Exclusive Economic Zone

An exclusive economic zone (EEZ), as prescribed by the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, is an area of the sea in which a sovereign state has exclusive rights regarding the exploration and use of marine resources, including energy production from water and wind.

EEZ does not define the ownership of any maritime features (islands, rocks and low-tide elevations) within the EEZ.

Exclusive Economic Zone
The world's exclusive economic zones by boundary types and EEZ types

It stretches from the outer limit of the territorial sea (22.224 kilometres or 12 nmi from the baseline) out 370.4 kilometres (or 200 nautical miles) from the coast of the state in question. It is also referred to as a maritime continental margin and, in colloquial usage, may include the continental shelf. The term does not include either the territorial sea or the continental shelf beyond the 200 nautical mile limit. The difference between the territorial sea and the exclusive economic zone is that the first confers full sovereignty over the waters, whereas the second is merely a "sovereign right" which refers to the coastal state's rights below the surface of the sea. The surface waters are international waters.

Definition

Exclusive Economic Zone 
Sea areas in international rights (top down view)

Generally, a state's exclusive economic zone is an area beyond and adjacent to the territorial sea, extending seaward to a distance of no more than 200 nmi (370 km) out from its coastal baseline. The exception to this rule occurs when exclusive economic zones would overlap; that is, state coastal baselines are less than 400 nmi (741 km) apart. When an overlap occurs, it is up to the states to delineate the actual maritime boundary. Generally, any point within an overlapping area defaults to the nearest state.

The exclusive economic zone stretches much further into sea than the territorial waters, which end at 12 nmi (22 km) from the coastal baseline (if following the rules set out in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea). Thus, the exclusive economic zones includes the contiguous zone.

States also have rights to the seabed of what is called the continental shelf up to 350 nmi (648 km) from the coastal baseline, beyond the exclusive economic zones, but such areas are not part of their exclusive economic zones. The legal definition of the continental shelf does not correspond exactly to the geological meaning of the term, as it also includes the continental rise and slope, and the entire seabed within the exclusive economic zone.

Origin and history

The idea of allotting nations' EEZs to give them more control of maritime affairs outside territorial limits gained acceptance in the late 20th century.

Initially, a country's sovereign territorial waters extended 3 nmi (6 km) (range of cannon shot) beyond the shore.[citation needed] In modern times, a country's sovereign territorial waters extend to 12 nmi (22 km) beyond the shore.[citation needed] One of the first assertions of exclusive jurisdiction beyond the traditional territorial seas was made by the United States in the Truman Proclamation of 28 September 1945. However, it was Chile and Peru respectively that first claimed maritime zones of 200 nautical miles with the Presidential Declaration Concerning Continental Shelf of 23 June 1947 and Presidential Decree No. 781 of 1 August 1947

It was not until 1982 with the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea that the 200 nautical mile exclusive economic zone was formally adopted.

Disputes

Exclusive Economic Zone 
De facto territories in the Spratly Islands

The exact extent of exclusive economic zones is a common source of conflicts between states over marine waters:

Potential disputes

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

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.
  • 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.
  • 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. The agreement was signed in Murmansk on 15 September 2010.
  • In 2014, the Netherlands and Germany resolved an old border dispute regarding the exact location of the border in the Dollart Bay.

Transboundary stocks

Fisheries management, usually adhering to guidelines set by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), provides significant practical mechanisms for the control of EEZs. Transboundary fish stocks are an important concept in this control. Transboundary stocks are fish stocks that range in the EEZs of at least two countries. Straddling stocks, on the other hand, range both within an EEZ as well as in the high seas, outside any EEZ. A stock can be both transboundary and straddling.

By country

Various island countries

Exclusive Economic Zone 
EEZs in the Caribbean Sea
Exclusive Economic Zone 
EEZs in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans
Exclusive Economic Zone 
EEZs in the Pacific Ocean

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. 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, The same was done by the Italian mission on 28 November 2018. 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.

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

Argentina

Exclusive Economic Zone 
Argentina's exclusive economic zones, including its territorial claims (the Falklands and South Georgia, etc. plus its Antarctic claim)

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

Exclusive Economic Zone 
Australia's exclusive economic zones, including its Antarctic claim

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. 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. 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, but these claims were deferred on Australia's request. However, Australia's EEZ from its Antarctic Territory is approximately 2 million square kilometres.

