Exclusive economic zone

File:Exclusive Economic Zones by boundary type.png

The world's exclusive economic zones by boundary types and EEZ types

An exclusive economic zone (EEZ), as prescribed by the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, is an area of the sea in which a sovereign state has exclusive rights regarding the exploration and use of marine resources, including energy production from water and wind.

It stretches from the outer limit of the territorial sea (22.224 kilometres or 12 nautical miles from the baseline) out 370.4 kilometres (or 200 nautical miles) from the coast of the state in question. It is also referred to as a maritime continental margin and, in colloquial usage, may include the continental shelf. The term does not include either the territorial sea or the continental shelf beyond the 200 nautical mile limit. The difference between the territorial sea and the exclusive economic zone is that the first confers full sovereignty over the waters, whereas the second is merely a "sovereign right" which refers to the coastal state's rights below the surface of the sea. The surface waters are international waters.

Definition

File:Maritime Zones under International Law.png

Maritime Zones under International Law

Generally, 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 Template:Cvt out from its coastal baseline. The exception to this rule occurs when exclusive economic zones would overlap; that is, state coastal baselines are less than Template:Cvt apart. When an overlap occurs, it is up to the states to delineate the actual maritime boundary. Generally, any point within an overlapping area defaults to the nearest state.

The exclusive economic zone stretches much further into sea than the territorial waters, which end at Template:Cvt from the coastal baseline (if following the rules set out in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea). Thus, the exclusive economic zones includes the contiguous zone.

States also have rights to the seabed of what is called the extended continental shelf up to Template:Cvt from the coastal baseline, beyond the exclusive economic zones, but such areas are not part of their exclusive economic zones.

The legal definition of the continental shelf does not correspond exactly to the geological meaning of the term, as it also includes the continental rise and slope, and the entire seabed within the exclusive economic zone.

Origin and history

The idea of allotting nations' EEZs to give them more control of maritime affairs outside territorial limits gained acceptance in the late 20th century.

Initially, a country's sovereign territorial waters extended Template:Cvt (range of cannon shot) beyond the shore. In modern times, a country's sovereign territorial waters extend to Template:Cvt beyond the shore. One of the first assertions of exclusive jurisdiction beyond the traditional territorial seas was made by the United States in the Truman Proclamation of 28 September 1945. However, it was Chile and Peru respectively that first claimed maritime zones of 200 nautical miles with the Presidential Declaration Concerning Continental Shelf signed by Chilean President Gabriel Gonzalez Videla on 23 June 1947 and by Peruvian President Jose Luis Bustamante y Rivero through Presidential Decree No. 781 of 1 August 1947

It was not until 1982 with the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea that the 200 nautical mile exclusive economic zone was formally adopted.

Disputes

The exact extent of exclusive economic zones is a common source of conflicts between states over marine waters.

Unresolved

Arctic Ocean

• A wedge-shaped section of the Beaufort Sea, an area that reportedly contains substantial oil reserves, is disputed between Canada and the United States.

Atlantic Ocean

• Several countries, Denmark, Iceland, Ireland, and the United Kingdom have competing claims to the continental shelf near Rockall, an uninhabitable rock located in the EEZ of the United Kingdom. In addition, since Brexit the United Kingdom has claimed an Template:Convert exclusion zone around Rockall, which Ireland does not recognise.

Caribbean Sea

• In 1996, the Dominican Republic and United Kingdom signed an agreement establishing a simplified equidistance boundary between the British Overseas Territory of Turks and Caicos and the Dominican Republic. Mouchoir Bank fell on the Turks and Caicos side of the boundary, and Silver and Navidad Banks on the Dominican Republic side. However, the agreement was not subsequently ratified by either party. Instead, the Dominican Republic declared itself an archipelagic state in 2007, claiming sovereignty over Mouchoir Bank and extending its EEZ beyond the boundary agreement with the United Kingdom. The United Kingdom does not accept the archipelagic status and maritime boundaries claimed by the Dominican Republic.
• Since 2007, the Dominican Republic in Hispaniola considers itself an archipelagic state, encroaching the long-established median or equidistance line dividing the EEZ of the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, and claiming portion of the EEZ claimed by the United States in relation to the archipelago of Puerto Rico, itself an unincorporated U.S. territory. The United States does not accept the archipelagic status and maritime boundaries claimed by the Dominican Republic. Victor Prescott, an authority in the field of maritime boundaries, argues that, as the coasts of both states are short coastlines with few offshore islands, an equidistance line is appropriate.

Indian Ocean

• Mauritius claims an EEZ for Tromelin Island from France and an EEZ in respect of the British Indian Ocean Territory from the UK. An Exclusive Economic Zone covering 2.3 million square kilometres is claimed by Mauritius.

Mediterranean Sea

• Croatia's ZERP (Ecological and Fisheries Protection Zone) in the Adriatic Sea caused friction with Italy and Slovenia, and caused problems during the accession of Croatia to the European Union.
• Turkey claims a portion of Cyprus's claimed EEZ based on Turkey's definition that no islands, including Cyprus, can have a full EEZ and should only be entitled to 12 nautical miles. Furthermore, the internationally unrecognized Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) also claims portions of Cyprus's claimed EEZ. Turkey also disputes Greece's EEZ for the same reason in regards to its islands in the Aegean Sea. Turkey is one of few countries to not have signed UNCLOS.
• Greece claims that the maritime deal between the internationally recognized GNA government of Libya and Turkey is illegal and it signed a counter agreement with Egypt.
• Lebanon claims that the agreement between Cyprus and Israel overlapped its own EEZ.

