Sea Borders of India.

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Indian Geography (part-4)

Unclos (1982) 

United Nations Convention on the law of the sea:- 

The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), also called the Law of the Sea Convention or the Law of the Sea treaty, is the international agreement that resulted from the third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS III), which took place between 1973 and 1982. The Law of the Sea Convention defines the rights and responsibilities of nations for their use of the world's oceans, establishing guidelines for businesses, the environment, and the management of marine natural resources.

Important terminologies:- 

• Baseline:-

The baseline from which the territorial sea is measured is the low-water line along the coast as marked on large-scale charts officially recognized by the coastal state. This is either the low-water mark closest to the shore, or alternatively, it may be an unlimited distance from permanently exposed land, provided that some portion of elevations exposed at low tide but covered at high tide is within 3 nautical miles or 3.45 statute miles (5.5 km) of permanently exposed land.

• Internal waters:--

Waters landward of the baseline are defined as internal waters, over which the state has complete sovereignty: not even innocent passage is allowed without explicit permission from said state. Lakes and rivers are considered internal waters.

• Territorial sea:- 

According to UNCLOS, the territorial sea can be defined as the area which extends up to 12 nautical miles from the baseline of a country’s coastal state. The territorial sea is under the jurisdiction of that particular country; however, foreign ships (both merchant and military) ships are allowed passage through it.

A country has full authorization in this region.

• Contiguous zone:-

The contiguous zone can be defined as the belt which extends 12 nautical miles beyond the territorial sea limit.

A coastal state’s control on this area is limited to prevention of actions which can infringe its customs, fiscal, and immigration laws. It can also act if any activity in the contiguous zone threatens regulations in the territorial sea.

• Exclusive economic zone

The exclusive economic zone can be defined as a belt of water which extends up to 200 nautical miles from the baseline of the coastal state. Thus it includes both territorial sea and contiguous zone.

The exclusive economic zone provides the coastal state control over all economic resources such as fishing, mining, oil exploration, and marine research.

Difference between Gulf and Bay:-

1. A gulf is much larger than a bay.
2. A gulf is said to be a large body of water that is surrounded by land and having only a narrow entrance along a strait. A bay is also a large body of water that is surrounded by land but not as enclosed as a gulf. Moreover, the bay has a wider opening than the gulf.
3. A gulf is a body of water in which the water has eroded very deeply into the adjoining land. On the contrary, a bay has an inward land curve.
4. Most of the bays are formed because of the erosion of soft rock and clay by the waves. When looking at a single gulf, it is generally fashioned along linear shores. If the shoreline is irregular and consists of complex geologic structures, a group of gulfs are formed 

Examples:- 

The Bay of Bengal, Gulf of Mannar

 If you have any query, please feel free to comment and ask.