Exclusive Economic Zone

Exclusive Economic Zone

Encyclopedia

Tutorials

Encyclopedia

Dictionary

Directory

Email this to a friend Exclusive_Economic_Zone

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.

Definition

The World's EEZs, shown as a white extension of land territory

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 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 coastal baseline and extends 200 nautical miles out into the sea, perpendicular to the baseline. Thus, the EEZ overlaps both the contiguous zone and territorial waters.^[3] States also have rights to the seabed of the continental shelf up to 350 nautical miles from the coast, where this extends beyond the EEZ, but this does not form part of their EEZ.

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:

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.

Fisheries management is a significant aspect of the resulting control.

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.
Conflict of Croatia with Italy and Slovenia over Croatian ZERP in Adriatic sea.

Regions where a permanent ice shelf extends beyond the coastline are also sources of potential dispute.^[4]

Rankings by area

List of countries' EEZ by area

Country EEZ +
Terr. Waters EEZ only

11,351,000 km²

11,035,000 km²

8 148 250 km²

7,566,673 km²

5,599,077 km² 2,755,564 km²

4,479,358 km²

4,083,744 km²

3,973,760 km²

3,660,955 km²

2,017,717 km²

1,727,408 km²

1,641,514 km²

1,535,538 km²

1,284,997 km²

1,225,259 km²

1,159,063 km²

877,019 km²

List of countries' EEZ
plus territorial waters
plus territories onshore area

24,641,873 km²

20,982,418 km²

15,835,100 km²

15,583,747 km²

12,175,831 km²

11,709,843 km²

10,476,979 km²

5,559,733 km²

4,857,193 km²

4,352,424 km²

3,925,953 km²

2,773,813 km²

2,756,575 km²

1,819,799 km²

1,812,299 km²

By country

Argentina

1,159,063 km²

Australia

Australia's Exclusive Economic Zones

Seas and Submerged Lands Act 1973

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.^[5] Australia has 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.^[6] Nevertheless, Australia maintains the right to explore and exploit the seabed and water column within its EEZ.

EEZ Area (km²) ^[7]

Heard and McDonald Islands 410,722

463,371

325,021

428,618

Macquarie Island 471,837

6,048,681

TOTAL 8,148,250

Brazil

Continental shelf: 3,191,827 km²
Trindade and Martim Vaz Island: 469,128 km²
total: 3,660,955 km²

Source

Canada

Canada is unusual in that its Exclusive Economic Zone, covering 2,755,564 km², is slightly smaller than its territorial waters.^[8] The latter generally extend only 12 nautical miles from the shore, but also include inland marine waters such as Hudson Bay (about 300 nautical miles across), the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and the internal waters of the Arctic archipelago.

European Union

The EEZ of the European Union is shared, so vessels or a national from one country can fish in another country's EEZ.^[9] The combined zone amounts to 25 million km², making it larger than the United States' zone, the largest of any single country.^[10] '"See: Common Fisheries Policy.

France

The EEZ of France across the world.

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 (8,232,000 km² / 3,178,000 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), but ahead of Australia (8,980,568 km² / 3,467,416 mi²) and 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.

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.

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. 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. 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, 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).

Portugal

Portugal Exclusive Economic Zone

327,667 km²
953,633 km²
446,108 km²
total : 1,727,408 km²

Portugal has the 3rd largest Exclusive Economic Zone of the EU and the 11th in the world.

A dispute with Spain arose after a number of incidents. Spain defends 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) thus pushing the EEZ border further south.

Spain objects on the basis that the Savage Islands do not have a separate continental shelf^[11], 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."^[12]

However, the Savage Islands do sustain human habitation, annulling the Spanish argument.

Slovenia

Slovenia has one of the most peculiar Exclusive Economic Zones in the world. Every point of its self-proclaimed EEZ (disputed by Croatia) is closest to Croatia, and also closer to Italy than to Slovenia.

According to United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, EEZ should be connected with territorial waters. According to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which Slovenia ratified, Slovenia has no right to extend its territorial waters more than 12 miles from the coast. In addition, in 1998., Slovenia explicitely stated^[13] to have territorial waters extending 12 miles from the coast.

The northern point of open sea in northern adriatic is 12 miles away from both Croatia and Italy and a few miles further from Slovenia. Thus, Slovenian selfproclaimed EEZ is unconnected to its territorial waters, which is violation of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

The dispute with Croatia is part of a wider border dispute in the gulf of Piran.

United Kingdom

The combined Exclusive Economic Zones of the United Kingdom (light red), the British Overseas Territories (light purple) and the Crown Dependencies (green).
Note: the British Overseas Territories and the Crown Dependencies are not part of the United Kingdom.^[14]

: 764,071 km²
border
Ascension Island: 443,844 km²
(UK): 636,600 km²
border
Channel Islands (UK): 6,517 km²
(UK): 331 km²
(UK): 8,247 km²
(UK): 837,221 km²
(UK): 446,616 km²
(UK): 749,612 km²
(UK): 80,701 km²
total: 3,973,760 km²

South Africa

South Africa's Exclusive Economic Zones

South Africa's EEZ includes both that next to the African mainland and that around the Prince Edward Islands, totalling 1 535 538 km². ^[15]

Mainland 1 068 659 km²
Prince Edward islands 466 879 km²

India

1,641,514 km²
Andaman Islands, 663,629 km²
Total: 2,305,143 km²

Japan

Japan's Exclusive Economic Zones:

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 neighbours (Russia, South Korea, PRC and ROC). The above and relevant maps at the Sea Around Us Project^[16]^[17] both indicates Japan's claimed boundaries, and does not take into account neighbouring power's claims.

South Korea

S. Korean Exclusive Economic Zones:

Area: 300,851 (225,214) km²

New Zealand

Exclusive Economic Zones of the Realm of New Zealand

New Zealand's EEZ covers 4,083,744 km², according to the Sea Around Us Project,^[18]^[19] 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.^[20] 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).

Norway

Norway's Exclusive Economic Zones (including Bouvet Island)

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 ^[21]. The fact that the European Union shares its economic zones was a big reason why Norway did not entere the EU as a member.