Country Comparison :: Maritime claims
This entry includes the following claims, the definitions of which are excerpted from the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which alone contains the full and definitive descriptions:
territorial sea - the sovereignty of a coastal state extends beyond its land territory and internal waters to an adjacent belt of sea, described as the territorial sea in the UNCLOS (Part II); this sovereignty extends to the air space over the territorial sea as well as its underlying seabed and subsoil; every state has the right to establish the breadth of its territorial sea up to a limit not exceeding 12 nautical miles; the normal baseline for measuring the breadth of the territorial sea is the mean low-water line along the coast as marked on large-scale charts officially recognized by the coastal state; the UNCLOS describes specific rules for archipelagic states.
contiguous zone - according to the UNCLOS (Article 33), this is a zone contiguous to a coastal state's territorial sea, over which it may exercise the control necessary to: prevent infringement of its customs, fiscal, immigration, or sanitary laws and regulations within its territory or territorial sea; punish infringement of the above laws and regulations committed within its territory or territorial sea; the contiguous zone may not extend beyond 24 nautical miles from the baselines from which the breadth of the territorial sea is measured (e.g. the US has claimed a 12-nautical mile contiguous zone in addition to its 12-nautical mile territorial sea).
exclusive economic zone (EEZ) - the UNCLOS (Part V) defines the EEZ as a zone beyond and adjacent to the territorial sea in which a coastal state has: sovereign rights for the purpose of exploring and exploiting, conserving and managing the natural resources, whether living or non-living, of the waters superjacent to the seabed and of the seabed and its subsoil, and with regard to other activities for the economic exploitation and exploration of the zone, such as the production of energy from the water, currents, and winds; jurisdiction with regard to the establishment and use of artificial islands, installations, and structures; marine scientific research; the protection and preservation of the marine environment; the outer limit of the exclusive economic zone shall not exceed 200 nautical miles from the baselines from which the breadth of the territorial sea is measured.
continental shelf - the UNCLOS (Article 76) defines the continental shelf of a coastal state as comprising the seabed and subsoil of the submarine areas that extend beyond its territorial sea throughout the natural prolongation of its land territory to the outer edge of the continental margin, or to a distance of 200 nautical miles from the baselines from which the breadth of the territorial sea is measured where the outer edge of the continental margin does not extend up to that distance; the continental margin comprises the submerged prolongation of the landmass of the coastal state, and consists of the seabed and subsoil of the shelf, the slope and the rise; wherever the continental margin extends beyond 200 nautical miles from the baseline, coastal states may extend their claim to a distance not to exceed 350 nautical miles from the baseline or 100 nautical miles from the 2500 meter isobath; it does not include the deep ocean floor with its oceanic ridges or the subsoil thereof.
exclusive fishing zone - while this term is not used in the UNCLOS, some states (e.g., the United Kingdom) have chosen not to claim an EEZ, but rather to claim jurisdiction over the living resources off their coast; in such cases, the term exclusive fishing zone is often used; the breadth of this zone is normally the same as the EEZ or 200 nautical miles.
