Exclusive Economic Zone
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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. It stretches from the edge of the state's territorial sea out to 200 nautical miles from its coast. In casual use, the term may include the territorial sea and even the continental shelf beyond the 200 mile limit.
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[edit] Definition
Generally a state's EEZ extends to a distance of 200 nautical miles (370 km) out from its coast. The exception to this rule occurs when EEZs would overlap; that is, state coastal baselines are less than 400 nautical miles (740 km) apart. When an overlap occurs, it is up to the states to delineate the actual boundary.[1] Generally, any point within an overlapping area defaults to the most proximate state.[2]
The Exclusive Economic Zone starts at the seaward edge of the territorial sea and extends out into the sea to a distance 200 nautical miles (370 km) from the baseline.[3] Thus, the EEZ overlap the contiguous zone. States also have rights to the seabed of the continental shelf up to 350 nautical miles (650 km) from the coast, where this extends beyond the EEZ, but this does not form part of their EEZ.
[edit] Origin of EEZ
This concept of allotting nations EEZs to give better control of maritime affairs outside territorial limits gained acceptance in the late 20th century and was given binding international recognition by the Third United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea in 1982.
Part V, Article 55 of the Convention states:
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- Specific legal regime of the Exclusive Economic Zone
- The Exclusive Economic Zone is an area beyond and adjacent to the territorial sea, subject to the specific legal regime established in this Part, under which the rights and jurisdiction of the coastal State and the rights and freedoms of other States are governed by the relevant provisions of this Convention.
[edit] EEZ disputes
Disputes over the exact extent of Exclusive Economic Zones are a common source of conflict between states over marine waters.
- One well-known example of such a dispute was the Cod Wars between the United Kingdom and Iceland.
- The dispute over Rockall is mainly due to its effect on EEZ, not on its resources or strategic benefits.
- The South China Sea (and the Spratly Islands) is the site of an ongoing dispute between several neighboring nations.
- There is an ongoing dispute over defining continental shelf and EEZ between Turkey and Greece.
- Croatia's ZERP (Ecological and Fisheries Protection Zone) in the Adriatic Sea caused friction with Italy and Slovenia, threatening Croatia's accession to the European Union.
- A wedge-shaped section of the Beaufort Sea is disputed between Canada and the United States due to potential oil reserves in the area.
Regions where a permanent ice shelf extends beyond the coastline are also sources of potential dispute.[4]
[edit] Transboundary stocks
Fisheries management, usually adhering to guidelines set by the FAO, provides significant practical mechanisms for the control of EEZs. Transboundary fish stocks are an important concept in this control.[5] Transboundary stocks are fish stocks that range in the EEZs of at least two countries. They can be contrasted with straddling stocks, which range both within an EEZ as well as in the high seas, outside any EEZ. A stock can be both transboundary and straddling.[6]
[edit] Rankings by area
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[edit] By country
[edit] Argentina
1,159,063 km2
[edit] Australia
Australia has the third largest Exclusive Economic Zone, behind the United States and France, but ahead of Russia, with the total area actually exceeding that of its land territory. As per UN convention, Australia's EEZ generally extends 200 nautical miles (370 km) from the coastline of Australia and its external territories, except where a maritime delimitation agreement exists with another state.[8]
The United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf confirmed, in April 2008, Australia's rights over an additional 2.5 million square kilometres of seabed beyond the limits of Australia's EEZ.[9] Australia also claimed, in its submission to the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf, an EEZ of 200 nautical miles (370 km) from its Antarctic Territory but has requested it not be considered, in accordance with the Antarctic Treaty.[10] Nevertheless, Australia maintains the right to explore and exploit the seabed and water column within its EEZ.
See also: Australian Whale Sanctuary
| EEZ | Area (km2) [11] |
|---|---|
| Heard and McDonald Islands | 410,722 |
 Christmas Island |
463,371 |
_Islands.svg){kind=small} Cocos Islands |
325,021 |
 Norfolk Island |
428,618 |
| Macquarie Island | 471,837 |
 Australia |
6,048,681 |
| TOTAL | 8,148,250 |
[edit] Brazil
Brazil's Exclusive Economic Zone covers 3,660,995 km2.
