Potential disputes

Regions where a permanent ice shelf extends beyond the coastline are also a source of potential dispute.^[12]

Resolved disputes

• The Cod Wars between the United Kingdom and Iceland occurred periodically over many decades until they were resolved with a final agreement in 1976.
• In 1992, the Canada–France Maritime Boundary Case, which centred on the EEZ around the French islands of Saint Pierre and Miquelon, was decided by an arbitral tribunal that concurred on the whole with the arguments put forth by Canada. France was awarded 18% of the area it had originally claimed.
• In 1999, following the Hanish Islands conflict, the Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled that the EEZs of Yemen and Eritrea should be demarcated equidistantly between the mainlands of the two nations, without taking account of sovereignty over the islands.^[13][14]
• In 2009, in a dispute between Romania and Ukraine over Snake Island, the UN International Court of Justice decided that Snake Island has no EEZ beyond 12 nautical miles of its own land.^[15]
• In 2010, a dispute between Norway and Russia about both territorial waters and EEZ with regard to the Svalbard archipelago as it affects Russia's EEZ due to its unique treaty status was resolved. A treaty was agreed in principle in April 2010 between the two states and subsequently officially ratified, resolving this demarcation dispute.^[16] The agreement was signed in Murmansk on 15 September 2010.^[17]
• In 2014, the Netherlands and Germany resolved an old border dispute regarding the exact location of the border in the Dollart Bay.^[18][19]

Various island countries

Algeria

Algeria on 17 April 2018 established an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) off its coasts by Presidential Decree No. 18-96 of 2 Rajab 1439 corresponding to 20 March 2018.^[22][23] The permanent mission of Spain to the United Nations on 27 July 2018 declared its disagreement with the EEZ announced by Algeria and that the government of Spain indicated its willingness to enter into negotiations with the government of Algeria with a view to reaching a mutually acceptable agreement on the outer limits of their respective exclusive economic zones,^[24] The same was done by the Italian mission on 28 November 2018.^[25] The two countries indicated that the Algerian measure had been taken unilaterally and without consulting them.

On 25 November 2018, the Algerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent an oral note in response to the Spanish protest, explaining that the Algerian government does not recognize the largely exorbitant coordinates contained in Royal Decree 236/2013, which overlap with the coordinates of Presidential Decree n° 18–96 establishing an exclusive economic zone off the coast of Algeria. The Algerian government wished to emphasize that the unilateral delimitation carried out by Spain is not in conformity with the letter of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and has not taken into consideration the configuration, the specific characteristics, and the special circumstances of the Mediterranean Sea, in particular for the case of the two countries whose coasts are located face to face, as well as the objective rules and relevant principles of international law to govern the equitable delimitation of the maritime areas between Algeria and Spain, in accordance with article 74 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Algeria expressed its willingness to negotiate for a just solution.^[26]

On 20 June 2019, a communication from Algeria was sent. It was addressed to the Italian embassy^[27] and the Spanish embassy in Algiers^[28] to show their eligibility in Algeria's exclusive economic zone.

Argentina

Considering the maritime areas claimed, the total area of Argentina reaches 3,849,756 km². The recognized Argentine EEZ area is 1,159,063 km².

Australia

Australia's exclusive economic zone was declared on 1 August 1994, and extends from 12 to 200 nautical miles from the coastline of Australia and its external territories, except where a maritime delimitation agreement exists with another state.^[29][30] To the 12 nautical miles boundary is Australia's territorial waters. Australia has the third largest exclusive economic zone, behind France and the United States, but ahead of Russia, with a total area of 8,148,250 square kilometres, which actually exceeds its land territory.

The United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) confirmed, in April 2008, Australia's rights over an additional 2.5 million square kilometres of seabed beyond the limits of Australia's EEZ.^[31][32] Australia also claimed, in its submission to the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf, additional Continental Shelf past its EEZ from the Australian Antarctic Territory,^[33] but these claims were deferred on Australia's request. However, Australia's EEZ from its Antarctic Territory is approximately 2 million square kilometres.^[32]

More information Region, EEZ Area (km2) ...