Pacific Ocean

File:Spratly Is since NalGeoMaps.png

De facto territories in the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea

• The South China Sea is the setting for several ongoing disputes between regional powers including China, Taiwan, Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei.
• Japan claims an EEZ around Okinotorishima, but this is disputed by China, Taiwan, and South Korea, who claim it is an islet which is incapable of generating an EEZ.
• China and South Korea debates over the boundaries of EEZs in the East China Sea and Yellow Sea, including Socotra Rock, a source for territorial dispute.

Potential

Regions where a permanent ice shelf extends beyond the coastline are also a source of potential dispute.

Resolved

• The Cod Wars between the United Kingdom and Iceland occurred periodically over many decades until they were resolved with a final agreement in 1976.
• In 1992, the Canada–France Maritime Boundary Case, which centred on the EEZ around the French islands of Saint Pierre and Miquelon, was decided by an arbitral tribunal that concurred on the whole with the arguments put forth by Canada. France was awarded 18% of the area it had originally claimed.
• In 1999, following the Hanish Islands conflict, the Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled that the EEZs of Yemen and Eritrea should be demarcated equidistantly between the mainlands of the two nations, without taking account of sovereignty over the islands.
• In 2009, in a dispute between Romania and Ukraine over Snake Island, the UN International Court of Justice decided that Snake Island has no EEZ beyond 12 nautical miles of its own land.
• In 2010, a dispute between Norway and Russia about both territorial waters and EEZ with regard to the Svalbard archipelago as it affects Russia's EEZ due to its unique treaty status was resolved. A treaty was agreed in principle in April 2010 between the two states and subsequently officially ratified, resolving this demarcation dispute. The agreement was signed in Murmansk on 15 September 2010.
• In 2014, the Netherlands and Germany resolved an old border dispute regarding the exact location of the border in the Dollart Bay.

Transboundary stocks

Fisheries management, usually adhering to guidelines set by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), provides significant practical mechanisms for the control of EEZs. Transboundary fish stocks are an important concept in this control. Transboundary stocks are fish stocks that range in the EEZs of at least two countries. Straddling stocks, on the other hand, range both within an EEZ as well as in the high seas, outside any EEZ. A stock can be both transboundary and straddling.

By region or country

Region

Caribbean Sea

File:Map of the Territorial Waters in the Caribbean.png

EEZs in the Caribbean Sea

Atlantic and Indian Oceans

File:Map of the Territorial Waters of the Atlantic and Indian Ocean.png

EEZs in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans

Pacific Ocean

File:Map of the Territorial Waters of the Pacific Ocean.png

EEZs in the Pacific Ocean

Country

Algeria

Algeria on 17 April 2018 established an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) off its coasts by Presidential Decree No. 18-96 of 2 Rajab 1439 corresponding to 20 March 2018. The permanent mission of Spain to the United Nations on 27 July 2018 declared its disagreement with the EEZ announced by Algeria and that the government of Spain indicated its willingness to enter into negotiations with the government of Algeria with a view to reaching a mutually acceptable agreement on the outer limits of their respective exclusive economic zones, The same was done by the Italian mission on 28 November 2018. The two countries indicated that the Algerian measure had been taken unilaterally and without consulting them.

On 25 November 2018, the Algerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent an oral note in response to the Spanish protest, explaining that the Algerian government does not recognize the largely exorbitant coordinates contained in Royal Decree 236/2013, which overlap with the coordinates of Presidential Decree n° 18–96 establishing an exclusive economic zone off the coast of Algeria. The Algerian government wished to emphasize that the unilateral delimitation carried out by Spain is not in conformity with the letter of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and has not taken into consideration the configuration, the specific characteristics, and the special circumstances of the Mediterranean Sea, in particular for the case of the two countries whose coasts are located face to face, as well as the objective rules and relevant principles of international law to govern the equitable delimitation of the maritime areas between Algeria and Spain, in accordance with article 74 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Algeria expressed its willingness to negotiate for a just solution.

On 20 June 2019, a communication from Algeria was sent. It was addressed to the Italian embassy and the Spanish embassy in Algiers to show their eligibility in Algeria's exclusive economic zone.

Argentina

File:Territorial waters - Argentina.svg

Argentina's exclusive economic zones, including its territorial claims (the Falklands and South Georgia, etc. plus its Antarctic claim)

Considering the maritime areas claimed, the total area of Argentina reaches 3,849,756 km². The recognized Argentine EEZ area is 1,159,063 km².

Australia

File:Territorial waters - Australia.svg

Australia's exclusive economic zones, including its Antarctic claim

Australia's exclusive economic zone was declared on 1 August 1994, and extends from 12 to 200 nautical miles from the coastline of Australia and its external territories, except where a maritime delimitation agreement exists with another state. To the 12 nautical miles boundary is Australia's territorial waters. Australia has the third largest exclusive economic zone, behind France and the United States, but ahead of Russia, with a total area of 8,148,250 square kilometres, which actually exceeds its land territory.

The United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) confirmed, in April 2008, Australia's rights over an additional 2.5 million square kilometres of seabed beyond the limits of Australia's EEZ. Australia also claimed, in its submission to the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf, additional Continental Shelf past its EEZ from the Australian Antarctic Territory, but these claims were deferred on Australia's request. However, Australia's EEZ from its Antarctic Territory is approximately 2 million square kilometres.

Region	EEZ Area (km2)
Mainland Australia (5 States and 3 Territories of the Australian Federation), Tasmania, and other minor islands	6,048,681
Macquarie Island	471,837
Template:Country data Christmas Island	463,371
Template:Country data Norfolk Island	428,618
Heard Island and McDonald Islands	410,722
Template:Country data Cocos Islands	325,021
Australian Antarctic Territory	2,000,000Template:NoteTag
Total	8,148,250

Brazil

File:Territorial waters - Brazil.svg

Brazil's exclusive economic zones

Brazil's EEZ includes areas around the Fernando de Noronha Islands, Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago, and the Trindade and Martim Vaz Islands.