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

Brazil

Exclusive Economic Zone 
Brazil's exclusive economic zones

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.

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

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.

Canada

Exclusive Economic Zone 
Canada's exclusive economic zone and territorial waters

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. 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

Exclusive Economic Zone 
Chile's exclusive economic zones, including its Antarctic claim

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

Region EEZ Area (km2) Land Area (km2) Total
Mainland Chile 1,987,371 755,757 2,743,128
Easter Island 720,412 164 720,576
Juan Fernández Islands 502,524 100 502,624
Desventuradas Islands 449,836 5 449,841
Total 3,660,143 756,102.4 4,416,245.4

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

Exclusive Economic Zone 
Exclusive economic zone claimed by the People's Republic of China:
  China's undisputed EEZ –
960,556 km2
  EEZ claimed by China, disputed by Taiwan – 1,148,485 km2
  EEZ claimed by China, disputed by other countries – 210,926 km2
Total: 2,236,430 km2

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

Exclusive Economic Zone 
Croatia's exclusive economic zone (dark blue) and Ecological and Fisheries Protection Zone

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. 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

Exclusive Economic Zone 
The exclusive economic zones and territorial waters of the Kingdom of Denmark

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

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

Ecuador

Exclusive Economic Zone 
Ecuador's exclusive economic zone

Area: 1,077,231 km2

France

Exclusive Economic Zone 
Exclusive economic zones of France, including its Antarctic territorial claim

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). 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

The Federal Republic of Germany declared the entry into force of the convention with effect from 1 January 1995, the establishment of a German Exclusive Economic Zone in the North and Baltic Seas. The relevant German legal provisions that are applicable within the exclusive economic zone include the Maritime Task Act (Seeaufgabengesetz) from 1965, the Maritime Facilities Act (Seeanlagengesetz) from 2017, before that the Sea Facilities Ordinance (Seeanlagenverordnung) since 1997, the Federal Mining Act (Bundesberggesetz) and the Regional Planning Act (Raumordnungsgesetz).

The German EEZ has an area of 32,982 km2. 70% of the EEZ is the entire German North Sea area and about 29% is the entire German Baltic Sea area.

Greece

Exclusive Economic Zone 
Exclusive Economic Zone of 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. 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.

EEZ Area of Greece
Territory km2 sq mi Notes
Total 505,572 195,202

India

Exclusive Economic Zone 
India's exclusive economic zones
EEZ Area (km2)
Mainland India (9 states and 2 union territories) and Lakshadweep union territory 1,641,514 km2
Andaman and Nicobar Islands union territory 663,629 km2
Total 2,305,143 km2

India is currently seeking to extend its EEZ to 350 miles.

Indonesia

Exclusive Economic Zone 
Indonesia's exclusive economic zone

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. 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

The Irish Exclusive Economic Zone was announced to be the location of a Russian military exercise in January 2022. The exercise was then moved outside the economic zone.

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

Exclusive Economic Zone 
Italy's EEZ in the Mediterranean Sea

Italy has the world's 48th largest EEZ, with an area of 541,915 km2 (209,235 sq mi). It claims an EEZ of 200 nautical miles from its shores, which has long coastlines with the Tyrrhenian Sea to the west, the Ionian Sea to the south and the Adriatic Sea to the east. Its 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 in the Tyrrhenian Sea including the island Sardinia. The island Sicily is in the southernmost area. Lampedusa is Italy's southernmost point. It shares treaty-defined maritime boundaries with France, Spain, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Malta, Greece, Albania, Montenegro, Croatia and Slovenia.

Japan

Exclusive Economic Zone 
Japan's exclusive economic zones:
  Japan's EEZ
  Joint regime with the Republic of Korea
  EEZ claimed by Japan, disputed by others

Japan has the 8th largest exclusive economic zone of 4,479,674 km2 (1,729,612 sq mi). It claims an EEZ of 200 nautical miles from its shores.