In 2004, the country submitted its claims to the United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) to extend its maritime continental margin[12].
[edit] Canada
Canada is unusual in that its Exclusive Economic Zone, covering 2,755,564 km2, is slightly smaller than its territorial waters.[13] The latter generally extend only 12 nautical miles (22 km) from the shore, but also include inland marine waters such as Hudson Bay (about 300 nautical miles (560 km) across), the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and the internal waters of the Arctic archipelago.
[edit] Chile
Chile's EEZ includes areas around the Juan Fernández Islands, the Desventuradas Islands and Easter Island.
| Region | EEZ & TW Area (km2) | Land area | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mainland | 2 017 717 | 755 757 | 2 773 474 |
| Disventuradas | 443 907 | ||
| Easter | 713 465 | 164 | 713 629 |
| Juan Fernandez | 500 190 | ||
| Total | 3 675 279 | 756 102 | 4 431 381 |
[edit] People's Republic of China
- China's EEZ877,019 km2
- EEZ claimed by China, disputed by the Republic of China (Taiwan)
+
- EEZ claimed by China, disputed by others3,000,000 km2
total:3,877,019
[edit] Denmark
The Kingdom of Denmark includes the two autonomous provinces of Greenland and the Faroe Islands. The EEZs of the latter two do not form part of the EEZ of the European Union.
| Region | EEZ & TW Area (km2) [11] | Land area | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
 Denmark |
105 989 | 42 506 | 149 083 |
 Faroe Islands |
260 995 | 1 399 | 262 394 |
 Greenland |
2 184 254 | 2 166 086 | 4 350 340 |
| Total | 2 551 238 | 2 210 579 | 4 761 817 |
[edit] European Union
See also Common Fisheries Policy
The EEZ of the European Union is shared, so vessels or a national from one country can fish in another country's EEZ.[14] The combined zone amounts to 25 million km2, making it larger than the United States' zone, the largest of any single country.[15]
[edit] France
Due to its numerous overseas départements and territories scattered on all oceans of the planet, France possesses the second-largest EEZ in the world, covering 11,035,000 km2 (4,260,000 mi2), just behind the EEZ of the United States (11,351,000 km2 / 4,383,000 mi2), but ahead of the EEZ of Australia (10,648,250 km2 / 4,111,312 mi2). According to a different calculation cited by the Pew Research Center, the EEZ of France would be 10,084,201 km2 (3,893,532 mi2), behind the United States (12,174,629 km2 / 4,700,651 mi2) and Australia (10,648,250 km2 / 4,111,312 mi2), but ahead of Russia (7,566,673 km2 / 2,921,508 mi2).
The EEZ of France covers approximately 8% 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 the Earth.
[edit] Greece
Greece has not yet claimed an exclusive economic zone, although it is entitled to do so, as per UNCLOS 1982 as well as customary international law. The reason for its inaction is the direct Turkish threat of casus belli.[citation needed]
Turkey's declaration of casus belli is not related to the EEZ issue. Turkey claims that the Aegean Sea's status as a semi-closed sea affords it a special nature (unlike other semi-closed seas as the Adriatic or even fully enclosed seas as the Black Sea). Moreover, Turkey is not among the signatories of UNCLOS which allows countries to expand the width of their territorial waters up to 12 nautical miles (22 km). Even though Turkey is a persistent objector to the relevant article of UNCLOS, it has expanded its own territorial waters in the Black Sea to 12 nautical miles (22 km). In 1995, just after Greece's ratification of UNCLOS, Turkey declared that if Greece expands the width of her territorial waters over 6 nautical miles (11 km), Turkey would conceive this action as a containment attempt and a direct offence to her sovereignty. So, the Turkish Parliament decided that if Greece attempts to expand the width of her territorial waters it would be a cause of war (casus belli).