Region	EEZ Area (km2)
Template:Flagdeco Mainland Brazil (9 States of the Brazilian Federation)	2,570,917
Template:Flagdeco Trindade and Martim Vaz Islands	468,599
Template:Flagdeco Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago	413,636
File:Flag of Fernando de Noronha.svg Fernando de Noronha Islands	363,362
Total	3,830,955

Canada

File:Canada Exclusive Economic Zone.PNG

Canada's exclusive economic zone and territorial waters

Canada is unusual in that its exclusive economic zone, covering Template:Cvt, is slightly smaller than its territorial waters. The latter generally extend only 12 nautical miles from the shore but also include inland marine waters such as Hudson Bay (about Template:Cvt across), the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and the internal waters of the Arctic Archipelago.

Chile

File:Territorial waters - Chile.svg

Chile's exclusive economic zones, including its Antarctic claim

Chile's EEZ includes areas around the Desventuradas Islands, Easter Island, and the Juan Fernández Islands.

Region	EEZ Area (km2)	Land Area (km2)	Total
Mainland Chile	1,987,371	755,757	2,743,128
Easter Island	720,412	164	720,576
Juan Fernández Islands	502,524	100	502,624
Desventuradas Islands	449,836	5	449,841
Total	3,660,143	756,102.4	4,416,245.4

In 2020 and 2022, Chile submitted its partial claims to the United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) to extend its maritime continental margin.

China

File:China Exclusive Economic Zones.png

Exclusive economic zone claimed by the People's Republic of China:

  China's undisputed EEZ –
960,556 km²

  EEZ claimed by China, disputed by Taiwan – 1,148,485 km²

  EEZ claimed by China, disputed by other countries – 210,926 km²

Total: 2,236,430 km²

The first figure excludes all disputed waters, while the last figure indicates China's claimed boundaries, and does not take into account adjacent powers' claims.Template:Clarify

Croatia

File:ZERP.jpg

Croatia's exclusive economic zone (dark blue) and Ecological and Fisheries Protection Zone

Croatia proclaimed Ecological and Fisheries Protection Zone in 2003, but it was not enforced toward other European Union states especially Italy and Slovenia. The zone was upgraded to EEZ in 2021 together with Italy and Slovenia. Territorial waters has 18,981 km², while internal waters located within the baseline cover an additional 12,498 km², and EEZ covers 24,482 km² for a total of 55,961 km².

Cyprus

Cyprus EEZ covers 98,707 square km (38,100 square miles). Cyprus' EEZ borders those of Greece, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Israel and Egypt.

Denmark

File:Territorial waters - Denmark.svg

The exclusive economic zones and territorial waters of the Kingdom of Denmark

The Kingdom of Denmark includes the constituent country (selvstyre) of Greenland and the constituent country (hjemmestyre) of the Faroe Islands.

Region	EEZ & TW Area (km2)	Land area	Total
Template:Country data Denmark	105 989	42 506	149 083
Template:Country data Faroe Islands	260 995	1 399	262 394
Template:Country data Greenland	2,184,254	2,166,086	4,350,340
Total	2,551,238	2,210,579	4,761,817

Ecuador

File:Maritime Claims of Ecuador.svg

Ecuador's exclusive economic zone

Area: 1,077,231 km²

France

File:Territorial waters - France.svg

Exclusive economic zones of France, including its Antarctic territorial claim

Due to its numerous overseas departments and territories scattered on all oceans of the planet, France possesses the largest EEZ in the world, covering Template:Cvt. The EEZ of France covers approximately 7% of the total surface of all the EEZs of the world, whereas the land area of the French Republic is only 0.45% of the total land area of Earth.

Germany

Germany declared the establishment of its exclusive economic zone in the North and Baltic Seas on 1 January 1995. The relevant German legal provisions that are applicable within the EEZ include the Maritime Task Act (Seeaufgabengesetz) from 1965, the Maritime Facilities Act (Seeanlagengesetz) from 2017, and prior to that the Sea Facilities Ordinance (Seeanlagenverordnung) from 1997, the Federal Mining Act (Bundesberggesetz) and the Regional Planning Act (Raumordnungsgesetz).

The German EEZ has an area of 32,982 km². About 70% of the EEZ covers Germany's entire North Sea area, while some 29% encompasses the Baltic Sea area.

Greece

File:Greek Exclusive Economic Zone.jpg

Exclusive Economic Zone of Greece

Greece forms the southernmost part of the Balkan peninsula in the Mediterranean Sea. It includes many small islands which vary between 1,200 and 6,000 in the Aegean Sea and the Ionian Sea. The largest islands are Crete, Euboea, Lesbos, Rhodes and Chios.

Greece's EEZ is bordered to the west by Albania and Italy, to the south by Libya and Egypt, and to the east by Cyprus and Turkey.

EEZ Area of Greece

Territory	km2	sq mi	Notes
Total	505,572	195,202

India

File:Territorial waters - India.svg

India's exclusive economic zones

EEZ	Area (km2)
Mainland India (9 states and 2 union territories) and Lakshadweep union territory	1,641,514 km2
Andaman and Nicobar Islands union territory	663,629 km2
Total	2,305,143 km2

India is currently seeking to extend its EEZ to 350 miles.

Indonesia

File:Indonesia-Exclusive-Economic-Zone.png

Indonesia's exclusive economic zone

Indonesia has the 6th largest exclusive economic zone in the world. The total size is Template:Cvt. It claims an EEZ of 200 nautical miles from its shores. This is due to the 13,466 islands of the Indonesian Archipelago. It has the 2nd largest coastline of 54,720 km (34,000 mi). The five main islands are: Sumatra, Java, Borneo, Sulawesi, and Western New Guinea. There are two major island groups (Nusa Tenggara and the Maluku Islands) and sixty smaller island groups.