Region	EEZ Area (km2)[32]
Mainland Australia (5 States and 3 Territories of the Australian Federation), Tasmania, and other minor islands	6,048,681
Macquarie Island	471,837
Christmas Island	463,371
Norfolk Island	428,618
Heard Island and McDonald Islands	410,722
Cocos Islands	325,021
Australian Antarctic Territory	2,000,000[note 1]
Total	8,148,250

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Brazil

Brazil's EEZ includes areas around the Fernando de Noronha Islands, Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago, and the Trindade and Martim Vaz Islands. It is called the Blue Amazon.

More information Region, EEZ Area (km2) ...

Region	EEZ Area (km2)[34]
Mainland Brazil (9 States of the Brazilian Federation)	2,570,917
Trindade and Martim Vaz Islands	468,599
Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago	413,636
Fernando de Noronha Islands	363,362
Total	3,830,955

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In 2004, Brazil submitted its claims to the United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) to extend its maritime continental margin.^[35]

Canada

Canada is unusual in that its exclusive economic zone, covering 5,599,077 km² (2,161,816 sq mi), is slightly smaller than its territorial waters.^[36] The latter generally extend only 12 nautical miles from the shore but also include inland marine waters such as Hudson Bay (about 300 nmi (560 km) across), the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and the internal waters of the Arctic Archipelago.

Chile

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

In 2020 and 2022, Chile submitted its partial claims to the United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) to extend its maritime continental margin.

China

The first figure excludes all disputed waters, while the last figure indicates China's claimed boundaries, and does not take into account adjacent powers' claims.^{[clarification needed]}

Croatia

Croatia proclaimed Ecological and Fisheries Protection Zone in 2003, but it was not enforced toward other European Union states especially Italy and Slovenia. The zone was upgraded to EEZ in 2021 together with Italy and Slovenia.^[41][42] Territorial waters has 18,981 km², while internal waters located within the baseline cover an additional 12,498 km², and EEZ covers 24,482 km² for a total of 55,961 km².

Cyprus

Cyprus EEZ covers 98,707 square km (38,100 square miles). Cyprus' EEZ borders those of Greece, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Israel and Egypt.

Denmark

The Kingdom of Denmark includes the constituent country (selvstyre) of Greenland and the constituent country (hjemmestyre) of the Faroe Islands.

More information Region, EEZ & TW Area (km2) ...

Region	EEZ & TW Area (km2)[43]	Land area	Total
Denmark	105 989	42 506	149 083
Faroe Islands	260 995	1 399	262 394
Greenland	2,184,254	2,166,086	4,350,340
Total	2,551,238	2,210,579	4,761,817

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Ecuador

Area: 1,077,231 km²

France

Due to its numerous overseas departments and territories scattered on all oceans of the planet, France possesses the largest EEZ in the world, covering 11,691,000 km² (4,514,000 sq mi).^[44] The EEZ of France covers approximately 7% 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 Earth.

Germany

Germany declared the establishment of its exclusive economic zone in the North and Baltic Seas on 1 January 1995.^[45] The relevant German legal provisions that are applicable within the EEZ include the Maritime Task Act (Seeaufgabengesetz) from 1965, the Maritime Facilities Act (Seeanlagengesetz) from 2017, and prior to that the Sea Facilities Ordinance (Seeanlagenverordnung) from 1997, the Federal Mining Act (Bundesberggesetz) and the Regional Planning Act (Raumordnungsgesetz).

The German EEZ has an area of 32,982 km². About 70% of the EEZ covers Germany's entire North Sea area, while some 29% encompasses the Baltic Sea area.^[46]

Greece

Greece forms the southernmost part of the Balkan peninsula in the Mediterranean Sea. It includes many small islands which vary between 1,200 and 6,000 in the Aegean Sea and the Ionian Sea.^[47] The largest islands are Crete, Euboea, Lesbos, Rhodes and Chios.

Greece's EEZ is bordered to the west by Albania and Italy, to the south by Libya and Egypt, and to the east by Cyprus and Turkey.