EEZ Areas of Japan
Region EEZ Area (km2) EEZ Area (sq mi)
Ryukyu Islands 1,394,676 538,487
Pacific Ocean (Japan) 1,162,334 448,780
Nanpō Islands 862,782 333,122
Sea of Japan 630,721 243,523
Minami-Tori-shima 428,875 165,590
Sea of Okhotsk 235 91
Daitō Islands 44 17
Senkaku Islands 7 2.7
Total 4,479,674 1,729,612

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 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

Exclusive Economic Zone 
Exclusive economic zone of Mexico

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

New Zealand

Exclusive Economic Zone 
Exclusive economic zones of the Realm of New Zealand, including the Ross Dependency (shaded)

New Zealand's EEZ covers 4,083,744 km2 (1,576,742 sq mi), 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. 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

Exclusive Economic Zone 
The exclusive economic zone of 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. 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. The EEZ has not been codified in law and North Korea has never specified its coordinates, making it difficult to determine its specific scope.

In the West Sea, the EEZ remains unspecified in the Korea Bay because China has not determined its own EEZ in the area. 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.

In the Sea of Japan, the North Korean EEZ can be approximated to be trapezoidal-shaped. The border between North Korea and Russia's respective EEZs is the only such border that has been determined in East Asia. 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.

Norway

Exclusive Economic Zone 
Norway's exclusive economic zones, including the dependency of Bouvet Island

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.

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.

Region EEZ and Territorial
Waters Area (km2)
Land Area (km2) Total (km2)
Mainland Norway 1,273,482 323,802 1,597,284
Svalbard 402,574 61,002 463,576
Jan Mayen 273,118 373 273,491
Bouvet Island 436,004 49 436,053
Total 2,385,178 385,226 2,770,404

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

Exclusive Economic Zone 
Peru's exclusive economic zone

Area: 857,000 km2

Philippines

Exclusive Economic Zone 
The exclusive economic zone of the Philippines shown in the lighter blue shade, with Archepelagic Waters in the darkest blue

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

Poland

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

Portugal

Exclusive Economic Zone 
Portugal's Exclusive Economic Zones plus submitted Extended Continental Shelf to the UN

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

Portugal submitted a claim to extend its jurisdiction over an additional 2.15 million square kilometres of the adjacent continental shelf in May 2009, 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.

Romania

Area: 23,627 km2

Russia

Exclusive Economic Zone 
Russia's exclusive economic zone

4th largest

  • 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 km2

Senegal

Exclusive Economic Zone 
Senegal's exclusive economic zone

Area: 158,861 km2

Somalia

Exclusive Economic Zone 
Somalia's exclusive economic zone

Area: 825,052 km2

South Africa

Exclusive Economic Zone 
South Africa's exclusive economic zone

South Africa's EEZ includes both that next to the African mainland and that around the Prince Edward Islands, totalling 1,535,538 km2.

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

South Korea

Exclusive Economic Zone 
South Korean exclusive economic zone:
  Korean EEZ
  EEZ claimed by Republic of Korea and Japan
  Joint regime with Japan

Area: 300,851 (225,214) km2

Spain

Exclusive Economic Zone 
Spain's exclusive economic zone. (Labels in Spanish)

Area: 1,039,233 km2

Thailand

Exclusive Economic Zone 
Thailand's exclusive economic zone

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

Exclusive Economic Zone 
The exclusive economic zones of the United Kingdom in blue, including the British Overseas Territories and the Crown Dependencies. The British claim in Antarctica is shown in shaded blue.
Exclusive Economic Zone 
UK, Ireland, Iceland & Faroes exclusive economic zones

The United Kingdom has the 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, 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.

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

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

United States

Exclusive Economic Zone 
The USA's Exclusive Economic Zones

The United States' exclusive economic zone is the 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.