Ireland

Since independence, Ireland's territorial waters were limited to Template:Convert. In 1964, her territorial waters were extended to Template:Convert from the baseline covering an area of Template:Cvt, although several European countries retained fishing rights between Template:Convert. In 1976, Ireland's exclusive economic zone was extended out to Template:Convert, increasing her maritime area to Template:Cvt. In 1996, Ireland ratified the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) which allows her to claim the continental shelf out to Template:Convert from the baseline. Ireland has made claims under UNCLOS for the Porcupine Abyssal Plain in 2005, the seabed of the Celtic Sea and Bay of Biscay in 2006, and also the Hatton Rockall area in 2009. She was awarded the Porcupine Abyssal claim in 2007 adding Template:Cvt of seabed to the State's continental shelf. The other two claims are still under discussion with neighbouring states; the Celtic Sea and Bay of Biscay with France, Spain and the United Kingdom; and the Hatton Rockall area with Denmark, Iceland and the United Kingdom. In 2006, Ireland claimed her contiguous zone out to Template:Convert from the baseline.

Israel

In 2010, an agreement was signed with Cyprus concerning the limit of territorial waters between Israel and Cyprus at the maritime halfway point, a clarification essential for safeguarding Israel's rights to oil and underwater gas reservoirs. The agreement was signed in Nicosia by Israeli Infrastructure Minister Uzi Landau and the Cypriot Foreign Minister Markos Kyprianou. The two countries agreed to cooperate in the development of any cross-border resources discovered and to negotiate an agreement on dividing joint resources.

Italy

File:Italy-Exclusive-Economic-Zone-Map (cropped).png

Italy's EEZ in the Mediterranean Sea

Italy has an EEZ of Template:Cvt. The country claims an EEZ of 200 nautical miles from its shores, and its three coastlines are the Tyrrhenian Sea to the west, the Ionian Sea to the south and the Adriatic Sea to the east. Italy's EEZ is limited by maritime boundaries with neighboring countries to the northwest, east and southeast.

Italy's western sea territory stretches from the west coast of Italy on the Tyrrhenian Sea, including the island of Sardinia. The island of Sicily is in the southernmost area. Lampedusa, a tiny island in the Mediterranean Sea, is the country's southernmost point. Italy shares treaty-defined maritime boundaries with France, Spain, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Malta, Greece, Albania, Montenegro, Croatia and Slovenia.

Japan

File:Japan Exclusive Economic Zones.png

Japan's exclusive economic zones:

  Japan's EEZ

  Joint regimeTemplate:Clarify with the Republic of Korea

  EEZ claimed by Japan, disputed by others

Japan has the world's eighth-largest exclusive economic zone, covering Template:Cvt. It claims an EEZ of 200 nautical miles from its shores.

EEZ Areas of Japan

Region	EEZ Area (km2)	EEZ Area (sq mi)
Ryukyu Islands	Template:Convert
Pacific Ocean (Japan)	Template:Convert
Nanpō Islands	Template:Convert
Sea of Japan	Template:Convert
Minami-Tori-shima	Template:Convert
Sea of Okhotsk	Template:Convert
Daitō Islands	Template:Convert
Senkaku Islands	Template:Convert
TotalTemplate:Notetag	4,479,674	1,729,612

Japan has disputes over its EEZ boundaries with all its Asian neighbors (China, Russia, South Korea, and Taiwan). The above, and relevant maps at the Sea Around Us Project both indicate Japan's claimed boundaries, and do not take into account the claims of adjacent jurisdictions.

Japan also refers to various categories of "shipping area" – Smooth Water Area, Coasting Area, Major or Greater Coasting Area, Ocean Going Area – but it is unclear whether these are intended to have any territorial or economic implications.

Mexico

File:Mexico EEZ.png

Exclusive economic zone of Mexico

Mexico's exclusive economic zones cover a total surface area of 3,269,386 km², and places Mexico among the countries with the largest areas in the world.

New Zealand

File:Territorial waters - New Zealand.svg

Exclusive economic zones of the Realm of New Zealand, including the Ross Dependency (shaded)

New Zealand's EEZ covers Template:Cvt, which is approximately fifteen times the land area of the country. Sources vary significantly on the size of New Zealand's EEZ; for example, a recent government publication gave the area as roughly 4,300,000 km². These figures are for the EEZ of New Zealand proper, and do not include the EEZs of other territories in the Realm of New Zealand (the Cook Islands, Niue, Tokelau, and the Ross Dependency).

North Korea

File:Exclusive economic zone of North Korea.png

The exclusive economic zone of North Korea

The exclusive economic zone of North Korea stretches 200 nautical miles from its basepoints in both the West Sea (Yellow Sea) and the Sea of Japan.Template:Sfn The EEZ was declared in 1977 after North Korea had contested the validity of the Northern Limit Lines (NLL) set up after the Korean War as maritime borders.Template:Sfn The EEZ has not been codified in law and North Korea has never specified its coordinates, making it difficult to determine its specific scope.Template:Sfn

In the West Sea, the EEZ remains unspecified in the Korea Bay because China has not determined its own EEZ in the area.Template:Sfn The border between the North Korean and South Korean EEZs in the West Sea cannot be determined because of potential overlap and disputes over certain islands.Template:Sfn

In the Sea of Japan, the North Korean EEZ can be approximated to be trapezoidal-shaped.Template:Sfn The border between North Korea and Russia's respective EEZs is the only such border that has been determined in East Asia.Template:Sfn Here, the EEZ does not cause many problems, even with regards to South Korea, because the sea is not thought to be rich in resources.Template:Sfn

Norway

File:Territorial waters - Norway.svg

Norway's exclusive economic zones, including the dependency of Bouvet Island

The Kingdom of Norway has a large exclusive economic zone of 819,620 km² around its coast. The country has a fishing zone of 1,878,953 km², including fishing zones around Svalbard and Jan Mayen.

