§ Lord Kennetasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will now list those states which have established territorial seas of less than 12 miles (specifying their extent), of 12 miles, and of more than 12 miles (specifying their extent); fishery zones of 200 miles and of less than 200 miles (specifying their extent); pollution control zones (specifying their extent); sea-bed jurisdictions (specifying their extent); and other zones of partial or complete national jurisdiction not universally recognised.
§ The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Belstead)The following lists show claims by states to a territorial sea, fishery limits and exclusive economic zone of the extent indicated. A claim to an exclusive economic zone includes rights with respect to the resources of the seabed and subsoil of the zone and other resources, and may also include some degree of pollution control. States also have jurisdiction under international law over their continental shelf, the extent of which varies.
TERRITORIAL SEA:
(a) Less than 12 miles Australia 3 Lebanon 6 Belgium 3 Netherlands 3 Belize 3 Norway 4 Denmark 3 Nicaragua 3 Dominican Republic 6 Qatar 3 Finland 4 Sao Tome & Principe 6 FRG 3 Singapore 3 GDR 3 Turkey (Aegean) 6 Greece 6 Tuvalu 3 Irish Republic 3 UK 3 Israel 6 USA 3 Jordan 3 St. Lucia 3 Kiribati 3 St. Vincent 3
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(b) 12 miles Algeria Iran Antigua Iraq Bahrain Italy Bangladesh Ivory Coast Barbados Jamaica Bulgaria Japan Burma Kenya Cambodia Republic of Korea Canada Kuwait Cape Verde Libya China Malaysia Colombia Maldives Comoros Malta Costa Rica Mauritius Cuba Mexico Cyprus Monaco Djibouti Morocco Dominica Mozambique Egypt Nauru Equatorial Guinea New Zealand Ethiopia Oman Fiji Pakistan France Papua New Guinea Fujairah (UAE) Poland Grenada Portugal Guatemala Romania Guinea Bissau Saudi Arabia Guyana Seychelles Haiti Sharjah (UAE) Honduras Solomon Islands Iceland South Africa India Spain Indonesia Sri Lanka
Sudan USSR Suriname Vanuatu Sweden Venezuela Thailand Vietnam Tonga Western Samoa Trinidad & Tabago Yemen Arab Republic Tunisia Yemen Peoples Democratic Republic Turkey (Black Sea and Mediterranean outside Aegean) Yugoslavia Zaire
More than 12 miles Albania 15 Liberia 200 Angola 20 Madagascar 50 Argentina 200 Mauritania 70 Benin 200 Nigeria 30 Brazil 200 Panama 200 Cameroon 50 Peru 200 Chile* 200 Senegal 150 Congo 200 Sierra Leone 200 Ecuador 200 Somalia 200 El Salvador 200 Syria 35 Gabon 100 Tanzania 50 Gambia 200 Togo 30 Ghana 200 Uruguay 200 Guinea 200 *3 miles in Civil Code FISHERY LIMITS:
(a) Less than 200 miles Albania 15 Republic of Korea 20–200 Algeria 12 Lebanon 6 Anguilla 3 Libya 20 Belize 3 Madagascar 150 Bulgaria 12 Malta 25 Cyprus 12 Monaco 12 Egypt 12 Poland 12 Finland 12 Tanzania 50 Gabon 150 Trinidad & Tobago 12 Greece 6 Tunisia 12 Iran 50 Turkey 12 Israel 6 UAE up to 73 Italy 12 Yugoslavia 12 Jordan 3
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(b) 200 miles Angola Ghana Antigua Grenada Argentina Guatemala Australia Guinea Bahamas Guinea Bissau Bangladesh Guyana Barbados Haiti Belgium Honduras Benin Iceland Brazil India Burma Indonesia Cambodia Irish Republic Canada Ivory Coast Cape Verde Islands Japan Chile Kenya Colombia Kiribati Comoros Liberia Congo Malaysia Costa Rica Maldives Cuba Mauritania Denmark Mauritius Djibouti Mexico Dominica Morocco Dominican Republic Mozambique Ecuador Nauru El Salvador Netherlands Fiji New Zealand FRG Nicaragua France (except in Mediterranean) Nigeria Norway Gambia Oman
Pakistan Sweden Panama Thailand Papua New Guinea Togo Peru Tonga Portugal Tuvalu Sao Tome and Principe UK Senegal Uruguay Seychelles USA Sierra Leone USSR Solomon Islands Vanuatu Somalia Venezuela South Africa Vietnam Spain Yemens Peoples' Democratic Republic Sri Lanka Suriname Zaire
States understood to have declared an EEZ of 200 miles: Antigua Mexico Bangladesh Morocco Barbados Mozambique Burma Nauru Cambodia New Zealand Canada Norway Colombia Oman Comoros Pakistan Congo Papua New Guinea Costa Rica Philippines Cuba Portugal Dominican Republic Seychelles Fiji Solomon Islands France Spain Gabon Sri Lanka Grenada Thailand Guatemala Tonga Haiti UAE Iceland USA India Vanuatu Ivory Coast Venezuela Kenya Vietnam Malaysia Western Samoa Maldives Yemen Peoples' Democratic Republic Mauritius
§ Lord Kennetasked Her Majesty's Government:
Which offshore national jurisdictions they recognise (a) de jure and (b) de facto.
§ Lord BelsteadHer Majesty's Government consider that the following zones of offshore national jurisdiction beyond a coastal state's internal and territorial waters are permitted by international law: contiguous zone, fishery zone, exclusive economic zone. In each case, the limits of the zone and the extent of the jurisdiction claimed within it must conform with the rules of international law.
In addition, coastal states exercise sovereign rights over the continental shelf in accordance with international law.
§ Lord Kennetasked Her Majesty's Government:
Which states now recognise no more than a three-mile territorial sea.
§ Lord BelsteadAt present, in addition to the United Kingdom and dependent territories, Australia, Belgium, Denmark, Federal Republic of Germany, German Democratic Republic, Irish Republic, Jordan, Kiribati, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Qatar, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Singapore, Tuvalu and the USA claim no more than a three-mile territorial sea. But Her Majesty's Government are not aware whether these states recognise the claims of other states to wider territorial seas.
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§ Lord Kennetasked Her Majesty's Government:
What are the advantages to the United Kingdom of maintaining a three-mile territorial sea.
§ Lord BelsteadAs I explained in my Written Answer to the noble Lord on 7th February, we are now examining the question of the extension of the United Kingdom's territorial sea in the context of the outcome of the United Nations Law of the Sea Conference. While we maintain a three-mile territorial sea we can object on that ground to wider claims by other states which may purport to curtail rights of navigation, particularly in international straits.