libterm.com The Contiguous Zone is an area of the sea extending up to 24 nautical miles from a country's baseline, where a state can enforce laws related to customs, taxation, immigration, and pollution to prevent infringement within its territory or territorial sea. It serves as a buffer zone beyond the territorial sea, allowing coastal states to protect their economic and security interests. Explore the rest of this article to understand how the Contiguous Zone impacts your maritime rights and international navigation.
Table of Comparison
| Aspect | Contiguous Zone | Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Maritime area beyond the territorial sea where a state can enforce laws related to customs, immigration, and sanitation. | Maritime zone extending up to 200 nautical miles from the baseline for resource exploration and economic rights. |
| Distance from Shore | Up to 24 nautical miles | Up to 200 nautical miles |
| Sovereignty | Limited enforcement rights; no full sovereignty | Sovereign rights over natural resources; no full sovereignty |
| Legal Rights | Enforce laws on customs, taxation, immigration, and pollution | Exclusive rights to exploit, conserve, and manage natural resources |
| International Recognition | Defined by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) | Defined and recognized under UNCLOS |
| Purpose | Prevent and punish infringement of laws | Economic exploitation and resource management |
Introduction to Maritime Zones
The Contiguous Zone extends up to 24 nautical miles from a state's baseline, allowing enforcement of laws related to customs, immigration, and pollution. The Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) stretches up to 200 nautical miles, where a state has sovereign rights for exploring, exploiting, conserving, and managing natural resources. Both maritime zones are defined under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) to regulate jurisdictional rights and responsibilities over ocean resources.
Definitions: Contiguous Zone and Exclusive Economic Zone
The Contiguous Zone extends up to 24 nautical miles from a coastal state's baseline, allowing enforcement rights to prevent and punish infringements of customs, immigration, and sanitation laws. The Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) stretches up to 200 nautical miles, granting the coastal state sovereign rights for exploring, exploiting, conserving, and managing natural resources, both living and non-living. Distinct from territorial waters, the EEZ emphasizes economic activities and resource control, while the Contiguous Zone focuses on regulatory enforcement beyond the territorial sea.
Historical Background and Legal Framework
The Contiguous Zone and Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) are maritime zones defined under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) of 1982, with the Contiguous Zone extending up to 24 nautical miles from a state's baseline allowing enforcement of customs, immigration, and sanitation laws, while the EEZ extends up to 200 nautical miles granting exclusive rights over natural resources. Historically, the concept of the Contiguous Zone evolved from early 20th-century efforts to prevent illegal activities near coastlines, whereas the EEZ was formally recognized and codified in UNCLOS to balance coastal states' rights with international interests in resource exploitation. The legal framework of these zones delineates sovereign rights and jurisdictional limits, with the Contiguous Zone serving as a buffer to enforce laws within and beyond territorial seas, and the EEZ providing extensive resource management authority without full sovereignty.
Geographic Limits and Measurement
The Contiguous Zone extends up to 24 nautical miles from a country's baseline, allowing enforcement of laws related to customs, immigration, and sanitation. The Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) stretches up to 200 nautical miles from the baseline, granting sovereign rights for resource exploration, exploitation, and marine research. Geographic measurement in both zones is based on the baseline of the territorial sea, typically the low-water line along the coast.
Rights and Jurisdictions in the Contiguous Zone
The Contiguous Zone extends up to 24 nautical miles from a coastal state's baseline, allowing the state to enforce laws related to customs, taxation, immigration, and pollution to prevent infringement within its territory or territorial sea. In contrast, the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), reaching up to 200 nautical miles, grants the coastal state exclusive rights to explore and exploit natural resources, including fisheries, oil, and gas, but does not provide full sovereignty. Jurisdiction in the Contiguous Zone is limited to preventive enforcement and does not include resource exploitation rights granted in the EEZ.
Rights and Jurisdictions in the Exclusive Economic Zone
The Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) grants a coastal state sovereign rights for exploring, exploiting, conserving, and managing natural resources, both living and non-living, within 200 nautical miles from its baseline. Unlike the Contiguous Zone, where jurisdiction is limited to customs, immigration, and sanitation enforcement up to 24 nautical miles, the EEZ allows extensive economic activities including fishing, mining, and energy production. Coastal states in the EEZ also have jurisdiction over artificial islands, marine research, and environmental protection, but do not exercise full sovereignty as in territorial waters.
Key Differences Between Contiguous Zone and EEZ
The Contiguous Zone extends up to 24 nautical miles from a country's baseline, allowing enforcement of laws related to customs, immigration, and sanitation to prevent infringement within the territory. The Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) stretches up to 200 nautical miles, granting sovereign rights for the exploration, exploitation, conservation, and management of natural resources in the waters and seabed. Unlike the Contiguous Zone, which focuses on enforcement of specific laws, the EEZ primarily emphasizes economic rights and resource management beyond national territorial waters.
Importance for Coastal States
The Contiguous Zone extends up to 24 nautical miles from the baseline, allowing coastal states to enforce laws related to customs, immigration, and pollution to prevent infringement within their territory. The Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) stretches up to 200 nautical miles, granting coastal states sovereign rights for exploring, exploiting, conserving, and managing natural resources, both living and non-living, in the waters, seabed, and subsoil. Control over the EEZ is vital for coastal economies, fisheries management, and maritime resource protection, while the Contiguous Zone strengthens maritime security and regulatory enforcement nearshore.
Dispute Resolution and International Law
The Contiguous Zone extends up to 24 nautical miles from a country's baseline, allowing enforcement of customs, immigration, and sanitation laws, while the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) reaches up to 200 nautical miles, granting rights to marine resource exploitation. Dispute resolution in these maritime zones primarily relies on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which provides legal frameworks for arbitration, negotiation, and adjudication before bodies like the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS). Conflicts over overlapping EEZs or Contiguous Zones are commonly settled through bilateral agreements or international judicial processes to uphold sovereign rights and maintain maritime order.
Conclusion: Implications for Maritime Governance
The Contiguous Zone extends up to 24 nautical miles from a coastal state's baseline, allowing enforcement against infringement of customs, immigration, and sanitation laws, while the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) stretches up to 200 nautical miles, granting sovereign rights over natural resources and economic activities. This distinction shapes maritime governance by delineating the scope of regulatory authority, with the EEZ offering broader control for resource management and environmental protection compared to the more limited enforcement powers in the Contiguous Zone. Efficient maritime governance depends on clear jurisdictional boundaries to balance national interests, resource exploitation, and international legal compliance under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
Contiguous Zone Infographic