In April 2009, the United Nations Commission for the Limits of the Continental Shelf approved Norway's claim to an additional 235,000 square kilometres of continental shelf. The commission found that Norway and Russia both had valid claims over a portion of the shelf in the Barents Sea.

Region	EEZ and Territorial Waters Area (km2)	Land Area (km2)	Total (km2)
Mainland Norway	1,273,482	323,802	1,597,284
Svalbard	402,574	61,002	463,576
Jan Mayen	273,118	373	273,491
Bouvet Island	436,004	49	436,053
Total	2,385,178	385,226	2,770,404

Pakistan

Area: Template:Convert

The coast of Pakistan is Template:Convert long, extending from Sir Creek in the east to Gwatar Bay in the west and the EEZ extends up to Template:Convert which is equivalent to more than 30% of its land area and ranks sixty-sixth in the world by area.

Pakistan had an EEZ of Template:Convert before their case was accepted by UNCLCS. Pakistan Navy with the help of the National Oceanographic Organization (NIO) initiated the continental shelf case at ministerial level in 1995.

On 26 Aug 2013, a seven-member sub-commission with members from Japan, China, Mozambique, Kenya, Denmark, Georgia and Argentina was formulated at UNCLCS to evaluate the technical details of Pakistan's case and after a year accepted Pakistan's claim.

On 13 March 2015, UN Commission on the Limits of Continental Shelf (UNCLCS) accepted recommendations for extension of the outer limits of the continental shelf on Pakistan's case so far 80 countries had submitted claims to UNCLCS out of which recommendations of 22 countries including Pakistan had been finalised.

It was a historic event in the country's history when Pakistan became the first country in the region to have its continental shelf extended to 350 nm.

Some of the claimed territories overlapped the Omani claim. It is believed that the verdict in favour of Pakistan was announced after successful negotiation with Oman.

Peru

File:Maritime Claims of Peru.svg

Peru's exclusive economic zone

Area: 857,000 km²

Philippines

File:Ph EEZ Map.png

The exclusive economic zone of the Philippines shown in blue lines, Eleven Dash-line shown in red lines, and treaty line of the Treaty of Paris (1898) shown in green line

The Philippines' EEZ covers Template:Cvt.

Poland

The Polish EEZ covers the area of Template:Cvt within the Baltic Sea.

Portugal

File:Portugal EEZ.PNG

Portugal's Exclusive Economic Zones plus submitted Extended Continental Shelf to the UN

Portugal has the 20th largest EEZ in the world. Presently, it is divided in three non-contiguous sub-zones:

• Continental Portugal 327,667 km²
• Azores 953,633 km²
• Madeira 446,108 km²
• Total : 1,727,408 km²

Portugal submitted a claim to extend its jurisdiction over an additional 2.15 million square kilometres of the adjacent continental shelf in May 2009, resulting in an area with a total of more than 3,877,408 km². The submission, as well as a detailed map, can be found in the Task Group for the extension of the Continental Shelf website.

Spain previously objected to the EEZ's southern border, maintaining that it should be drawn halfway between Madeira and the Canary Islands. But Portugal exercises sovereignty over the Savage Islands, a small archipelago north of the Canaries, claiming an EEZ border further south. Spain has no longer disputed the Portuguese claim since 2015.

Romania

Area: 23,627 km²

Russia

File:Territorial waters - Russia.svg

Russia's exclusive economic zone

Russia's exclusive economic zone, the world's fourth largest, is composed of:

• Kaliningrad (Baltic Sea) – 11,634 km²
• Saint Petersburg (Baltic Sea) – 12,759 km²
• Barents Sea – 1,308,140 km²
• Black Sea (without the Crimean EEZ) – 66,854 km²
• Pacific – 3,419,202 km²
• Siberia – 3,277,292 km²
• Total – 8,095,881 km²

Senegal

File:ZEE Sénégal (zone économique exclusive).jpg

Senegal's exclusive economic zone

Area: 158,861 km²

Somalia

File:Territorial Waters of Somalia.svg

Somalia's exclusive economic zone

Area: 825,052 km²

South Africa

File:Maritime zones of South Africa.svg

South Africa's exclusive economic zone

South Africa's EEZ includes both that next to the African mainland and that around the Prince Edward Islands, totalling 1,535,538 km².

• Mainland – 1,068,659 km²
• Prince Edward islands – 466,879 km²

South Korea

File:Koreez.PNG

South Korean exclusive economic zone:

  Korean EEZ

  EEZ claimed by Republic of Korea and Japan

  Joint regimeTemplate:Clarify with Japan

Area: 300,851 (225,214) km²

Spain

File:Zee spain.png

Spain's exclusive economic zone (Labels in Spanish)

Area: 1,039,233 km²

Thailand

File:Thailand-Exclusive-Economic-Zone.png

Thailand's exclusive economic zone

Area: 299,397 km²

Turkey

Turkey's EEZ is bordered by Georgia, Russia, Ukraine, Romania and Bulgaria in the Black Sea to the north, Greece in the Aegean Sea to the west, and Cyprus and Syria in the Mediterranean Sea to the south. Turkey is one of the few countries to not have signed UNCLOS and disputes Greece's and Cyprus' EEZ.

United Kingdom

File:Territorial waters - United Kingdom.svg

The exclusive economic zones of the United Kingdom in blue, including the British Overseas Territories and the Crown Dependencies. The British claim in Antarctica is shown in shaded blue.

