sea located between the southern Balkan and Anatolian peninsulas, i. ... Map of the Black Sea. ...

Contiguous zone claims

• None: Albania, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Benin, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brunei, Cameroon, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ecuador, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Fiji, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Iceland, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Latvia, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Lithuania, Malaysia, Mauritius, Micronesia, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, Nigeria, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Sao Tome and Principe, Singapore, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, Suriname, Sweden, Togo, Tonga, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United Republic of Tanzania
• 14 miles: Finland
• 15 miles: Venezuela
• 18 miles: Bangladesh, Gambia, Saudi Arabia, Sudan
• 24 miles: Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Canada, Cape Verde, Chile, China, Cuba, Cyprus, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Egypt, France, Gabon, Ghana, Haiti, Honduras, India, Iran, Jamaica, Japan, Madagascar, Maldives, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mexico, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Romania, Russia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Syria, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Tuvalu, United Arab Emirates, United States of America, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Vietnam, Yemen
• 50 miles: Democratic People's Republic of Korea. 50 nautical miles military zone. Army Command Announcement of 1 August 1977.

Note

1. ^ Vice President announces contiguous zone

See also

• Internal waters
• Baseline
• Contiguous zone
• Continental shelf
• Exclusive economic zone
• International waters

Completely enclosed seas, lakes, and rivers are considered internal waters, as are waters landward of lines connecting fringing islands along a coast or landward of lines across the mouths of rivers that flow into the sea. ... A baseline is the line from which the seaward limits of a States territorial sea and certain other maritime zones of jurisdiction are measured. ... Territorial waters, or a territorial sea, is a belt of coastal waters extending 12 twelve nautical miles from the shore of a littoral state that is regarded as the sovereign territory of the state, except that foreign ships (both military and civilian) are allowed innocent passage through it. ...  Sediment  Rock  Mantle  The global continental shelf, highlighted in cyan The continental shelf is the extended perimeter of each continent, which is covered during interglacial periods such as the current epoch by relatively shallow seas (known as shelf seas) and gulfs. ... Sea areas in international rights Under the law of the sea, an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) is a seazone over which a state has special rights over the exploration and use of marine resources. ... The terms international waters or transboundary waters apply where any of the following types of bodies of water (or their drainage basins) transcend international boundaries: oceans, large marine ecosystems, enclosed or semi-enclosed regional seas and estuaries, rivers, lakes, groundwater systems (aquifers), and wetlands [1]. Oceans and seas, waters outside...

External link

• UN Convention on the Law of the Sea