Filesize = 585 KB - This file is only for Google Earth, not Google Maps



This is a concept in international law defined by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). You can see which countries own which islands and which control which oceanic areas.

Several national maritime boundaries are significant for coastal (littoral) or archipelagic nations:

Territorial Sea up to 12 nautical miles (nm) from the coastal baselines, with the same sovereignty as on the land part of the country.
1 nautical mile = 1.15 statute miles = 1.852 kilometers

Contiguous Zone up to 24 nm from the coast, permits enforcement of national resourece-related laws.

Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) up to 200 nm from the coast, provides exploration and exploitation of water and subterranean resources (e.g., fishing, oil, etc.). Where distances between adjacent EEZs are less than 200 nm, multilateral treaties are negotiated among the affected nations. See Wikipedia for more details. Some nations only claim an Exclusive Fishing Zone.

Continental Shelf a further extension up to 350 nm from the coast.

See a listing of the maritime claims by country in the USA CIA Factbook

These KML files are derived from the EEZ boundary data provided by the Vlaams Instituut voor de Zee (VLIZ, Flanders Marine Institute) of Oostende, Belgium. Users can access that data on their Web site to obtain GML and SHP files. The data was converted to Google Earth KML by Alphabet Systems LLC, USA.

Version 2: Added Timor-Leste (East Timor) and some joint and disputed areas. Combined and separated a few EEZs to achieve the following simple rule: Adjoining EEZs which have the same parent nation are combined into single EEZs. Some further separations exist for UK and French dependencies in the VLIZ database.

Version 3: Added a large number of jont and disputed areas, and corrected the Jarvis Island boundary. This file now also includes the Caspian and Aral inland seas which Google Earth does not provide -- although they are not covered by the UN treaty, they are defined by the same median principles and bilateral treaties. We no longer include the colored area which were of little user interest and excessive file size.

Some of the improvements of later versions are not yet incorporated into the VLIZ data bases.

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The data is provided "as is", and no warranty express, implied or otherwise is offered as to the data's accuracy. The developers do not imply any opinion concerning the legal status of any country, territory or area, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The data can be used for educational, scientific or research purposes but should not be used for legal, commercial/economical (exploration of natural resources), or navigational purposes.

Anyone can download this data, but it is for the sole use of the individual downloading the data. The geodata may not be redistributed without the permission of the Flanders Marine Institute and Alphabet Systems. The geodata may not be used in a Value-Added Software Application (like Web services). Redistribution rights are granted for hard-copy renditions or static, electronic map images (e.g. jpeg, gif, etc.) that are plotted, printed or publicly displayed. All other rights are reserved.