India

India is currently seeking to extend its EEZ to 350 miles.^[49]

Indonesia

Indonesia has the 6th largest exclusive economic zone in the world. The total size is 6,159,032 km² (2,378,016 sq mi). It claims an EEZ of 200 nautical miles from its shores. This is due to the 13,466 islands of the Indonesian Archipelago.^[50] It has the 2nd largest coastline of 54,720 km (34,000 mi). The five main islands are: Sumatra, Java, Borneo, Sulawesi, and Western New Guinea. There are two major island groups (Nusa Tenggara and the Maluku Islands) and sixty smaller island groups.

Ireland

Ireland's exclusive economic zone was reported to be the location of a Russian military exercise in January 2022.^[51] Russia's exercise was then moved outside the economic zone.^[52]

Israel

In 2010, an agreement was signed with Cyprus concerning the limit of territorial waters between Israel and Cyprus at the maritime halfway point, a clarification essential for safeguarding Israel's rights to oil and underwater gas reservoirs. The agreement was signed in Nicosia by Israeli Infrastructure Minister Uzi Landau and the Cypriot Foreign Minister Markos Kyprianou. The two countries agreed to cooperate in the development of any cross-border resources discovered and to negotiate an agreement on dividing joint resources.

Italy

Italy has an EEZ of 541,915 km² (209,235 sq mi).^[48] The country claims an EEZ of 200 nautical miles from its shores, and its three coastlines are the Tyrrhenian Sea to the west, the Ionian Sea to the south and the Adriatic Sea to the east. Italy's EEZ is limited by maritime boundaries with neighboring countries to the northwest, east and southeast.

Italy's western sea territory stretches from the west coast of Italy on the Tyrrhenian Sea, including the island of Sardinia. The island of Sicily is in the southernmost area. Lampedusa, a tiny island in the Mediterranean Sea, is tbe country's southernmost point. Italy shares treaty-defined maritime boundaries with France, Spain, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Malta, Greece, Albania, Montenegro, Croatia and Slovenia.

Japan

Japan has the world's eighth-largest exclusive economic zone, covering 4,479,674 km² (1,729,612 sq mi).^[53] It claims an EEZ of 200 nautical miles from its shores.

Japan has disputes over its EEZ boundaries with all its Asian neighbors (China, Russia, South Korea, and Taiwan). The above, and relevant maps at the Sea Around Us Project^[54][55][56] both indicate Japan's claimed boundaries, and do not take into account the claims of adjacent jurisdictions.

Japan also refers to various categories of "shipping area" – Smooth Water Area, Coasting Area, Major or Greater Coasting Area, Ocean Going Area – but it is unclear whether these are intended to have any territorial or economic implications.

Malaysia

Mexico

Mexico's exclusive economic zones cover a total surface area of 3,269,386 km²,^[48] and places Mexico among the countries with the largest areas in the world.

New Zealand

New Zealand's EEZ covers 4,083,744 km² (1,576,742 sq mi),^[57][58] 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.^[59] 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 (the Cook Islands, Niue, Tokelau, and the Ross Dependency).

North Korea

The exclusive economic zone of North Korea stretches 200 nautical miles from its basepoints in both the West Sea (Yellow Sea) and the Sea of Japan.^[60] The EEZ was declared in 1977 after North Korea had contested the validity of the Northern Limit Lines (NLL) set up after the Korean War as maritime borders.^[61] The EEZ has not been codified in law and North Korea has never specified its coordinates, making it difficult to determine its specific scope.^[62]

In the West Sea, the EEZ remains unspecified in the Korea Bay because China has not determined its own EEZ in the area.^[63] The border between the North Korean and South Korean EEZs in the West Sea cannot be determined because of potential overlap and disputes over certain islands.^[64]

In the Sea of Japan, the North Korean EEZ can be approximated to be trapezoidal-shaped.^[65] The border between North Korea and Russia's respective EEZs is the only such border that has been determined in East Asia.^[66] Here, the EEZ does not cause many problems, even with regards to South Korea, because the sea is not thought to be rich in resources.^[65]

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.^[67]

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 the shelf in the Barents Sea.^[68]

Pakistan

Area: 290,000 km²

Pakistan coast is a 1046 km long coast, extending from Sir Creek in the east to Gwadar Bay in the west and the EEZ extends up to 290,000sqkm which is more than 30% of its land area and ranks sixty-sixth in the world by area.

