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
United States	11,351,000 km²
France	11,035,000 km²
Australia	10 648 250 km²
Russia	7,566,673 km²
Canada	5,599,077 km²	2,755,564 km²
Japan	4,479,358 km²
New Zealand	4,083,744 km²
United Kingdom	3,973,760 km²
Brazil	3,660,955 km²
Chile	2,017,717 km²
Portugal	1,727,408 km²
India	1,641,514 km²
South Africa	1,535,538 km²
Mauritius	1,284,997 km²
Madagascar	1,225,259 km²
Argentina	1,159,063 km²
China	877,019 km²

List of countries' EEZ plus territorial waters plus territories onshore area
Russia	24,641,873 km²
United States	20,982,418 km²
Australia	18,335,100 km²
Canada	15,583,747 km²
Brazil	12,175,831 km²
France	11,709,843 km²
China	10,476,979 km²
India	5,559,733 km²
Japan	4,857,193 km²
New Zealand	4,352,424 km²
United Kingdom	4,218, 580 km
Argentina	3,925,953 km²
Chile	2,773,813 km²
South Africa	2,756,575 km²
Portugal	1,819,799 km²
Madagascar	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] The United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf confirmed, in April 2008, an additional 2.5 million square kilometres in seabed to Australia's EEZ^[6]. 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.^[7] Nevertheless, Australia maintains the right to explore and exploit the seabed and water column within its EEZ.

EEZ	Area (km²) ^[8]
Heard and McDonald Islands	410,722
Christmas Island	463,371
Cocos Islands	325,021
Norfolk Island	428,618
Macquarie Island	471,837
Recent United Nations Approvals	2,500,000
Australia	6,048,681
TOTAL	10,648,250

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.^[9] 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.^[10] The combined zone amounts to 25 million km², making it larger than the United States' zone, the largest of any single country.^[11] '"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 (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.

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

Main article: Portugal's EEZ

Portugal Exclusive Economic Zone

Portugal 327,667 km²
Azores 953,633 km²
Madeira 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^[12], 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."^[13]

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

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]

United Kingdom: 764,071 km²
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

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: Japan's EEZ joint regime with South Korea EEZ claimed by Japan, disputed by others

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: Korean EEZ joint regime with Japan EEZ claimed by South Korea, disputed by Others

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 enter the EU as a member.

Pakistan

201,520 km² ^[22]

Philippines

Philippines' Exclusive Economic Zone claim shown in the lighter blue shade.

Philippines' EEZ covers 1,590,780 (272,921) km² according to this website.

Russia

Asia: 6,382,530
Baltic: 24,549
Barents Sea: 1,159,594
total 7,566,673 km²