Maritime Boundaries and the Law of the Sea

International law divides the ocean adjacent to a coastal state into several zones with different degrees of sovereign control. Territorial waters extend up to 12 nautical miles from a state's baseline, and within them the coastal state holds essentially the same sovereignty it holds on land, subject to a right of innocent passage for foreign ships. A contiguous zone extends a further 12 nautical miles, to 24 nautical miles total, within which the state may enforce customs, immigration, and sanitary laws without holding full sovereignty. An Exclusive Economic Zone, or EEZ, extends up to 200 nautical miles from the baseline; within it the coastal state holds sovereign rights over fishing, energy, and other natural resources, but not full territorial sovereignty, and other states retain freedom of navigation and overflight. Beyond 200 nautical miles lie the high seas, generally open to all states under principles of freedom of navigation.