Pakistan had an EEZ of 240,000sq km before their case was accepted by UNCLCS. Pakistan Navy with the help of the National Oceanographic Organization (NIO) initiated the continental shelf case at ministerial level in 1995.

On 26 Aug 2013, a seven-member sub-commission with members from Japan, China, Mozambique, Kenya, Denmark, Georgia and Argentina was formulated at UNCLCS to evaluate the technical details of Pakistan's case and after a year accepted Pakistan's claim.

On 13 March 2015, UN Commission on the Limits of Continental Shelf (UNCLCS) accepted recommendations for extension of the outer limits of the continental shelf on Pakistan's case so far 80 countries had submitted claims to UNCLCS out of which recommendations of 22 countries including Pakistan had been finalised.

It was a historic event in the country's history when Pakistan became the first country in the region to have its continental shelf extended to 350 nm.

Some of the claimed territories overlapped the Omani claim. It is believed that the verdict in favour of Pakistan was announced after successful negotiation with Oman.

Peru

Area: 857,000 km^2[69]

Philippines

The Philippines' EEZ covers 2,263,816 km² (874,064 sq mi).^[71]

Poland

The Polish EEZ covers the area of 30,533 km² (11,789 sq mi) within the Baltic Sea.^[72]

Portugal

Portugal has the 20th largest EEZ in the world. Presently, it is divided in three non-contiguous sub-zones:

• Continental Portugal 327,667 km²
• Azores 953,633 km²
• Madeira 446,108 km²
• Total : 1,727,408 km²

Portugal submitted a claim to extend its jurisdiction over an additional 2.15 million square kilometres of the adjacent continental shelf in May 2009,^[74] resulting in an area with a total of more than 3,877,408 km². The submission, as well as a detailed map, can be found in the Task Group for the extension of the Continental Shelf website.

Spain previously objected to the EEZ's southern border, maintaining that it should be drawn halfway between Madeira and the Canary Islands. But Portugal exercises sovereignty over the Savage Islands, a small archipelago north of the Canaries, claiming an EEZ border further south. Spain has no longer disputed the Portuguese claim since 2015.^[75][76]

Romania

Area: 23,627 km²

Russia

Russia's exclusive economic zone, the world's fourth largest, is composed of:

• Kaliningrad (Baltic Sea) – 11,634 km²
• Saint Petersburg (Baltic Sea) – 12,759 km²
• Barents Sea – 1,308,140 km²
• Black Sea (without the Crimean EEZ) – 66,854 km²
• Pacific – 3,419,202 km²
• Siberia – 3,277,292 km²
• Total – 8,095,881 km^2[77]

Senegal

Area: 158,861 km²

Somalia

Area: 825,052 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.^[48]

• Mainland – 1,068,659 km²
• Prince Edward islands – 466,879 km²

South Korea

Area: 300,851 (225,214) km²

Spain

Area: 1,039,233 km²

Thailand

Area: 299,397 km²

Turkey

Turkey's EEZ is bordered by Georgia, Russia, Ukraine, Romania and Bulgaria in the Black Sea to the north, Greece in the Aegean Sea to the west, and Cyprus and Syria in the Mediterranean Sea to the south. Turkey is one of the few countries to not have signed UNCLOS and disputes Greece's and Cyprus' EEZ.

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom has the world's fifth-largest exclusive economic zone of 6,805,586 km² (2,627,651 sq mi) square km. It comprises the EEZs surrounding the United Kingdom,^[79] the Crown Dependencies, and the British Overseas Territories. The figure does not include the EEZ of the British Antarctic Territory.

The EEZ associated with the Falkland Islands and South Georgia are disputed by Argentina. The EEZ of the Chagos Archipelago, also known as the British Indian Ocean Territory, is also disputed with Mauritius which considers the archipelago as a part of its territory.

More information Territory, EEZ Area (km2) ...

