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 seaward 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.

Definition

Generally a state's EEZ extends to a distance of 200 nautical miles (370 km) out from its coastal baseline. The exception to this rule occurs when EEZs would overlap; that is, state coastal baselines are less than apart. When an overlap occurs, it is up to the states to delineate the actual boundary.William R. Slomanson, 2006. Fundamental Perspectives on International Law, 5th edn. Belmont, CA: Thomson-Wadsworth, 294. Generally, any point within an overlapping area defaults to the most proximate state.

A state's Exclusive Economic Zone starts at the seaward edge of its territorial sea and extends outward to a distance from the baseline. Thus, the EEZ includes the contiguous zone. States also have rights to the seabed of the continental shelf up to from the coastal baseline, 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.

Originally, a country's sovereign territorial waters extended 3 nautical miles (range of cannon shot) beyond the shore. In modern times traditionally, a country's sovereign territorial waters extend to 12 nmi beyond the shore. In the early 1970s, Ecuador claimed territorial waters extending to 200 nautical miles. They began seizing U.S. tuna-fishing boats and charging heavy fines (that the U.S. government paid). Eventually the U.S. agreed to submit the issue to the International Court of Justice at The Hague. This eventually led to the recognition of 12 nmi as normal for the territorial sea/waters and binding international recognition of the 200 mile Exclusive Economic Zone by the Third United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea in 1982.

Part V, Article 55 of the Convention states:

250px|thumb|Baselines and EEZ claims in East and Southeast Asia. Note the amount of overlap in the disputed the Spratlys in particular./" class="wiki">South China Sea, the Spratlys in particular.

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.

• Norway and Russia dispute both territorial sea and EEZ with regard to the Spitsbergen archipelago as it affects Russia's EEZ due to its unique treaty status.

• 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.

• France claims a portion of Canada's EEZ for Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon based on a new definition of the continental shelf and EEZ between the two countries. Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon is entirely surrounded by Canada's EEZ.

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

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.
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.FAO (2007) Rome, Fisheries Report No. 829.

Rankings by area

By country

Argentina

1,159,063 km²

Australia

• 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.Geoscience Australia. 2005. .
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. 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 acted upon at this time, in accordance with the spirit of cooperation embodied in the Antarctic Treaty.Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea. Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf, 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) Geoscience Australia, Australian Maritime Boundaries Information System 2001.
Heard and McDonald Islands	410,722
	463,371
	325,021
	428,618
Macquarie Island	471,837
	6,048,681
TOTAL	8,148,250

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.

Canada

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

Chile

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

People's Republic of China

thumb|300px|China's Exclusive Economic Zones

• 877,019 km²

+

• 3,000,000 km²

total:3,877,019

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.

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. The combined zone amounts to 25 million km², making it larger than the United States' zone, the largest of any single country.

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.

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 . 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 . In 1995, just after Greece's ratification of UNCLOS, Turkey declared that if Greece expands the width of her territorial waters over , 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).

Poland

The Polish EEZ covers the area of 30,533 km². within the Baltic Sea., European marine sand and gravel – shaping the future, EMSAGG Conference 20-21 February 2003, Delft University, The Netherlands

Portugal

right|thumb|300px|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.

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, 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."

Portugal submitted a claim to extend its jurisdiction over 1.2 million square kilometres of the neighbouring continental shelf in May 2009.

United Kingdom

• : 764,071 km (incl. Rockall (disputed))²

• 

  border
  Ascension Island (UK): 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

India

• 1,641,514 km²

• Andaman Islands, 663,629 km²

• Total: 2,305,143 km²

Indonesia

• 6 159 032 km²

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 both indicate Japan's claimed boundaries, and do not take into account neighboring powers' claims.

Mexico

thumb|300px|Exclusive Economic Zone of 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.

New Zealand

New Zealand's EEZ covers 4,083,744 km², according to the Sea Around Us Project, 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.New Zealand Ministry for the Environment (2007). . Published August 2007, Publication number ME824. ISBN 0978478301601. Accessed 2006-01-07. 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 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 . 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.

Pakistan

• 201,520 km²

Philippines

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

Russia

• Asia: 6,

• Baltic: 24,549

• Barents Sea: 1,159,594

• total 7,566,673 km²

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.

• Mainland 1 068 659 km²

• Prince Edward islands 466 879 km²

South Korea

Area: 300,851 (225,214) km²

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.

• Magnuson-Stevens Fisheries Conservation and Management Act of 1976

See also

• Air Defense Identification Zone

• Baseline

• Continental shelf

• International waters

• R. v. Marshall

• Territorial waters