File:Rockall EEZ topographic map-en.svg

UK, Ireland, Iceland & Faroes exclusive economic zones

The United Kingdom has the world's fifth-largest exclusive economic zone of Template:Cvt square km. It comprises the EEZs surrounding the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies, and the British Overseas Territories. The figure does not include the EEZ of the British Antarctic Territory.

The EEZ associated with the Falkland Islands and South Georgia are disputed by Argentina. The EEZ of the Chagos Archipelago, also known as the British Indian Ocean Territory, is also disputed with Mauritius which considers the archipelago as a part of its territory. And the EEZ around Gibraltar is disputed by Spain, which claims the territory.

The EEZ areas of the United Kingdom, Crown Dependencies and British Overseas Territories (in decreasing size)

Territory	EEZ Area (km2)	EEZ Area (sq mi)	Notes
Template:Country data South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands	Template:Convert	Disputed with Template:Country data Argentina.
Template:Country data Pitcairn Islands	Template:Convert
Template:Country data United Kingdom	Template:Convert	Including the Template:Country data Isle of Man.
Template:Country data Tristan da Cunha†	Template:Convert	Including Template:Flagdeco Gough Island.
Template:Country data British Indian Ocean Territory	Template:Convert	Disputed with Template:Country data Mauritius.
Template:Country data Falkland Islands	Template:Convert	Disputed with Template:Country data Argentina.
Template:Country data Bermuda	Template:Convert
Template:Country data Saint Helena†	Template:Convert
Template:Country data Ascension Island†	Template:Convert
Template:Country data Turks and Caicos Islands	Template:Convert
Template:Country data Cayman Islands	Template:Convert
Template:Country data Anguilla	Template:Convert
Template:Country data British Virgin Islands	Template:Convert
Template:Flagdeco Channel Islands	Template:Convert	Including Template:Country data Bailiwick of Guernsey and Template:Country data Jersey.
Template:Country data Montserrat	Template:Convert
Template:Country data Gibraltar	Template:Convert	Disputed with Template:Country data Spain.
Template:Country data Akrotiri and Dhekelia	Template:Convert	No EEZ area. The relevant EEZ areas around Cyprus Island are claimed by the Template:Country data Cyprus and Template:Country data Northern Cyprus.
Total	6,805,586	2,627,651

^† A part of the overseas territory of Template:Country data Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, which together has an EEZ of 1,641,294 square km.

United States

File:NOAA Map of the US EEZ.svg

The USA's Exclusive Economic Zones

The United States' exclusive economic zone is the second-largest in the world, covering 11,351,000 km². Areas of its EEZ are located in three oceans as well as the Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean Sea. Only France, with its widespread administrative departments and overseas territories in the North Atlantic, the Caribbean, the Indian Ocean, and in extensive island chains of the Pacific, has a larger EEZ than the United States.

The EEZ (including territorial sea) areas of the territories of the U.S. (in decreasing size)

Territory	EEZ Area (km2)	EEZ Area (sq mi)	Notes
Template:Country data Alaska	Template:Convert	A non-contiguous state in the northwest extremity of the North American continent.
Template:Country data Hawaii – Northwestern Islands	Template:Convert	Including Midway Atoll, these islands form the Leeward Islands of the Hawaiian island chain.
Template:Flagdeco U.S. East Coast	Template:Convert	The mainland coastal states of the Eastern United States. As a region, this term most often refers to the coastal states of Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and the Atlantic Coast of Florida.
Template:Country data Hawaii – Southeastern Islands	Template:Convert	These islands form the Windward Islands of the Hawaiian island chain.
Template:Flagdeco U.S. West Coast	Template:Convert	The mainland coastal states of the Western United States. As a region, this term most often refers to the coastal states of California, Oregon, Washington.
Template:Country data Northern Mariana Islands	Template:Convert	An organized, unincorporated, Commonwealth of the United States.
Template:Flagdeco U.S. Gulf Coast	Template:Convert	The mainland coastal states of the Southern United States. As a region, this term most often refers to the coastal states of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and the Gulf Coast of Florida
Johnston Atoll	Template:Convert	A National Wildlife Refuge in the U.S. Minor Outlying Islands.
Template:Flagdeco Howland and Baker Islands	Template:Convert	Both territories are National Wildlife Refuges in the U.S. Minor Outlying Islands.
Template:Country data Wake Island	Template:Convert	A National Wildlife Refuge in the U.S. Minor Outlying Islands.
Template:Country data American Samoa	Template:Convert	The only inhabited, unorganized, unincorporated, territory of the United States.
Palmyra Atoll and Kingman Reef	Template:Convert	Both territories are National Wildlife Refuges in the U.S. Minor Outlying Islands.
Jarvis Island	Template:Convert	A National Wildlife Refuge in the U.S. Minor Outlying Islands.
Template:Country data Guam	Template:Convert	An organized, unincorporated, territory of the United States.
Template:Country data Puerto Rico	Template:Convert	An organized, unincorporated, Commonwealth of the United States.
Template:Country data U.S. Virgin Islands	Template:Convert	An organized, unincorporated, territory of the United States.
Navassa Island	N/ATemplate:NoteTag	N/ATemplate:NoteTag	A National Wildlife Refuge in the U.S. Minor Outlying Islands.Template:NoteTag
Total	11,351,000	4,383,000

Note, the totals in the table actually add up to 12,234,403 square km and 4,723,705 square miles.

Vietnam

Vietnam claims an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of Template:Cvt with 200 nautical miles from its shores. These figures do not include the claimed EEZ areas of the Paracel Islands and the Spratly Islands. Vietnam has disputes mainly with the People's Republic of China due to the nine-dash line.