The EEZ (including territorial sea) areas of the territories of the U.S. (in decreasing size)
Territory EEZ Area (km2) EEZ Area (sq mi) Notes
Exclusive Economic Zone  Alaska 3,770,021 1,455,613 A non-contiguous state in the northwest extremity of the North American continent.
Exclusive Economic Zone  HawaiiNorthwestern Islands 1,579,538 609,863 Including Midway Atoll, these islands form the Leeward Islands of the Hawaiian island chain.
Exclusive Economic Zone  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.
Exclusive Economic Zone  HawaiiSoutheastern Islands 895,346 345,695 These islands form the Windward Islands of the Hawaiian island chain.
Exclusive Economic Zone  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.
Exclusive Economic Zone  Northern Mariana Islands 749,268 289,294 An organized, unincorporated, Commonwealth of the United States.
Exclusive Economic Zone  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.
Exclusive Economic Zone  Howland and Baker Islands 434,921 167,924 Both territories are National Wildlife Refuges in the U.S. Minor Outlying Islands.
Exclusive Economic Zone  Wake Island 407,241 157,237 A National Wildlife Refuge in the U.S. Minor Outlying Islands.
Exclusive Economic Zone  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.
Exclusive Economic Zone  Guam 221,504 85,523 An organized, unincorporated, territory of the United States.
Exclusive Economic Zone  Puerto Rico 177,685 68,605 An organized, unincorporated, Commonwealth of the United States.
Exclusive Economic Zone  U.S. Virgin Islands 33,744 13,029 An organized, unincorporated, territory of the United States.
Navassa Island N/A N/A A National Wildlife Refuge in the U.S. Minor Outlying Islands.
Total 11,351,000 4,383,000

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

Vietnam

Exclusive Economic Zone 
Territorial claims in the South China Sea. Vietnam's EEZ has a blue line.

Vietnam claims an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of 1,395,096 km2 (538,650 sq mi) with 200 nautical miles from its shores. 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.

Countries with the most distant EEZs

Exclusive Economic Zone 
Countries with the most distant EEZs

Rankings by area

This list includes dependent territories (including uninhabited territories) within their sovereign states, but does not include various claims on Antarctica. EEZ+TIA is exclusive economic zone (EEZ) plus total internal area (TIA) which includes territorial land and internal waters.