Download Data
Rank
country Maritime claims Date of Information
1 American Samoa
200.00
NA
2 Angola
200.00
NA
3 Anguilla
200.00
NA
4 Antigua and Barbuda
200.00
NA
5 Argentina
200.00
NA
6 Ashmore and Cartier Islands
200.00
NA
7 Australia
200.00
NA
8 Bangladesh
200.00
NA
9 Belize
200.00
NA
10 Burma
200.00
NA
11 Bulgaria
200.00
NA
12 Brunei
200.00
NA
13 British Virgin Islands
200.00
NA
14 British Indian Ocean Territory
200.00
NA
15 Brazil
200.00
NA
16 Brazil
200.00
NA
17 Bermuda
200.00
NA
18 Benin
200.00
NA
19 Colombia
200.00
NA
20 Cocos (Keeling) Islands
200.00
NA
21 Clipperton Island
200.00
NA
22 Christmas Island
200.00
NA
23 China
200.00
NA
24 China
200.00
NA
25 Chile
200.00
NA
26 Cayman Islands
200.00
NA
27 Cape Verde
200.00
NA
28 Canada
200.00
NA
29 Canada
200.00
NA
30 Cambodia
200.00
NA
31 Cambodia
200.00
NA
32 Burma
200.00
NA
33 Ecuador
200.00
NA
34 Dominican Republic
200.00
NA
35 Dominican Republic
200.00
NA
36 Dominica
200.00
NA
37 Djibouti
200.00
NA
38 Denmark
200.00
NA
39 Cuba
200.00
NA
40 Cote d'Ivoire
200.00
NA
41 Cote d'Ivoire
200.00
NA
42 Costa Rica
200.00
NA
43 Costa Rica
200.00
NA
44 Coral Sea Islands
200.00
NA
45 Cook Islands
200.00
NA
46 Cook Islands
200.00
NA
47 Congo, Republic of the
200.00
NA
48 Comoros
200.00
NA
49 Guyana
200.00
NA
50 Guyana
200.00
NA
51 Guinea-Bissau
200.00
NA
52 Guinea
200.00
NA
53 Guatemala
200.00
NA
54 Grenada
200.00
NA
55 Greenland
200.00
NA
56 Greenland
200.00
NA
57 Ghana
200.00
NA
58 Korea, North
200.00
NA
59 Kiribati
200.00
NA
60 Kenya
200.00
NA
61 Kenya
200.00
NA
62 Japan
200.00
NA
63 Jan Mayen
200.00
NA
64 Jamaica
200.00
NA
65 Jamaica
200.00
NA
66 Ireland
200.00
NA
67 Montserrat
200.00
NA
68 Micronesia, Federated States of
200.00
NA
69 Mexico
200.00
NA
70 Mexico
200.00
NA
71 Mayotte
200.00
NA
72 Mauritius
200.00
NA
73 Mauritius
200.00
NA
74 Mauritania
200.00
NA
75 Mauritania
200.00
NA
76 Pakistan
200.00
NA
77 Oman
200.00
NA
78 Norway
200.00
NA
79 Norway
200.00
NA
80 Northern Mariana Islands
200.00
NA
81 Norfolk Island
200.00
NA
82 Niue
200.00
NA
83 Nigeria
200.00
NA
84 New Zealand
200.00
NA
85 Taiwan
200.00
NA
86 Yemen
200.00
NA
87 Yemen
200.00
NA
88 Wallis and Futuna
200.00
NA
89 Wake Island
200.00
NA
90 Virgin Islands
200.00
NA
91 Vietnam
200.00
NA
92 Vietnam
200.00
NA
93 Venezuela
200.00
NA
94 Vanuatu
200.00
NA
95 Vanuatu
200.00
NA
96 Uruguay
200.00
NA
97 United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges
200.00
NA
98 United States
200.00
NA
99 United Kingdom
200.00
NA
100 United Arab Emirates
200.00
NA
101 United Arab Emirates
200.00
NA
102 Ukraine
200.00
NA
103 Tuvalu
200.00
NA
104 Turks and Caicos Islands
200.00
NA
105 Trinidad and Tobago
200.00
NA
106 Trinidad and Tobago
200.00
NA
107 Tonga
200.00
NA
108 Tokelau
200.00
NA
109 Togo
200.00
NA
110 Timor-Leste
200.00
NA
111 Thailand
200.00
NA
112 Tanzania
200.00
NA
113 Svalbard
200.00
NA
114 Suriname
200.00
NA
115 Sri Lanka
200.00
NA
116 Sri Lanka
200.00
NA
117 Spain
200.00
NA
118 South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands
200.00