[edit] Poland
The Polish EEZ covers the area of 30,533 km2. within the Baltic Sea.[16]
[edit] Portugal
Portugal has the 3rd largest Exclusive Economic Zone of the EU and the 11th in the world.[citation needed]
The boundary between the EEZs of Portugal and Spain is disputed. Spain maintains that the southernmost EEZ border between Spain and Portugal should consist on an equidistant line drawn halfway between Madeira and the Canary Islands. But Portugal exercises sovereignty over the Savage Islands (a small archipelago north of the Canaries), and claims this pushes the EEZ border further south. Spain objects on the basis that the Savage Islands do not have a separate continental shelf,[18] according to the article 121 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea:
"Rocks which cannot sustain human habitation or economic life of their own shall have no exclusive economic zone or continental shelf."[19]
Portugal submitted a claim to extend its jurisdiction over 1.2 million square kilometres of the neighbouring continental shelf in May 2009.[20]
[edit] United Kingdom
Note: the British Overseas Territories and the Crown Dependencies are not part of the United Kingdom.[21]
United Kingdom: 764,071 km (incl. Rockall (disputed))2- Ascension Island (UK): 443,844 km2
British Indian Ocean Territory (UK): 636,600 km2- Channel Islands (UK): 6,517 km2
Gibraltar (UK): 331 km2
Montserrat (UK): 8,247 km2
Pitcairn (UK): 837,221 km2
Saint Helena (UK): 446,616 km2
Tristan da Cunha (UK): 749,612 km2
British Virgin Islands (UK): 80,701 km2- total: 3,973,760 km2
[edit] India
- 1,641,514 km2
- Andaman Islands, 663,629 km2
- Total: 2,305,143 km2
[edit] Indonesia
- 6 159 032 km2
[edit] Japan
- Marcus Island: 428,875 km2
- Ogasawara Islands: 862,782 km2
- Pacific Ocean (Japan): 1,162,334 km2
- Ryukyu Islands: 1,394,676 km2
- Sea of Japan: 630,721 km2
- total: 4,479,358
Japan has disputes over its EEZ boundaries with all its Asian neighbors (Russia, South Korea, PRC and ROC). The above, and relevant maps at the Sea Around Us Project[22][23] both indicate Japan's claimed boundaries, and do not take into account neighboring powers' claims.
[edit] Mexico
Mexico's Exclusive Economic Zones comprise a total surface area of 5,144,295 km2, and places Mexico among the countries with the largest areas in the world. [24]
[edit] New Zealand
New Zealand's EEZ covers 4,083,744 km2, according to the Sea Around Us Project,[25][26] 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.[27] 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 (Tokelau, Niue, the Cook Islands and the Ross Dependency).
[edit] Norway
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 [28]. The fact that the European Union shares its economic zones was a big reason why Norway did not enter the EU as a member.
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 shelf in the Barents Sea.[29]
| Region | EEZ & TW Area (km2) | Land area | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mainland | 1 273 482 | 323 802 | 1 597 284 |
| Svalbard | 402 574 | 61 002 | 463 576 |
| Jan Mayen | 273 118 | 373 | 273 491 |
| Bouvet | 436 004 | 49 | 436 053 |
| Total | 2 385 178 | 385 226 | 2 770 404 |
[edit] Pakistan
- 201,520 km2 [30]
[edit] Philippines
Philippines' EEZ covers 1,590,780 (272,921) km2 according to this website.
[edit] Russia
- Asia: 6,382,530
- Baltic: 24,549
- Barents Sea: 1,159,594
- total 7,566,673 km2
[edit] South Africa
South Africa's EEZ includes both that next to the African mainland and that around the Prince Edward Islands, totalling 1 535 538 km2. [31]
- Mainland 1 068 659 km2
- Prince Edward islands 466 879 km2
[edit] South Korea
Area: 300,851 (225,214) km2
[edit] United States
The United States' exclusive economic zone is the largest in the world, covering 11,351,000 km2. Areas of its EEZ are located not only along the eastern and western seaboards and Gulf of Mexico-bordering region of the continental United States, but are also located in the Caribbean Sea, Pacific Ocean and Arctic Ocean.