Rank Country EEZ km2 Shelf km2 EEZ+TIA km2
1 Exclusive Economic Zone  United States 11,351,000 2,193,526 21,814,306
2 Exclusive Economic Zone  France 10,186,624 725,297 12,416,921
3 Exclusive Economic Zone  Australia 9,025,053 2,194,008 16,197,464
4 Exclusive Economic Zone  Russia 7,566,673 3,817,843 24,664,915
5 Exclusive Economic Zone  United Kingdom 6,805,586 872,891 7,048,486
6 Exclusive Economic Zone  Indonesia 6,159,032 2,039,381 8,063,601
7 Exclusive Economic Zone  Canada 5,599,077 2,644,795 15,607,077
8 Exclusive Economic Zone  Japan 4,479,388 214,976 4,857,318
9 Exclusive Economic Zone  New Zealand 4,420,565 272,898 4,688,285
10 Exclusive Economic Zone  Brazil 3,830,955 774,563 12,345,832
11 Exclusive Economic Zone  Chile 3,681,989 252,947 4,431,381
12 Exclusive Economic Zone  Kiribati 3,441,810 7,523 3,442,536
13 Exclusive Economic Zone  Mexico 3,269,386 419,102 5,141,968
14 Exclusive Economic Zone  Federated States of Micronesia 2,996,419 19,403 2,997,121
15 Exclusive Economic Zone  Denmark 2,551,238 495,657 4,761,811
16 Exclusive Economic Zone  Papua New Guinea 2,402,288 191,256 2,865,128
17 Exclusive Economic Zone  Norway 2,385,178 434,020 2,770,404
18 Exclusive Economic Zone  India 2,305,143 402,996 5,592,406
19 Exclusive Economic Zone  Marshall Islands 1,990,530 18,411 1,990,711
Exclusive Economic Zone  Cook Islands 1,960,027 1,213 1,960,267
20 Exclusive Economic Zone  Portugal 1,727,408 28,000 1,819,498
21 Exclusive Economic Zone  Philippines 1,590,780 272,921 1,890,780
22 Exclusive Economic Zone  Solomon Islands 1,589,477 36,282 1,618,373
23 Exclusive Economic Zone  South Africa 1,535,538 156,337 2,756,575
24 Exclusive Economic Zone  Seychelles 1,336,559 39,063 1,337,014
25 Exclusive Economic Zone  Mauritius 1,284,997 29,061 1,287,037
26 Exclusive Economic Zone  Fiji 1,282,978 47,705 1,301,250
27 Exclusive Economic Zone  Madagascar 1,225,259 101,505 1,812,300
28 Exclusive Economic Zone  Argentina 1,159,063 856,346 3,939,463
29 Exclusive Economic Zone  Ecuador 1,077,231 41,034 1,333,600
30 Exclusive Economic Zone  Spain 1,039,233 77,920 1,545,225
31 Exclusive Economic Zone  Maldives 923,322 34,538 923,622
32 Exclusive Economic Zone  Peru 906,454 82,000 2,191,670
33 Exclusive Economic Zone  China 877,019 231,340 10,473,980
34 Exclusive Economic Zone  Somalia 825,052 55,895 1,462,709
35 Exclusive Economic Zone  Colombia 808,158 53,691 1,949,906
36 Exclusive Economic Zone  Cape Verde 800,561 5,591 804,594
37 Exclusive Economic Zone  Iceland 751,345 108,015 854,345
38 Exclusive Economic Zone  Tuvalu 749,790 3,575 749,816
39 Exclusive Economic Zone  Vanuatu 663,251 11,483 675,440
40 Exclusive Economic Zone  Tonga 659,558 8,517 660,305
41 Exclusive Economic Zone  Bahamas 654,715 106,323 668,658
42 Exclusive Economic Zone  Palau 603,978 2,837 604,437
43 Exclusive Economic Zone  Mozambique 578,986 94,212 1,380,576
44 Exclusive Economic Zone  Morocco 575,230 115,157 1,287,780
45 Exclusive Economic Zone  Costa Rica 574,725 19,585 625,825
46 Exclusive Economic Zone  Namibia 564,748 86,698 1,388,864
47 Exclusive Economic Zone  Yemen 552,669 59,229 1,080,637
48 Exclusive Economic Zone  Italy 541,915 116,834 843,251
49 Exclusive Economic Zone  Oman 533,180 59,071 842,680
50 Exclusive Economic Zone  Myanmar 532,775 220,332 1,209,353
51 Exclusive Economic Zone  Sri Lanka 532,619 32,453 598,229
52 Exclusive Economic Zone  Angola 518,433 48,092 1,765,133
53 Exclusive Economic Zone  Greece 505,572 81,451 637,529
54 Exclusive Economic Zone  South Korea 475,469 342,522 575,469
55 Exclusive Economic Zone  Venezuela 471,507 98,500 1,387,950
56 Exclusive Economic Zone  Vietnam 417,663 365,198 748,875
57 Exclusive Economic Zone  Ireland 410,310 139,935 480,583
58 Exclusive Economic Zone  Libya 351,589 64,763 2,111,129
59 Exclusive Economic Zone  Cuba 350,751 61,525 460,637
60 Exclusive Economic Zone  Panama 335,646 53,404 411,163
61 Exclusive Economic Zone  Malaysia 334,671 323,412 665,474