NA
119 South Africa
200.00
NA
120 South Africa
200.00
NA
121 Somalia
200.00
NA
122 Solomon Islands
200.00
NA
123 Solomon Islands
200.00
NA
124 Sierra Leone
200.00
NA
125 Sierra Leone
200.00
NA
126 Seychelles
200.00
NA
127 Seychelles
200.00
NA
128 Senegal
200.00
NA
129 Senegal
200.00
NA
130 Sao Tome and Principe
200.00
NA
131 Samoa
200.00
NA
132 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
200.00
NA
133 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
200.00
NA
134 Saint Pierre and Miquelon
200.00
NA
135 Saint Lucia
200.00
NA
136 Saint Lucia
200.00
NA
137 Saint Kitts and Nevis
200.00
NA
138 Saint Kitts and Nevis
200.00
NA
139 Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha
200.00
NA
140 Russia
200.00
NA
141 Romania
200.00
NA
142 Puerto Rico
200.00
NA
143 Portugal
200.00
NA
144 Pitcairn Islands
200.00
NA
145 Philippines
200.00
NA
146 Peru
200.00
NA
147 Peru
200.00
NA
148 Papua New Guinea
200.00
NA
149 Panama
200.00
NA
150 Palau
200.00
NA
151 Pakistan
200.00
NA
152 New Zealand
200.00
NA
153 New Caledonia
200.00
NA
154 Netherlands
200.00
NA
155 Navassa Island
200.00
NA
156 Nauru
200.00
NA
157 Namibia
200.00
NA
158 Mozambique
200.00
NA
159 Morocco
200.00
NA
160 Marshall Islands
200.00
NA
161 Maldives
200.00
NA
162 Malaysia
200.00
NA
163 Madagascar
200.00
NA
164 Madagascar
200.00
NA
165 Liberia
200.00
NA
166 Latvia
200.00
NA
167 Korea, South
200.00
NA
168 Indonesia
200.00
NA
169 India
200.00
NA
170 India
200.00
NA
171 Iceland
200.00
NA
172 Iceland
200.00
NA
173 Honduras
200.00
NA
174 Heard Island and McDonald Islands
200.00
NA
175 Haiti
200.00
NA
176 Ghana
200.00
NA
177 Germany
200.00
NA
178 Georgia
200.00
NA
179 Gambia, The
200.00
NA
180 Gabon
200.00
NA
181 French Southern and Antarctic Lands
200.00
NA
182 French Polynesia
200.00
NA
183 France
200.00
NA
184 Fiji
200.00
NA
185 Faroe Islands
200.00
NA
186 Faroe Islands
200.00
NA
187 Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)
200.00
NA
188 Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)
200.00
NA
189 Equatorial Guinea
200.00
NA
190 El Salvador
200.00
NA
191 Egypt
200.00
NA
192 Barbados
200.00
NA
193 Bahamas, The
200.00
NA
194 Australia
200.00
NA
195 Argentina
200.00
NA
196 Antigua and Barbuda
200.00
NA
197 Libya
62.00
NA
198 Togo
30.00
NA
199 Malta
25.00
NA
200 Angola
24.00
NA
201 Argentina
24.00
NA
202 Antigua and Barbuda
24.00
NA
203 Cape Verde
24.00
NA
204 Canada
24.00
NA
205 Cameroon
24.00
NA
206 Cambodia
24.00
NA
207 Burma
24.00
NA
208 Bulgaria
24.00
NA
209 Brazil
24.00
NA
210 Belgium
24.00
NA
211 Bahrain
24.00
NA
212 Yemen
24.00
NA
213 Vietnam
24.00
NA
214 Vanuatu
24.00
NA
215 Uruguay
24.00
NA
216 United States
24.00
NA
217 United Arab Emirates
24.00
NA
218 Tuvalu
24.00
NA
219 Tunisia
24.00
NA
220 Trinidad and Tobago
24.00
NA
221 Timor-Leste
24.00
NA
222 Syria
24.00
NA
223 Sri Lanka
24.00
NA
224 Spain
24.00
NA
225 South Africa
24.00
NA
226 Sierra Leone
24.00
NA
227 Seychelles
24.00
NA
228 Senegal
24.00
NA
229 Samoa
24.00
NA
230 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
