Territorial waters

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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.

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. 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. Bays are defined as indentations between headlands having an area greater than that of a semicircle. If they do not exceed 24 nautical miles (44 km) between headlands then they are internal waters; if their entrance is wider, then that portion landward of a 24 nautical mile straight line that touches opposite low-water marks across the bay positioned to contain the greatest water area are internal waters. All archipelagic waters within the outermost islands of an archipelagic state like Indonesia or the Philippines are also considered internal waters.

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]

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).

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)).

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. The United Kingdom extended its territorial waters from three to twelve nautical miles in 1987.

Throughout this article, distances measured in nautical miles are exact legal definitions, while those in kilometres are approximate conversions which are not stated in any law or treaty.

1 Territorial sea claims
- 1.1 Special cases
2 Contiguous zone claims
3 Note
4 See also
5 External link

[edit] 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, New Zealand, 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, Peru, Somalia
Defined by coordinates: Philippines (Rectangle defined by coordinates. Claim extends beyond 12 nautical miles).

[edit] 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.)

[edit] 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.