Sea zones (law of the sea)
Under sea zones in the sense of the law of the sea one understands the areas named in the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) in which a coastal state can exercise certain sovereign rights:
- Inner waters
- Territorial sea
- Connection zone
- Exclusive economic zone (EEZ)
- Continental shelf
- High seas
meaning
Of the above-mentioned sea zones, the internal waters and the territorial sea are subject to the state sovereignty of the coastal state (restricted only by international law ) and are therefore part of the national territory . An example of such a restriction is the right of peaceful passage for foreign ships.
Connection zone, exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and continental shelf are zones in which the coastal state has certain, precisely defined rights (in particular for economic use). However, these zones do not belong to the national territory.
In contrast, under the Convention on the Law of the Sea, the high seas are permanently withdrawn from the coastal states' sovereignty claims and are viewed as the common heritage of humanity .
In general, it can therefore be said that the sovereign powers of the coastal state are gradually decreasing from land to sea.
Topographical demarcation
The basis for the topographical delimitation of the sea zones is the baseline .
Literature, legal basis
- United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea of December 10, 1982 German version z. B. in: Shipping law: Laws of the sea, ordinances, conventions. MAP Handelsgesellschaft mbH, Hamburg, 1998, ISBN 978-3980122214
- Wolfgang Vitzthum: Handbook of the law of the sea. Beck Legal Publishing House; 1st edition (2006), ISBN 3406546358
- Klaus Schubert / Martina Klein: The Political Lexicon . Dietz, Bonn 2006 (4th edition), ISBN 978-3801203597