Countries with the most distant EEZs

File:WorldEEZ.png

Countries with the most distant EEZs

Rankings by area

Rank	Country	EEZ (km2)	Shelf (km2)	EEZ+TIA (km2)
1	Template:Flagu	11,691,000	579,422	12,366,417
2	Template:Flagu	11,351,000	2,193,526	21,814,306
3	Template:Flagu	8,505,348	2,194,008	16,197,464
4	Template:Flagu	7,566,673	3,817,843	24,664,915
5	Template:Flagu	6,805,586	872,891	7,048,486
6	Template:Flagu	6,159,032	2,039,381	8,063,601
7	Template:Flagu	5,599,077	2,644,795	15,607,077
8	Template:Flagu	4,479,388	400,000	4,879,388
9	Template:Flagu	4,420,565	272,898	4,688,285
10	Template:Flagu	3,681,989	252,947	4,431,381
11	Template:Flagu	3,664,673	2,005,179	12,179,550
12	Template:Flagu	3,441,810	7,523	3,442,536
13	Template:Flagu	3,269,386	419,102	5,141,968
14	Template:Flagu	2,996,419	19,403	2,997,121
15	Template:Flagu	2,551,238	495,657	4,761,811
16	Template:Flagu	2,402,288	191,256	2,865,128
17	Template:Flagu	2,385,178	434,020	2,770,404
18	Template:Flagu	2,305,143	402,996	5,592,406
19	Template:Flagu	1,990,530	18,411	1,990,711
20	Template:Flagu	1,960,027	1,213	1,960,267
21	Template:Flagu	1,727,408	28,000	1,819,498
22	Template:Flagu	1,590,780	272,921	1,890,780
23	Template:Flagu	1,589,477	36,282	1,618,373
24	Template:Flagu	1,535,538	156,337	2,756,575
25	Template:Flagu	1,336,559	39,063	1,337,014
26	Template:Flagu	1,284,997	29,061	1,287,037
27	Template:Flagu	1,282,978	47,705	1,301,250
28	Template:Flagu	1,225,259	101,505	1,812,300
29	Template:Flagu	1,159,063	856,346	3,939,463
30	Template:Flagu	1,077,231	41,034	1,333,600
31	Template:Flagu	1,039,233	77,920	1,545,225
32	Template:Flagu	923,322	34,538	923,622
33	Template:Flagu	906,454	82,000	2,191,670
34	Template:Flagu	877,019	231,340	10,473,980
35	Template:Flagu	825,052	55,895	1,462,709
36	Template:Flagu	808,158	53,691	1,949,906
37	Template:Flagu	800,561	5,591	804,594
38	Template:Flagu	751,345	108,015	854,345
39	Template:Flagu	749,790	3,575	749,816
40	Template:Flagu	663,251	11,483	675,440
41	Template:Flagu	659,558	8,517	660,305
42	Template:Flagu	654,715	106,323	668,658
43	Template:Flagu	603,978	2,837	604,437
44	Template:Flagu	578,986	94,212	1,380,576
45	Template:Flagu	575,230	115,157	1,287,780
46	Template:Flagu	574,725	19,585	625,825
47	Template:Flagu	564,748	86,698	1,388,864
48	Template:Flagu	552,669	59,229	1,080,637
49	Template:Flagu	541,915	116,834	843,251
50	Template:Flagu	533,180	59,071	842,680
51	Template:Flagu	532,775	220,332	1,209,353
52	Template:Flagu	532,619	32,453	598,229
53	Template:Flagu	518,433	48,092	1,765,133
54	Template:Flagu	505,572	81,451	637,529
55	Template:Flagu	475,469	342,522	575,469
56	Template:Flagu	471,507	98,500	1,387,950
57	Template:Flagu	417,663	365,198	748,875
58	Template:Flagu	410,310	139,935	480,583
59	Template:Flagu	351,589	64,763	2,111,129
60	Template:Flagu	350,751	61,525	460,637
61	Template:Flagu	335,646	53,404	411,163
62	Template:Flagu	334,671	323,412	665,474
63	Template:Flagu	316,584	284	316,844
64	Template:Flagu	308,480	41	308,501
65	Template:Flagu	303,509	7,820	331,560
66	Template:Flagu	299,397	230,063	812,517
67	Template:Flagu	290,000	51,383	1,117,911
68	Template:Flagu	263,451	61,591	1,265,451
69	Template:Flagu	261,654	56,093	1,045,216
70	Template:Flagu	258,137	9,802	269,128
71	Template:Flagu	255,898	10,738	304,569
72	Template:Flagu	249,734	17,715	361,103
73	Template:Flagu	249,542	68,718	362,034
74	Template:Flagu	241,888	25,611	1,186,975
75	Template:Flagu	235,349	22,502	473,888
76	Template:Flagu	228,633	107,249	2,378,323
77	Template:Flagu	217,313	42,285	1,141,081
78	Template:Flagu	215,611	28,625	287,351
79	Template:Flagu	202,790	35,020	470,458
80	Template:Flagu	186,898	426	187,328
81	Template:Flagu	176,254	10,175	498,717
82	Template:Flagu	168,718	118,693	1,797,468
83	Template:Flagu	165,338	31,662	1,190,858
84	Template:Flagu	163,752	1,526	165,987
85	Template:Flagu	160,885	154,604	602,255
86	Template:Flagu	158,861	23,092	355,583
87	Template:Flagu	154,011	77,246	192,345
88	Template:Flagu	147,318	79,142	750,818
89	Template:Flagu	142,166	75,327	318,381
90	Template:Flagu	137,765	50,578	352,734
91	Template:Flagu	131,397	1,902	132,361
92	Template:Flagu	127,950	2,087	130,781
93	Template:Flagu	127,772	53,631	291,592
94	Template:Flagu	126,760	6,683	154,510
95	Template:Flagu	126,353	9,985	2,508,094
96	Template:Flagu	123,881	70,874	254,254
