Archipelagic State
A6. Public international law of the seaDefinition
State constituted by archipelagos under UNCLOS Article 46.
An archipelagic state is a state constituted wholly by one or more archipelagos and may include other islands, as defined in UNCLOS Article 46. Under Article 47 it may draw straight archipelagic baselines joining the outermost points of the outermost islands and drying reefs, provided the ratio of water to land within the baselines is between 1:1 and 9:1 and individual baselines do not exceed 100 nautical miles (with limited exceptions to 125). Waters enclosed become archipelagic waters under the state’s sovereignty (Article 49), subject to innocent passage and archipelagic sea lanes passage. Indonesia and the Philippines are leading examples of states claiming this status.
Source: UNCLOS Article 46 (definition); Article 47 (baselines)