The map above is a more accurate reflection of the economic territory of each of the world’s countries. It includes not only land and territorial waters but also Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ), which extend up to 200 nautical miles (370 kilometres) off a country’s coast.
Exclusive Economic Zones give countries the exclusive right to develop resources within them and can be used for anything, including offshore wind farms, natural gas and oil extraction and/or access to finishing grounds.
The concept is a relatively recent one, only having been agreed to in 1982 at the Third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea. Previously, territorial waters, which are defined as extending up to 12 nautical miles (22km) off a country’s coast, had been used as the basis for economic activity.
The result is that countries with long coastlines such as Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Canada, Indonesia, and the United Kingdom, among others, gain access to even more territoriality and resources.
The flag map below gives you an easy idea how much has been gained:
The situation is especially pronounced if you look at small island nations and territories such as the British Indian Ocean Territory, Bermuda, South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands, French Polynesia and Pitcairn Island, just to name a few.
Of course, the world’s landlocked countries, such as Switzerland, Austria, Liechtenstein, Afghanistan and Uzbekistan, do not get any additional territory from these agreements.
The other interesting thing to look at is what happens when EEZ overlap. In these cases the border has to be split (usually down the middle). That means bodies of water such as the Mediterranean, North Sea, and Caribbean Sea are completely full.
When countries can’t agree on how to split theses exclusive economic zones it can lead to competing claims as can be seen in places such as the Sea of Japan and South China Sea.
To learn more about this issue we recommend the following books:
- The Exclusive Economic Zone
- The Application of the High Seas Regime in the Exclusive Economic Zone
- The Exclusive Economic Zone (Law)
- Finding a Balance in the Exclusive Economic Zone: Conflict and Stability in the Law of the Sea
Also see: Map of International Waters Vs Exclusive Economic Zones
What do you think of the map above? Are EEZ fair or not? Leave your comments below:
Lucas Senger Jacobus says
Trindade is a Brazilian possession, just like the Fernando de Noronha Archipelago.
Brilliant Maps says
The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea was agreed to at the third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS III).
memoryfull says
http://donutholes.ch offers an interactive version.
Anubhav Jain says
Hello creators of BrilliantMaps. The site you guys have come up with is beautiful. And the way you design maps is even more so.
However, I have a slight request. You see, in the maps you guys make, the map of India is incorrectly shown. You seem to have omitted a few parts of the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Those parts have illegally been occupied by Pakistan and China. But they belong to us. Could you guys please correct the maps and upload them again? That would mean a lot to us in India.
Thank you very much.
mP says
You might want to tell that to the Pakistanis and Chinese after they are actually there, this is just a website.
Scott says
Reading the above answer. Could you put Taiwan on the map. They are there also.
Pierre d'Argent says
BIOT (British Indian Ocean Territory) was established in violation of international law, per the International Court of Justice (avisory opinion of 25 Feb 2019). The Chagos Archipelago was wrongly separated from Mauritius in 1965. The latest UN map does not refer the Chagos Archipelago as British, but as belonging to Mauritius. You should correct that.
AL says
Fascinating maps, but they would be even better if the outline of the land borders of each country was added.
Quentin Brown says
Why is there a hole in the middle of Japan?