merepiirkondade

Merepiirkondade refers to maritime zones or sea areas, a concept crucial in international law and maritime management. These zones are defined by their distance from a country's coastline and grant that country specific rights and responsibilities within them. The primary zones are the territorial sea, the contiguous zone, the exclusive economic zone (EEZ), and the continental shelf.

The territorial sea extends up to 12 nautical miles from the baseline, where a coastal state exercises full sovereignty, though innocent passage for foreign vessels is permitted. Beyond the territorial sea lies the contiguous zone, extending another 12 nautical miles, allowing coastal states to enforce laws concerning customs, fiscal, immigration, and sanitary regulations.

The exclusive economic zone (EEZ) is the most extensive, reaching up to 200 nautical miles from the baseline. Within the EEZ, coastal states have sovereign rights for exploring, exploiting, conserving, and managing natural resources, both living and non-living, of the waters superjacent to the seabed and of the seabed itself. They also have jurisdiction over artificial islands, marine scientific research, and the protection and preservation of the marine environment.

The continental shelf comprises the seabed and subsoil of the submarine areas that extend beyond a country's territorial sea throughout the natural prolongation of its land territory to the outer edge of the continental margin, or to a distance of 200 nautical miles from the baselines where the outer edge of the continental margin does not extend that far. Coastal states have exclusive rights to explore and exploit its natural resources. These defined merepiirkondade are fundamental for regulating activities at sea, ensuring resource management, and maintaining international order.