[edit] References
- ^ William R. Slomanson, 2006. Fundamental Perspectives on International Law, 5th edn. Belmont, CA: Thomson-Wadsworth, 294.
- ^ UN Convention on the Law of The Sea.
- ^ Article 55, 1982 UN Convention on the Law of The Sea.
- ^ The Legal Status of Ice in the Antarctic Region
- ^ FAO: The State of the World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2006 Part3: highlights of Special studies Rome. ISBN 978-92-5-105568-7
- ^ FAO (2007) Report of the FAO workshop on vulnerable ecosystems and destructive fishing in deep sea fisheries Rome, Fisheries Report No. 829.
- ^ Geographic location - Mexico
- ^ Geoscience Australia. 2005. Maritime Boundary Definitions.
- ^ UN confirms Australia’s rights over extra 2.5 million square kilometres of seabed. Minister for Resources and Energy, The Hon Martin Ferguson AM MP, Media Release, 21 April 2008.
- ^ Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea. Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf, Submission by Australia
- ^ a b Geoscience Australia, Australian Maritime Boundaries Information System 2001. Area of the Australian Exclusive Economic Zone
- ^ UN Continental Shelf and UNCLOS Article 76: Brazilian Submission
- ^ Wildlife Habitat Canada. Canada's Marine Waters: Integrating the Boundaries of Politics and Nature.
- ^ About the Common Fisheries Policy
- ^ EU Glossary europa.eu
- ^ EXPLORATION AND EXTRACTION OF SAND AND GRAVEL RESOURCES IN THE POLISH EXCLUSIVE ECONOMICAL ZONE OF THE BALTIC SEA, European marine sand and gravel – shaping the future, EMSAGG Conference 20-21 February 2003, Delft University, The Netherlands
- ^ Ingenium, p. 32.
- ^ Lacleta Muñoz, José Manuel: "Las fronteras de España en el mar". Documentos de trabajo 34-2004, Real Instituto Elcano
- ^ United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, Part VIII, Article 121
- ^ Portugal Applies To UN To Extend Its Continental Shelf Zone, Dow Jones Newswires, 8 May 2009. Accessed 13 May 2009.
- ^ "Countries within a country". http://www.number-10.gov.uk/output/Page823.asp. Retrieved on 2008-05-12.
- ^ Japan (main islands) The Sea Around Us Project
- ^ Japan (outer islands) The Sea Around Us Project
- ^ Geographic location
- ^ New Zealand Sea Around Us Project
- ^ Kermadec Islands (New Zealand) The Sea Around Us Project
- ^ New Zealand Ministry for the Environment (2007). Improving Regulation of Environmental Effects in New Zealand’s Exclusive Economic Zone: Discussion Paper - Introduction. Published August 2007, Publication number ME824. ISBN 0978478301601. Accessed 2006-01-07.
- ^ Statistisk årbok 2007 Accessed January 2008
- ^ UN backs Norway claim to Arctic seabed extension, Canwest News Service, 15 April 2009. Retrieved 13 May 2009.
- ^ Coastal and Marine Ecosystems — Marine Jurisdictions Accessed 1 November 2006
- ^ Sea around us project
[edit] See also
- Air Defense Identification Zone
- Baseline
- Continental shelf
- International waters
- R. v. Marshall
- Territorial waters
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Exclusive Economic Zones |
- United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea - Part V
- Sea Around Us Project - View the EEZ of all nations (Note that this site does not distinguish between territorial waters and the EEZ, and so tends to overstate EEZ areas.)
- The USA zone since 1977
- GIS data : http://www.vliz.be/vmdcdata/marbound/
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