24.00
NA
231 Saint Lucia
24.00
NA
232 Saint Kitts and Nevis
24.00
NA
233 Russia
24.00
NA
234 Romania
24.00
NA
235 Qatar
24.00
NA
236 Portugal
24.00
NA
237 Panama
24.00
NA
238 Pakistan
24.00
NA
239 Oman
24.00
NA
240 Nicaragua
24.00
NA
241 New Zealand
24.00
NA
242 Netherlands
24.00
NA
243 Nauru
24.00
NA
244 Namibia
24.00
NA
245 Morocco
24.00
NA
246 Mexico
24.00
NA
247 Mauritania
24.00
NA
248 Marshall Islands
24.00
NA
249 Malta
24.00
NA
250 Maldives
24.00
NA
251 Madagascar
24.00
NA
252 Korea, South
24.00
NA
253 Japan
24.00
NA
254 Jamaica
24.00
NA
255 Iran
24.00
NA
256 India
24.00
NA
257 Honduras
24.00
NA
258 Haiti
24.00
NA
259 Egypt
24.00
NA
260 Dominican Republic
24.00
NA
261 Dominica
24.00
NA
262 Djibouti
24.00
NA
263 Denmark
24.00
NA
264 Cyprus
24.00
NA
265 Cuba
24.00
NA
266 China
24.00
NA
267 Chile
24.00
NA
268 Ghana
24.00
NA
269 Gabon
24.00
NA
270 France
24.00
NA
271 Finland
24.00
NA
272 El Salvador
24.00
NA
273 Australia
24.00
NA
274 Bangladesh
18.00
NA
275 Sudan
18.00
NA
276 Saudi Arabia
18.00
NA
277 Gambia, The
18.00
NA
278 Venezuela
15.00
NA
279 Albania
12.00
NA
280 Antigua and Barbuda
12.00
NA
281 Algeria
12.00
NA
282 Angola
12.00
NA
283 Ashmore and Cartier Islands
12.00
NA
284 Bahamas, The
12.00
NA
285 Comoros
12.00
NA
286 Colombia
12.00
NA
287 Cocos (Keeling) Islands
12.00
NA
288 Clipperton Island
12.00
NA
289 Christmas Island
12.00
NA
290 Christmas Island
12.00
NA
291 Burma
12.00
NA
292 Bulgaria
12.00
NA
293 Brunei
12.00
NA
294 Cook Islands
12.00
NA
295 Congo, Democratic Republic of the
12.00
NA
296 Brazil
12.00
NA
297 Bermuda
12.00
NA
298 Belize
12.00
NA
299 Belgium
12.00
NA
300 Barbados
12.00
NA
301 Bangladesh
12.00
NA
302 Bahrain
12.00
NA
303 Australia
12.00
NA
304 Haiti
12.00
NA
305 Guyana
12.00
NA
306 Guinea-Bissau
12.00
NA
307 Guinea
12.00
NA
308 Guernsey
12.00
NA
309 Guatemala
12.00
NA
310 Grenada
12.00
NA
311 Greece
12.00
NA
312 Finland
12.00
NA
313 Jamaica
12.00
NA
314 Italy
12.00
NA
315 Israel
12.00
NA
316 Isle of Man
12.00
NA
317 Isle of Man
12.00
NA
318 Ireland
12.00
NA
319 Iraq
12.00
NA
320 Iran
12.00
NA
321 Indonesia
12.00
NA
322 India
12.00
NA
323 Iceland
12.00
NA
324 Honduras
12.00
NA
325 Heard Island and McDonald Islands
12.00
NA
326 Taiwan
12.00
NA
327 Yemen
12.00
NA
328 Wallis and Futuna
12.00
NA
329 Wake Island
12.00
NA
330 Virgin Islands
12.00
NA
331 Vietnam
12.00
NA
332 Venezuela
12.00
NA
333 Vanuatu
12.00
NA
334 Uruguay
12.00
NA
335 United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges
12.00
NA
336 United States
12.00
NA
337 United Kingdom
12.00
NA
338 United Arab Emirates
12.00
NA
339 Ukraine
12.00
NA
340 Tuvalu
12.00
NA
341 Turks and Caicos Islands
12.00
NA
342 Turkey
12.00
NA
343 Tunisia
12.00
NA
344 Tunisia
12.00
NA
345 Trinidad and Tobago
12.00
NA
346 Tonga
12.00
NA
347 Tokelau
12.00
NA
348 Timor-Leste
12.00
NA
349 Thailand
12.00
NA
350 Tanzania
12.00
NA
351 Syria
12.00
NA
352 Sweden
12.00
NA
353 Suriname
12.00
NA
354 Sudan
12.00
NA
355 Sri Lanka
12.00
NA
356 Spain
12.00
NA