Exclusive Economic Zone  Niue 316,584 284 316,844
62 Exclusive Economic Zone  Nauru 308,480 41 308,501
63 Exclusive Economic Zone  Equatorial Guinea 303,509 7,820 331,560
64 Exclusive Economic Zone  Thailand 299,397 230,063 812,517
65 Exclusive Economic Zone  Pakistan 290,000 51,383 1,117,911
66 Exclusive Economic Zone  Egypt 263,451 61,591 1,265,451
67 Exclusive Economic Zone  Turkey 261,654 56,093 1,045,216
68 Exclusive Economic Zone  Jamaica 258,137 9,802 269,128
69 Exclusive Economic Zone  Dominican Republic 255,898 10,738 304,569
70 Exclusive Economic Zone  Liberia 249,734 17,715 361,103
71 Exclusive Economic Zone  Honduras 249,542 68,718 362,034
72 Exclusive Economic Zone  Tanzania 241,888 25,611 1,186,975
73 Exclusive Economic Zone  Ghana 235,349 22,502 473,888
74 Exclusive Economic Zone  Saudi Arabia 228,633 107,249 2,378,323
75 Exclusive Economic Zone  Nigeria 217,313 42,285 1,141,081
76 Exclusive Economic Zone  Sierra Leone 215,611 28,625 287,351
77 Exclusive Economic Zone  Gabon 202,790 35,020 470,458
78 Exclusive Economic Zone  Barbados 186,898 426 187,328
79 Exclusive Economic Zone  Côte d'Ivoire 176,254 10,175 498,717
80 Exclusive Economic Zone  Iran 168,718 118,693 1,797,468
81 Exclusive Economic Zone  Mauritania 165,338 31,662 1,190,858
82 Exclusive Economic Zone  Comoros 163,752 1,526 165,987
83 Exclusive Economic Zone  Sweden 160,885 154,604 602,255
84 Exclusive Economic Zone  Senegal 158,861 23,092 355,583
85 Exclusive Economic Zone  Netherlands 154,011 77,246 192,345
86 Exclusive Economic Zone  Ukraine 147,318 79,142 750,818
87 Exclusive Economic Zone  Uruguay 142,166 75,327 318,381
88 Exclusive Economic Zone  Guyana 137,765 50,578 352,734
89 Exclusive Economic Zone  São Tomé and Príncipe 131,397 1,902 132,361
90 Exclusive Economic Zone  Samoa 127,950 2,087 130,781
91 Exclusive Economic Zone  Suriname 127,772 53,631 291,592
92 Exclusive Economic Zone  Haiti 126,760 6,683 154,510
93 Exclusive Economic Zone  Algeria 126,353 9,985 2,508,094
94 Exclusive Economic Zone  Nicaragua 123,881 70,874 254,254
95 Exclusive Economic Zone  Guinea-Bissau 123,725 39,339 159,850
96 Exclusive Economic Zone  Bangladesh 118,813 66,438 230,390
97 Exclusive Economic Zone  Kenya 116,942 11,073 697,309
98 Exclusive Economic Zone  Guatemala 114,170 14,422 223,059
99 Exclusive Economic Zone  North Korea 113,888 50,337 234,428
100 Exclusive Economic Zone  Antigua and Barbuda 110,089 4,128 110,531
101 Exclusive Economic Zone  Tunisia 101,857 67,126 265,467
102 Exclusive Economic Zone  Cyprus 98,707 4,042 107,958
103 Exclusive Economic Zone  El Salvador 90,962 16,852 112,003
104 Exclusive Economic Zone  Finland 87,171 85,109 425,590
105 Exclusive Economic Zone  Republic of China (Taiwan) 83,231 43,016 119,419
106 Exclusive Economic Zone  Eritrea 77,728 61,817 195,328
107 Exclusive Economic Zone  Trinidad and Tobago 74,199 25,284 79,329
108 Exclusive Economic Zone  East Timor 70,326 25,648 85,200
109 Exclusive Economic Zone  Sudan 68,148 19,827 1,954,216
110 Exclusive Economic Zone  Cambodia 62,515 62,515 243,550
111 Exclusive Economic Zone  Guinea 59,426 44,755 305,283
112 Exclusive Economic Zone  Croatia 59,032 50,277 115,626
113 Exclusive Economic Zone  United Arab Emirates 58,218 57,474 141,818
114 Exclusive Economic Zone  Germany 57,485 57,485 414,599
115 Exclusive Economic Zone  Malta 54,823 5,301 55,139
116 Exclusive Economic Zone  Estonia 36,992 36,992 82,219
117 Exclusive Economic Zone  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 36,302 1,561 36,691
118 Exclusive Economic Zone  Belize 35,351 13,178 58,317
119 Exclusive Economic Zone  Bulgaria 34,307 10,426 145,186
120 Exclusive Economic Zone  Benin 33,221 2,721 145,843
121 Exclusive Economic Zone  Qatar 31,590 31,590 43,176
122 Exclusive Economic Zone  Republic of the Congo 31,017 7,982 373,017
123 Exclusive Economic Zone  Poland 29,797 29,797 342,482
124 Exclusive Economic Zone  Dominica 28,985 659 29,736