97	Template:Flagu	123,725	39,339	159,850
98	Template:Flagu	118,813	66,438	230,390
99	Template:Flagu	116,942	11,073	697,309
100	Template:Flagu	114,170	14,422	223,059
101	Template:Flagu	113,888	50,337	234,428
102	Template:Flagu	110,089	4,128	110,531
103	Template:Flagu	101,857	67,126	265,467
104	Template:Flagu	98,707	4,042	107,958
105	Template:Flagu	90,962	16,852	112,003
106	Template:Flagu	87,171	85,109	425,590
107	Template:Flagu	83,231	43,016	119,419
108	Template:Flagu	77,728	61,817	195,328
109	Template:Flagu	74,199	25,284	79,329
110	Template:Flagu	70,326	25,648	85,200
111	Template:Flagu	68,148	19,827	1,954,216
112	Template:Flagu	62,515	62,515	243,550
113	Template:Flagu	59,426	44,755	305,283
114	Template:Flagu	59,032	50,277	115,626
115	Template:Flagu	58,218	57,474	141,818
116	Template:Flagu	57,485	57,485	414,599
117	Template:Flagu	54,823	5,301	55,139
118	Template:Flagu	36,992	36,992	82,219
119	Template:Flagu	36,302	1,561	36,691
120	Template:Flagu	35,351	13,178	58,317
121	Template:Flagu	34,307	10,426	145,186
122	Template:Flagu	33,221	2,721	145,843
123	Template:Flagu	31,590	31,590	43,176
124	Template:Flagu	31,017	7,982	373,017
125	Template:Flagu	29,797	29,797	342,482
126	Template:Flagu	28,985	659	29,736
127	Template:Flagu	28,452	27,772	93,011
128	Template:Flagu	27,426	2,237	27,770
129	Template:Flagu	26,352	3,745	48,424
130	Template:Flagu	23,627	19,303	262,018
131	Template:Flagu	23,112	5,581	34,407
132	Template:Flagu	21,946	3,243	91,646
133	Template:Flagu	19,516	1,067	29,968
134	Template:Flagu	16,547	11,420	491,989
135	Template:Flagu	15,617	544	16,156
136	Template:Flagu	13,691	6,979	42,439
137	Template:Flagu	12,045	1,265	68,830
138	Template:Flagu	11,026	11,026	28,844
139	Template:Flagu	10,503	1,085	195,683
140	Template:Flagu	10,225	10,225	10,975
141	Template:Flagu	10,090	8,509	15,855
142	Template:Flagu	9,974	653	10,235
143	Template:Flagu	7,745	3,896	21,557
144	Template:Flagu	7,459	3,187	30,659
145	Template:Flagu	7,031	7,031	72,331
146	Template:Flagu	3,447	3,447	33,975
147	Template:Flagu	1,606	1,593	2,346,464
148	Template:Flagu	1,067	1,067	1,772
149	Template:Flagu	771	771	439,088
150	Template:Flagu	288	2	290
151	Template:Flagu	256	256	6,276
152	Template:Flagu	220	220	20,493
153	Template:Flagu	166	59	89,508
154	Template:Flagu	50	50	51,259
155	Template:Flagu			2,724,900
156	Template:Flagu			1,564,100
157	Template:Flagu			1,284,000
158	Template:Flagu			1,267,000
159	Template:Flagu			1,240,192
160	Template:Flagu			1,104,300
161	Template:Flagu			1,098,581
162	Template:Flagu			752,612
163	Template:Flagu			652,090
164	Template:Flagu			622,984
165	Template:Flagu			619,745
166	Template:Flagu			582,000
167	Template:Flagu			488,100
168	Template:Flagu			447,400
169	Template:Flagu			406,752
170	Template:Flagu			390,757
171	Template:Flagu			274,222
172	Template:Flagu			241,038
173	Template:Flagu			236,800
174	Template:Flagu			207,600
175	Template:Flagu			199,951
176	Template:Flagu			147,181
177	Template:Flagu			143,100
178	Template:Flagu			118,484
179	Template:Flagu			93,028
180	Template:Flagu			86,600
181	Template:Flagu			83,871
182	Template:Flagu			82,500
183	Template:Flagu			78,867
184	Template:Flagu			77,474
185	Template:Flagu			49,035
186	Template:Flagu			41,284
187	Template:Flagu			38,394
188	Template:Flagu			33,846
189	Template:Flagu			30,355
190	Template:Flagu			29,743
191	Template:Flagu			27,834
192	Template:Flagu			26,338
193	Template:Flagu			25,713
194	Template:Flagu			17,364
195	Template:Flagu			10,887
196	Template:Flagu			2,586
197	Template:Flagu			468
198	Template:Flagu			160
199	Template:Flagu			61
200	Template:Flagu			0.44

See also

• Air defense identification zone
• Baseline
• Continental shelf
• International waters
• R v Marshall
• Special economic zone
• Territorial waters
• Open Balkan
• Craiovia Group
• CEFTA

References

Works cited:

External links

• Interactive map at MarineRegions.org, showing boundaries and disputes
• United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea – Part V
• Sea Around Us Project – View the EEZ of all countries (note that this website does not distinguish between the territorial seas and the EEZs, therefore it tends to overstate the EEZ areas. See: EEZ AREA MEASURE)
• The USA zone since 1977
• GIS data: VLIZ.be
• Foreign Military Activities in Asian EEZs: Conflict Ahead? by Mark J. Valencia (May 2011)