The EEZ areas of the United Kingdom, Crown Dependencies and British Overseas Territories (in decreasing size)^[48]

Territory	EEZ Area (km2)	EEZ Area (sq mi)	Notes
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands	1,449,532	559,667	Disputed with  Argentina.
Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands	836,108	322,823
United Kingdom	773,676	298,718	Including the  Isle of Man.
Tristan da Cunha†	754,720	291,400	Including Gough Island.
British Indian Ocean Territory	638,568	246,552	Disputed with  Mauritius.
Falkland Islands	550,872	212,693	Disputed with  Argentina.
Bermuda	450,370	173,890
Saint Helena†	444,916	171,783
Ascension Island†	441,658	170,525
Turks and Caicos Islands	154,068	59,486
Cayman Islands	119,137	45,999
Anguilla	92,178	35,590
British Virgin Islands	80,117	30,933
Channel Islands	11,658	4,501	Including  Guernsey and  Jersey.
Montserrat	7,582	2,927
Gibraltar	426	164	Disputed with  Spain.
Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia	0	0	No EEZ area. The relevant EEZ areas around Cyprus Island are claimed by the  Republic of Cyprus[80] and  Northern Cyprus.[81]
Total	6,805,586	2,627,651

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^† A part of the overseas territory of  Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, which together has an EEZ of 1,641,294 square km.

United States

The United States' exclusive economic zone is the second largest in the world, covering 11,351,000 km². Areas of its EEZ are located in three oceans, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean Sea.

More information Territory, EEZ Area (km2) ...

The EEZ (including territorial sea) areas of the territories of the U.S. (in decreasing size)^[82]

Territory	EEZ Area (km2)	EEZ Area (sq mi)	Notes
Alaska	3,770,021	1,455,613	A non-contiguous state in the northwest extremity of the North American continent.
Hawaii – Northwestern Islands	1,579,538	609,863	Including Midway Atoll, these islands form the Leeward Islands of the Hawaiian island chain.
U.S. East Coast	915,763	353,578	The mainland coastal states of the Eastern United States. As a region, this term most often refers to the coastal states of Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and the Atlantic Coast of Florida.
Hawaii – Southeastern Islands	895,346	345,695	These islands form the Windward Islands of the Hawaiian island chain.
U.S. West Coast	825,549	318,746	The mainland coastal states of the Western United States. As a region, this term most often refers to the coastal states of California, Oregon, Washington.
Northern Mariana Islands	749,268	289,294	An organized, unincorporated, Commonwealth of the United States.
U.S. Gulf Coast	707,832	273,295	The mainland coastal states of the Southern United States. As a region, this term most often refers to the coastal states of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and the Gulf Coast of Florida
Johnston Atoll	442,635	170,902	A National Wildlife Refuge in the U.S. Minor Outlying Islands.
Howland and Baker Islands	434,921	167,924	Both territories are National Wildlife Refuges in the U.S. Minor Outlying Islands.
Wake Island	407,241	157,237	A National Wildlife Refuge in the U.S. Minor Outlying Islands.
American Samoa	404,391	156,136	The only inhabited, unorganized, unincorporated, territory of the United States.
Palmyra Atoll and Kingman Reef	352,300	136,000	Both territories are National Wildlife Refuges in the U.S. Minor Outlying Islands.
Jarvis Island	316,665	122,265	A National Wildlife Refuge in the U.S. Minor Outlying Islands.
Guam	221,504	85,523	An organized, unincorporated, territory of the United States.
Puerto Rico	177,685	68,605	An organized, unincorporated, Commonwealth of the United States.
U.S. Virgin Islands	33,744	13,029	An organized, unincorporated, territory of the United States.
Navassa Island	N/A[note 3]	N/A[note 3]	A National Wildlife Refuge in the U.S. Minor Outlying Islands.[note 4]
Total	11,351,000	4,383,000

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Note, the totals in the table actually add up to 12,234,403 square km and 4,723,705 square miles.

Vietnam

Vietnam claims an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of 1,395,096 km² (538,650 sq mi) with 200 nautical miles from its shores.^[86][87] These figures do not include the claimed EEZ areas of the Paracel Islands and the Spratly Islands. Vietnam has disputes mainly with the People's Republic of China due to the nine-dash line.