125 Exclusive Economic Zone  Latvia 28,452 27,772 93,011
126 Exclusive Economic Zone  Grenada 27,426 2,237 27,770
127 Exclusive Economic Zone  Israel 26,352 3,745 48,424
128 Exclusive Economic Zone  Romania 23,627 19,303 262,018
129 Exclusive Economic Zone  Gambia 23,112 5,581 34,407
130 Exclusive Economic Zone  Georgia 21,946 3,243 91,646
131 Exclusive Economic Zone  Lebanon 19,516 1,067 29,968
132 Exclusive Economic Zone  Cameroon 16,547 11,420 491,989
133 Exclusive Economic Zone  Saint Lucia 15,617 544 16,156
134 Exclusive Economic Zone  Albania 13,691 6,979 42,439
135 Exclusive Economic Zone  Togo 12,045 1,265 68,830
136 Exclusive Economic Zone  Kuwait 11,026 11,026 28,844
137 Exclusive Economic Zone  Syria 10,503 1,085 195,683
138 Exclusive Economic Zone  Bahrain 10,225 10,225 10,975
139 Exclusive Economic Zone  Brunei 10,090 8,509 15,855
140 Exclusive Economic Zone  Saint Kitts and Nevis 9,974 653 10,235
141 Exclusive Economic Zone  Montenegro 7,745 3,896 21,557
142 Exclusive Economic Zone  Djibouti 7,459 3,187 30,659
143 Exclusive Economic Zone  Lithuania 7,031 7,031 72,331
144 Exclusive Economic Zone  Belgium 3,447 3,447 33,975
145 Exclusive Economic Zone  Democratic Republic of the Congo 1,606 1,593 2,346,464
146 Exclusive Economic Zone  Singapore 1,067 1,067 1,772
147 Exclusive Economic Zone  Iraq 771 771 439,088
148 Exclusive Economic Zone  Monaco 288 2 290
149 Exclusive Economic Zone  Palestine 256 256 6,276
150 Exclusive Economic Zone  Slovenia 220 220 20,493
151 Exclusive Economic Zone  Jordan 166 59 89,508
152 Exclusive Economic Zone  Bosnia and Herzegovina 50 50 51,259
Exclusive Economic Zone  Kazakhstan 2,724,900
Exclusive Economic Zone  Mongolia 1,564,100
Exclusive Economic Zone  Chad 1,284,000
Exclusive Economic Zone  Niger 1,267,000
Exclusive Economic Zone  Mali 1,240,192
Exclusive Economic Zone  Ethiopia 1,104,300
Exclusive Economic Zone  Bolivia 1,098,581
Exclusive Economic Zone  Zambia 752,612
Exclusive Economic Zone  Afghanistan 652,090
Exclusive Economic Zone  Central African Republic 622,984
Exclusive Economic Zone  South Sudan 619,745
Exclusive Economic Zone  Botswana 582,000
Exclusive Economic Zone  Turkmenistan 488,100
Exclusive Economic Zone  Uzbekistan 447,400
Exclusive Economic Zone  Paraguay 406,752
Exclusive Economic Zone  Zimbabwe 390,757
Exclusive Economic Zone  Burkina Faso 274,222
Exclusive Economic Zone  Uganda 241,038
Exclusive Economic Zone  Laos 236,800
Exclusive Economic Zone  Belarus 207,600
Exclusive Economic Zone  Kyrgyzstan 199,951
Exclusive Economic Zone    Nepal 147,181
Exclusive Economic Zone  Tajikistan 143,100
Exclusive Economic Zone  Malawi 118,484
Exclusive Economic Zone  Hungary 93,028
Exclusive Economic Zone  Azerbaijan 86,600
Exclusive Economic Zone  Austria 83,871
Exclusive Economic Zone  Czech Republic 78,867
Exclusive Economic Zone  Serbia 77,474
Exclusive Economic Zone  Slovakia 49,035
Exclusive Economic Zone   Switzerland 41,284
Exclusive Economic Zone  Bhutan 38,394
Exclusive Economic Zone  Moldova 33,846
Exclusive Economic Zone  Lesotho 30,355
Exclusive Economic Zone  Armenia 29,743
Exclusive Economic Zone  Burundi 27,834
Exclusive Economic Zone  Rwanda 26,338
Exclusive Economic Zone  North Macedonia 25,713
Exclusive Economic Zone  Eswatini 17,364
Exclusive Economic Zone  Luxembourg 2,586
Exclusive Economic Zone  Andorra 468
Exclusive Economic Zone  Liechtenstein 160
Exclusive Economic Zone  San Marino 61
Exclusive Economic Zone  Vatican City 0.44
Total Exclusive Economic Zone  United Nations 137,926,515 25,149,113 274,891,722

See also

Notes

References

Works cited:

Tags:

Exclusive Economic Zone DefinitionExclusive Economic Zone Origin and historyExclusive Economic Zone DisputesExclusive Economic Zone Transboundary stocksExclusive Economic Zone By countryExclusive Economic Zone Countries with the most distant EEZsExclusive Economic Zone Rankings by areaExclusive Economic Zone

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