Maritime Boundary

A **maritime boundary**is a conceptual division of the [[1]]'s water surface areas using [geography|physiographic] or [geography|geopolitical] criteria. As such, it usually bounds areas of exclusive [rights] over mineral and biological resources, encompassing maritime features, limits and zones.

Generally, a maritime boundary is delineated at a particular distance from a jurisdiction's coastline. Although in some countries the term *maritime boundary* represents [[2]] of a [nation|maritime nation] that are recognized by the [Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea|United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea], maritime borders usually serve to identify the edge of [waters|international waters].

Maritime boundaries exist in the context of [waters|territorial waters], [zone|contiguous zones], and [economic zone|exclusive economic zones]; however, the terminology does not encompass [[3]] or [[4]] boundaries, which are considered within the context of land boundaries.

Some maritime boundaries have remained indeterminate despite efforts to clarify them. This is explained by an array of factors, some of which involve regional problems.

The delineation of maritime boundaries has strategic, economic and environmental implications.

## Terminology

The terms boundary, [[5]] and [[6]] are often used as if they were interchangeable, but they are also terms with precise meanings.

A boundary is a line. The terms "frontier", "borderland" and "border" are zones of indeterminate width. Such areas forms the outermost part of a country. Borders are bounded on one side by a national boundary. There are variations in the specific terminology of maritime boundary agreements which have been concluded since the 1970s. Such differences are less important than what is being delimited.

### Features

Features that affect maritime boundaries include [[7]] and the submerged seabed of the [shelf|continental shelf].

The process of [delimitation|boundary delimitation] in the [[8]] encompasses the [prolongation|natural prolongation] of [[9]] features and [territory|outlying territory]. The process of establishing "positional" borders encompasses the distinction between previously resolved and never-resolved controversies.

### Limits

The limits of maritime boundaries are expressed in [[10]] and in [[11]] layers of sovereignty and control, calculated from the declaration of a baseline. The conditions under which a state may establish such baseline are described in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). A baseline of a country can be the low water line, a straight baseline (a line that encloses bays, estuaries, inland waters,...) or a combination of the two.

### Zones

The zones of maritime boundaries are expressed in concentric limits surrounding coastal and feature baselines.

* Inland waters—the zone inside the baseline.
* Territorial sea—the zone extending 12 nm. from the baseline.
* Contiguous zone—the area extending 24 nm. from the baseline.
* Exclusive Economic Zone—the area extending 200 nm. from the baseline except when the space between two countries is less than 400 nm.

In the case of overlapping zones, the boundary is presumed to conform to the [principle|equidistance principle] or it is explicitly described in a multilateral treaty.

## History

Template:MainThe concept of maritime boundaries is a relatively new concept. The historical record is a backdrop for evaluating border issues. The evaluation of historic rights are governed by distinct legal regimes in customary international law, including research and analysis based on

* acquisition and occupation
* the existence of rights *[facto|ipso facto]* and *[initio|ab initio]*.

The study of treaties on maritime boundaries is important as (a) as a source of general or particular international law; (b) as evidence of existing customary law; and (c) as evidence of the emerging development of custom. The development of "customary law" affects all nations.

The attention accorded this subject has evolved beyond formerly-conventional norms like the [limit|three-mile limit].

### Treaties

Template:MainMultilateral treaties and documents describing the baselines of countries can be found on the website of the United Nations.

For example, the Australia–France Marine Delimitation Agreement establishes ocean boundaries between Australia and New Caledonia in the Coral Sea (including the boundary between Australia's Norfolk Island and New Caledonia). It consists of 21 straight-line maritime segments defined by 22 individual coordinate points forming a modified equidistant line between the two territories.

## Information taken from https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maritime\_boundary

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 VLIZ Maritime Boundaries Geodatabase, General info; retrieved 19 Nov 2010
2. ↑ Koo, Template:Google books
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Jagota, S. P. Template:Google books