357 South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands
12.00
NA
358 South Africa
12.00
NA
359 Solomon Islands
12.00
NA
360 Slovenia
12.00
NA
361 Sierra Leone
12.00
NA
362 Seychelles
12.00
NA
363 Senegal
12.00
NA
364 Saudi Arabia
12.00
NA
365 Sao Tome and Principe
12.00
NA
366 Samoa
12.00
NA
367 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
12.00
NA
368 Saint Pierre and Miquelon
12.00
NA
369 Saint Lucia
12.00
NA
370 Saint Kitts and Nevis
12.00
NA
371 Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha
12.00
NA
372 Russia
12.00
NA
373 Romania
12.00
NA
374 Qatar
12.00
NA
375 Puerto Rico
12.00
NA
376 Portugal
12.00
NA
377 Poland
12.00
NA
378 Papua New Guinea
12.00
NA
379 Panama
12.00
NA
380 Pakistan
12.00
NA
381 Oman
12.00
NA
382 Norway
12.00
NA
383 Northern Mariana Islands
12.00
NA
384 Norfolk Island
12.00
NA
385 Niue
12.00
NA
386 Nigeria
12.00
NA
387 Nicaragua
12.00
NA
388 New Zealand
12.00
NA
389 New Caledonia
12.00
NA
390 Netherlands
12.00
NA
391 Navassa Island
12.00
NA
392 Morocco
12.00
NA
393 Montenegro
12.00
NA
394 Monaco
12.00
NA
395 Monaco
12.00
NA
396 Micronesia, Federated States of
12.00
NA
397 Mexico
12.00
NA
398 Mayotte
12.00
NA
399 Mauritius
12.00
NA
400 Mauritania
12.00
NA
401 Nauru
12.00
NA
402 Namibia
12.00
NA
403 Mozambique
12.00
NA
404 Marshall Islands
12.00
NA
405 Malta
12.00
NA
406 Maldives
12.00
NA
407 Malaysia
12.00
NA
408 Madagascar
12.00
NA
409 Lithuania
12.00
NA
410 Libya
12.00
NA
411 Lebanon
12.00
NA
412 Latvia
12.00
NA
413 Kuwait
12.00
NA
414 Korea, South
12.00
NA
415 Korea, North
12.00
NA
416 Kiribati
12.00
NA
417 Kenya
12.00
NA
418 Jersey
12.00
NA
419 Japan
12.00
NA
420 Finland
12.00
NA
421 Fiji
12.00
NA
422 Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)
12.00
NA
423 Estonia
12.00
NA
424 Eritrea
12.00
NA
425 Equatorial Guinea
12.00
NA
426 El Salvador
12.00
NA
427 Egypt
12.00
NA
428 Ghana
12.00
NA
429 Germany
12.00
NA
430 Georgia
12.00
NA
431 Gambia, The
12.00
NA
432 Gabon
12.00
NA
433 French Southern and Antarctic Lands
12.00
NA
434 French Polynesia
12.00
NA
435 France
12.00
NA
436 Dominica
12.00
NA
437 Djibouti
12.00
NA
438 Denmark
12.00
NA
439 Cyprus
12.00
NA
440 Cuba
12.00
NA
441 Croatia
12.00
NA
442 Cote d'Ivoire
12.00
NA
443 Costa Rica
12.00
NA
444 China
12.00
NA
445 Chile
12.00
NA
446 Cayman Islands
12.00
NA
447 Cape Verde
12.00
NA
448 Canada
12.00
NA
449 Cameroon
12.00
NA
450 Cambodia
12.00
NA
451 Ashmore and Cartier Islands
12.00
NA
452 Aruba
12.00
NA
453 Argentina
12.00
NA
454 American Samoa
12.00
NA
455 Jan Mayen
10.00
NA
456 Norway
10.00
NA
457 Dominican Republic
6.00
NA
458 Turkey
6.00
NA
459 Bouvet Island
4.00
NA
460 Jan Mayen
4.00
NA
461 Svalbard
4.00
NA
462 Anguilla
3.00
NA
463 Guernsey
3.00
NA
464 Singapore
3.00
NA
465 Pitcairn Islands
3.00
NA
466 Palau
3.00
NA
467 Montserrat
3.00
NA
468 Jordan
3.00
NA
469 Jersey
3.00
NA
470 Hong Kong
3.00
NA
471 Greenland
3.00
NA
472 British Virgin Islands
3.00
NA
473 Coral Sea Islands
3.00
NA
474 Gibraltar
3.00
NA
475 Faroe Islands
3.00
NA
476 British Indian Ocean Territory
3.00
NA